Lina couldn't believe what she had heard from James. As she held him, she felt his bones and the fragility he was in. But even though James was physically weakened from not eating — the untouched bowls of soup spoke for themselves — he had still managed to stand and look Lance in the eye, with all the dignity and pride that had always characterized him.

“Are you going to tell the true cause of what afflicts your Alpha?”

“I know where you're trying to go, and it would be ...