The walls of the room were bare, save for the small barred window that let in the late-afternoon light. River sat cross-legged on the rough bed, the straw-stuffed mattress beneath her creaking softly as she shifted. Her heart was a thud of war drums beneath her ribs, but her mind needed stillness.
She had to try.
It had been days since she had escaped and taken refuge in this neighboring pack's territory under a false name. Carmina, she had told them, using her friend’s identity to gain temporary shelter while hiding from the enemies that had begun to close in from all directions.
The Alpha had locked her in a tower and was expecting to use her as an exchange pawn, and she knew she didn’t have long before someone began to question her too closely.
But more than that, she needed to rea
