ARYA
I can’t let him go.
The thought echoed so loud in my head, it was a physical thing, pounding against my skull. I couldn’t let Vander leave this house or watch Dala be dragged away like she was nothing.
My hands twisted the bedsheet in my lap as the memory bled into me. It was years ago, at a summer camp organized by the packs but obviously for the privileged families.
Then, my father hadn’t gained steady footing in the pack’s politics. I was a nobody with braces, giant glasses, and a target so obvious it was like I wore a sign on my forehead. I wasn't a conventionally attractive kid.
The kids, as horrible as their families, circled me, laughing, poking, and one of them trying to yank my glasses off.
I thought I’d die of shame before Vander appeared to cook up a storm, telling th
