C1

"Arwen Frostfang," Alpha Beren's voice echoed off the cold stone of the Obsidian Blood Prison main gate. "You walk out of these iron bars a traitor to the Frostfang Moon Pack."

I stared back at my father, my black skin cold under the falling northern snow, my small four-foot-eight frame shivering in thin rags. My wolf inner-spirit was completely shattered, completely paralyzed from the beating two years ago, leaving me moving with a heavy, awkward limp.

"I did not attack Lady Eowyn Silverclaw," I said, my voice cracking from disuse as I held my breath against the freezing air. "She drove her own silver blade into her flank to frame me, Father."

"Do not call me Father," Alpha Beren growled, his golden wolf eyes flashing with absolute disgust. "You destroyed Eowyn’s wolf form so she can never shift under the full moon again, yet your weak, pathetic wolf is still breathing."

He tossed an ancient paper scroll onto the frozen mud directly at my feet.

"The Dravenmoor Crimson Dominion demanded your blood or the destruction of the Frostfang Moon Dominion," the Alpha spat. "Prince Thalion Dravenmoor claimed your wolf's spirit as compensation, and our pack elders agreed to cut your bloodline loose forever."

I squeezed my eyes shut as the physical memory of that night tore through my chest. Two years ago, in the dark den of the Dravenmoor Crimson Keep, Thalion had stood over me in the shadows. I remembered the faint metallic smell of blood and his large hand rolling a heavy silver coin across his knuckles over and over while his thick forearms, wrapped tight in black leather, flexed with cruel intent.

"There's a price to pay for hurting Eowyn, Arwen," Thalion had whispered that night, his possessive, dark aura suffocating the air out of my lungs before his heavy iron club slammed down directly onto my ribs, crushing my inner wolf's core into pieces. "Your wolf pays for her pain, but this debt is not over."

I looked down at my trembling hands now, still remembering the dried blood under my fingernails from that terrible night.

"Get out of Eredhollow," Alpha Beren commanded, turning his back on me without a single ounce of mercy. "The Dravenmoor pack council expects you at the Crimson Noble Quarter by midnight, or they will hunt down what remains of your life."

The massive iron gate slammed shut, leaving me completely alone in the howling blizzard. My ruined wolf whimpered deep inside my chest, dead and useless, leaving my small body completely exposed to the brutal winter air.

I pulled my thin clothes tightly around my waist, my breath forming thick clouds as I limped toward the deserted transport trail. I had no pack rank left, no mate bond, and only a single silver coin in my pocket.

Two years in the Obsidian Blood Prison had stripped away my title as the pack leader's daughter. Now, as I stepped onto the snow-covered path leading straight back into Prince Thalion’s ruthless territory, I knew my nightmare was only just beginning.