Chapter 65

Netya had little choice but to follow. Adel led her deeper into the cave, beyond the eerie light of the lamps and through another dark curtain, then up a steep incline in the rock as the passage narrowed. She was still too stunned by what had happened to make sense of it.

After almost believing that her apprenticeship had been a cruel trick, the realization that she was to be taught by the den mother herself sent her thoughts spiraling into confusion.

Why would Adel, of all people, desire to instruct her? And did Netya even want a woman who had shown her little but scorn as a mentor? It seemed she had little choice in the matter now.

Netya was no expert on the nuances of pack culture, but even she knew that learning directly from the den mother was an honor few could ever dream of, and to snub it would be a tremendous insult. Even without the consideration of what it would do to her standing within the pack, Netya feared that incurring Adel’s wrath would leave her