Chapter 22

• "What was that in the world?"
• Blaze Draven's voice was a growl, and his fist against one of the ancient stone pillars in the Alpha Row common room sounded like a shot. A cracked fissure radiated out across the old stone. The atmosphere within the room was thick with a storm of furious, crashing Alpha scents—Ash's black cedar, Kai's frigid steel, Blaze's bitter pine, and a frightened, feral citrus from Zane. Outside, the Equinox celebrations continued unabated, but within, another kind of ritual was underway. A ritual of decay.
• "Step back, Draven! You'll crash the bloody ceiling," Ash Ryder growled, his tone life-threateningly close to a growl. He stood in the center of the room, fists clenched, entire body tense, coiled spring of rage. His gaze was on the door, waiting for Zane. He had felt the shot of possessiveness, the savage jolt of the binding connecting, and the terrifying, abrupt cut-off. He had felt it all, and it had triggered his own wolf to mindless, howling rage.