Shadow In The East Wing

The heavy oak door of Maya's suite clicked shut behind her, sealing her off from the glaring fluorescent lights and heavy boots of the security detail. She leaned back against the wood, letting out a long, shuddering breath that she had been holding since the alarms blared in the vault.

Her fingers were still tingling from the residual heat of Julian’s touch. The man was a walking contradiction—a ruthless Alpha who commanded fear, yet possessed the sharp intellect to realize his own signature had been forged.

If Torin forged that execution order, Maya thought, walking over to the floor-to-ceiling glass window to stare out into the black expanse of the northern forest, then the entire war three years ago was built on a lie.

A faint rustle of gravel outside her window snapped her out of her thoughts.

Maya froze. Her room was on the second floor of the East Wing—a height that no normal human could reach without climbing equipment. Yet, pressed against the exterior glass panel, a dark silhouette detached itself from the shadows of the balcony railing.

Someone was standing on her private terrace.

Moving with absolute silence, Maya slipped off her soft leather boots and crept toward the heavy velvet curtains framing the balcony door. She didn't have a weapon, but her fingers curled into a tight, defensive fist.

Click.

The balcony latch turned slowly from the outside.

Before the glass door could slide open more than a few inches, Maya lunged forward, grabbing the heavy brass handle and throwing it open with a hard jerk. At the same time, she drove her palm forward, aiming straight for the intruder's throat.

A strong, calloused hand intercepted her wrist mid-air with lightning speed, halting her strike instantly.

Maya gasped, looking up into the harsh, striking face of Julian Vance.

He stood on the cold stone balcony, the autumn wind whipping his dark hair across his forehead. His chest rose and fell slightly, and his golden eyes gleamed in the moonlight with a dark, predatory intensity.

"You really do throw punches like a trained fighter," Julian murmured, his baritone voice a low, rough rumble against the night air. He didn't let go of her wrist; instead, his thumb brushed slowly over her pulse point.

"What are you doing on my balcony at four in the morning, Alpha?" Maya demanded, her voice tight with a mix of adrenaline and frustration as she tried to pull her hand back. "Do you make a habit of terrorizing your wife in her own quarters?"

"The security sweep of the lower vault is finished," Julian said, stepping past her threshold into the bedroom without waiting for an invitation. The heavy scent of cedar and ozone flooded the room, immediately crowding her personal space. "The intruder we caught in the sub-levels carried no identification, but his communication device was wiped clean. Someone inside the estate gave him our exact coordinates."

Maya closed the balcony door behind him, locking it with a sharp click. "And you think I gave them?"

Julian turned around, his tall frame dwarfing the modern furniture of the room. He closed the distance between them in two long strides, backing Maya up until the back of her knees hit the edge of the king-sized bed. He placed one hand on the wall beside her head, trapping her in place.

"I think you're hiding something massive, Maya," Julian said, his voice dropping an octave as he leaned down, his face inches from hers. "You break into my study, you keep your cool when live rounds start flying, and you looked at that forged ledger today like you already knew my signature had been stolen."

"I told you why I'm here," Maya whispered, her heart hammering against her ribs, caught between the dangerous pull of his presence and the raw truth of her mission. "My family was destroyed in that fire. If someone framed you to start that war, don't you want to know who it is?"

Julian stared deep into her eyes, searching for any trace of deceit. His golden gaze burned with a silent intensity.

"I am going to tear this pack apart until I find the traitor who used my seal," Julian whispered, his hand moving from the wall to gently cup her jawline. His thumb traced her lower lip, his touch dangerously tender despite the dark promise in his words. "And you are going to help me."

Maya's breath hitched. "Help you?"

"Starting tomorrow," Julian murmured, his lips brushing dangerously close to hers, "you play the role of my loyal, inseparable Luna in public. We draw the real traitor out into the open—together.