"I am a weak girl, you see."
The Arthien wolves erupted in snickers behind Arjan, their laughter jagged and ugly in the cold air.
I couldn't bother myself with their apparent mockery.
To them, I was already a joke—a weak, useless girl. Not worth the time, not worth the blood if it weren't for the bounty on my head.
They must have wondered why two Alphas had bothered to trade over me at all.
But I was beyond caring what they thought.
I had already been bartered like cargo. Their opinions couldn't cut me deeper than that.
And I definitely didn't care about the Arthien rogues themselves. Wolves like them only honored coin. They were men without loyalties, without conscience.
Cruel wolves who would follow whichever man promised them the heavier purse.
Arjan's chuckle was low, his scar pulling at the corner of his mouth.
"Ives," he called out, his voice cutting through the laughter.
A wolf padded forward from the group, his coat a striking blend of gray and black.
