I reached out and locked my fingers around Elara's wrist. My voice was ice. "What's the rush?"
"I don't want your celestial rank. I want you to return my master's Wolf Core."
"Then come back with me and keep him company in his grave."
Both Fenris and Elara froze.
Rosalind was the first to recover.
Eager to prove herself, she charged over and slapped me across the face, snarling, "Lynara, you ungrateful wretch!"
"The Supreme Alpha lets you off and you push your luck?!"
"Apologize to the Supreme Alpha and his mate this instant, or I'll deal with you myself!"
I looked at Rosalind, cold and unblinking, and let my voice drop lower.
"Senior packmate. Everyone who has ever laid a hand on me is dead. My mate is the only exception."
Rosalind's brow furrowed. She spat, "Lynara, have you lost your mind?"
"You've never even been bonded. Where did this 'mate' come from?"
"That's enough. Apologize now and stop this lunatic act!"
But before the last word left her lips, Rosalind crumpled to the ground like a rag doll. The bones in all four of her limbs snapped at once, twisting her arms and legs at grotesque angles. The scent of overripe berries and hot brass flooded sour with pain.