Ronan POV
Her voice wavered, and Xavier put a hand on her shoulder. The corner of her mouth twitched with a small smile, and she steeled herself before continuing. “I was with my mom at the well gathering buckets of water. They attacked us then, when we were all split up. They made sure to wait until other members had left the city, and wouldn’t draw outside attention before attacking. We were taken by surprise and were too spread out to band together. They picked us off so easily. My mom shoved the bucket back down the well, gave me a kiss, and threw me in after it.” She swiped a stray tear off her cheek. “It took me days of trying to climb up the rope before I managed to do so, and my whole pack was gone by the time I did.”
Xavier looked horrified and awed simultaneously; Marni had nev
