Novels by Cortney Nelson

JACOB“I want a face-to-face meeting on your territory tomorrow morning.”Jaxon’s voice echoed through the speaker of the secure satellite phone. He sounded completely out of breath.“You are in no position to demand anything from me,” I replied, leaning back in my heavy leather desk chair.“This is not a demand,” Jaxon corrected quickly, his tone tight with suppressed anger. “It is a formal diplomatic request. I am bringing my legal team. We need to discuss the sudden cancellation of my silver shipments.”“I have no idea what you are talking about,” I lied smoothly.“Do not play stupid with me, Jacob! Vance cut my supply lines. I know you forced his hand.”“If you want to waste your time traveling to Westwood, my gates will be open at noon,” I stated flatly. “Bring your lawyers. Bring your entire council. It will not change a single thing.”Clicking the phone shut, I tossed it onto my mahogany desk. A dark, highly satisfied smirk crossed my face. The trap was working perfectly. My ne

AUTHOR’S POV “We need five hundred of your soldiers stationed along the western ridge by Friday.”Jaxon tapped his index finger hard against the massive topographical map spread across his mahogany desk. He leaned forward, locking his gaze onto the older man standing across from him.Alpha Kael rubbed his thick, greying beard. He stared down at the map, his heavy brow furrowed in deep thought. “Five hundred is a massive commitment, Jaxon. You are asking me to leave my own southern border completely exposed.”“Your southern border backs up against the ocean, Kael,” Jaxon scoffed, standing up straight. “Unless the fish decide to launch a ground assault, your territory is perfectly safe.”“It is still a calculated risk.”“A risk that pays off with two thousand acres of prime Westwood hunting grounds once we win,” Jaxon reminded him smoothly. “Jacob holds the richest soil on this entire continent. When he falls, we divide his empire. You get the southern forests.”“You speak as if killing

JACOB“Do you know why we are meeting in a freezing warehouse at midnight, Vance?”Alpha Vance shifted on his heavy boots. His breath plumed in the bitter cold air. “I assume you want to discuss trade tariffs, Alpha Locke.”“Wrong,” I said, walking slowly past a tall stack of wooden shipping crates. “I do not care about tariffs.”“Then why am I here?” Vance asked, crossing his thick arms over his chest. “My pack is three hours away. I left my Luna in a warm bed for this.”“You are here because you signed a shipping manifest yesterday,” I stated, stopping a few feet away from him. “Three train cars loaded with weaponized silver ore. Destination: Red Hill.”Vance swallowed hard. His eyes darted toward the steel doors, where my Beta stood in absolute silence. Marcus rested his hand on the hilt of his broadsword, watching the exchange with dead eyes.“I run a mining operation, Jacob,” Vance argued, trying to keep his voice level. “I sell ore to whoever meets my asking price. It is basic ec

JACOB “I am not a coward, Jacob.”Jaxon spat a thick wad of blood onto the wet cobblestones, tilting his chin up to glare at me.“You cannot scare me into compliance,” my nephew sneered, his chest heaving as he leaned back against the dark brick alleyway. “I am an Alpha. I am not signing those severance papers. You want the bond broken? You are going to have to kill me.”Staring at his bruised, pathetic face, my beast clawed violently at the inside of my skull. He wanted to push my limits. He wanted to see if I would actually pull the trigger and start a continental war right here in the neutral zone.Nodding slowly, I did not give him the satisfaction of an argument.“Very well,” I said flatly.Turning my back on him, I walked out of the freezing rain. I did not look over my shoulder.By the time I returned to the Westwood fortress, my mood was completely lethal. The royal guards took one look at my pitch-black eyes and instantly stepped out of my path. Nobody dared to speak.Pushin

AUTHOR’S POV“Read that to me again,” Jaxon demanded, his voice shaking with violent rage. “And stop fucking stuttering you idiot. Dammit!”He threw the heavy parchment across his desk. It hit a silver inkwell, sending dark splatters across the wood.The young Red Hill messenger swallowed hard. He picked up the letter with trembling fingers. “It is from Alpha Jacob, sir. He requests your presence at a formal bond breaking ceremony. He demands you severe the mate tie w… with his Luna, Aria.”Jaxon laughed. It was a harsh, humorless bark that echoed off the high walls of his office.“He requests nothing,” Jaxon sneered, standing up and pacing behind his desk. “He issues a command. He treats me like a subordinate soldier in his own army. He thinks I will just roll over and hand her away.”“How should I reply, Alpha?” the messenger asked, keeping his eyes glued to the floor.“Tell the Lycan King no,” Jaxon ordered. “Tell him he denied me a fair trial in front of the High Council. He broke

JACOBWalking into the master suite, the heavy oak doors clicked shut behind me. Three hours of useless military strategy meetings left my muscles tight and my patience thin. The winter sun dipped below the horizon outside the frosted windows, sending deep shadows across the room. I loosened my silk tie, rolling my shoulders to release the heavy tension pooling in my neck.Aria sat cross-legged in the middle of the massive mattress. She had a thick grey wool blanket wrapped tight around her shoulders, creating a soft cocoon. Her eyes were glued to the large flat-screen television mounted on the far stone wall. The faint sounds of a human drama show echoed in the quiet suite, a sharp contrast to the brutal war plans I just left behind."Turn that off," I ordered, tossing my suit jacket onto a leather armchair. “We need to talk.”"There are ten minutes left in the episode," she argued, not even looking away from the screen."Now, Aria. We need to talk."Sighing dramatically, she grabbed