Another long one that I'm not 100% sure about, but I'll leave it up to you to decide...

Are any of us truly innocent, or are we all guilty?

Chapter 10
***

Heavy footsteps announced the arrival of more wolves. I wasn't too surprised to look up and see Alpha Hati and Beta Caldar both stormy faced and stricken. Dressed for the weather, they appeared impossibly huge under layers of cloth and leather.

The wolves accompanying them fanned out and sharp eyes took in the scene.

No one's gaze flicked my way, and neither Alpha Hati nor Beta Caldar seemed to notice me as I shakily got to my feet and moved out of the way, Astrid pushing the backs of my legs until I stood closer to the wolves awaiting orders. I'd expected him to growl the moment he saw me, to rage at me for breaking his law.

The Alpha and Beta crouched to examine the body as Farrin had. They murmured quietly to each other, their voices a low hum in background while I tried to keep my breathing calm. I sunk my fingers in Astrid's fur, so tight it must have hurt but she didn't seem to mind. Her huge warm body pressed close to mine, her massive head at my shoulder so when her ear flicked, it tickled my jaw.

"I think he was trying to get to us," Farrin said.

"The attack didn't happen here so it's possible," Beta Caldar agreed.

"Blood drinkers aren't known for letting their victims live long enough to flee," Alpha Hati argued. "Unless he was in our territory already which I doubt after . . ." He trailed off and shook his head. "The last patrol passed this way only two hours ago so he's been dead at least as long. The creature could be miles away by now."

"He can't have been dead that long," I whispered, but it must have been loud enough for them to hear. They stared at me as if they'd forgotten I was there and I tried to lift myself taller as I affirmed. "I heard him calling out."

Farrin shook his head. "You can't have. It may look like he's not been dead long but the cold slows down-"

"I know what I heard!"

"She heard something." Astrid's hand came down on my tense shoulder as she joined me in skin, staring down her mate. "I was watching her like a hawk, something caught her attention and frightened her before the smell reached us."

The three males stood immovable, pitying gazes taking me in even with Astrid trying to back me up.

"Maybe we should search the area, maybe she did hear something and someone needs help," Farrin murmured.

Beta Caldar grunted his agreement and I watched two wolves who'd arrived with Alpha Hati slip away to do just that. They wouldn't find anyone. I knew it in my gut.

Only the Alpha appeared curious about my claim, ignoring any talk of a potential second victim while I silently begged him to believe me. Whether he did or not, I didn't know, and the others certainly didn't as my name passed their lips. I'd sealed my fate as the pack oddity now.

Astrid believed me. That was enough. She wouldn't have risked sticking her neck out for me otherwise.

Alpha Hati continued to stare at me, and I swallowed to prepare for his accusations only for him to swing on his highranked instead. A deep growl thundered from within his chest, causing birds to sweep from the trees, cawing angrily at being so disturbed.

"I told you to keep her within in our walls. This is exactly why! Who let her come? I know she didn't dare disobey on her own."

Nobody spoke, and he gnashed his teeth together. Weaker wolves cowered under the pressure of his dominance, my own head falling forward to avoid his gaze as it swept my way. I wouldn't give Astrid up.

Hand falling from my shoulder, the she-wolf herself opened her mouth and stepped forward, but a sharp look from Farrin froze her at my side.

"Forgive me, Alpha," he spoke, lowering his head and offering his neck to appease the fuming male. "She came to me in distress and I decided she would benefit from a run with us. Magne joined us too when the patrol split, she was never in harm's way."

Harms way, as if that was the Alpha's concern. He probably wanted proof this murder hadn't happened by my hand.

Beta Caldar backed away as Alpha Hati loomed over Farrin, and my heart skipped a beat in fear of what he would do. Astrid whined and rocked forward but didn't dare rush between the two males. Farrin seemed to know what was about to happen, shifting to fur and waiting with tucked tail and flat ears as the Alpha began to shed his clothes.

Fur and fang met in a thunderous clash, the two wolves so close in creamy colour that it was hard to distinguish one from the other. Not that Farrin put up much of a fight. He lasted mere seconds against the massive beast corded in rippling muscle, and Alpha Hati had his throat between his jaws not long after. Forcing Farrin into the mud, he waited until a high whine slipped from his lips before releasing him.

My gaze dropped, and the wolves around me felt the same as they witnessed their packmate take his punishment. Astrid stood firm, but her nails dug into my shoulder and I could tell all she wanted to do was go to her mate's side.

