***BLAKE/BEAST***

Alaric’s screaming didn’t stop. It tore through the camp, sharp and ragged, cutting through my ears like a blade dragged too slowly. I felt Blake pull back inside me, not in mercy, not in hesitation, but in irritation so sharp it almost mirrored my own.

“End it.” Blake said. His voice was tight, controlled, forcing itself through the pressure.

I didn’t answer him.

I turned slowly, gathering ice in my palm as breath filled my lungs.

Cold answered instinct at my ...