The moonlight cast long shadows across the terrace as I made my way to the Ruby Room, my footsteps muffled by the plush carpeting. It was late—much later than I’d intended, yet again. This investigation was eating up all my waking hours and then some. The band lead wasn’t panning out, and that put
The dungeon's musty air clung to my skin as Astor and I descended the winding stone staircase. Flickering torchlight cast eerie shadows on the damp walls, and I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched by unseen eyes. Ugh, creepy. They probably kept the dungeons like this to demoralize prisoner
Astor, apparently, didn’t feel the same. A low growl rumbled from his chest, almost making me trip in my surprise. Was Astor really going to step in just because of one half-baked insult? Rita must have been surprised too, because her voice was tinged with shock and betrayal as she said, "I though
Elroy’s POV Sam was a wonderful pack Beta. Smart, hardworking, level-headed, had a memory like a steel trap—all things I needed in a right-hand man. I liked to think we even got along. I never thought that would bite me in the ass. It was biting me in the ass because the very same attributes t
Olivia’s POV The acrid taste of bile rose in my throat as I rolled over, my hand instinctively reaching for Elroy's warmth. Instead, my fingers met cold sheets, and I jolted awake. If Elroy was awake then I had overslept, and I had too much to do for that kind of irresponsibility. A groan escape
Elroy's lips pursed. "I know it’s bullshit, Olivia. We just need to put some distance between you and Astor for the foreseeable future.” I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. Unfortunately Elroy was right, and all three of us knew it. Even Astor didn’t deny it, even though he lo
"So none of those leads panned out?" he asked, leaning forward. I nodded, rubbing my eyes absently. We'd been at this for hours. "Not one,” I admitted with a sigh, “but the lack of bodies—" The library door creaked open, interrupting my train of thought. Jordan appeared, balancing a tray of stea
Whatever else I might have to say about the Ruby Room, it had one hell of a comfortable bed. Talking to a maybe-cannibal had really been the icing on the cake for my anxious body, the residual discomfort still keeping my shoulders tense hours later, but at least tonight I could actually sleep at a r
Elroy POVAs we ran, I felt more powerful than I ever had before, and the feeling was so heady I could almost understand how some alphas fell prey to its corruption.But along with that new power came an increase in my balance and in my self-awareness. I knew it was because of Olivia at my side, fly
“First, please, why was Louisa talking about how you were kidnapped? You think she was lying?”I waved the question away. “Louisa only lies when she’s talking. Obviously, she’s trying to con me into something, but I’m not going to waste my time listening to her.I could tell Elroy wanted to keep tal
Olivia POVLouisa stared at me, but while I tried to look back at the actual woman speaking to me, all I truly saw was my bully, the woman giggling in delight as she slept with my fiancé, and the person who had tried to take everything from me. I wanted to challenge her to combat, transform, and bre
How could I explain myself to her now? How could I ever make up for my actions?The door to the antechamber opened, and a young servant walked in. I had made a study of Olivia’s life in the palace since her wedding, and I knew the servant’s name was Jordan.I stood, and Jordan looked at me with impa
Louisa POVI sat in some anonymous antechamber in the palace and basically felt like shit.I was young, but I’d had many experiences. I’d run with the pack under a full moon. I’d attended, and excelled at, Lunaris’s top schools. I’d challenged an alpha who wouldn’t respect my space, and I won, thoug
Elroy POV“Your political affiliation with a woman you ‘married’ while she was unconscious is of no concern to this council,” Elder Juarez scoffed.“Moonshadow holds a proxy marriage as binding,” Greg said.“But I don’t,” Olivia told him. “The thought of the political power you exerted over me is si
Olivia POVIris and I rode back to the palace in a car Elroy sent to the Moonshadow Keep at dawn. Rodin was with us because Iris refused to leave him behind.It would have been different if the beta actually had a passion for cooking or dreams of being a chef, but once Iris told him he’d make an exc
Olivia POVI had achieved a kind of patience while waiting for Iris to finish her analysis. Rodin was quietly helpful, and Brady had returned from her errand to organize getting Iris whatever equipment she needed.I was so impressed watching her. How nice it would be to have a demonstrable skill, so
Elroy POVHer room was empty, but that didn’t alarm me at first. There were many places throughout the palace where she could be reading or napping or hosting a return visit from one of the pack leaders.But even as I walked the halls, I knew she was doing none of these things. I could feel her miss