Chapter 8

He had taken Nora's life for Theo. He had taken so many of his own pups' lives for Theo. He looked at Serena's wounded face and caved. His voice softened. "Theo is mostly healed. You and Julian should start planning the Bonding Ceremony." "Then you'll be Elara's sister-in-law. She'll come around. You can work through it." Serena bit down on it. She didn't want Julian. But Damon wouldn't take her even with Elara gone. Better Julian, who actually loved her, than nothing. She looked at Julian. Before she could say anything, there was a heavy boom in the distance. Fire shot up into the sky. Damon and Julian turned. Both their faces went white. # Chapter 11 "That's the Asylum." "Elara is in there." Both men went white and bolted out the door. They forgot Serena. They forgot Theo. Serena was left standing in the middle of the reception. Pack guests stared at her, some curious, most judging. Her face tightened. She hated Elara more than ever. Why wouldn't that woman die. "Ah-woooh—" The pup in her arms cried loudly, as if he sensed something. She picked him up and bounced him, soothing herself while she soothed him. She had the pup. What could she be afraid of? Elara couldn't beat her. * The Pack Asylum was already a ruin. The Pack Enforcers' fire brigade had found no survivors. Their lead said, "Technically no one should have been inside tonight. But still—please accept our condolences." Damon heard thunder in his head. His knees gave out. Julian caught him. He didn't want to believe it. His voice came out wrecked. "What do you mean, condolences?" "Elara is fine. Elara is waiting for me to come get her." "Go in there. Go in and look for her!" The brigade leader stared, helpless. Julian pulled Damon back. His own eyes were red now. His voice was holding on by a thread. "Damon. Calm down. That fire. She can't have—" "How the hell am I supposed to be calm?" Damon punched him. "This is your fault. You wanted to put her in there." "If you hadn't, she'd be alive." Julian's fist clenched, and he had nothing to say. Elara. His sister. She wasn't supposed to be in there. It was him. Julian had been burned as a pup. He knew, better than anyone, what it was to die in a fire. Their mother had called a few days ago. She had warned him not to mistreat his sister. He had promised her. And his sister had ended her life like this— He bowed his head. "I'm sorry." His sister would never hear it. Then a woman ran up, out of her mind, screaming. "Miss Ashford? Miss Ashford!" She clawed through the rubble until the fire brigade held her back. She collapsed to her knees, weeping. "I'm sorry. We killed you anyway. After everything you did for us—" Damon jerked and grabbed her by the collar. "Killed her?" "Did you start the fire?" "No—but I'm sorry to Miss Ashford—" the woman covered her face, sobbing. "She was so kind. She sponsored me for years. And I—" Damon didn't know her. Julian did. Her name was Phoebe. Serena's schoolmate. One of the other Rogue she-wolves Elara had sponsored through the Pack academy. Julian's heart started pounding. He was putting it together. He forced himself not to finish the thought. He stepped forward. "Damon. Let her go. Let her speak." "What did you do? What did you do to my sister?" # Chapter 12 Phoebe's face was raw with guilt. "Miss Ashford came to our school once with her daughter. She was so kind. She told us to study hard. She was such a good woman. Her daughter was so sweet." "But Serena told me she couldn't stand being a poor scholar. She wanted money. She wanted everything. I was a fool. I listened—" Julian and Damon pieced it together from her broken sentences. Serena had decided to climb. She set her sights on Julian. Elara had approved of the match. Serena was an orphan, but Ashford Pack didn't care about bloodlines. Her brother should Bond sooner rather than later. But then Serena saw Damon at a Pack Gathering. One look. She decided. She used Phoebe. Together they drugged Damon and made it look like he had walked into her room by mistake. Guilt-trapped into responsibility. "I bribed the Pack Warden. I paid him to abuse Miss Ashford in the Asylum—" "I thought if Serena got what she wanted, I'd get my share. I didn't know Serena wanted me dead too. If I'd had any less luck, I'd have been in the ground already." Phoebe sobbed. "The worst thing I did was to Miss Ashford's daughter. We didn't have to use her blood. Serena wanted to cut down the roots." The words hit Damon like lightning. He had been avoiding the thought of Nora for months. The little girl who used to trail after him calling him Daddy. The one who, at the end, weighed nothing. Her plump cheeks were gone. Skin stretched over bones. He had grieved, in his way. He had told himself Serena was right. "It wasn't your fault. If Nora hadn't run off, how would this have happened?