"Thank you, Max. Get some rest. And put something on that scratch."
"It is nothing," he said, but he touched the mark on his face before turning to leave.
I closed the door and locked it. I walked back to the window, the paper still crumpled in my hand. *A house built on bones.* I knew my family's history wasn't clean. No great pack's history ever was. But this felt personal. It felt like a ghost from my mother's past was reaching out to drag me back into the dark.
I lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling as the first hints of dawn began to creep across the sky. I must have drifted off into a light, fitful sleep, because I was jolted awake by the sound of my phone ringing on the nightstand. I grabbed it, seeing an unknown number on the screen.
"Hello?" I said, my voice thick with sleep.
"Did you enjoy the dance, Princess?"
It was Kasper. His voice was low and melodic, carrying that same arrogant edge that always made me want to either slap him or kiss him.
