The doors to our new prison, a suite of rooms so vast and cold they felt like a cathedral dedicated to the night, clicked shut with a finality that echoed in my soul. The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the frantic, rhythmic thudding of my own heart. I didn't let go of Vaxen and Kezabel’s hands until we were deep in the center of the main sitting room, surrounded by velvet chairs that looked like they were made of dried blood and windows that overlooked a city of eternal twilight.
I collapsed onto a chaise lounge, my strength finally failing me. The adrenaline that had fueled my wolf’s rage was evaporating, leaving behind a bone-deep exhaustion and a terrifying sense of displacement. I looked at my children, expecting to see them trembling, expecting them to fall into my a
