POV: Echo Flashback: Tremors wrack my body as I feel his claws sink into my shoulders as he forces me down into a seat. I swallow my gasps and whimpers as he digs them in deeper and wiggles them around, trying to elicit some form of acknowledgment from me at the level of pain he was causing me. “You will not eat from now on unless I give you permission, you little bitch!” Alpha Brady growls in my ear, and a chorus of growls and snarls ripple up and down the table in agreement as pack members watch and enjoy the pain he is inflicting. I flinch as I see a plate stop directly in front of me. Someone had slid a plate of what looked to be the leftover scraps of multiple plates full of the breakfast I’d cooked that morning. I let out the tiniest breath as he retracted his claws from my shoulders, only to inhale sharply as he grabbed a fist full of my hair and jerked my head back so that I was looking up at him. Smiling viciously, he slams the side of my head into the table hard. Using m

POV: Echo Focusing on what I can remember of today, I play through it from the time I wake up until my memories just stop. Unfortunately, I don’t remember anything from the time I set my fork down and leaned back in my seat. Tala sighs and begins to fill the blanks in my memories with her own. I cringe when I hear myself share far, far more than I ever wanted any of them to ever know, and tremble at the sound of the wolves growling. Tala immediately drops the memory and pushes away the memories of various traumatic events before they can take hold again. I mentally thanked her and felt Atlas take both of my hands in his and gently squeeze them. I slowly opened my eyes to his green ones, which were filled with love and concern. I squeeze his hands in return, and he releases a heavy sigh of relief. I glanced up at Noira, then at Atlas, and indicated I was going to sit up. They helped me, and I turned and hugged Noira tightly. Hoping that she knows just how much I appreciate her being

POV: Echo Smiling, I sat back down at the table with the group of wolves who accepted me completely, just as I am. They had tidied up after our lunch while waiting for me to make my way back and had set aside a plate with a couple of bites of each type of food for me as I’d thrown up my lunch. I couldn’t help but smile widely at their thoughtfulness and care. As I sat to eat it, Atlas, Travis, Blaze, and James kept us all amused with tales from their childhood. Or more accurately, stories about the shenanigans they would get into, such as two of them working together to distract the kitchen workers while the other two made way with as many freshly baked desserts as they could carry. Cordelia chimed in, explaining that her talent as a healer began with her constantly having to bandage up their daily injuries. Thankfully, everyone seemed to understand that I was not prepared to discuss my flashback, and no one brought it up. Once I was finished eating my second attempt at lunch, Noira

POV: Atlas Taking the stairs three at a time, I made it to my room in record time. Far quicker than the old lift would have been able to get me up here, that’s for sure. Setting my coffee on the nightstand, I climbed in next to Echo and wrapped my arms around her as she twitched in her sleep. Rubbing my hands over her arms and pulling her into me so my scent can calm her, I sigh in relief as the choking fear eases almost immediately. It seemed she had only just begun the nightmare, and it hadn’t reached the real nasty parts yet, as she hadn’t taken to thrashing around the bed yet. Once she settled down, I slowly inched off the bed to grab my tray, paperwork, and coffee, before I stretched out on the bed and leaned on my pillow against the headboard. I can’t help but smile as Echo instinctively rolls over and wraps around my outstretched leg, her face only inches from my hip as she inhales my scent deeply. The fated mate bond is an intense feeling, and nothing else quite compares to

POV: Echo The chatter in the dining hall had come to a standstill the moment I walked into the room. I focused my gaze on the buffet tables, where Deltas Blaze and Noira were last in line and grabbing their trays. As Atlas slipped his hand into mine, a whisper of hushed conversation and questions floated around the room. Blaze and Noira turned to see what the commotion was about, both flashing us a grin as they grabbed two extra trays and set them up for us to grab and dish up. Focusing on my newfound friends, I force myself to tune out the curious wolves around me as Atlas and I make our way over. The hall was considerably fuller this morning, as we had come much earlier in the morning than yesterday, and I could feel an overwhelming number of eyes on me. On the varying scars showing on my stomach and arms. Sensing my tension, Atlas squeezes my hand lightly, giving me a smile before surrendering me to Noira for a bear hug. I giggle as she lifts me right off the ground, before ligh