Swiftcurrent Creek I guess I'm all you have, and I swear you'll see the dawn again.

Her son tensed, unaccepting of the answer she'd provided, and went on to bombard her with harsh demands. Durnehviir sucked in a breath, brow raised in surprise at the sudden flaring of her pale cub's temper, and her ginger ears pressed back as she hung her head in defeat.

The Alphess had never let her children assert themselves over her, yet now she simply didn't have the energy to remind Viinturuth of his place. He was so young, she reminded herself, despite his recent growth spurt that brought him to her height. Too young to carry the burden she wanted so desperately to keep from him, but couldn't.

"Enough," she told the boy, her voice stern but wavering beneath the weight of her emotion. " We argued, but you don't need to know why and I did not ask your father to leave. He chose to go with Aria."