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
I realized how close I came to being Iris. I hadn’t thought about it in what felt like ages, but some of Elroy’s past words drifted back to me. I whispered, "You threatened to do the same to me." Elroy flinched as if I'd struck him. "Olivia, I..." He reached for my hand, hesitated, then let his
The heavy oak door creaked open, revealing Elroy's office. Sunlight streamed through the single window, illuminating shelves lined with leather-bound tomes and casting a warm glow on the polished mahogany desk. It wasn’t a huge space like the library, and something about being able to see the whole
“Yes, Iris told me,” I said. “Well, all that time Astor had our father to himself. It was like I didn’t even exist, and he was basically an only child. All of father’s attention, all his efforts, went into him. “When I presented as an Alpha, it changed everything. Suddenly my father was interest
The door swung open with a bang, startling Elroy and I both and breaking the moment we were suspended in. Astor sauntered in, his lips curled into that infuriatingly smug grin I'd come to both dread and secretly appreciate. He’d been more endearingly annoying than truly problematic recently, but tha
I instantly loved my new office. It had everything I’d asked for, and I couldn't help but smile, relishing the prospect of having my own space to work and think and spread out. I started off with placing the less-crucial case information in the built-in bookshelf—background information and leads t
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