17

“So am I. You remember how awful things were before. No one would spend time with us because Gregor forbade it.”

I nodded. The first twenty-one years of my life had been hell because of that, and yet so many things had changed that I hardly thought about it anymore.

“Now, I have my old friends back, plus some new ones. You know Mabel, don’t you?”

I grinned. “Oh, yes. When Night took me to the Wargs Pack, she helped me get a position in the kitchen. I met a lot of Wargs when I cleaned and cooked.”

Mom’s eyes brightened. Her hair was tied back in its usual long braid, but she’d wound it around so it sat in a cute bun at the top of her head. It made her look like a ballerina. “Oh, she didn’t mention that. Sometimes I look at you, Bryn, and I think you’re a completely different person from the person I raised. You’re so determined to see things through no matter what gets in your way, and you don’t back down when the pack gives you trouble. But you’re still so sweet, so kind. It’s nice to