The blood of a loyal scout was on my hands, and it was black.
I stood over Marek’s withered, lifeless body as the blizzard began to settle, leaving the clearing in a suffocating, freezing silence. Kael was still leaning against the rock, his eyes wide with a mixture of grief and pure terror. Silas stood in front of me, his chest heaving, his hands still clenched in fists as he looked at the monster he was willing to burn the world for.
"We leave him here," Kael whispered, his voice cracking. "We bury him under the snow and we tell the pack he was ambushed by Council scouts. It's the only way, Silas. If they see him like this..."
"No," I said.
The word was sharp, cutting through the cold air with a finality that surprised even me. The panic that had been clawing at my throat only moment
