LOGINAlanza’s POV
“You think a couple of extra locks will keep me out?” Libbie says, her voice trailing in before she even clears the doorway.
I can’t help but laugh as she finally enters. Logan stands by the door, looking as stiff as a statue. He actually searched her medical bag before letting her through. It is a bit much, considering Libbie has been my shadow and my support since I first arrived on Westwood soil.
“The security detail is defini
Alanza’s POV“You think a couple of extra locks will keep me out?” Libbie says, her voice trailing in before she even clears the doorway.I can’t help but laugh as she finally enters. Logan stands by the door, looking as stiff as a statue. He actually searched her medical bag before letting her through. It is a bit much, considering Libbie has been my shadow and my support since I first arrived on Westwood soil.“The security detail is definitely more intense this time,” she adds, setting her gear on the side table. “I think I owe Lindsie a steak. He bet me I couldn't get in here in under five minutes.”“You guys are betting on my life now?” I ask. I’m smiling, though. It feels good to have someone normal around. “Did he really think Logan would just let you stroll in?”“We bet on everything. It keeps the job interesting.” She motions to the bed, her professio
Alanza’s POV"What is this doing here?" I whispered, staring at the metal in my palm.The necklace was a mess. The silver chain was snapped in two and dark, crusty blood coated the links. I knew that blood. It belonged to me. I turned the jewelry over, my heart thumping against my ribs.Sombra trotted across the carpet, her ears pointed toward the ceiling. She looked intense, her eyes locked on the broken heirloom."This is mine," I said, my voice rising. "I don't get it. How did this end up in my suitcase? I packed these bags back in Westwood. I lost this thing weeks ago during the fight with Teo."Sombra didn't look at me. She leaned down and flared her nostrils, taking a long, deep sniff of the metal. It is a message, she said. Her voice echoed in the back of my head, cool and detached."A message? From who?"I felt that familiar, itchy sensation of being kept in the dark. Sombra shifted her weight, avoiding my gaze. From som
Alanza’s POV"You brought a weapon into the sanctuary, Silas. That is an act of treason." The voice belonged to the High Alpha of the Council, but I wasn't looking at him.I was standing in the center of a circular stone amphitheater, my feet bare on the cold, ancient floor. Surrounding me were the leaders of the twenty primary packs of the Northwest. The air was thick with the scent of pine, blood, and the heavy, suffocating pressure of twenty Alphas trying to crush me with their will. "She is the weapon!" Silas roared, pointing a trembling finger at me from the floor of the pit. He looked pathetic. His tactical gear was shredded, his face bruised from the avalanche, and his pride was a tattered rag. Behind him, my father stood in the shadows, his eyes wide with a mix of terror and a greed he couldn't quite hide. "She destroyed an entire unit of my men with a thought," Silas continued, his voice cracking. "She is a Lycan-Mage. She is a violation of the Treaty of the First Shift.
Alanza’s POV"You are thinking too much again," Sombra’s voice echoed in my mind, pulling me out of my own head.I stopped pacing and looked down at her. She was sprawled across the guest bed, her fur shedding slightly onto the expensive duvet. She looked exhausted, her usual regal posture replaced by a heavy, slumped weariness. I sat on the edge of the mattress and began scratching the soft fur behind her ears."I have a lot to think about," I whispered. "You do, too. You’ve been quiet since we got here."Sombra let out a long, huffing breath. Her golden eyes stayed fixed on the far wall. "My mind feels like a library that caught fire. I remember the titles of the books, but when I try to read the pages, they are charred. I know I was a Lycan Queen. I remember the weight of the crown and the smell of the council chambers. But the actual knowledge? The wisdom required to lead? It is gone."I felt a pang of sympathy for her. To hav
Alanza’s POV"I hope the new view is to your liking, Luna," London said, his voice echoing slightly in the high-ceilinged hallway of the Alpha lodge.I looked at him, then at the wall of stern, scarred faces lining the corridor. It had been two days since the transition, and the atmosphere at Crystal Lake had shifted entirely. London was in his element now, commanding a security detail that actually looked like they knew how to handle a threat. Beside him stood Karlos, who looked like he was vibrating with enough nervous energy to shatter a window. He kept his eyes fixed on the floor, clearly wishing he could be anywhere else but under his father’s watchful gaze.The new guards weren't the young, arrogant types I was used to. These were older wolves. They had the kind of jagged scars and heavy-lidded stares that only come from decades of survival. They were retirees, pulled back into service specifically for me.They are strong, Sombra murmure
Lucia’s POV"Being stuck in this hole for eternity is a joke," I muttered, my voice raspy from disuse.I leaned my head against the cold stone wall. Time didn't exist here. I measured the passing days by the cramps in my stomach or the rare moments I managed to drift into a thin, shaky sleep. The vampire was gone for now. That was the only thing keeping me sane. His absence was a gift I didn't deserve, but I took it anyway.The heavy door groaned on its hinges. Malakai walked in, her face set in a hard mask. She didn't look at me as she stepped across the filthy floor. She held a wooden tray, but she didn't set it down gently. She dropped it. The bowl tipped, sending a splash of lukewarm, grey soup across the stones. A few shriveled strawberries rolled into the dirt."Master is busy hunting a new friend for you," Malakai said.Her voice was sharp. It sounded like a child throwing a tantrum. I looked at the ruined food and then back at her. My
Alanza’s POV“You really don’t care about the boxes, huh?”I stroked the soft, thick fur on Sombra’s head. She was a silver shadow against the pale gray of the couch. Most dogs would be sniffing every cardboard edge, but she just watched the window, or me. She acted like this messy, half-unpacked a
Alanza’s POV“You have to be kidding me.”The knock felt like a physical assault. My head was pounding, and my body was a heavy, useless sack glued to the couch. Of all the possible times for a visitor, today had to be the absolute worst.I forced myself up. Every joint in my body screamed a protes
Alanza’s POV“You okay, honey? You don’t look so good.”My smile felt like a grimace. I hated that the cashier noticed me. My body was on fire, but the store air chilled me to the bone. I forced the words out. “Just a little under the weather. I’ll be fine.”She was a shifter. I recognized the slig
Alanza’s POV“Don't move.”His voice, low and rough, faded as he stepped away to answer his phone. I was still leaning against the rough bark of the tree, my body humming with a dizzy mix of shame and wild energy. Just moments ago, I’d let a man I barely knew, a man who admitted to stalking me, thr







