Unspoken

The scent of the kitchen still clung to my skin as I followed Inara through the winding hallways of the pack house. It was strange how easily I had been roped into this place, made to serve creatures that would have torn me apart had Zain not claimed me as his prisoner. Or something worse.

"I still don't get it," I muttered, glancing at Inara as we walked. "Why are some of the wolves eating scraps like starved strays? Shouldn't an Alpha as powerful as yours be able to feed his people properly?"

Inara's expression flickered, something unreadable passing through her eyes. "Not all wolves are equal," she said after a pause. "The ones you saw in the lower halls—those are the forsaken. Wolves without rank, without a purpose. Cast out but kept alive, just barely. Zain lets them live, but they are no more than ghosts in this pack."

"Why?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.