Notplease follow me. No information on where I'm going, or why. Just a flat order, with no emotion on his face.
My throat closes up, making it hard to breathe. After witnessing what happened to my former pack, the last thing I want is to follow any Lycan anywhere.
"Miss Harper." Steel threads through his tone. "Now."
* * *
Everything's different.
The event hall has been scrubbed clean, all the decorations gone. Days of preparation have disappeared overnight and no hint of the bloodbath remains. Vaguely, I recall a pile ofstufffrom my window. It didn't seem very important while a pile of dead bodies took center stage, but it makes sense now. Everything was tossed.
It's as somber as a funeral in here. Pack members shuffle past with downcast eyes, their shoulders slumped. No greetings exchanged, no morning pleasantries—just the soft scuffle of footsteps against the floor.
A pack without an Alpha is a dead pack, and that's exactly how they're acting. I wonder what our fate is now. I've heard stories about the Lycan King, to some extent, but not enough to give me any information. Do packs like this disintegrate after the Alpha is murdered?
And how much do I really care? But it's hardnotto care, after seeing… everything. It isn't like I'm loyal to the same people who turned their backs on me. I want nothing to do with them!
But… a massacre is extreme.
Though, I guess it makes sense why all wolf packs would be subordinate under the Lycan King. They're probably all scared of having their throats cut out, just like Alpha. As far as I've ever understood, the Blue Mountain Pack isn't weak, and yet they stood no chance against a mere handful of Lycans.
Somber thoughts are doing nothing for the uneasiness crawling all over my skin, but I can't push them away.
My escort's red hair gleams under the chandelier lights as he strides forward. His presence is enough to clear his path; it doesn't matter what anyone is doing, they scurry back ten feet to avoid contact. They don't seem to notice I'm following behind, their fearful glances focused on the Lycan. He doesn't have the terrifying presence of the Lycan King, and yet they can't even lift their heads as he passes by.
A woman drops her cleaning supplies, the clatter echoing through the silence. She scrambles to pick them off the floor, her hands shaking. The Lycan doesn't break stride, though everyone else turns to look. In fact, he's not even glancing back to make sure I'm following.
Then again, why would he? It's not like I can go anywhere else, I guess.
My stomach growls as I walk behind, watching the space between us grow. It isn't an intentional defiance, but a side effect of his pacing. He doesn't seem to realize I can't keep up yet.
Maybe I should jog to catch up—
Fingers clamp around my wrist, yanking me backward.
I spin around and freeze. Ellie's perfect features twist into something monstrous, her teeth bared. Her manicured nails dig crescents into my skin as her nostrils flare. Her green eyes are somuch more vibrant than mine, hard and cold as emeralds, and they're currently flashing with gold.
"You," she hisses, the venom in her voice palpable as I cringe against her grip. "Why are you still here?"
Chapter twenty
Grace: Intelligence is Lacking
"Let me go!" Tugging my wrist back just causes more pain; I'll never get away by relying on strength. I wouldn't win against even the weakest wolf, and Ellie is not weak. But I can't just sit there and do nothing, so I keep trying.
"This is all because of you," she snaps, her fingers tightening to the point it feels my bones are being crushed. "Coming in here and causing a misunderstanding between our pack and the Lycans."
Ourpack, she says, as if she's already Luna or something.
Not that I'm competing, or even want to, but don't I have a little more claim to this pack than she does? Even if I've become an abandoned human, I at least lived among these people for six years.
There's no point in arguing semantics, though. I don't want this pack anymore; I want to leave.
"Let me go," I say again, trying to pry her fingers off with my other hand. They don't budge, and she snatches my other wrist as if I'm a child, with the same bone-crushing grasp.
The pain's enough to send me to my knees, but I don't want to go down in a pathetic heap in front ofher, of all people.
"Is there a problem here?" The Lycan's finally noticed I'm no longer behind him, striding toward Ellie from across the room.
