MasukThird Person's POV
Adelaide gasped, a shiver running down her spine as pain prickled her neck.
She fought the urge to reveal her wolf ears, but her nails dug half-moon trenches into her palms.
"Alpha Lance, it hurts," she said, her voice deeper than usual, a barely noticeable tremor betraying her discomfort—not from his rough touch, but from the "mates" talk.
As the Frostfang Pack heir, she'd been taught, "Vulnerability only shows when wounds scab."
"Haha!"<
Third Person's POV"That is complete BS!"Germain quickly snapped out of his lapse, forcing himself to cool down."Let's go. You're right. Since Alpha Lance is here, we should give him a warm welcome."Germain's pivot was so fast that Raven still didn't feel good about it.He kept pushing, "Once you take the crown, you can have any she-wolf in the country. When that day comes, you'll see that Paisley is nothing but a foul-tempered, unrefined brute.""Enough."Germain suddenly sounded defensive, almost hurt."Damn it! All these years, I've basically lived like a monk for the sake of our grand ideal! Other than my idiot mate, I've barely kept a few breeders around! But Paisley is different. My wolf wants her; he's begging for her comfort! She's the first she-wolf who's driven my wolf wild, and she's actually strong enough to help me! She is the perfect replacement for Sidney!"His explosive rant left Raven feeling a deep s
Third Person's POVEven Paisley had seriously dressed up for the occasion.To be fair, ever since she'd arrived in the capital, she had practically boycotted these tedious noble banquets.But since Adelaide was personally accompanying her tonight, she refused to show up looking like a bum.Beata smoothly brought out a pastel-yellow silk gown with totems subtly embroidered in silver thread along the hem, giving it a bright, playful energy.Even though Paisley had spent years roughing it in the Shadow Peaks, she was still a Stephens; high society elegance and grace were in her blood.With just a little bit of effort, she looked every bit as stunning and radiant as any refined noble lady.Avery had also heavily insisted on taggng along as their bodyguard.He was entirely confident that his handsome looks, paired with the sharp uniform of the Blackthorn Guard Commander, would make him the center of attention and bring glory to the
Third Person's POVLycan Erasmus leaned back against his chair, tilting his head toward Fabian."Tell me, have I lost my mind? I actually gave him the green light to go sniff around Germain."Fabian offered a flawless smile, keeping his voice low."Your Great Majesty, I believe this simply comes from a place of brotherly trust.""Trust?"Lycan Erasmus repeated the word under his breath, a cryptic gleam flashing in his sharp eyes.Fabian sensibly shut his mouth, not uttering another word.He knew better than anyone that this paranoid Lycan King could never fully trust Lance.No ruler sitting on a throne anywhere in the world would ever truly trust an Alpha who possessed both unmatched combat lethality and overwhelming devotion from the military.For now, if this shred of "trust" was enough to quiet the Lycan King's days of crushing anxiety, it was plenty.Meanwhile, inside the Blue Abyss territory, the manor
Third Person's POVFor a split second, Sidney wanted to scream every curse word she knew at Paisley, but remembering Germain's orders, she forced her voice to soften."Of course I'm not angry. But sweetie, if we have issues in the future, can we just sit down and talk like adults? Let's leave the violence out of it, okay?""Can't help it, you know me. I've always had a short fuse," Paisley said, staring at her like a predator sizing up its prey."Unlike you, of course. You're just so sweet and docile. What's with the tone, anyway? Sounds like you haven't actually forgiven me."Sidney took a deep breath, forcing a tight, awkward smile."Don't be ridiculous! If I were still holding a grudge, why would I come all this way to apologize?""True." Paisley grinned broadly. "In that case, we're totally good now, right?"Looking at that bright, flashing grin, Sidney actually shivered.She couldn't shake the feeling that there was
Third Person's POVAdelaide gently pressed Paisley down by her shoulders, guiding her into a chair.She turned to order Beata to bring some warm mulled mead and roasted nuts from the kitchen, and then smiled."Listen, you do whatever you want. That is hardly a major crisis. Even if it turns into one, Lance and I have more than enough clout to handle it.""Easy for you to say, but I really lost my head today." Paisley ran a frustrated hand through her hair.She'd honestly thought her wolf was getting less volatile, but she'd still gone and flipped out.Adelaide comforted her gently."The Independent Center is our baby, and someone actually had the nerve to drag its name through the dirt. Listen, if you'd told me yesterday that Sidney was the one pulling the strings, I swear I'd have gone with you to beat her up!""Come on, you've never been as reckless as me." Paisley looked up, staring deep into her eyes."Stop trying to make me feel better. Tell me the truth: is what I did today goin
Third Person's POVRaven gasped."Alpha, you can't be serious... No, absolutely not! Paisley is famous all over the capital for her violent temper. You wouldn't be able to control her.""Do you think I have a choice?" Germain growled under his breath."Madison has been captured. My entire network in the capital has been uprooted. Sidney is a moron, and Maya... no matter how capable she is, she's just a commoner. The noble ladies of this city look down on her; they won't even breathe the same air."But Paisley? She's the friend Adelaide would trust with her life. If I could mate with her, think about it—Adelaide would never target us again.""Alpha," Raven said with a bitter smile, "you're moving too fast. We need to calm down and plan this out slowly."Germain interrupted him, his patience gone."How much slower?! I've waited years for that throne! I'm not waiting anymore, and I'm sure as hell not giving up!"The w
Third Person's POVAdelaide followed a group of noble she-wolves to pay their respects to Luna Clarissa.The Lunas were gathered together, Priscilla among them, excitedly showing off her new manicure.When she-wolves get together, it's usually a mix of mutual flattery and a low-key arms race over w
Third Person's POVCraig frowned, tracing a line across the map with his finger as he jumped in."The dispute over this border is ancient history. But during Late Lycan King Jason's reign, we signed the Icefields Treaty. It clearly states the border is defined by the current line of
Third Person's POVThe beta heard Vanya's statement and realized Tamara was likely not there, so he had no choice but to go back and report the situation to Rosemary.Rosemary listened, then sneered, recalling the events of the previous night. "She's probably just sulking because she got lectured l
Third Person's POVWhy would he try to steal the one thing Adelaide was most proud of?Besides, he was just being honest. After years of hard training, he truly believed he was more hardworking than naturally talented.Adelaide, on the other hand, was genuinely gifted.







