Chapter 23

• We had been riding for over six hours without a single break, but at least we'd finally made it past the mountains. Stefano had mentioned that we were just an hour away from reaching Tuns Valley, where the rest of the army was gathering to set up camp. The thought twisted my stomach. Traveling alongside a handful of arrogant soldiers was bad enough; I couldn't even fathom being surrounded by over two hundred bloodthirsty warriors who could be more ruthless than the Supreme Squad members I was already forced to endure.
• Something about the second day of our journey felt different, though I couldn't yet tell if that was a good or bad thing. It was as though, without realizing it, I had allowed Stefano to tame me. That's exactly what he had done. Somehow, his touch had become so familiar that I leaned into it without a second thought, as if being in his arms was the safest place I could be. The strangest part was that I could no longer convince myself that staying with him was wrong.
• "So..." Stefano began, his voice breaking through the silence as we found ourselves a safe distance from the others. "What's it like, being a Shrouded Wolf?"