The zinc handles of the kitchen doors groaned under the mountain gale, rattling against the damp stone lintel. Eva balanced the massive silver platter on the flats of her fingers, her knuckles stiffening from the ice-cold draft leaking through the oak floorboards.

She paused near the pantry, adjusting her grip as the heavy crystal goblets clinked like wind chimes. The sharp scent of roasted venison and fermented blood-wine hung thick under the cedar rafters, completely choking out the smell of the pine wood fires.

"Move it, Omega," a senior cook muttered, shoving a basket of baked bread into Eva's side. "The high tier doesn't like to wait, and the Alpha’s vanguard is already at the lower valley."

Eva didn't look up, her chin tucked into the frayed collar of her thin cotton tunic. She stepped into the Grand Hall, where the fire from the central hearth cast long, twisting shadows against the stone pillars.

The elders of the Blackwood Pack sat along the mahogany table, their heavy wolf-fur cloaks brushing the backs of their carved chairs. Gold platters rattled against the wood as warriors shouted across the room, slamming their silver steins together.

At the far end of the high tier, Tanya Bennett leaned back in her cushioned seat. She adjusted a gold-threaded silk ribbon in her hair, her fingers lingering on the expensive lace of her collar before she tapped her fingernails against her empty glass.

"Where is the vintage?" Tanya's voice cut through the loud laughter of the nearby warriors. "I asked for the Lycan blood-wine ten minutes ago."

Eva kept her face lowered, tracking the grease stains on the floorboards as she approached the elevated platform. Her breath came shallow, her chest tight beneath the weight of the silver platter.

"Right here, Miss Bennett," Eva said, her voice barely carrying over the crackle of the birch logs.

"You're slow, Evangeline," Tanya said, leaning forward so the torchlight caught the cruel curve of her lips. "My father says a useless wolf should at least have fast legs. Clearly, you lack both."

A few Beta warriors down the table chuckled, their eyes scanning Eva’s oversized, threadbare clothes. One of them threw a chewed bone onto the floor, right in front of Eva’s worn leather boots.

Eva remained silent, her fingers trembling slightly against the underside of the silver tray. She lifted the heavy crystal decanter, her muscles straining under the weight as she tilted the dark red liquid into Tanya’s glass.

Tanya didn't move away; instead, she watched the wine rise to the brim, her eyes narrowing as she shifted her right leg beneath the table. Her silver-buckled heel caught the frayed hem of Eva’s skirt, yanking the faded fabric backward.

Eva’s balance broke, her boot sliding over the slick bone on the floor.

The platter tilted violently, the heavy metal edge striking the oak tabletop with a loud, hollow crack before Eva could adjust her stance.

The decanter slipped from her hand, shattering against the stone corner of the hearth. A deep crimson stain bloomed across the white wool rug, spreading toward the fire like fresh blood in the snow.

"Look what you did!" Tanya shoved her chair back, the wooden legs screeching loudly against the floorboards as she stood up. "You ruined the Alpha's welcoming gift, you clumsy bitch!"

The laughter along the high table died down, replaced by the heavy crackle of the birch logs in the fireplace. Warriors set their steins down, their gazes locking onto the red puddle soaking into the expensive imported wool.

"I... it was an accident," Eva whispered, dropping to her knees to grab a large, jagged shard of glass.

"Don't touch it," a heavy voice boomed from behind the platform.

Two Enforcers stepped out from the shadow of the pillars, their leather armor creaking with every step. The larger one grabbed Eva by her forearm, his palm clapping over her skin with enough force to bruise.

"Tanya, wait, she tripped me," Eva said, her eyes snapping to the Beta's daughter as the Enforcer dragged her to her feet.

"You're a liar as well as a servant," Tanya said, turning her back to the hall and waving her hand toward the door. "Get this filth out of here before the Alpha arrives. The room smells like a rogue camp."

The larger Enforcer didn't wait for another order. He twisted Eva’s arm behind her back, forcing her toward the rear exit while her boots dragged across the wet stone floor.

The remaining servants kept their faces lowered toward their platters, stepping aside into the shadows as Eva was pushed past the lower kitchen tables. No one looked up when her shoulder struck the wooden doorframe.

The Enforcers thrust the heavy oak exterior doors open, and the mountain wind instantly screamed into the stone corridor, bringing a flurry of gray ice with it.

"Enjoy the winter, Omega," the second guard muttered, his hand shoving Eva’s back.

Eva stumbled forward, her knees striking the frozen gravel of the courtyard with a dull crack that tore through her leggings. Behind her, the heavy iron-studded gates slammed shut, the heavy latch dropping into the slot with a metallic thud that echoed off the stone walls.

The blizzard hit her bare face like fine sand, instantly coating her eyelashes in white frost. She crawled back toward the stone foundation, her breath freezing into thick plumes before the wind ripped it away.

Her fingers curled around the small silver token hidden deep in her apron pocket, the metal freezing against her skin. It was the only thing her mother had left her before the pack house burned down years ago.

She squeezed the token until the sharp edges cut into her palm, drawing a thin line of bright red across her white knuckles.

Eva pressed her back against the freezing stone wall, staring through the white wall of the storm toward the dark, silent outline of the north watchtower.

Beneath the layer of snow gathering on her skin, the small cut on her hand began to itch. The torn flesh began to knit itself back together, the blood dissolving into the frost before it could even stain the frozen ground.