CHAINS OF DECEIT

POV: Darrel Williams

With every laboring breath, the weight of the truth seemed like a crushing load falling on me. I found myself lost in a sea of remorse and self-doubt, doubting everything I had believed in as the disclosures about my part in Ivory's banishment and Darcy's abduction surfaced.

How could I have been so naive, so readily controlled by people I knew? Unquestionably, the data was a devastating critique of the basic pillars supporting my life.

The stifling quiet that had encompassed my rooms was broken with a gentle knock at the door. "Enter," I said, my voice tinged with hardly-felt intensity.

Hardin entered, his battered features marked with concern. "Darrel, we must speak."

I sighed tiredly and pointed for him to settle in. "Old friend, I know what you are going to say. We must be strong and preserve the customs and beliefs that have led our pack for millennia.

Hardin dropped himself down onto the chair across from me, wrinkling his forehead. "You are partially right,