Chapter 32

• "This is your last chance, Rhea Mooncrest." Elder Theon Vale's voice was a venomous murmur, one that was whispered only to her and the four Alphas posted around her. The Council Hall was a pressure cooker of anticipation, every pack member holding their breath, waiting for the outcome of this legendary standoff. "Choose one of them. Complete the ceremony with a lone, true Alpha. The pack needs a simple leader. A simple bond. Or I will use my authority to nullify the bond, and your status as a lone, unbonded Omega will be voted on. And you know what happens in that vote."
• Theon's threat hung over her, a cruel threat of what was to happen to a dominant, unbonded Omega in the Silverfang Pack's rigid hierarchy—a life as a servant and an oppressor. Rhea felt Ash's hold on her arm close around it, his angry protectiveness a low, seething hum in their bond.
• "Your power is not absolute, Theon," Ash snarled, his eyes burning with outrage. "The bond is a sacred institution. It cannot be broken by your politics."