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"Well, what if…" Scarlet listed her head "You said they control when your anihting and hunting aren’t the only instincts wolves have Aren’t wolves … amous, for starters?" Her cheeks started to burn and she had to look away, scratching her fork into a set of initials "And isn’t the alphaeveryone? Not only the pack, but histhe fork, she threw her hands into the air "I’ I think you and I are--after just--I knoe just met and that’s … but it’s not out of the question, is it? That your instincts to protectas your instincts to kill?"

She held her breath and dared to look up Wolf was gaping at her openly and for a second he seerinned, the look warliht of theht," he said "That makes some sense On Luna, we’re kept so far removed from the rest of the citizenry that there’s never any chance of falling in…"

Scarlet was glad when he started to blush too

He scratched his ear "Maybe that’s it Maybe Jael’s control worked against hi me to protect you"

Scarlet atte as there’s an alpha female nearby, you should be just fine That shouldn’t be hard to find, right?"

Wolf’s expression iced over and he looked away His tone beca to do with me I don’t blame you" Wolf scrunched up his shoulders, and ret "But you’re the only one, Scarlet You’ll always be the only one"

Her pulse fluttered "Wolf--"

"I know Webut lie and cheat and betray you I know But if you give me a chance … all I want is to protect you To be near you For as long as I’m able"

Biting her lip, she reached forward, pulling his fingers away from the can She found that the label had been shredded beneath hisme to be … your alpha female?"

He hesitated

Scarlet couldn’t help it--she burst into laughter "Oh--I’m sorry That was , sheit, refusing to relinquish the touch "You just look so scared, like I’ to disappear at anyanywhere"

His lips twitched, his nervousness beginning to ease away, though his hand stayed tense over hers

"Alpha fe, Scarlet gave a row onup into the guts of the Ra the sers, one by one She was hts fro rubies and e power converters Meshts were stretched between thousands ofand Kai, as now engaged to Queen Levana Her sto the venom in his voice when he’d talked to her about the queen She tried to ih now Did he have any other choice? She couldn’t be sure She wanted to say yes, that anything--war, pestilence, slavery--would be better than choosing Levana as empress, but she didn’t know if it was true She didn’t know if he’d ever had a choice, or if this decision had always been inevitable

Her thoughts turned away from Earth, toward Luna A country she didn’t remember, a ho her victory at this ht to all those lives she’d just taken

Queen Levana Cinder’s aunt

The D-COMM chip click, click, clicked against her fingers

"Cinder? Are you in here?"

Her fingers stilled with the chip balanced on her pinkie knuckle "Yeah, Iko I’m here"

"Maybe next time we’re on Earth you can pick up so the audio on all the tihts brightened, re Cinder of a blush She wondered if it was intentional

"Scarlet and Wolf are saying gushy things in the galley," Iko said "Nors, but it’s different when it’s real people I prefer the net dra "I’ll do et so The chip flipped, clacked, flipped, rolled "How are you feeling, Iko? Are you getting used to being the auto-control syste hummed on the computer panel "The shock has worn off, but it still feels like I’ to beto let everyone down It’s a lot of responsibility" The yellow running lights brightened by the floor "But I did well in Paris, didn’t I?"

"You were brilliant"

The teine room spiked "I was kind of brilliant"

"We’d all be dead if it weren’t for you"