**SANDRINO’S POV**
I dropped the last paper from the stack onto my desk, the clutter mirroring the chaos in my mind. Standing, I crossed the room to the window and stared out, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. My wolf clawed at the mental barrier I had set up, his growls reverberating through my thoughts, demanding freedom. But I wouldn’t relent. I couldn’t.
He wanted me to go after her. The human. The one who—despite her frailty—had managed to carve her mark into us. He wanted to protect her, to keep her close. Her stupid disadvantage of the mark.
He was a fool. A fool to want her when she was the reason my sister was gone. It was as if my wolf had forgotten. Forgotten that she was the reason our sister was no more.
The reminder sliced through me like a blade. My wolf’s insti
