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The other grabs my arm and yanks me to my feet, nearly popping my wrist in the process.

Damn. Shifters are strong.

“Don’t forget your place, human. You’re a walking bag of bones until you prove yourself in the games. Only when you’re officially claimed by a monster can you question a shifter’s order.”

I glare at her but don’t say anything.

Godric is certainly going to hear of this.

Violet gives me a smug grin as she watches the female shifters drag me across the room. “Get in trouble with Daddy?” she asks, sending Coraline and Ferra into a fit of giggles behind her.

Godric’s going to hear about them, too.

Once we’re outside, a third shifter joins us. She’s lethally silent and marches ahead of us, making concern skitter up my spine.

I’m plotting all the ways Godric’s wolf is going to rip them limb from limb until I realize the three shifters aren’t leading me in the direction the den should be. I’ve been around the encampment enough that we should be heading southeast for the den.

We’re heading northeast.

I confirm my suspicions when I spot the body still hanging by Godric’s tent. By now, I’ve come to the conclusion that it has been magically preserved so as not to decay.

And whoever is up there is one of the secrets that Godric hasn’t revealed to me yet.

But it also means we’re heading toward the cliffs.

The pleasant trickle of water sounds as we pass the bathing springs. No one is in them this time of day.

But then the shifters drag me up the steps toward one of the steaming pools in the back.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

The largest female shifter has tattoos all over her, and her beads clatter together as she gestures for the shifters to take me on ahead.

They rush me into the pool, and I gasp as the hot water soaks my clothes.

I’m not wearing my vials, either, which is something I instantly regret.

Clearly, these shifters are not up to anything good.

“What kind of spell did you weave over our pack master?” asks the lead shifter.

She has gray eyes that have specks of harshness in them, like she’s made of iron.

“What are you talking about?” I snap. “I haven’t⁠—”

I don’t get to finish my sentence. A hand grabs me by the neck and dunks me under the scalding water, making me scream. The sound bubbles around me, muffled by the liquid.

When I’m brought back up for air, I sputter and can’t see anything as I recover from the burn. These are natural springs, and while they’re pleasant enough to bathe in, I have yet to dunk myself under. It’s just as unpleasant as I would have imagined.

“Listen, we don’t have a lot of time,” the shifter growls in a low voice. “The first combat is usually when a rival pack makes its move, and one already gave Godric a challenge tonight. So I’m going to ask again.” She leans in and snarls, revealing petite fangs. “What did you do to him? And how do we undo it?”

What does she mean, they gave Godric a challenge?

Is that why he isn’t here?

Pressure builds as hands squeeze me. I roll every answer I can think of through my mind, but nothing is going to satisfy them, so I use the opportunity to drag this out instead.

If we don’t have a lot of time, then that means Godric might already be on his way. Others could have seen me being dragged to the springs by the unapproved escort.