River:
For months I thought I knew her past. My men had dug through her history before I ever made her mine. I had discovered the surface - her mother's death, her father's ignorance, her stepmother's cruelty, her stepsiblings' and pack's bullying. It was enough to make me want to protect her, enough to try and heal her scars. Or so I thought.
But tonight had opened my eyes.
The truth ran deeper, darker than anything I had imagined.
I stared out at the pale dawn breaking over the treetops, my chest heavy. All this time, I thought I knew. I thought I understood what she endured. But I only knew what was in plain sight. And now… now I realize there's more. Things she never told anyone. Things she buried so deep she hoped no one would ever dig them up.
I noticed how Oscar was clenching his fists in his lap, while Draven had a grim expression on his face as he stared out the window.