Even if I shifted, even if my wolf tore free from inside me at this very moment, I knew it would be useless.
Rion stood mere steps away, his presence looming like a wall. His two Betas flanked him like shadows that had learned how to breathe.
And beyond them, more than a dozen of Arjan's wolves waited, claws ready, golden eyes gleaming through the swirling cold.
I could almost picture it… me darting across the snow, desperate for freedom.
I wouldn't make it ten steps. Perhaps not even three.
The shadows that curled from Rion's will would catch me first, wrapping me in darkness until the air left my lungs. And if by some miracle I slipped through them, I'd meet the teeth of his wolf.
Just the thought of it made my stomach tighten. I'd never seen his wolf up close, but I had seen it.
A beast larger than any wolf alive, pelt blacker than night, and eyes red as blood—eyes that could burn fear straight into your bones.
