BOUGHT BY THE BEAST
that I was right beside him.
The mountain rose before us, jagged and black against the pale winter sky.
Blackwood Peak.
Even from two miles out, I could see the smoke.
A thick, oily column of black soot rose from the high summit, drifting across the grey clouds like a stain. The smell hit us ten minutes later as the wind shifted... burning timber, melted stone, and the sharp, chemical stench of siege explosives.
My First Moon blood reacted before my eyes could see the flames.
A sharp, agonizing throb started behind my forehead, a high, ringing frequency vibrating through my teeth. My wolf lifted her head in my chest, letting out a long, mournful howl that only I could hear.