The pair shifted back to skin and Alpha Hati helped Farrin up, yanking him close with fangs still gleaming in the night.

"Are you Beta, Farrin?" he asked lowly.

"No, Alpha."

"Are you Alpha yourself?"

"No."

Grunting, he turned away to lock eyes with Astrid. "The next time I give an order, cousin, I expect you to follow it. Especially where it concerns matters of life and death. Do not meddle in things you do not understand, for next time I will be less forgiving."

I nearly spluttered as the relation between Alpha Hati and Astrid was revealed, nevermind the fact he hadn't been fooled for a second by Farrin trying to shoulder all the blame. The blame should have been on me. I knew the rules he'd set just as well as the rest of them and had still decided to disobey.

It unsettled me to see Astrid with slumped shoulders, her head twisted to give her neck. She mumbled her apology, and that seemed to be that. No need for fang or claw where she was concerned, Alpha Hati could command and discipline with a mere look. So quick to put Farrin and Astrid, wolves he must have trusted a great deal, in their place, but the male could barely look at me. I expected to be next under his disapproving gaze, had readied myself to accept further restraints to my freedom, or to face him as Farrin did in fur.

I could be thankful I didn't have to; for rage radiated from his every stiff and impatient move as he tugged his clothes back on.

The attention turned back to the matter at hand as he knelt to close the pup's unseeing eyes. He became surprisingly gentle all of a sudden, his lips moving in what I could only guess to be a prayer.

How frightened the pup must have been, all alone in the dark, knowing he was so close to safety and yet too far away. Fate dealt a cruel hand.

"He just wanted wolves to hunt with," I murmured to Astrid, my voice cracking. She tugged me closer to her side, nuzzling her warm cheek against mine.

Accusing orange eyes snapped back up to me. "You knew him?"

"Not so much as his name," I confessed quietly. "When I was lost on my way here, I stumbled across him. He told me where to find you, but said if I was to be turned away, he would be happy to have me and my family join him. . .I think he lost his pack."

"He did lose his pack."

I frowned. How could he know such a thing? I might have asked if the first icy wet flake of falling snow hadn't touched bare skin. Squeezing my eyes shut, I rubbed my hands vigorously up and down my goosebump pebbled arms.

Alpha Hati flicked his fingers towards me and Beta Caldar swept over, removing the thick dark cloak from around his shoulders. Guessing that was a sign I wasn't going to be allowed back in fur any time soon, I accepted. Even though he was kin, the Beta was careful not to allow his skin to touch mine as he helped me put it on. I wondered if he had a mate back at the castle I didn't know about.

Standing once more, Alpha Hati directed his attention to his gathered warriors. "Make sure he is given the same respect as any member of our pack would get in their death. Bury him with his kin, and hunt down the one that did this." He paused and shared a look with his Beta before adding. "Alive if you can. The circumstances here don't make sense. It is not often these creatures let their prey get a chance to run. I wish to know more."

I didn't find it strange that the creature had done what it had. It was in similar circumstances I came across Uncle Aonghas' body. I'd reached him before he'd died, so the creature hadn't cared about leaving live prey behind then.

Beta Caldar bowed his head and wolves came forward to pick up the body. I couldn't watch as he was lifted and carried off, and suddenly, I swore I could hear that moaning again, growing quieter the further he got. My hands flew to my ears to try and drown it out. Astrid had to grab the cloak to stop it from falling from my shoulders.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, threading the loops together so the cloak would stay in place. Then she tugged my freezing hands away and tucked them inside. "I think you're in shock, you need to take some deep breaths. I'm so sorry you had to see him like that, it must have brought back horrible memories."

I shook my head. I wasn't in shock. What happened here wasn't new to me. Of course death would find a way to follow me even here.

She continued to fret when I made no reply. I stared at the blood in the snow, noting that indeed there didn't appear to be enough for the attack to have taken place here. There would be an easy trail to follow at least.

"You should help if you want to," I said, noting the way her blue eyes kept flicking to Farrin and the others congregating to plan their hunt.

She looked from them to me with a bitten lip. "I don't want to leave you. You need someone to take you back."

"I will take her back," Alpha Hati said gruffly, appearing a few paces away.

I stiffened as I took in his clenched jaw and the darkness in his expression. Astrid sensed his mood too but she'd already questioned her Alpha once tonight and she didn't seem willing to go for twice. She bowed her head and gave me a lingering look that begged me to submit to his will.

Her first few steps were hesitant. Alpha Hati watched her back away before turning to jog over to join her mate. We both watched the group, for some reason equally as unwilling to look the other in the eye.

