She had no idea how much time passed before she came to. When her eyes finally opened, she found herself bound alongside Selene, both of them suspended by ropes in what looked like an abandoned storage den deep in unclaimed territory. Below them, flames roared in a massive pit. A great iron vat of oil bubbled and spat, sending scalding droplets into the air—any one of them could land on her at any moment.
Her head was still foggy. She tried to piece together what had happened before the crash, but nothing made sense. Then she glanced over at Selene—and found her sister watching her with undisguised amusement, not a flicker of fear on her face.
"You know, sister," Selene said, her tone almost playful, "I heard that after Father cast you out of the pack hierarchy, you fell into severe despair. That Fenris was the one who pulled you back from the edge, little by little. Is that true?" She tilted her head, eyes glittering with malice. "Now that your last hope is gone... are you going to give up? Maybe just end it all?"