"Let me go!" Tugging my wrist back just causes more pain; I'll never get away by relying on strength. I wouldn't win against even the weakest wolf, and Nora is not weak. But I can't just sit there and do nothing, so I keep trying.
"This is all because of you," she snaps, her fingers tightening to the point it feels my bones are being crushed. "Coming in here and causing a misunderstanding between our pack and the Lycans."
Our pack, she says, as if she's already Luna or something.
Not that I'm competing, or even want to, but don't I have a little more claim to this pack than she does? Even if I've become an abandoned human, I at least lived among these people for six years.
There's no point in arguing semantics, though. I don't want this pack anymore; I want to leave.
"Let me go," I say again, trying to pry her fingers off with my other hand. They don't budge, and she snatches my other wrist as if I'm a child, with the same bone-crushing grasp.
The pain's enough to send me to my knees, but I don't want to go down in a pathetic heap in front of her, of all people.
"Is there a problem here?" The Lycan's finally noticed I'm no longer behind him, striding toward Nora from across the room.
Relief floods through me as he approaches, but it evaporates just as quickly. His expression remains neutral as he watches Nora crush my wrists, not a flicker of concern crossing his features.
"Lycan Beta." Nora's voice drips honey, her grip never loosening. "I was just having some words with the disgrace."
My stomach churns at her use of that word. Not that it's the first time I've heard it, but somehow it cuts deeper coming from her perfect lips, especially in front of someone who could actually help. If he wanted to.
But he doesn't. The Lycan Beta's gaze slides between us, assessing, measuring. Like he's watching a mildly interesting experiment rather than someone in pain.
My wrists throb, and I can feel the bones grinding together under Nora's supernatural strength.
The Lycan Beta's nostrils flare, probably catching the scent of my fear, my pain. These wolves, they can smell everything—tears, blood, terror. And yet he stands there, unmoved.
What did I expect? These are the same Lycans who turned the event hall into a slaughterhouse last night. The same ones who piled bodies outside the building like a haphazard Lego pile. One girl's crushed wrists probably don't even register on their scale of acceptable violence.
Nora's fingers tighten further, and a small whimper escapes me before I can stop it. The Beta's continued silence is all the permission she needs.
I should have known better than to hope for mercy from monsters—
"Who are you?" the Lycan asks Nora bluntly, and her grip falters.
"Lycan Beta, my name is Nora Blackwood, mate to Alexander Sterling, the new Alpha of the Blue Mountain Pack."
My knees almost buckle, but I lock them before I fall. Xander is alive. Not just alive—he's Alpha now.
But I can't process it. My mind stutters over the reality that Xander survived while Alpha died. That in the aftermath of carnage, he claimed leadership. That somehow, in the space of hours, everything has shifted again.
"The new Alpha?" The Lycan Beta's voice carries a dangerous edge.
Nora's fingers finally release my wrists; she sounds cautious now, no longer deranged with her hatred of me. "Yes, Lycan Beta. Alexander is the former Alpha's heir."
I cradle my arm against my chest, angry red marks blooming where her grip crushed blood vessels. The Beta's gaze drops to the bruises.
"Does the Blue Mountain Pack make a habit of touching what doesn't belong to them?"
A chill runs through me at his words. The way he says it—like I'm property.
Nora's perfect posture falters. "I apologize, Lycan Beta. I acted rashly." Her voice drips with rehearsed contrition. "You see, this human has been the source of much discord between our pack and yours. I only wish to understand why."
My throat tightens as she continues, each word precise and calculated.
"I will personally investigate her situation. After all, we want nothing but peace between our packs now."
The Beta's attention hasn't left my wrists. Something in his stance shifts, a predatory stillness that makes my skin crawl. "Will you now?"
"Of course. It's clear she's caused enough trouble already."
The Lycan Beta's lips curl into something between a sneer and a smile. "Your loyalty is commendable. Your intelligence, however, seems to be lacking."
Nora's perfect posture crumbles. The change in her demeanor is so sudden, it's like watching a flower wilt in fast motion. Gone is the self-assured female who crushed my wrists moments ago.
"The Lycan King made his stance quite clear." His voice drops to a dangerous whisper. "Or did you miss that part while cowering on your knees?"
A shudder runs through me at the memory of last night—the way everyone dropped except me. The raw power that had filled the room. The blood that followed.
Nora's gaze darts between me and the Beta, uncertainty clouding her features. "High Alpha said harboring humans goes against international law." Her voice wavers. "The Blue Mountain Pack intends to follow such law to the letter."
"And this human is no longer the Blue Mountain Pack's concern." The Beta's words slice through the air like ice. "Your new Alpha would do well to remember whose leniency allowed him to live."
The threat in his voice makes my blood run cold. Nora pales, her perfect complexion turning ashen.
She takes another step back, then another, until she's far enough away that even I can breathe easier. "I apologize, Lycan Beta. We will leave her fate to your discretion."
The Lycan Beta spins away from her, meeting my gaze briefly. "Follow."
I stumble after him, my bruised wrist throbbing as I cradle it against my chest. So many questions fill my head.
A chill runs down my spine, and I glance over my shoulder. Nora stands frozen where we left her, her perfect features twisted into something ugly. The hatred in her eyes burns into me, raw and primal.