“Astra Lakan,” he says, and I don’t miss the way his voice hardens slightly when he says it. “She was...our most powerful healer. Exceptional abilities.”

“Such as?”

“Healing magic that surpassed our other practitioners’. She could handle...difficult cases.” His tone carries a reluctant quality, as if the words taste bitter. “Her power was considerable.”

“And she was chosen for the cross-mating decree based on these abilities?”

Alpha Gareth’s heartbeat quickens. “Yes, she was the obvious choice. The most gifted among us.” He pauses, then adds with obvious distaste, “Though she was also reckless, always causing problems. Never understood her place in the pack hierarchy.”

I study his face carefully. The...