I was happy to ignore him.

I hoped Astrid's hunt would go well. That the creature would be found, as long as they planned to question the damned beast far from here, I could forgive the order to keep it alive. The bloodthirsty part of me would have joined them. I'd have been happy to tear my fangs into flesh and have revenge, even if I hadn't known the pup. There would be no finding the Blood Drinker's responsible for the deaths of my family members, but this one, this one I could have.

My chest vibrated with a building growl, my vision flashing red.

"Enough," Alpha Hati ordered, his voice cutting off the sound immediately. "You are in trouble already, contain yourself. The only place you're going is back home. Leave the hunt to those capable."

The insult stung, and when he reached out for my arm, I threw myself away; though I kept my glare pinned on his chest so he wouldn't think I was challenging him, but oh I longed to.

He doubted me. Doubted what I'd said about hearing the pup, about my intentions, my place in his pack, and made no attempt to hide that from anyone.

I was angry with him. Furious.

Why?

Watching his hand fall to his side, I admitted exactly why. More than anything in that moment, I needed comfort. I wanted someone to hold me and tell me the pup's death hadn't been my fault. For him to make me feel safe like he had all those days ago when he'd held me in the woods as we searched for my family. An Alpha should have shown tenderness to those under his care, and yet I knew I wouldn't get it from him.

He was angry at me too. And he too had good reason to be.

Marching over frozen branches and icy mud, I headed back the way we'd come. The smell of death followed us for a while, and I didn't dare look into the shadow of the trees in fear I'd say pale eyes gleaming back at me. The overwhelming presence of Alpha Hati accompanied by the heavy thud of his confident steps was both a comfort and a further stress. My back tingled with awareness, my spine straight with the weight of his gaze.

By the time we reached the first flickering glow of torchlight against tall stone walls, I was even more of a tight wound mess, and my feet were lumps of ice.

"My dress, I need to get it," I said, pausing at the gates.

"Where is it?'

Fingers tightly wound in the folds of Beta Caldar's cloak, I nodded towards the small lopsided barn. He grunted and folded his arms, staring at me expectantly.

It was impossible to know where I stood with him. Even as I ran to get my dress, I half expected him to call for me to stop so he could give me a rollicking. Shrugging the cloak off, I tugged on the cold dress and sat on the dirty ground to fight with the laces of my shoes. After my third failed attempt, tears of frustration began to roll down my cheeks.

Could I do nothing right?

"What on Midgard is taking you so long!" Alpha Hati appeared in the doorway, but he deflated at the sight of me sat with puffy eyes.

His gaze moved from my face to my shoes and without a word he walked over and knelt in front of me. Gently, he took the laces from my hands and slowly tied them up, slow enough that this time I got a better idea of how it was done. Flickering eyes lifted to mine as if to make sure I was watching before he moved onto the next.

"Thank you."

He nodded, rough fingers brushing over my ankle as he turned it to study where my leg had been broken.

No bruises now. Just a thin white stripe on otherwise unmarked skin.

He muttered something to himself and stood, brushing stray strands of straw and hay that clung to his trousers.

"Put the cloak back on, you're still freezing."

I fumbled blindly for the thick cloth and scrambled back to my feet. The snow was falling heavier outside, muting sounds in fuzzy white. Inside the castle felt no warmer. The torches lining the walls crackled and popped as the growing wind moved through the halls. I followed the Alpha until we reached the stairs leading to my room and hoped he would let me escape up them, but the moment my foot hit the first step, he came to a halt and cleared his throat.

"I may not have disciplined you in front of the others, but do not think I have forgotten you." he jerked his head towards the corridor on the left that led to the kitchens then proceeded to walk in that direction.

Hesitating, I looked between his disappearing back, and the stairs that would lead me to my bed where I could cry until I fell asleep. With a sigh, I once more found myself running to catch up with Alpha Hati. I had questions for him too. Like how did he know the lone pup had lost his pack? And why did his death have anything to do with why I was banned from leaving the castle if he didn't think I was capable of killing. Surely he wouldn't be welcoming me back here if he thought I had something to do with it. . .

The kitchens were empty and dark. I'd never seen it so clean either. Not one bit of food had been left out, nor any pots or plates needing washed from the evening meal.

