12

Finally, Mom and I were so far down the pecking order that we were never given the opportunity to pick from the new goods.

Because the Kings’ pack went through apparel so quickly, there was an abundance of wasted fabric. Sometimes that fabric would be recycled into the pack as blankets or home textiles, but the bulk of the fabric was dispersed among other packs in the area, beginning with those most in the Kings’ pack’s good graces. The Wargs, of course, were never given any of the Kings’ resources.

My solution to the issue of the worn-out flats was a little spur of the moment, but I’d make do. And maybe I was biased, but I kind of liked the way the black laces looked against the pale skin of my legs. I wondered if I’d ever be able to find someone who made me feel confident and desirable.

That question caused me to think about the green-eyed stranger again. Lately, whenever I had a quiet moment to myself, he returned to my thoughts. The only place I felt safe and warm, other than wit