GRACE
The wind was gentle tonight.
I stood on the balcony, staring out at the vast lands that stretched beyond the pack house — hills bathed in moonlight, trees whispering secrets I couldn’t hear. It should’ve been peaceful. But inside me, everything was tangled.
I had made a pact.
With a dark witch.
To save our children.
And I hadn’t told Ulric.
I wrapped my arms around myself, the chill in the air nothing compared to the cold knot in my chest. The curse wouldn’t touch Kane until he was older. Kendra was safe — for now. But the price of that safety was a secret that pulsed louder every day.
I heard footsteps behind me and didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
Ulric.
“Didn’t mean to startle you,” he said softly, stepping beside me.
I smiled, but it felt thin. “You didn’t.”
He
