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Scarlet planted her hands on her hips "What do you want?"

"I want--I want soure out what to do next without everyone yapping in my ear!" Cinder stomped off toward theas her one, Thorne let out a lohistle "I know, I know She seeers around his ears--"but it’s really part of her charet to know her"

Forty-Five

She’d had the bridge built for herself out of very special glass, so that she could watch her soldiers froht, watch the observed herself She was intrigued now by a new pack who had just coo They were still so young Mere boys--not one older than twelve years

They were alroup, constantly checking the fine fur on their knuckles, bouncing back and forth on their restructured li one another

Making their place Choosing their hierarchy

Just like the anined subjects, leading theh various formations This too always fascinated her How some of them would force the control, while others tried to seduce it froest faction with growing pleasure Seven had lined up without question, leaving only one cub standing off fro at his thaus fully bared, lowed behind his golden eyes

That one would make alpha She could already tell

"Your Majesty"

She listed her head but didn’t take her eyes off the boy "Sybil"

Her head thaulass floor She detected the ruffle of fabric as Sybil bowed

Down in the cave, the cub was prowling a circle around his hastly pale in her black coat Her expression held a trace of anxiety, a tinge of doubt that she would have the th to control this one

"All special operatives have been temporarily relieved from their missions and returned to concealment status We estimate two hundred, sixty operative deaths"

"The Earthens will notice the tattoos soon, if they haven’t already Be sure they take care to mask them well"

"Of course, Your Majesty I’e death to report"

Levana looked up, for a lass, but there was none, not in thisNot in any of the royal s She’d made sure of that And yet, after all these years, she still wasn’t entirely used to it

She raised an eyebrow, proe Jael He was shot in the chest"

"Jael? It isn’t like him to abandon his sanctuary, even in battle"

"One of his betas has informed me that Linh Cinder presented herself--it see to apprehend her personally"

Levana’s nostrils flared and she turned back toward the training grounds, just as the young cub lunged for his irl screamed and fell onto her back, before her entire body seized up in concentration Even fro on the girl’s brow, sliding across her te, then hesitated

Levana couldn’t tell as fighting his ani for control, or the rehts in his head

"Jael’s pack has already disbanded, except for the one beta as found inside the Paris stronghold I will send Thaue Aimery to retrieve the into a ball on his side Tre In obvious pain

Unsteady herself, the thauolith dust froolith dust was everywhere in these caves--naturally created lava tubes that would never be clear, nothey continued to develop and build within the to her hair and nails, filled up her lungs She avoided the tubes whenever she could, preferring to stay in the bright, glistening dome that housed Luna’s capital and her palace

"Your Majesty?" said Sybil

"No, don’t send Ailued to the cub as he writhed in pain Still fighting histo keep his ownto be a little boy Not a soldier Not a o The special operatives have served their purpose"