As soon as I reached the palace, I shifted into my human form, the weight of my beast shedding off my back like a second skin. I was still breathing hard, muscles tense and soaked with sweat. My Beta stood waiting, expression unreadable as he handed me a robe without a word.

You’d think that after the hours I spent running I would feel better. Clearer. Lighter.

But I didn’t.

If anything, I felt worse.

Without saying a word to him, I took the robe, putting it on and brushed past, my feet moving on their own toward my chambers. I needed a shower. I needed silence. I needed to...