“That’sLuneto you! And you betrayed this clan, or have you forgotten already? You betrayed your vows. And you were the last one with my mate before she was kidnapped by witches!” he spits.
“I had nothing to do with that!”
“I don’t believe you. Be grateful all I’m doing is locking you up. I don’t trust you, Andrea. If you had anything to do with—”
“I didn’t! I would never work with witches, I had nothing to do with it. I was out past the laundry house, and I thought I heard something… I followed them through the woods to yourcabin. But Stance, he scented me. I had no idea he was with them, I thought it was just witches, they must have cloaked his scent. They ambushed me, and then Mona was there, and…”
“Can anyone corroborate your story?”
She grits her teeth. “You know there isn’t.”
“Andrea, if you hadanythingto do with this, I will kill you. No more chances. Are we clear?”
She looks like she wants to argue. But instead, she nods solemnly and says, “Bring a map to the cell. I’ll show you where they dropped me. I promised her I’d get her back. Mona was in—” Andrea starts, then stops, chewing on her lip, like she’s worried about something else.
“She was inwhat? Did they hurt her? Was she okay?”
She looks like she wants to say more. But she bites her lip and shakes her head. “I just promised her I’d find her. Bring me a map. I can help. Even if I am locked up,” she snarls at Grayson.
He bares his teeth, but rather than fight with her, he charges down the dirt road toward the office, where we keep maps of the region. Eli nudges Andrea, and while I feel an inkling of guilt locking Andrea up again—I’m a wolf, I can sense when someone is lying, and I believe her—we can’t take the chance. If she is somehow involved, she could get word to the witches and blow whatever plan we pull together.
“Take care of her, Eli,” I say instead. He nods. He doesn’t put the cuffs on her, and she walks with her head held high toward our jail cell.
When Kendrick and I are the only two left on the road, I confess, “I should have claimed her. I wanted to wait. For it to be special. To have a ceremony, wait for the next full moon. So fucking stupid. We might’ve been able to trace her, or at least know if she’s okay.”
Kendrick’s eyes grow distant. “I should have stepped back from clan duties. I should have been with Amy and Desiwhenever they left our territory. I should have suspected the witches were behind her death. My grief clouded everything, and for years, I wasn’t thinking straight. Had I been, I could have saved Desi long before they got to her again. We all make choices that can lead us down a dark path. But if you wade too often in regret, it’ll sweep you away. You’ll become paralyzed with indecision. And that’s far more dangerous than should-haves.”
He starts walking toward the office, but pauses, turning to face me. “Now, let’s go find my fucking daughter.”
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Chapter 2: Mona
Rock bottom is a dank, cold basement.
Heat pulses through me. I press my cheek against the cool floor seeking relief, but the dust and grime cling to my sweat-slicked skin. My omega whines softly, recoiling from the filth and itchy texture.
Seven months ago, Silas attacked me, and I woke up the next day a wolf. I fled the city I called home, left everything I ever knew, and clawed my way into a new life. It was scary most of the time, exhausting all of the time, and always challenging.
But I had Beep.
Through it all, I had that infuriating, lovable, crazy-pants roommate living inside my head. She was my ride or die. My best friend. My light, when everything felt so dark.
Curled on this cold, hard, filthy cement floor, I feel her absence like a missing limb. I don’t know how to function without her.
They drugged me with magic. I recognize this feeling from my childhood. Listless. Sensitive and tired. So tired.
My omega is still here, a glowing ember in my chest, reminding me who I am. But the magic suppressing my power keeps Beep locked away. It’s terrifying being this alone. Too quiet.
The only upside is that the magic is keeping my heat at a simmer. I feel tiny sparks of fire dancing through my veins, shivers of pleasure running through me, pulsing between my legs. I shake, and it fades, but then crashes back a few minutes later, stronger.
It’s been like this for hours.
I don’t know where I am—it isn’t the dungeon from my nightmares, where Silas and Lily were kept. I’m in a basement, and it’s irritatingly domestic, like some forgotten rental—there’s a plastic bin labeledcampingin the corner on a mostly empty metal shelf.
A neon bulb glares overhead, its buzz crawling under my skin, burning my retinas. I can hear the electricity winding through it, singing like a cicada stuck in my ear.
“Beep?” I whisper again, choking down the tears.
