Elder Iris POV
I caught Sarah Morrison trying to burn her mate mark with a red-hot stick.
"Stop!" I shouted, running across my cabin to grab the iron from her shaking hands. The smell of burning flesh hit my nose, and I saw the angry red cut on her wrist where she'd already started.
"Let me finish!" Sarah cried, fighting against my grip. "If it can happen to Lily and Caleb, it can happen to any of us!"
This was the third mated wolf I'd found this week trying to destroy their own bond. The fear was spreading through Silver Peak like wildfire, and I was running out of ways to stop it.
"Sarah, listen to me," I said firmly, causing her to sit down. "Burning your mark won't protect you from whatever took theirs."
"Then nothing will!" she sobbed. "Tom and I have been mates for five years. We have two pups together. But what if tomorrow I wake up and feel nothing for him? What if he looks at me like Caleb looks at Lily - like I'm a stranger?"
