Chapter 8

Mom helps me into my room and lays me on my bed. I don’t think I could manage to do anything else, even if they ordered me to.

I hear the howls of the pack saluting the warriors as they leave. I try to howl with them, but I can’t stop crying. I clutch my aching heart and whisper a prayer to the Moon Goddess to forgive me and to send my mate back safely.

Ashley appears in front of my face. She’s even more of a mess than she was earlier.

I lift the covers and she joins me, back in the faux safety of my duvet fortress. Justice and Zinnia sulk along with us. We stop pretending like we’re going to be okay and cry ourselves to sleep. Everyone leaves us alone. Someone knocks on the door around dinnertime. They slide a tray of food into the room, but don’t come inside. Ashley crawls out of bed and takes a few bites, then abandons it. She comes back to bed so we can console each other until we cry ourselves back to sleep.

Justice wakes me up when Dad comes in the middle of the night. He kisses