The sound of Marek’s axe hitting the snow was nothing compared to the sound of his heart failing.
I didn't just pull from him. I reached into the very center of his chest and unraveled the thread of his life. It wasn't a "slam" of energy. It was a slow, agonizing theft. I felt the heat of his blood, the memories of his first hunt, the scent of his mate—all of it flowing into me like liquid gold poured into a lead vessel.
"Elara... please..." Marek wheezed, his eyes filming over with the gray cataract of the void.
I didn't stop. I couldn't. The Ancestor was laughing in my ear, her voice a cold wind that drowned out the screams of the pack. Drink, little bird. A Queen does not apologize to her food.
"Marek!" Kael roared, lunging forward to grab his brother, but the moment he entered the
