Page 110 of The Ashpaw: Part One

She blinked again, her face contorting into something she supposed was meant to look appealing and innocent.

Instead it sent a shiver down her spine.

“Um, sisters. That would be… lovely. Thank you.”

Darion grunted and then addressed Fern. “Your turn.”

Fern frowned, pausing for a moment as words left her.

Then she found them, but she was sure they weren’t the right ones.

“Apologize for what?”

His brow furrowed. “For kicking Kyntha.”

Fern scoffed. “You want me to apologize for defending myself? She tried to claw my eyes out!”

He held out his hand. “She may have been with pup, and a kick like that could have caused irreparable damage.”

She could see the anger lining his face, but it was too much to be told to apologize for something she wasn’t at fault for to appease it.

“I think losing an eye is pretty irreparable too!”

“A blind she-wolf can still bear pups,” he replied, his voice cold and sharp.

The words hit harder than Kyntha’s claws had.

Her lips flattened, her body shaking with anger.

“Omega…” he warned.

She looked the other way, refusing to answer.

“You will apologize this instant!”

Fern stood. “Why should I apologize for anything? She attacked me, I reacted. And I refuse—”

His hand gripped the back of her neck tightly, causing her to hunch up like a kitten being carried by its scruff.

“Are you arguing with me, omega?”

Fern bared her teeth, mimicking her wolf’s response inside her, but did not answer.

Darion then dragged her back outside and down the hall, her feet barely managing to keep up with his long strides.

Her neck and shoulders were cramping horribly, but she knew she couldn’t give in.

She would never apologize to that woman.

“If you cannot even obey me in private, then I have no choice but to keep you in your room until I can trust you won’t undermine me in front of the clan.”

He practically threw her inside once they reached it, standing in the doorway with his chest heaving.

Fern turned and glared at him. “And why should I obey you when I can’t even trust you?”

He stilled, and Fern was sure she’d gone too far, but her wolf was as angry as she was for once.

“I had more food, clothes, and companionship when I served in your dining hall.”