THE BORDER ARRIVALThe morning sun didn't feel warm. It was a pale, cold yellow that cut through the mist as the pack began to move. There was no music. There were no drums. Just the sound of thousands of feet hitting the soft earth, a steady, rhythmic thud that sounded like a giant heart beating underground.

Esmeralda walked near the front. She refused to ride. If her Omegas were walking, she was walking. Her legs ached, and her stomach felt like it was full of cold stones, but she kept her ...