"Name and pack affiliation for the official record."
The worker sounded bored and nasal. He kept his eyes on the large leather book on the table. The Stonehaven register was temporarily set up in a trading post a half-day ride from our farm. Ink, dust, and sweat from a dozen anxious hopefuls filled the air.
Three days had passed since surgery. Three days of my father's quiet fury, Torin's lies about my "panic" and "stumbling off", and Lyra's calculated gaze. The group divided on whether I lived by happenstance or on purpose. Some thought the Beta didn't know his daughter as well as he indicated, remembering their laughter by the fire.
I faced the clerk with wet hands. A separate open board was in the pack. King controlled government. Goal of not returning.
"Name," the clerk tapped his
