Chapter 36

• DEX
• A part of me keeps whispering that I should have listened to Lydia. Her heartbeat presses against my back, fast and frightened, every pulse echoing through me like a warning. I hear the soft gasp that slips from her lips, and my arm instinctively tightens around her. My hand rests on her arm, steady and protective. No matter what happens, I will not let anything harm her. Not her, not the rest of the Silver Crescent Pack.
• I had hoped things wouldn’t come to this, though deep down, I always sensed they might. I cannot explain how, but something in me knew Baron would uncover our plan, even though I took every possible precaution to keep it secret. “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best,” they say—and that was all I had left to rely on. Now that the worst has arrived, there’s no time for regret. All that matters is protecting my people and getting them out of here alive.