Alpha Hati lit a fire underneath a dangling cauldron, lighting our surroundings in eerie orange with black shadows creeping across the roof. Once it was roaring steadily, he waved his hand for me to come closer. I must not have moved fast enough, for he strode over and gripped my hips, manoeuvering me to stand in front of the flames. My startled yelp made him chuckle, his hand brushing against mine as he pulled away.

The warmth did little to calm me down, and being alone with a male who by all rights should be angry at my disobedience didn't help either. However, scolding or punishing me didn't seem to be his intention.

I watched him curiously as he moved about the room, grabbing two bone mugs to set on the table, then reaching around me to pour milk into the pot hanging above the fire. His scent wrapped around me as he lingered to sprinkle a dark red spice into the milk as well.

His bulk pressing against me was enough to remind me he wasn't a male to be crossed. I risked peering up at his face to find him already watching me.

"Are you warm enough now?" he asked.

I nodded, and he motioned to the table where the mugs sat waiting. I didn't want to move though, too caught up in intense burning eyes that somehow hid whatever he was thinking. Swallowing, I forced myself to move and sit, my back straight and fingers picking nervously at the rough wood of the tabletop.

Silence fell between us, only the sound of bubbling milk keeping it from being deathly quiet. I noted how at ease Alpha Hati seemed down here. How familiar he appeared with the task of making a warm drink, knowing exactly when it was ready to be stirred and poured. Steam wafted from the mugs, and I took the bow of his head as permission to take one. It felt ungrateful to say I would have been happy with water, or plain milk, as the spiced scent reached my nose again.

Alpha Hati smirked and sat on the bench across from me. "It will taste good, I promise."

I took a tentative sip, then nearly spat it right back out. I'd never tasted anything like it. It lingered warm on my tongue and took a while of rolling it around to decide I quite liked it, taking another, deeper gulp.

"I do not need to warn you of the consequences should you decide to disobey me again, do I?"

The question came as expected and yet still my cheeks heated with guilt. Cupping my hands around the mug to stop them from trembling, I shook my head but that wasn't enough. His eyes bored into me until I managed to choke out, "No, Alpha Hati."

He hummed. "Is there truth in what Farrin said, were you feeling distressed?"

"Distressed might be exaggerating," I admitted, devising truth was best. "But not by much. Talk to my family, my cousin especially, and they will tell you I have been acting out of sorts. I did need a run. Another day, and I would have lost control of myself. I. . .I should have come to you."

"You should have," he agreed slowly. "I can't take care of the members of my pack if they do not come to me."

"You told me to remain here, I didn't think you would be swayed on that decision because I've been snapping at my cousin and struggling to sleep."

A measure of amusement softened his features before he took another drink and sighed heavily. "That is on me. I should have seen how it would effect you, I made a bad judgement. But I am not some human King, Eabha, no matter what you think of me. I do not rule with an iron fist or deaf ears. My decisions can be influenced should I see fault." He paused, sitting back deep in thought. "Perhaps I sometimes need to be reminded of that by those around me. Astrid should have come to me too if she had concerns, instead of taking things into her own hands; though I understand why she did. So for my part, I am sorry."

He stared into the fire and for the first time, it was if his defences were down. I could see that he felt he'd failed me as his hand on the table curled into a fist. A male who could learn from his mistakes and see his faults, Alpha Hati gained a little more of my respect.

In a million years, I hadn't seen this turning into him seeking forgiveness from me.

"In future, I won't go behind your back. I'm sorry I did. I'm sorry for how it ended too." Grief hit me hard again, the pup's face flashing in my mind's eye. "How did you know what happened to the pup's pack?"

"They used to be members of my pack," he answered without missing a beat.

"Used to be? What happened to them, how did he end up out there alone?"

His gaze lowered to his drink and he heaved a breath. "I killed them."

I choked, my eyes going wide. Suddenly, the warning the pup had given me about coming here flashed through my mind. So did Oighrig's warning, about heading towards one who harboured hate. How could we have been so blind?

"My gods," I gasped, staggering up from the bench.

My reaction didn't surprise him and he watched me evenly, continuing as if he'd announced something as uneventful as it had started to rain. "The pup's name is Yousuf. His father, Yamin, was the patriarch, the Alpha of a family pack much like yours. Humans had encroached in their territory, and like you they decided to roam North. They travelled much further than you did, almost across an entire continent, by the time they found me.

"I hadn't been in these lands long and had just started to gather wolves. Yamin helped me build everything up, advised me of customs I was unused to, and we started repairs here, fortified the surrounding land as our own. By all accounts, he and his family seemed happy with their position in the pack. He may have served well as Beta. . . Unlike you, their pack did not know the stories. They did not know to fear my name."

