"What if I simply refuse to hand it over? What will you do then? Strike me? Or reject the bond?"
Kael went still.
He had never considered being forced to choose.
But Morwenna leaped up in fury.
"She must have hidden the token with her birth pack! Search everything!"
Seven or eight wolves immediately began tearing through the den, overturning storage chests and ripping open cupboards. The noise woke Liri, who had been sleeping peacefully in her nest of blankets.
My pup's wail split the air.
"Mama, I am scared!"
My mother rushed toward her, arms outstretched to gather the frightened child.
Without warning, Morwenna's hand shot out and shoved my mother with brutal force.
"The token might be hidden on her! Search her too!"
My mother stumbled, her footing lost. She crashed to the floor.
Crack.
The sound was sickening. My mother lay crumpled on the stone, blood pooling from a wound on her head.
"Mother!"
I kicked hard at Kael's grip on my arm and broke free, rushing to gather her limp form.
But my poor mother had already lost consciousness. No words would come from her lips.
"You! All of you are murderers!"
Rage turned my vision red. My entire body shook with it.
Everyone froze.