“Alex of House Frostfall.”My stomach twisted violently. Whispers immediately spread through the crowd even before I could force myself to move.The bastard. The maid’s mistake. Why is she even here?I forced myself to walk forward. Each step felt impossibly heavy. The melting snow instantly soaked the hem of my thin grey dress—the only color servants were allowed to wear—making sure no one could ever forget my place. I stopped exactly three paces from the Priestess and dropped onto my knees. The sharp ice immediately cut into my bare skin.Please, I begged the moon in my mind. Let the mark be silver. Let it be the Frostfall mark. Let him look at me just once like I belong.The powerful light of the moon hit me like a hammer.A terrifying, burning pain exploded across my chest, sharp enough to completely steal my breath. My back arched up high. My fingers instinctively dug deep into the snow. When the pain finally eased, I slowly looked down at my skin.Black.It wasn't silver. It wasn't the Frostfall mark. It was black ink mixed with silver edges, and it appeared to be shifting under my skin as if it were truly alive. The image was a powerful wolf surrounded by jagged thorns. The mark made the entire courtyard collectively gasp in horror. Some young children began to cry out of fear. Then, someone whispered the name that would stain me forever.“Shadow Wolf,” they said, their voice shaking badly.It was the Enemy Clan mark.Air felt permanently stuck in my throat.King Alaric himself stepped forward, the loud, echoing sound of his boots hitting the ice ringing through the absolute silence. He stared down at the mark on my chest as though it completely disgusted him. When he lifted his eyes to mine, they were cold and utterly empty.“I should have drowned you the day you were born,” he announced. His voice was cold, flat, and carried easily across the entire courtyard. “I knew my pure blood could never come from a filthy maid. Guards!”Two massive armored wolves immediately grabbed my arms and pulled me roughly up. My knees scraped painfully against the ice as they dragged me.“Father—” The word slipped out before I could possibly stop it. My voice was small and shaking badly.