I felt my resolve firm. Elroy was right—the council did not hold the power, and it was time for them to face it. I nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed open the doors.The council members' angry faces greeted us, their voices rising in a cacophony of demands and accusations. But as I stepped into
The council chamber devolved a tempest of snarled objections and flared tempers, a cacophony of dissent that clawed at the fringes of my resolve. “You have no right!” someone shouted above the tumult, making me scoff.But Elroy, magnificent and fierce, responded before I could speak. His voice was a
I kept my voice steady, in spite of the quaking in my chest. If they knew I was nervous they would pounce on me."The White Paw Initiative will serve as a secondary response system, focusing specifically on crimes against Omegas,” I explained. “It will not be a police force, and instead focus on gat
I pulled myself back in, allowing my aura to recede just enough to give them room to breathe. I was fucking furious, and it felt like there was lava in my veins, but it wasn’t time to erupt. Not yet.The tension in the chamber was palpable, the air thick with the scent of unease as the council membe
My fingers brushed the cool wall for balance as I navigated away from the council chamber, every muscle in my body crying out for release from tension's unyielding grip. Elroy stood close at my side, helping guide me. I could tell his protective instincts were flaring as he saw my tiredness setting
In spite of the exhilaration of our victory, they day had to go on. The duties were never-ending, and after going out for a celebratory late lunch, Elroy and I had to return to our separate tasks.I wanted to do something nice for myself, after that stressful experience, and I realized there was som
Her reassurance was a gentle wave that smoothed the jagged edges of my doubts. I smiled at her.“I know,” I reassured her. “But I’m coming off of a manipulative relationship where I was always to blame, of course those thoughts are going to come to my head. I know it’s not my fault, and it’s not his
Elroy’s POVToday had been exhausting. Fighting the council always was, but it had been worth it. We’d shown them the ugly truth, the one they’d denied far too long, and hopefully got some of them to rethink their roles a little.And there was Olivia.Goddess, she was incredible in there. Seeing her
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