Cassian gradually recovered.
At first, he had to brace himself against the wall just to get out of bed. His face was as pale as winter frost. Later, he could walk to the edge of the territory and stand in the wind, watching me work from a distance.
I thought he had finally chosen to keep living.
The stronger his body became, however, the darker his eyes grew.
Sylus Whitmore, Alpha of the neighboring pack, arrived on horseback one bright afternoon.
His shoulders were broad, and his smile was exactly as I remembered. We had grown up together. Whenever I fell into the mud as a child, Sylus was the one who pulled me out. Our packs had taken different paths as we grew older, so we saw each other less often, but we had never truly grown apart.
He opened his arms as soon as he saw me.
"You
