I hold my position, spine rigid and face calm, though a sharp tension seizes me the moment their words hit the air. My fingers lightly graze the chilled stone wall beside me, the cold slicing through the faint tremble in my hand.

The second girl gives a dismissive laugh, sharp and disdainful. “They say she’s supposed to be the twin of the original. Maybe they look similar? But who cares—no one, not even Alpha Alistair, ever met the real lady sage. It wouldn’t matter if ...