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She felt anxious but didn’t let that stop her from undoing the fastenings of her pants before she pushed them over her hips to the floor.

Naked, except for her midriff top, she moved closer to the mirror.

She took a moment and stared into her eyes, then traveled her gaze over her features.

Nothing on her face seemed different. She still appeared to be the same Morlie who had left her suite to hang out with her new friends.

However, now something had altered within her on an elemental level.

She brought her leg up until she could rest her foot on the cold, marble countertop. Once her left foot was planted firm, she tipped her knee to the side, let gravity pull it down, and widened her stance. The angle caused her hips to jut forward, and then she saw it. No, she saw two things.

The first thing that drew her gaze was the white ink etching at the very top of her left thigh, barely leaving a finger's distance from the symbol carved into the skin and her sex.

The symbol was familiar since all of the official messages from their government always held the two halves of a circle with a single line between them.

They had learned in education classes that the symbol meant that even though the Consumers and the Dispatch areas were separate, they were still one people, and one half was incomplete without the other.

It hadn’t gone without notice to even youth that there was also a solid line that kept the two halves from connecting.

Now, there was another line added. It was longer and pointed at both ends.

It didn’t take much thought for Morlie to conclude that the longer line signified something permanently dividing the lower dispatch half from the upper consumer's behalf. The ice-white mark was offensive as its harsh coloring stood out so blatant against the brown of her skin’s tone.

I can never go back. The mark had severed her connection to the humans inside the wall.

Morlie didn’t want to go back to where she and her older sister struggled to eat and find shelter and medicine to survive.

However, her eyes still burned with unshed tears at the thought that her government had forced this situation on her and would deny her the safety of the community.

Her people had marked her and threw her away to dragons, Vampires, and Lord knew what else surrounded that table in the clearing.

Mine . The man’s strong voice filled Morlie’s mind and drew her gaze to the other mark on her skin. A small red, swollen mark sat in the crease of her thigh—a puncture wound.

Where he bit me.

It didn’t look infected. There wasn’t any weeping, and no pus seemed to be there, and it appeared to have closed already. Morlie felt she should be thankful that it seemed to be healing fine.

But nothing was okay for her right now. She had more questions and not enough answers.

The weight of everything she had been through and what was to come bore down on her shoulders.

Morlie’s foot slipped from the counter and landed heavily on the floor, the impact sending pain ricocheting up inside her leg.

‘She’s mine,’ the tall, lean, muscular man demanded. How long before he came to claim her or before the council forced Kai to take her back?

“Morlie?”

The call of her name jolted her out of the heavy feelings saturating her mind and body.

“Morlie, are you alright? May I come in?”

“I’m fine. Give me a moment,” Morlie called out.

Typically, having another woman see her naked wouldn’t bother her.

However, after her day, she felt as if enough people had seen parts of her body.

She preferred to keep her privates covered.

She grabbed her ruined pants, then moved to the door and glanced out to ensure she was still alone.

She could see the front door cracked, but no one was inside her space.

Clutching her pants to her body, she rushed out and into the closet beside the bathroom.

She tossed her tattered clothes on the floor, snatched the robe from the back of the door, and put it on.

Once she was covered and headed across the room, she said, “Come in, Eilidh.” Morlie knew with Drahks’ keen hearing, Eilidh would have no problem hearing her soft words.

The door widened as her friend entered. Before Eilidh shut the door, Morlie noticed Liekki was no longer seated in a chair outside her door.

“Tell me the truth, Morlie. Are you really alright? Really?” Concern shadowed Eilidh’s features as she moved deeper into the room, holding a tray.

Morlie glanced down at the covered dishes Eilidh held. “You working in the great hall kitchen now?”

The other young woman shook her head. “No. I caught Tana on the way up bringing you something to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.” Morlie moved to the small seating area and claimed a space on the small couch.

“It’s understandable. I’ll set it on the table. Maybe you’ll want something later.” After Eilidh put the tray down, she crossed to her. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

Morlie looked at Eilidh as she sat in the chair next to the couch. “For what?”

“For not staying by your side the whole time we were out. If I had, that bear-shifter would not have grabbed you.” Eilidh wrung her hands in her lap.

