Novels by IMEX EVAN

Mira led me to a room with a small bed, a woven blanket, and no windows. A cell, really just one without bars and locks. “Kael will be down the hall, the fifth door to the left. The door doesn't lock from outside. You can try to run, though I wouldn't recommend that.” “I'm not running.” “ We'll see about that.” She turned to leave, then stopped. “ One last thing. The Black Wolves do have a saying: Trust is earned by blood, not words. Remember that tomorrow.” I stood at the center of the room, listening to her footsteps fade down the hall. I couldn't sleep. I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, listening to my heartbeat. The council could vote to execute me tomorrow. Send my body back to my father as a message, or they could keep me as a prisoner. The knock made me jump “Who's there?” Kael stepped inside. “Kael, you scared the hell out of me.” “Good. This means you are paying attention.” He closed the door behind him. “ You can't sleep.” “No. Can you?” “Me

The Black Wolf border wasn't marked by walls or gates. There was a howl—not a wolf’s howl, but a signal."My scouts," Kael said. "They’ve known we were here since we crossed into range.""Are we safe?""That depends on how they decide to greet us."The gates of Shadowpeak rose from the forest, carved from the mountain itself. They stood open, but it felt more like a mouth than a welcome.Wolves lined the walls—dozens of them, all watching.An older woman stepped forward from the crowd, gray hair pulled back severely, sharp eyes missing nothing. She moved with authority that didn’t need an announcement."Elder Mira," Kael said, inclining his head."Alpha." Her voice was cool and measured. "You brought a guest."Her eyes cut to me. I felt the weight of her stare."I bring my mate."Whispers broke out—shock, anger, disbelief rippling through the gathered wolves."Your mate." Mira’s gaze never left me. "Who wears the face of Ainsworth. Carries the scent of White Wolf royalty and is the su

The plan was simple. Too simple. Which meant it might actually work.I outlined the plan quickly. "We camp at the old watchtower ruins. The one we passed two miles back. It's three miles from your border, close enough that your scouts can reach us if we need backup, far enough that the hunters will think we're still running scared.""And then what?""Then we let them come.""At least this way, we choose when they find us. Where they find us,” I said. "It's insane," Kael said."It might work," Darius countered.Kael looked between us like we'd both lost our minds."If even one of them gets past us?""They won't." I stepped closer to him. "You won't let them. And if they do…" I took a breath. "I can protect myself now. You've seen what I can do.""You can barely control it.""Then I'll learn.""By putting yourself in danger?""By making my own choices." The words came out harder than I intended. "I'm tired of running, Kael. I'm tired of being protected like I'm helpless.Kael stared a

Dawn came, and the neutral territory checkpoint emerged from the mist like a ghost, a watchtower used to mark the border between territories.“We rest here, two hours, then we continue moving."Kael said.I agreed without hesitation.Two hours wouldn't be enough, I could see it in the way Kael's shoulders dropped. His jaw was clenched too tightly, his breathing low. He was hurting, though he would never admit it.Darius rested his back against the tower wall with a grunt. "Your father will hear you escaped within the hour.""I do know that."Darius’s eyes stayed sharp, even though exhaustion weighed on him. “You do not understand. King Aldric doesn’t just react, he is backed with actions. And when a White Wolf Princess vanishes with a Black Wolf Alpha… he won’t let it pass quietly. He is going to make a display everyone in the empire will remember.”The words hung in the air like smoke."We'll be in Black Wolf territory by dusk, if there are no interruptions” said Kael.Darius said qui

Sierralya Keholts raised one hand. His wolves stopped advancing. “I just want to talk to my sister,” he said. His voice was the same. The same voice that had read me bedtime stories when I was small. That had taught me to climb the old oak in the palace gardens. Three nights. It felt like three years. “Let her speak,” Keholts said, looking at Kael. “Please.” I stepped towards him. Keholts' face, I'd never seen him look like that. Tired, desperate, scared. “Sierralya.” My name came out rough. “Come home. Please.” “Home?" The word tasted bitter. "You mean the dungeon?” “That was one suggestion, and Father didn't refuse it." Keholts looked away. “I'll protect you.” “The way you protected me when they threw me in chains?" The words came out sharper than I meant. “When they locked me in the darkest cell they had and left me to rot?” “What was I supposed to do?” Keholts's voice broke. “He's the king. My father. Our father. I can't just.” “You're his heir,” I said. “His favori

SierralyaKael hit the top of the dungeon stairs with me close behind him, Darius dragging up the rear. No one looked good. Everyone looked like they’d pushed past whatever limit they were supposed to have.Torin was waiting by the door. There was blood on him somewhere—his cheek, maybe his arm. It was hard to tell. He grinned anyway.“Took you long enough.”“Status?” Kael asked.“Brenner and Ren are holding the corridor,” Torin said. “For now. But the palace is waking up. Fast.”Kael glanced back at me. Pale. Too pale. I was on my feet, but just barely.“Can you run?”I didn’t hesitate. “I can do whatever I have to.”That wasn't just confidence, it was determination. Kael nodded once.“Path?” he asked.“Servant passages. East wing. There’s a window. Drops into the gardens. After that, straight for the forest.”“They’ll have archers.”Torin shrugged. “Then we move fast.”Kael turned back to me. “Stay close. Don’t stop. If I move, you move.”I nodded.“Darius?”The old wolf bared his t