Blackfeather Woods Have you ever tried to get to your feet with a sprained dignity?

There was a chill in the air this morning. Wildfire shivered, not just because she was cold—there was nearly no fat left on her body to insulate her—but because so much time had passed. She had left Drageda during the dog days of summer and this dip in temperature heralded the arrival of autumn. She had been gone for a month, possibly even two.

She had been eating a little, despite herself, and had the strength to hobble toward the cave's anterior. There was nobody here, yet Wildfire made no attempt to escape. She folded her slim haunches and sat with a quiet, resigned grunt.

Wildfire thought of her mate and her children, picturing them on a distant beach. Had they tried to find her? Although she didn't want any of them anywhere near these dangerous wolves, her heart squeezed a little as she thought of them, wondering if they had already given up on her and moved on with their lives.