Regina held her breath, eyes locked on Martha. The air seemed frozen by a creeping chill, an unnamed fear slowly crawling up her spine. Years ago, she had suspected something—how could her father's scandal have been buried so quietly? She'd wondered if someone had intervened. But she had never imagined it was Harvey. Back then, he had only been fifteen or sixteen—not even through his first transformation.
"Frank made a promise to his dead parents," Martha said, her voice sharp as a blade slicing into Regina's heart. "But for you, he had to bow to my grandfather. He had to rise to the top in the shortest time possible—and the only way was to take the most dangerous path. Three years ago, during that peacekeeping mission, he nearly died in a foreign land. That night, under the blood moon, an alpha's senses were dulled. If he hadn't awakened his second form, he wouldn't have made it back."
