Chapter 8

"No! No! It's not like that!" Toric snarled in a low voice. "I am Toric! Thalia, how can you pretend not to know your own mate!" Toric couldn't bear my coldness. He lunged, trying to grab me. I instantly twisted away from his reaching arms and bolted from the room. "Help! Guards!" I sprinted towards the guardroom, emitting a high-pitched distress call. Soon, the heavy thud of boots echoed from all directions. First to arrive was Marcus, the guard captain, clutching a silver spear. He stared in shock at my disheveled robe. "Luna?" Because Toric's funeral rites were ongoing and the Shadowmoon Pack's power transition needed preparation, many pack members and Elders were staying in the castle. They now poured into the corridor. Toric and Silas's uncle, Kade, pushed through the crowd, panting. "What's happening—" "'Silas' tried to force his mark on me!" I threw myself into Aunt Amy's arms, deliberately letting everyone see the torn collar I had ripped myself on the way. The Elders wh