Everyone assembled in the grand dome of the main hall, watching on and chattering in good spirits as they applauded the older man presently making his way down the magnificent central steps leading down toward the center of the hall. Orion White took his time with the assistance of his son and a Delta attendant, limping and leaning heavily on one side but otherwise seeming in positive spirits. Tired, though, Beth noted with a shrewd eye. Orion White had been injured long ago, and rumor said he suffered from mild gout or something else that afflicted his leg, but he had far too many white hairs and weathered lines on his face for someone who wasn't even sixty. He had been a strong Beta warrior with good genes, and those from the prosperous Gold Nation were supposed to enjoy the fruits of longevity more than werewolves of the other three nations. Yet, he looked a decade older than he was and couldn't even make it down the steps on his own."Happy birthday, Orion White!" everyone shou
The Alpha King of Iron Nation was now the second most powerful leader out of the four werewolf nations. That used to be Alpha Mal of the Heether pack, but after the terrible tragedy that had befallen them, that crown now fell heavily upon Alpha William's head.Maybe too heavily. Beth abandoned Daniel and Jim to wade through the crowd that parted for her - she was a female Alpha, after all, even if she needed to disguise that she knew perfectly well how to exploit her aura thanks to a decade of experience she shouldn't have. The closer she came to her father, the more clearly she saw the evidence of age and stress lining his face. He didn't appear as worn down and fragile as the broken Alpha Mal of the Heether pack did, but it was all too obvious he had gone through his own share of tribulations in the past few months.Her poor father. Luna Dahlia had cried her heart out begging her daughter to come home, showing her weakness with great fanfare to try to change Beth's mind, but her fa
THE LIFE BEFORE - 3 YEARS HENCE* * *"Noah," Annalise scolded. "You're one of the top generals in the entire Gold Nation army, and you can't even manage this much? They're stupid rogues. They have no battle plans, no real leaders, no brains. You should have been able to wipe them out on your own to secure this area of the border.""Anna, they're nothing like what you say. They're dangerous, and you should respect that. I've been fighting them all my life."Her demeanor immediately transformed, and she was almost mewling like a kitten as she clambered into Noah's lap. They were in the General's lodgings and had the place to themselves, the guards remaining outside. She knew too well how to exploit that when the need arose, like now. "Oh, I'm sorry, love," she murmured in his ear. "You know I only say those things because I know you're capable of so much more than the others. I don't understand what Alpha Wyatt sees in them. You should be his right-hand man, the lead general. He's was
Jim gave her a long look. "You know...I could ask you the same question," he said, each word dragging slightly. "I know you've both grown up since we last played together, and I'd be stupid to assume you're the same person you were when we were still playing sword fighting with each other. But you used to adore her. Wouldn't let anyone say a single bad thing about her or you would fly off the handle."Beth stilled. That was true, wasn't it? Her most recent memories were the bitter, painful ones of her past life, years spent in the shadow of betrayal but unable to retaliate against Annalise. But in this life, in this time, she should still be an adoring elder sister utterly unaware of the truth. That she had hit her head one day and decided not only to spontaneously agree to an engagement she had protested for over a year, but also to start holding Annalise at arm's reach instead of embracing her fully the way she always used to - that must have confused a lot of people. And Jim...we
Daniel had no opinion on James - or Jim, as he preferred to be called - but that was likely because he had been biased against Beth's cousin from the moment of introduction. Scheming didn't come naturally to Daniel; the Heether pack had always ruled by clear-cut authority, experience, wisdom passed down for generations. But his view and opinion of the Rokley pack was far more skeptical, now that he knew Annalise was a snake of a girl who sought always to be the center of attention and chased every opportunity to subtly cut down Beth, and also that Luna Dahlia was trying to take Beth away from him. Away from the Heether pack, that is. She was also high-strung, bursting into tears just like her younger daughter to try to get her way and displaying none of the power and composure the ruling Luna of a nation should.So Daniel could only be suspicious that a cousin Beth hadn't seen in supposed years would suddenly show up to a birthday celebration out of the blue. Yet another Rokley to
Full morning came swiftly on the heels of the dark, gray dawn, and although Daniel went straightaway back to Beth's room, it was too late to discuss things with her. The rooms on either side of hers were already occupied, and the risk of being overheard through the walls was too high if their neighbors were nosy enough to put their ears to them. He signaled to her with a nod that he would find an opportunity to speak discreetly about what he had learned, and they both retired for the morning. There was still another afternoon and evening left of festivities. They should keep up appearances.More annoying was how everyone seemed to want to swarm around Beth. Wasn't Orion White supposed to be the star of the party? The White pack should be the ones bothered every minute, not Beth, but Alphas and female Alphas alike constantly surrounded Beth, separating her from Daniel on occasion when the group became too thick and pushy. More than a few times, he nearly lashed out, and was conta
Rogues! Here! On the border of Silver Nation and Iron Nation! Granted, the borders of the other nations were close by, too, less than seventy kilometers in either direction, but for them to have infiltrated this far meant patrol security was inexcusably weak. The rogue wolves had been spreading ever since the Heether pack was all but annihilated, which meant the other nations should have increased their defenses, but for the rogues to have reached this far in meant they must have lowered instead of raising them.Daniel's muscles tightened, prepared to shift. He was trained for this. He was the youngest of the Heether brothers - had been, until he was the only one left - but he had always been the best fighter, the one thriving on the instinct of violence and strength. In seconds, he would be in wolf form and ready to dash through the foliage to search for the rogues. He didn't doubt for a second Beth's judgment. He hadn't noticed the presence of enemies, but he had been too distract
"The Delta wasn't a fighter," said Selo. "He was with Matthew's entourage to help carry the valuables being offered to the other pack. The pathing they chose wasn't supposed to be dangerous since even the middle leg of it that crosses the border is well-populated and guarded by Gold Nation soldiers and pack warriors guarding the territory edges. So when the fighting broke out, he escaped, but he was wounded anyway. He dragged himself this far to tell us where the ambush occurred. It wasn't even that far from here...It took him twice as long as it should have to get here, but it's ordinarily a two-day journey to the point, if that."Only a day's worth if Beth ran there, she knew. That point he was talking about was Lake Ogal, where she and Matt used to go before he turned into a cheating bond-traitor bitch. In the other life, they had carved their names and initials all over the place in hidden nooks, in tree trunks, on the surface of rocks and boulders. To think that might be wher