I gave the man two sharp barks, and he glanced up, meeting us with eyes exactly as bright as the wolf’s.“Hello?” he said with a curious smile.His hair ran in gentle, honey-colored waves down his homespun tunic, and his beard was bushy and long. But I would recognize that face anywhere.My throat tightened, and the backs of my eyes stung with tears. It really was him.The first thing I did was close the door shut with my nose, encasing us both in what was now a darkened hut, lit only by the stove. When I turned around, Dad’s friendly features morphed into a frown. He probably thought I was some kind of freak.“What is the meaning of this?” he asked, sounding stern. It was the voice he’d used whenever he was about to give me a reprimand, but to my ears, it sounded like home.I shifted and remained on the floor, my features obscured by a curtain of honey-blonde hair, confident that Healer Iaso’s amendments hadn’t gone soul-deep, and he stepped back.“Who are you?” he whispered.I raised m

The villagers were mostly gathered around an open mess hall similar to the one that had been set up in the Hellfire Pack’s territory. I ran past, looking for signs of the others.Griff’s wolf emerged from behind one of the grass-roofed huts and ran on my other side. He seemed happier than ever to see me, perhaps because he finally understood my relationship with the Arctic wolf. The three of us ran to the edge of the village, where Griff and the other members of the pack were exchanging hugs with Tansy and saying goodbye.“Do you know that I’d almost forgotten why we were here?” I asked Beki.She gave me two barks, which I took to mean she’d also lost track of what had happened the night before.Griff stepped out from the small huddle, and he turned to me and smiled. “Let’s go.”When we reached the other side, the sun had already set. At least that’s how it looked from within the Hellfire Pack’s dome. Fenrir and Griff stepped aside to exchange several words while his blue-haired mate sto

Griff’s larger body towered over mine, and for the first time in my entire existence outside of Hell, I knew what it was like to be intimidated by another wolf. I’d never seen him so angry—not even when I’d pummeled him with my fists, not even when towered over him with the lighter fluid, but I think by then he had died.Every drop of moisture in my gullet evaporated in the heat of those burning eyes, leaving me trying to pull air into my lungs and failing. Was this the moment he dragged me to Fenrir for my tongue binding? I had to act, but even Beki was cowering.“What’s happened?” I rasped, trying to sound innocent. “Where is your friend?” he snarled.It took me a few seconds for his words to filter through my panic, and I realized he was talking about Larissa. But that didn’t mean I was safe. “I went round the back to see her, but there was a new girl inside.”His eyes narrowed. “What did she say?”“Don employed her today, after Larissa disappeared with a week’s takings,” the words

I drifted in and out of sleep that night, haunted by Griff’s words. All that talk about saving his fatherfrom faeries had gotten to me, and I tried to imagine what I would do if it was Dad who had gotten himself in debt.My mind went blank. Dad simply wasn’t the type to drown his sorrows in drink or gambling or any other type of vice. If he had lost an alpha challenge, then he would go lone wolf, bide his time, and return bigger, stronger, and ready to fight his way to the top.He wasn’t anything like me.Forty years ago, I had been too blinded by rejection and rage to see straight. I’d lashed out and didn’t stop until the enforcers broke into the mansion and dragged me away. I clenched my teeth. Why hadn’t I insisted that Griff finish his story? If the situation with the faeries had been linked to the way he had treated me, perhaps I would sleep easily tonight.Footsteps sounded outside my tent as a few pack members stumbled in from a night out. Someone barked a laugh, then someone

To my relief, Marianna wasn’t working, but I still couldn’t eat most of my lunch. I sat beside Griff inhis usual booth, picking at my fries. “Are you all right?” Griff asked.I gave him a trembling nod. “Just a little nervous.” “You can dismount,” he said.“Of course.”“And place a rock in a harness?” he asked in a low voice. I turned to him and frowned. “What’s this about?”“That’s the only thing you need to do today.” He took a huge bite of his burger.I nodded and dipped my head toward my tall milkshake, which was mostly ice cream with a splash of milk. The cool, creamy liquid filled my mouth with a burst of vanilla that made me sigh. “You’re right,” I murmured. “If I stop overthinking things, it will be over before I know it.”The other members of the pack, who were usually rowdy during mealtimes, mostly kept to the bar. They spoke in low voices, so I couldn’t hear them under the disco groove of the Bee Gees’ “You Should Be Dancing.”It was an effort not to tap my foot to the beat