Beth didn't recognize this voice, but there was only one man it could belong to. The final guest she had been waiting for had arrived at last."You must be Mr. Ad-""Just Adrian, please." The elderly man extended a graceful hand, and she shook it with a smile. "I didn't expect to discover that the Elizabeth Heether who wrote me that masterfully composed letter could be such a young lady. I saw you earlier but wandered until I found someone who assured me you are the lady indeed. I apologize for my tardiness."He was warm, polite, sophisticated. In hindsight, she must have heard something about him before, a scandal that had erupted in the very house of the ruling Silver Nation pack, but all she could remember was a vague mention of a wolf who had gone rogue from the Heether den decades ago. Maybe that was it, and the truth that he had even gone so far as to go to the side of the Gold Nation's ruling pack for years had been omitted from the gossip. Either way, she had taken a risk by
Beth had known he would be here. Inviting Matthew Catii had been a necessity because of pack politics, and that was the only reason she had even spared him a single thought, nothing more. With his father nearly useless and having long since shunted most of his Alpha duties to his eldest son, of course Matt was going to come along with him. And to not invite Bronze Nation's ruling pack at all would have been a terrible insult, enough to fracture relations for generations to come. And now was the worst time of all for the Heether pack to accidentally burn bridges.Still. Fucking Matt. It took everything she had to not turn and slam her fist into his face. How she not only managed that but also to fake a pleasant face as she greeted him back, she would never know. "Hello, Matthew. I hope you and Annalise are doing well. The wedding is coming up so I'm sure you're busy. My friend here and I need to step inside briefly, but we can speak later -"Matt's hand closed around her wrist, and her
"Luna, I know this is a bad time..."The woman motioned for him to enter her bedroom with a faint smile. She looked even more exhausted than the last time he had seen her, and although that made him feel even guiltier about disturbing her rest, he had no choice. After what he had just seen, it was paramount that the Luna know exactly what her household was up to, especially the young woman she had put in charge in her stead until her health recovered.This was for the good of the pack. He had to let her know.But when he entered the bedroom and closed the door, he turned to discover someone already there at Margaretta's bedside. Wait - he knew who he was! An elderly member of the Heether pack had pointed the man out and grumbled about how it was improper of him to come, regardless of whether he'd been invited. Adrian, the one who had abandoned the pack more than twenty years ago to go to Gold Nation instead. And he was supposed to be family!So what was he doing here in the Luna's com
Beth had to move quickly. There was no time to waste after the ceremony was over; the very same night, she left the pack house. She shouldn't have done that by all rights, especially since Margaretta had been firm that they needed to discuss things a little longer and wait for Alpha Mal to return before acting upon Adrian's advice - or doing anything all that that might be too hasty and end up dooming Daniel and the survivors of the Heether pack. But Beth had known. She couldn't wait. This had to happen now.By morning, she was long gone and traveling alone on the road, fully disguised in heavy winter wear. It would be smarter to travel in wolf form since she could travel for leagues and leagues without stopping, and with the knowledge of hunting and survival gained from her first life, she would definitely make it to her destination. But she held it until she was sure she would go unnoticed and only shifted once she was fully on the road and out of sight. The peculiar markings of her
Beth knew something was off the moment she scented another wolf coming toward her. She had made sure to eliminate as much of her own scent as possible by bathing just before coming into range, and it was still in the dark twilight hours before dawn. She had intended to stake out the place and bide her time, make sure Melinda Troy wasn't as barbaric as her brother before she made a committed approach.But it wasn't to be. Beth had already been discovered - no, someone had been waiting for her.Her heart pounded as she reluctantly met the figure drawing closer and closer across the sprawling glade. There was no way she could back out now anyway. To escape would make her look like she was up to no good, so the best she could do was willingly put down her advantage of initiative and improvise. She didn't know who it was or what they would say when they came to a stop before her, but she would simply have to figure it out. Daniel's life depended on it, and she hadn't come all this way for
"Beth never told me exactly what happened after that, but I suspect it's because she wanted to spare me the details of your suffering. Since after she met with Melinda and secured a meeting through her with Andrew Troy, that's when Beth found you, isn't it? In prison, held captive for something you had nothing to do with."Daniel had said nothing as his mother recounted the long tale, the story of everything Beth had done while he had been useless in captivity in Andrew Troy's custody. There had been significant holes in the account - for instance, his mother still had no idea what that alleged meeting between Beth and Matthew Catii had been about in the rear courtyard, according to the Delta's report - but everything the Luna knew, she told her son without excluding a single detail. There was still a lot to know, but...He hadn't known. No - more than that, he hadn't asked because this was exactly what he was afraid of. Daniel didn't understand this kind of unreasonable generosity, l
Why did Daniel look so shocked to see her? Beth frowned at him over Luna Margaretta's shoulder, mystified by the abrupt stiffness that came over Daniel's face where he stood in the doorway. Was he still angry at her after all? That show of contrition earlier had been convincing, but Daniel didn't wear his heart on his sleeve so clumsily. Maybe he still had lingering resentment to deal with. But that expression didn't look resentful at all. More taken aback and confused, if anything. Was he all right?"Oh, love! You're here." Margaretta beamed like a blooming flower when she turned and spotted her son. In her dress and with her hair done up for the first time since she had fallen ill again, she looked like a different person. "I was going to send for you later but you can come with us now if you want," she called to Daniel. "We've just had a runner come ahead and let us know that Beth's mother, Luna Dahlia, is on her way this second. It's too dark outside to navigate comfortably so I'v
For the briefest of instants, a familiar shadow of petulant rage flashed across Anna's face. Trained after all her experience, Beth caught the glimpse even though it vanished in less time than it would take to blink. Ah...a decade ago, she never would have been the wiser. Annalise had fooled everyone in her life for her entire childhood and had waited to make her move when it was too late for anyone to counter it, much less Beth who had suffered the brunt of her betrayal.But now she knew."Noah White!" Anna announced before their mother could reply to the question. "He's from that powerful family in Gold Nation, practically second only to the Troy pack. Their family has unimaginable influence since they're so close. I mean, it's Gold Nation, so even their bottom pack would have been better than anyone from a weaker country, but our family's really privileged."Typical. Anna had always been a braggart, but Beth and everyone else had written it off as harmless immaturity and nothing mo