Hideaway Strath roll deep

Lotte absorbed the information she was given in silence, her black-masked visage pulled into a frown of distaste at what August had been put through. “You will not suffer that here,” she swore, launching almost immediately into mother bear mode. “Has Declan been unkind to you?” she asked. “I will score him with my own fangs if he has hurt you in any way. You must know it, August — females are the stronger sex. You are my isosisko in this pack, a bigger sister. Do you truly not know it?” She expected the older wolf to know what she knew, deep within her bones, and she couldn’t believe that August had been taught anything differently.

The soturi knew that her male comrades could never have done what she did. She knew that. She had, in her line of work, used the silk of her allure and the steel of her cunning to weasel information and weakness from her targets — and in the end, every time, she’d waltzed away with what she wanted while the males stiffened in shock (or in death, if that was her objective). Could a male do that? No. Females were too wily to be taken in by the promise of a sweet young body and pretty words.

“Teaghlaigh asks that you perform a task to move out of the Comhlach rank,” Lotte said without preamble. “My task for you is that you will try — even if it is difficult, and even if it scares you — to speak first. To let yourself be heard. August, you outrank at least two of the pack’s males. You outrank my twin, who is not a pack member here. You need not talk to them if you do not wish to, but if you need something done, and the nearest pack member is a male, swear to me you will try to assert yourself.”