Bound to the Alpha Twins

Moonlight poured through the open ceiling like liquid silver, spilling across the well-polished floors and illuminating the faces of wolves moving gracefully through the hall. The pack wolves looked unearthly in its soft glow. This was another thing Silver Fang was widely known for: its members who looked like they belonged in some supreme universe far from ours. Lanterns floated above, and the scent of night-blooming flowers hung thick in the air.The moon hung high in the sky, clear. She stood in her full glory, proud and watchful, her pale light cascading through the circular opening.It seemed as though the sky itself had leaned closer to take part in the celebration, to observe it from above.The stars scattered around her like quiet witnesses against the endless stretch of darkness.I couldn’t help but wonder if the Moon Goddess was watching us tonight, her gaze sweeping across the sea of wolves gathered beneath her.The Grand Hall was far more magnificent than I had ever imagin

The door opened, and I was led into a room that thrived on quiet intimacy. It was small compared to the grandeur of the Grand Hall, a room that could have been a painting itself.The walls were lined with aged wood, smooth and warm under the dim glow of lamp lights hung at strategic points. They were not polished, at least not in the showy way of the Grand Hall. Instead, they possessed a natural elegance, like the cabin of some forgotten forest sanctuary, simple yet homely.The air carried a whiff of old parchment and honeyed wax, and somewhere beneath it, the delicate trace of night-blooming flowers dallied.I hesitated at the threshold, my hands fisting around the hem of my dress.My eyes traced the room, lingering on the painted panels that depicted wolves in motion. Some hunted beneath silver skies, others stood proud beneath the watchful moon.It felt like stepping into someone else’s memory, a private corner of Silver Fang meant to be seen by only a select few.My wolf danced at

The night sky hovered over my frame as I walked through the packlands on my way home. The path stretched out before me, lonely and dauntingly long. It was at times like this that I regretted living on literally the other side of the park, Ashen Ridge. And just like the name suggested, it was home to the lower class, the omegas, who sat pretty at the bottom of the hierarchy.The streetlights brightened the roads in such a way that it swallowed the darkness whole and nearly made me forget the hour, stealing away my fear for the dark. I inhaled a breath, greedily pumping as much air into my lungs as possible. It felt good to be alone, to be away from the prying eyes of people, as I had been at the ball.The night's weather was good, the kind that made Mother say, "Bless the Moon Goddess, for she has decided to spread her love as a shield over us." The moon was out and proud in all her glory. Her many children, the stars, surrounded her, dancing and singing.I walked slower than usual, dra

The healing center was busier than usual today, which meant I did not have time to think about the ball or the twins or the bond. That was fine with me.I spent the morning grinding herbs under the watchful eye of the senior healers, my fingers stained green and my back aching from bending over the worktable. The girl on the cot near the window had come in with her mother, both of them looking lost and frightened. Her wolf had not spoken to her in weeks. Deaf, they thought or maybe just sleeping. No one could tell.I wanted to help. I always wanted to help. But there was only so much an Omega apprentice was allowed to do.What I noticed, though, was the way my coworkers looked at me. Not with the usual disgust. Not with the sneers I had grown used to over the years. They looked at me like I had grown a second head. Like they were seeing something they had not noticed before.Mira, a girl who had never spoken two words to me, actually held the door open when I walked past. Her eyes were

The palace garden was a masterpiece. King Aldric had designed it himself, a circular wonder of concentric rings, each row bursting with flowers of a different color; crimson roses, white lilies, purple violets, golden marigolds. They spiraled inward toward a grand fountain at the center, where a marble statue of the Luna, Queen Selene, stood draped in flowing stone robes, her face lifted toward the sky.It was said the King had commissioned it in the first year of their marriage, obsessed with capturing her beauty. The garden was his gift to her. And his warning to everyone else: She is mine.Kaelan did not care about the flowers or the fountain. His eyes found Lucian at once.His brother stood near a small table draped in white linen, a decanter of wine and two glasses glinting in the afternoon light. Beside him, laughing at something he had said, was Marielle Darkholme.She was beautiful in a way that made Kaelan's teeth ache. Brunette, thick and curvy, with a smile that had probably