DEREK
I stood outside the heavy reinforced door, my arms crossed, my wolf pacing just beneath my skin.
I hated this.
Every instinct screamed at me to be in there, standing beside her. But Elena had asked to speak to Maggie alone, and I understood why.
Maggie would never talk freely with me sitting across from her. I was a Silverclaw. Worse—my father’s son.
The man who had signed Pierce’s—and her—exile papers.
So I waited. Jaw clenched, fists tight at my sides, the harsh fluorescent hallway buzzing around me. Watching the monitors. Listening to nothing but the occasional crackle of the comms between guards.
I hated this. Hated not being able to protect her.
And then I heard it.
A shout. A frantic cry.
"Help! Help!"
My heart stopped.
I slammed through the door without thinking. T
