Avery’s skin turned a ghostly white. The agony was an ocean, and she was drowning. Her escape, crippled by her mangled leg, had slowed her progress to a pathetic crawl, making her feel like a wounded animal waiting for the final blow.

Avery was quickly hemmed in by a wall of gray-uniformed enforcers.

The circle parted, and Noemi stepped into the center. Her eyes, cold and predatory, fixed on Avery’s bloodied limb. "Jumped from the high tower, did you? You have the heart of a lone wolf, I’ll give you that. But the Alpha’s decree was absolute: if you tried to run, we were to break your stride. It seems...