Arrow Lake so only one life can't be enough

Sarah had felt so sick and overwhelmed by the her troubles that she had missed the onset of spring in her body. It should not have come to her as a surprise, had she been aware of the change. In the absence of a strong alpha female, nature had given others the chance. Grezig had been the first to do so, her smell was thick and pungent in the Emberwood and there was no doubt that the newly appointed leader would take advantage of it and strengthen the ranks with his own blood. Perhaps, this too - the knowledge that Ibis should have been the one to bear young this year, not others - had also driven Sarah away. 

When she caught sight of Mahler approaching, she went to greet him as a friend she had eagerly expected to meet. Their previous conversation was not on her mind at all, she tried to find the right words to tell him, why she was here. But Sarah had never been good at expressing, what went deep, therefore she stopped mid-way and sat down. "She's dead, Mahler," she said quietly. "My niece. She is dead and I was not there to save her," the gravity of this revelation finally broke the walls of self-control and pride. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she did not attempt to stop them. When you are at your lowest point, why should letting someone else witness your vulnerability matter?