CHAPTER 9

The door creaked open, and Cassandra swept in, her face twisted into a cruel sneer. "You disobeyed me, child."

Diane drew herself up, refusing to cower. "I did what was right for our pack."

Cassandra's eyes narrowed. "Your defiance ends now." She withdrew a vial filled with a sickly purple liquid—wolfsbane. "This should teach you some obedience."

Before Diane could protest, Cassandra lunged forward, forcing the vial to her lips. Diane choked as the foul liquid burned her throat, her insides roiling with agony.

"Please..." Diane rasped, collapsing to her knees. "Why are you doing this?"

Cassandra's laughter echoed through the chamber. "To remind you of your place,...