Elder Zack keeps staring at me like I am something he never expected to see tonight. His eyes are sharp even in the dim room, they feel like needles on my skin.
"How did you know about the curse?" he asks again, slower this time.
His voice carries anger… but beneath it, I hear something else.
Fear.
I keep my chin up. "I found out on my own."
He snorts. "Impossible. Rex barely speaks about it. Even fewer people understand it."
"Well, I do," I say. "And I want the truth. All of it."
He looks away, walking toward an old table covered with dusty books. His hands shake slightly as he touches one of them. He doesn't open it—just keeps his palm there, like the book is alive and he's trying to calm it.
"You shouldn't be here," he mutters.
"Why not?"
"You being his mate is already dangerous enough. Asking questions you shouldn't ask makes it worse."
I take a step closer. "What danger are you talking about?"
Elder Zack laughs—short, bitter. "Girl, you are standing inside it."
