Sable

In the charged silence, the wolf howls again, but it cuts off before coming to completion. Even I can hear the distressed way it gurgles before the sound ceases, and my wolf rears up inside me, hackles raised.

Ridge leaps from the stage and takes off, running faster than I’ve ever seen him run in human form. I follow him, my heart thudding loudly in my ears, though not loud enough that I don’t hear Archer say, “Secure the perimeter of the village! No one in, no one out. And if you see witches—howl.”

The rest of my mates are right behind me, their footsteps loud on the hard-packed...