Chapter 5 The Hut

• The moon hung high in the sky, casting its pale glow across the clearing as midnight approached. The air was thick, still humming with the remnants of the night’s ceremony, but the crowd had dispersed. The fire was dying down, leaving embers flickering in the dark, like the last vestiges of my resistance. It was quieter now, but my pulse hadn’t slowed. Every nerve in my body was still alive, buzzing with the intensity of what had just happened, but now something darker loomed on the horizon.
• Paxton stood beside me, his hand wrapped around my wrist as he pulled me toward the woods, away from the pack, away from the eyes that had burned into my skin all night. His grip was firm, unyielding, a silent command that kept me tethered to him. There was no question of where he was taking me.
• The Breeding Hut.