Dark. Cold. Daniel had always possessed the most resilient constitution despite being the youngest of his brothers, but he had just woken up shivering and dizzy. Was this a nightmare? Had he fallen asleep and slipped into a murky dream? He could see nothing at all no matter how many times he blinked to clear his vision...but it was no dream. When he moved to stand, he noticed at last the heavy, ugly weight of manacles on his wrists and ankles. Chains clanked against the wall when he tugged at them in vain, but he didn't get a second chance to try to break free. With a snarl, he shrank back, hunching his back. Protruding diagonally from his right shoulder, lodged deep under his collarbone and the feathered fletching just barely visible in the darkness, was a heavy arrow. If he could shift, he could try to force it out since his regeneration had clearly failed him, but the manacles would crush his bones.But at least the darkness was lifting since he could see the arrow. His vision mu
Beth had set off for this place as soon as the message had come that Daniel was in the custody of the Troy family - of Gold Nation, in other words, since their word was law here and nothing less. It had been days since Daniel had disappeared on the heels of his brother, and the entire Heether family as well as all that packs under them had been on the brink of chaos.Learning that the most powerful family of the most powerful nation now had settled the confusion. The first part of the letter had answered the questions of how they had come across Daniel and the men that had gone with him, confirming they were alive at the time of sending. But then, the rest of the letter's contents...Beth kept her eyes on Andrew instead of letting them rove around the grand hall or the luxurious furnishings. It was hard not to gawk - even her wooden chair had what looked like small, inlaid diamonds and other gemstones along the armrests. Such senseless luxury...such wealth, meaning power and the where
They were on their way back home at last, Daniel and the men who had been captured with him. Beth didn't know why he was the only one who had been so stubborn that he refused medical care all this time when everyone else was hale and healthy. In fact, he was the one slowing them down, and finally, after a day of traveling through hard terrain, he ordered them to go on without him. He would follow at his own pace as his body recovered now that Beth had treated his wound. "No," she said flatly when he tried to make her go with them. "You can make them obey, but not me. So stop trying." "You -" "I said no." "You've been angry at me since we left Troy territory," she said, voice flinty and sparking with impatience. "And now you're only taking back the cold shoulder treatment to tell me to leave? Forget it. I came all this way on foot and alone without your family's permission or mine to get you out of there, so I'm not leaving on your word either." "And how exactly did you do that, B
The cat was out of the bag. More people than not believed the rumors were just that, only rumors, but Matt had the wisdom of the next several years ahead to properly align his judgment. The stories going around that the Heether pack as well as the Troy pack had lost entire dozens of warriors in one fell swoop along with the eldest son had to be true, along with the one that said Daniel, the youngest son, had been captured by the Troy family following the discovery of the slaughter.It was playing out almost exactly like before. Matt wished he had paid closer attention back then, but this was around the time he and Beth had already settled in the Bronze Nation with a home of their own, both of them freshly entranced by the other upon the discovery that they were each other's fated mates...And it should have been the same way when he went to find her a month ago at the Rokley estate the night before her wedding to Warren Heether. They should have locked eyes and realized they were mean
That was how far this piece of shit was going to go? Daniel looked him up and down, measuring the worth of the Catii family's heir. They were nearly the same age, Matthew Catii only several months older, but he was shorter and skinnier, less built. The Heether family had always been well-built, but comparing their physical gifts was just a sad affair. Matthew Catii should keep to himself instead of stirring snakes' nests. He wasn't...constructed for confrontation. Especially not with Daniel, who was being steadily tested past his limits. He was one breath away from snapping."No, thank you," he said. "Beth is not a bargaining chip to get to your information. You should leave. Now.""Don't be ridiculous. I'm offering more than information, I'm offering help. Moon Goddess knows you need it -"Daniel shifted. He was already bare-chested from training several minutes before he went in to see his father, but the rest of his clothes were torn to shreds as muscles bulged, fur bristled, and h
There were too many pieces scattered, too many inexplicable actions, too many suspicions Daniel had shoved away for the sake of peace. He had known something was odd for weeks ever since he had learned that Elizabeth Rokley had changed her mind within a matter of hours about her arranged marriage to Warren. Everyone had known for months that the girl had raised hell to get out of it, using every tactic short of true disgrace to get her father to change her mind. Interrupting important meetings with other men had been such a commonplace incident that even Daniel, who wasn't yet involved in the Heether family's business matters, knew of all the trouble she had sowed in her father's house to get out of the match he had arranged for her.And then, in one night, that had all changed. The Heether pack's men who had arrived at the Rokley estate ahead of Warren, Daniel, and their other two brothers had confirmed as much. Just the day before the wedding, Elizabeth Heether had sprinted out o
Six weeks earlier -"I'm sorry," said Beth. "It's been confirmed. There were no survivors.""You mean - you mean there were no survivors besides - besides -""No. I mean...Brian and Carlo are also...""No, no, you're wrong. You're wrong!" The two women were on the couch across from her, but the one shouting stood up, eyes wide. "I would know if he's been killed. He's alive, I know it! Why are you doing this!""Amelia, please. Listen to me.""No! No, you listen to me! You don't know anything. You weren't even married to Warren for a single day before he left. You don't care! You don't care! I'll go. I'll go and see for myself!" Amelia fell to her knees, and she scrabbled for the coffee table before collapsing to the floor. Beth leaped to her feet and rushed over to catch her, as did the other woman on the couch. "Janine...Janine, let's go together," Amelia begged, half-choking. "My Carlo and your Brian, we'll find them for sure. We'll bring them back home. We -"She broke off and fell
"I don't think that's the kind of person you are," said Beth. "Take some time to think about it. I'll be here if you need me."Amelia didn't understand. Why was she always the weak one? Why was there never anyone else to be weak with her, to fold just like she always did when things became difficult? Janine was too strong to ever run away, so Amelia had known better than to ask for her and confide in her what she planned to do, but Elizabeth was young and new to the Heether family. She had only just married Warren days before and hadn't even gotten to consummate their mating, and besides that, she was only eighteen years old and had rebelled so viciously against the arranged marriage. She would leave for sure, and Amelia wouldn't have to deal with her shame alone so long as someone else also bore the weight of it.But the look in Elizabeth's eyes when she had turned to face her had dashed away all those hopes. It was only Amelia who was weak, and even Elizabeth the young widow of onl