Bear-shifter. Morlie felt that was the perfect explanation for why the two men were tall and wide.

“Don’t stress yourself. We don’t know that. It was my choice to go back to the truck alone.”

“But, if I were with you, I wouldn’t have let—”

Morlie waved a hand in the air. “I’m not a child. Even though having a guard posted at my door for hours would say differently.” She rolled her eyes.

“Those guards are not to keep you in, Morlie. But to keep people out.” Eilidh sat back, looking a lot less anxious.

“What people?” Morlie frowned. “Is someone in your Thunder after me?” That didn’t make much sense to her since everyone had been kind to Kai and her. They were under the Mckenna’s protection. “Has Aodh rescinded his protection for me?”

“What? No.” Eilidh leaned forward. “You are his mate’s family. He would never do that.”

“Oh.” Confused, Morlie ran a hand over her short curls. “Then who do they believe would come after me—?”

Even as she said it, Morlie knew. It was doubtful one of the bear-shifters would come for her again.

The Vampires seemed cunning and crafty enough to flout rules or boundaries with their vanishing in a puff of black smoke.

However, the tightening in her core declared only one possibility: the man with the golden-amber eyes.

The thought of him had her pulse picking up again.

“Liekki was pretty clear to the Thunder that we need to be looking for wolves invading the territory.”

“He was a wolf-shifter.”

“Yes.” Eilidh’s response let Morlie know that she spoke the words.

“You have mentioned Liekki more than once. Are Aodh and my sister still away?”

“No. They’re involved in something right now. So, as second, Liekki is in charge until Aodh is available again.”

Morlie found it strange that Kai hadn’t come to see her as soon as she returned, but Morlie let it go. She’d see Kai soon. Morlie was sure of that.

“I didn’t stay after I showed Kai the way to the meeting grounds,” Eilidh continued.

“I knew I’d already had enough heat coming from Aodh because the bear took you.

But when I went to see Liekki to get his permission to check in on you, I asked him what happened, and he said Chanin, the wolf Alpha, had claimed you. ”

‘She’s mine.’

Chanin . She now had a name to go with the man with the wolfish grin who bit her. Morlie’s heart thumped hard and fast in her chest.

“Are you okay, Morlie?” Eilidh scooted to the edge of her seat and stared at her.

“Yes. Yes. I’m fine.” A broken chuckle came out of her mouth as she rubbed her hands down the front of the robe. She felt agitated and needed to do something.

Eilidh just stared at her. The crease in Eilidh’s brow showed her words didn’t convince the other young woman.

“You don’t think...” She had a hard time getting the words out.

“No. Oh, no.” Our world works because we each respect the agreed-upon rules. “We may get a rogue shifter on occasion, but for an alpha to cross the border would set off battles that no one wants.”

Morlie nodded and sighed. The knowledge twisted her thoughts and emotions, but she would lock them away now.

“The woman calling the shots at the meeting said Kai had to bring me back when I was better. Once my health was restored.”

Eilidh held her gaze, and Morlie knew without her saying it that her friend had to know the truth already.

“I’m not ill anymore. Now what?”

Those words hung in the quiet room.

Eilidh fingered her hair back behind her ears. “Well, Aodh can probably talk with Iskah, the Fae Queen and council arbitrator, about extending the time when you must appear before the council until you reach maturity.” She chuckled. “I didn’t realize you were much younger than my friends and me.”

Morlie smiled and relaxed against the cushions of the couch. “I usually get the opposite. Since I am shorter and don’t have the lush curves of my sister, people assume I’m younger.”

“Well, no worries. We’ll have to have a big party with dancing for you when you turn eighteen.”

“That would be great.” Morlie leaned back against the couch and stared at the ceiling. She hadn’t had a birthday since her parents had passed. There had been no time or resources, and then she got sick. “Twenty-one twenty-three will be a better year than many of my previous ones.”

Feeling famished, Morlie got up from the couch and started toward the table.

“You mean was.”

“What?” Morlie was so hungry now she didn’t wait until she’d sat before she removed one of the lids. “Was what?”

Eilidh was walking toward her. “You said twenty-one twenty-three.”