Zielle
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"Everything," I say softly. "Everything changed the moment they brought him in."
Leah's expression softens for half a second, then hardens again. "Don't let guilt slip in. That's how they break you. You're doing this to survive. To keep yourself alive."
"There must be other ways to survive!" The words burst out before I could stop them, echoing in the space between us. "All this time I didn't care because I kept telling myself the Alphas were better off here than in the wilderness. That at least they were alive, fed, cared for. They got a mate, a position in the high court." My throat tightens. "Except the one who was taken to the Hollow Keep."
Leah stops pacing. Her voice drops. "You don't even know what really happened to him, Zi."
"I know enough." My voice trembles. "I saw what was left of his cell when I passed by once. The stench of blood is still fresh in my mind, Leah."
