"Power without control is destruction."
The howl that came from my wolf wasn't mine. Not entirely. It belonged to something older, something that had been sleeping beneath layers of training and restraint.
Every wolf on the battlefield froze. Rival pack members. Students. Even Celeste's carefully coordinated forces.
Because that sound carried recognition. Instinctive knowledge that something dangerous had awakened.
Through the bond, Darius felt it completely. Felt what was rising inside me. His wolf responded with mixture of awe and terror.
Elara, you need to control this. Whatever this is, you need to pull it back.
I don't know how.
Try. Please try.
But I wasn't sure I wanted to control it. Wasn't sure control mattered anymore when everyone I'd trusted had betrayed me. When the system was rigged so completely that playing by rules guaranteed failure.
