My mother stood in the center. Catherine Blackwood. Elegant. Composed. With a massive crystal pulsing at her feet.
Shadow threads ran from the crystal to her chest. But they weren't forcing her. Weren't controlling her.
She'd attached them herself.
"Hello, Kade," she said. Like we were meeting for tea. "I wondered how long it would take you to find me."
"Mother." My voice came out strangled. "What did you do?"
"What needed to be done. What you were too weak to do yourself." She gestured to the crystal. "The shaman approached me months ago. Promised me power. Promised me a way to fix what you'd broken."
"Fix what?"
"Our family. Our pack. Our legacy." Her voice rose. "You chose her over everything. Over us. Over the pack. Over your duty."
"I chose love."
"You chose weakness!" She wa
