Chapter 17 The Serpent's Shadow

• The return to the Crimson Moon Pack was not the relief Elara had yearned for. The familiar scent of home, usually a soothing balm, now tasted faintly metallic, as if tainted by the lingering corruption within her.
• The towering walls of the compound, meant to signify safety, felt more like the confines of a cage. She moved through the gates, her body aching, her mind a turbulent battleground.
• The subtle whispers of Gorok’s darkness were constant, insidious, urging her towards colder, more detached thoughts, twisting her perception of the pack, of Lucian, even of Liam.