The forest grew quiet as Cormac pushed his way through the thick underbrush, his body weary, his heart heavier than ever. He had failed. His own flesh and blood, his daughter, had betrayed him for Alpha Damien's sake.
The moon above glared down upon him impersonally, unblinking over his suffering. His eyes twisted as he hobbled along, his legs trembling beneath him. Every step was as though he was pulling a mountain behind him, his gasps short and harsh.
And then a voice cut through the silence. "Father?"
Cormac didn't quite hear it before two sure hands caught him just as his knees were about to give way.
Victor's voice was frantic, his grip firm as he struggled to keep Cormac from falling to the ground.
Victor had paced back and forth in the front of the house, not sleeping and had