His eyes were of the darkest amber as they lifted to me, gauging my reaction. Stuck between the table and the bench, I could only listen in growing horror, flinching at the bitterness that coated his tone.

"As the pack's number continued to grow, it became a fight to keep the balance of power between so many families. Many wolves thought themselves leaders and deserving of more. Yamin saw this period of unrest as the perfect opportunity to seize it all for himself. He made an attempt on my life and nearly damned us all. It took weeks to settle the chaos he unleashed in his selfishness. He was kept alive until we were sure we'd weeded out all who'd been foolish enough to support him in various degrees. He would not give up his secrets easily though, and in the end I had to-"

"I don't want to hear the rest," I pleaded, looking away.

Something had come over him that frightened me to my core; the cold light in his eyes, the darkness in his voice.

I couldn't believe for a second the innocent male who had stopped his hunt to direct me safely would have followed his father. If he had, he was far too young to have understood exactly what he was doing.

Ignoring my plea, Alpha Hati growled until I looked at him again. His chest puffed out and he made it clear he would not be affected by my disgust. "By our laws, for the cowardice of his attack, Yamin, and his mate who conspired with him, were sentenced to death. I could have sentenced their pup to death too, but I did not."

A harsh laugh left my lips and I leaned forward on the table, happy that for once he was forced to look up at me from where he sat.

"Justify it any way you must, but you left a male too young to fend for himself out in the cold wilderness where you know well that demons and humans alike take pleasure in hunting us. That makes you as much a monster as them!'"

"Monster?" he bellowed, standing to realign us.

There was that power again, crackling around with a metallic taste of anger that rivalled my own. He rounded the table, and each step he took rattled my bones. It was too late to take back my words, even if they were said out of spite or shock.

I'd pushed him too far when he'd been so lenient with me.

My time had run out.

I growled as he clamped his hand around my wrist and tugged me against his chest, his thumb pressed over a spot I could feel throb with the beat of my heart.

"Let me go," I hissed, but my bared teeth didn't even make him flinch.

"Your heart is beating fast. I don't need to feel it, I can hear it. Frantic, terrified, why?" He tightened his grip as I struggled, lowering his face to mine. "I gave you a home. Medicine. Food. Clothes. All I asked in return was you follow the one rule I gave you, and you couldn't do it. I could have dealt with you as I did Farrin, in front of your packmates, but decided that would only further damage your place here, and you stand here calling me a monster! Would you rather I drag you back to the woods and we do it in a way you understand? I imagine that's how your pack deals with things yes, in fur? Shall I show you how monstrous I can be?"

Part of me wanted to bark yes just to see if he really would, because I longed to sink my fangs into something, to release all the pent up energy coursing through my veins. I thought his anger would overpower my own, but it only fuelled it. And that glint in his eyes, the one that dared me right back to see how far he'd go. . .

Voices from down the hall had us both holding our breath, but the wolves passed the other way and we were left in silence again.

"I'm sorry for what happened to the pup," he said at length. "I feel the weight of his death as if my own hands had taken his life. If I'd known what would happen to him, I would have done things differently, so don't you dare try to paint me in a light suited to your views."

My views?

My chest heaved with a snarl and I stepped into him, shaking my head. "How else am I meant to see it, Hati Hróðvitnisson? A male who casts out pups for the sins of their fathers. And orders females to deny their nature."

Some of the anger melted away and his grip loosened slightly as if my words had finally struck a chord. When he spoke again, it was with less conviction. "I cast him out because he could no longer be trusted. We are doing something that has never been done before, the pack's very existence hangs by a thread every day. I must get rid of anything that threatens our safety here. We had kept miles around our border clear of Blood Drinkers for months, I thought he would be safe. I thought I was giving the pup mercy."

"And he died anyway."

"Yes. He died anyway."

We stared at each other, chests heaving and the air between us tense. Neither of us were willing to back down, but finally I felt like we'd come to an understanding. He'd already admitted he made a mistake ordering me to remain here, I shouldn't have thrown that at him again. And logic told me it hadn't been Alpha Hati who'd slain Yousuf, no matter what he ordered. I could see he told the truth when he said the death burdened him. Grief pained his expression, as much as he tried to mask it behind his anger. Maybe we were both using that emotion to drown out whatever else we might feel.

"You challenge me at every turn, frustrating female," he said, calmer eyes roving over my face. "Why aren't you more afraid of me if you trust me so little?"

