Even from a distance, she could see how he had deteriorated. His clothes hung off his frame, his hair was wild and unkempt, and he swayed slightly as though drunk, unhinged, and probably both. But his eyes burned with a fierce hatred that made her want to run screaming in the opposite direction.

"Well, well," Garret called out as they approached. "The prodigal daughter returns. And she brought the Alpha's whelp with her, how touching."

"We are here to negotiate," Kael said, his voice steady ...