Zara
Alpha linked minds with his Beta, and the two of us waited by Jesse's body until he appeared. While I couldn't get Jesse's lifeless face out of my head, Alpha turned to me. His honey-colored eyes looked at me with a stern severity, laced with tension and weariness.
"Marcus used her as payment, didn't he?" Alpha asked, recognizing the pattern of death.
"It seems so." I frowned, my gaze lingering on the spot where Jessie had once sat.
"It's not your fault, Zara," Nova muttered. "You're not responsible for everyone."
I wasn't sure if she knew about her heritage, and I had no way to explain. I'd long since given up trying to understand the shadows and why they demanded such... compensation, but I saw no point in killing another half-breed. Jessie was just a child, born into a world where species warred and collateral damage was high.
"Why?" Alpha winced, anger flashing in his dark eyes.
