Anxiety crawled like ants over Kirastasia’s flesh, making her immaculate ivory fur prickle like snow-covered pine needles. Since her new infuriating toy Rom had decided to make himself scarce (boy, he could disappear at the drop of a leaf!) Malignant’s princess had been at a total loss. Boredom sat heavy on her shoulders and weighed her down. She felt like a stone rolling uselessly over the earth and gathering mud. Nothing to do! her mind screamed. Soooo DULLLLL.

Kira hadn’t regretted abandoning her brother Kavik at Saw Tooth, but now she actually missed his presence. At least the little weirdo could provide some entertainment. A loud, exaggerated sigh dragged from the snowbird’s pretty muzzle as she wound her way through the foliage of the border, smoothing her scent across bushes and bark. And that was OTHER problem—the signature of her home was waning. Just as it had waned into near nothingness all those months she’d been trapped in another pack. The proud scent of Queens seemed a distant memory, and that of Carnival . . . well, Kirastasia worried her kingdom was slowly declining into death once more. Patrolling the invisible wall had helped ease some of her restlessness, but not all of it. Enough remained to skitter over her heart, to slither through her brain, to taunt her every waking moment—

“Oh!” The exclamation burst from her maw like a champagne bubble. Kira’s maple-colored eyes widened in surprise; she’d nearly crashed into a stranger because she’d been so intent on marking the border. “You’re in rough shape, aren’t you?”