A weak laugh slipped out and all fight drained away. "I am afraid of you."

"Not enough." Voice a gentle murmur, I didn't like the way he looked at me now. It made me feel self-conscious in a way I never had before, and his thumb stroking over my pulse point brought to life every nerve ending that became overtly aware of how close we stood. "You said you could hear Yousuf. Are you certain beyond doubt?"

For some reason, I found words flowing despite my apparent lack of trust. "I'm not mad. It was his voice. It was so out of place and unexpected at first that I shook it off, but when I saw him." My voice cracked and I had to swallow past a lump in my throat. "When I saw him, I just knew it was him I heard, I don't know how. Then when his body was being taken away, I heard it again. Astrid thinks I was in shock. Maybe I am. Maybe seeing so much death chips away at you."

"No... you're hurting and tired, but you're right. You're not mad. I believe you, however impossible it may be," he murmured, adding more quietly to himself. "Another mystery to add."

Another? What was the first?

He released my wrist and walked the length of the room. I swore I could still feel the hardness of his chest against mine, the pressure of his fingers around my wrist, and looked down expecting to see their imprint, though nothing was there.

"You may have the freedom to roam as you wish," Alpha Hati spoke, causing me to reel on the spot at his sudden change of heart. "On the condition that you always let someone know where you're going, and what trail you plan to take, and do not deviate in any way from that trail. Magne would be suitable company, or Beta Caldar. Never leave without one of them."

Despite his generosity, I was still flummoxed as to the reasoning. Shaking my head in confusion, I advanced to make up the distance he'd suddenly put between us.

"Why? Why must I be followed and kept track of? Please tell me what I've done?"

A sad smile settled on his face, and his voice was barely above a whisper as he replied, "I'm beginning to think you've done nothing, not knowingly in any case."

"That isn't an answer!"

"It is as much of an answer as I can give you right now. There is no need to upset yourself further tonight, you've been through a lot." Straightening his shoulders, he folded his hands behind his back, returning to his position of not-to-be questioned Alpha. "We have been civil with each other, let's not ruin it. Will you accept the conditions I laid out?"

Scrutinising every inch of him, it irritated me that he remained still and at ease as I searched for answers.

Had he been right? Had I been painting him in a way to suit my views? After all, having Magne or Beta Caldar by my side would only give me more confidence to go out, could Alpha Hati possibly know that? He'd proven me wrong tonight. I'd been expecting fury and instead I got understanding.

"I'll accept your conditions if you answer a question for me," I bargained.

The male laughed, the first real one he'd ever used around me. It rang around the stone walls and brightened normally brooding features, making my insides clench. Firelit eyes twinkled as he grinned at me, his shoulders still shaking. "You are in no position to try and haggle with me, Little Alpha, but I will humour you. Go on."

When I began to back towards the door in case my question was the last straw, he appeared genuinely curious, trailing after me with the graceful steps of a predator.

"There are other wolves in the pack who are. . .like you, aren't there? Different somehow."

He froze, astonished. For the shortest of moments, he stared at me like I was something inexplicable, full lips parting silently. He recovered quickly though, covering open surprise with a sly smile.

"Yes."

I grinned in triumph.

He stalked closer still.

My heart skipped a beat, and I froze when he nudged my chin up. His eyes flashed impossibly brighter, almost blinding. "We are still skin shifters as much as anyone else in the pack, and we think no less of those without our. . . differences."

"I wasn't questioning that," I breathed, rocking back on my heels to get away even while my body pressed forward. My skin pebbled as the air flurried around him, a wave of power that drew me closer still. I could deny what I felt, what I might have guessed it meant about the male stood proud and watchful before me. Powers of healing, strength beyond what I knew, the aura around him. . .

"You can't really be. . .what are you?"

"Another amusing question coming from you."

He smirked when his statement caused my brow to furrow.

I wanted to ask more but I got the impression I'd pushed enough for one night. My curiosity was sated enough for now, and I could relish in the relief that I wasn't making something out of nothing when it came to the warrior wolves roaming the castle.

Alpha Hati had been honest with me, offered me something, and suddenly I got the annoying urge to offer him something return; then I could prove I wasn't as unreasonable as he made out.

Lifting myself tall, I attempted to put on the same confidence Astrid had when addressing him. "I accept your conditions, and I will accept your offer of a seat on the council if it still stands too."

Once more he seemed taken aback, shaking his head in amazement. When he smiled again, full of warmth and genuine approval, it made my heart flutter.

I hated it.

Because I wanted such approval again.