The blizzard was a living wall of ice, forcing even Silas to admit defeat against nature.
We found refuge in a narrow cave carved into the face of the cliff. Kael was unconscious, laid out near the entrance where the air was coldest, his breathing shallow. Further inside, where the shadows were thick and smelled of damp stone, it was just Silas and me.
I sat huddled against the far wall, hugging my knees so tightly my knuckles were white. The dark vein on my neck was pulsing like a heartbeat.
"Elara," Silas whispered.
He didn't stay by the fire he had desperately tried to light. He crawled across the stone floor toward me. The Alpha was pale, his eyes heavy with exhaustion, but his gaze was locked on mine with a stubborn, fierce possessiveness.
"Stay back, Silas," I choked out, pressi
