Kael's pov
I'd known what I would see before I got there.
I prayed I was wrong anyway.
The moment I got to the courtyard near her house, I heard her. Liora's cries. Soft, muffled, like she was trying not to give them the satisfaction. A crowd had gathered—guards and a few wolves loyal to my father's cruelty. The same ones who'd followed my father into baseless battles now laughing at a girl bound in chains.
Liora knelt at the center of the yard. hands tied behind her back, a bruise blooming over one cheek. Her pale brown hair clung to her damp face. Blood stained her lip. It was far night and most of the pack were asleep. Her wolf side had never fully manifested, but the instincts were there—feral and wild, hidden beneath a kind heart. One of the guards kicked dirt in her face and spat.
"Tainted thing. Thought you were one of us."
Another chuckled. "I bet she was spreading her legs for that abomination. Wonder what a freak their child would've been."
