The dining room was quiet, only the clinking of silverware and the soft chewing sounds from the head of the table.

Alpha Amarah sat, slicing through her roasted venison. Each cut was clean. The blood of the meat smeared across the porcelain plate.

Hayley sat on her right, Lilliana on the left. Neither sister spoke for the first few minutes.

Hayley cleared her throat, then leaned slightly forward.

“Maybe we should… torture Selene ourselves,” she said, forcing casual confidence into her voice. “She’s stubborn. Maybe if she gets a little push, she’ll reveal where the bottle is.”

The sound of a knife pausing mid-slice was louder than it should have...