Kalilah POV

Mara sat on a log across from me, arms resting on her knees, hair still damp from the rain earlier. The fire between us didn’t offer much warmth, but it kept the night from feeling empty. I’d been quiet for too long.

“Mara,” I said.

She looked up, instantly alert. “What’s wrong?”

“I found out something. About Axel.”

Her whole body went still. “What now? I already know he’s kidnapping people, but how worse can it get?”

I swallowed hard. “He’s building alliances.”

Her brow furrowed. “With whom?”

“Other alphas. The ones no pack wanted. Exiled, disgraced, violent. The kind that were thrown out for a reason.”

Mara...