Mag-log inYou’ve got to be joking," I bit out, the phone nearly cracking in my grip. "I just moved fifty thousand credits into your name forty-eight hours ago!""It’s a pittance, Brooke! You have the link to my vault. Just initiate the transfer! I’m giving you my word, this is the final debt. Do this one favor and the slate is clean. For the family." Tyler’s voice was slick, already spending the coin he didn't have.I rubbed the bridge of my nose, feeling the headache spike. "Tyler, I don't have a hundred thousand credits to give you!" And even if the vault were full, I wouldn't waste another drop on a wolf who refused to hunt for himself.When he realized I wasn't budging, his tone shifted to a desperate, wheedling crawl. "What about your high-caste friends? Can't you take a loan from the pack elders? I’ll have it back to you in two moon-weeks, I swear!"I went cold with fury. "You want me to indenture myself to the Council for your failures? I’m not taking a debt-mark for you! What happened t
Didn't I just transfer fifty thousand credits to your account two days ago?" I grunted, my fingers tight against the phone."It wasn't enough, Brooke. You have the details. Just send the wire! I’m telling you, this is the final time. Do me this one solid, and we're clean." Tyler’s voice was slick with the assumption that I was his personal reserve.I rubbed my temples, the weight of his greed pressing down on me. "Tyler, I don't have a hundred thousand credits to throw away!" Even if I did, I wouldn't hand it to a wolf who clearly hadn't purged the rot from his system.When he realized the direct plea wasn't working, he shifted tactics. "Well, what about your inner circle? Can't you borrow from your high-caste friends or take a draw against your future shifts? I'll have it back to you in two moon-weeks!"I went silent, the rage bubbling up in my chest. "You want me to take a debt for your mistakes?" I growled, no longer caring if my voice carried through the halls of Pierce Holdings.
"Don't go through with this." The warning died on my lips as I looked into Tyler’s eyes. I couldn't scent whether he had truly purged the rot from his soul or not, but he was Ruth’s only pup. If there was even a shred of a chance they could mend the bond, I had to try."Truly? Thank the Great Spirit! I won't let you down, Brooke!"The following dawn, Tyler and I made our way to the transport hub. The winter winds were howling, and the trail was buried under a thick, white shroud. The transport back to the forest village only ran every two hours.We were lucky to catch the shuttle shortly after we arrived. Throughout the journey, Tyler kept probing me for details about Ruth’s life over the last eight cycles. I answered his questions with polite, guarded smiles, failing to notice the predatory glint of greed flickering in his pupils.We reached the outpost at seven that evening. The winter sun had long since dipped below the peaks, leaving the wilderness in a violent, silent darkness. T
"You must be out of your mind, rushing a silver blade with nothing but your bare skin."Calvu felt a cold prickle on her neck as Frank continued to berate her. He didn't howl or roar; his voice carried a flat, frustrating disappointment that felt far more lethal than a physical strike. He had the eyes of an ancient wolf, the kind that could scent the secrets in your blood. Like a pup caught stealing from the kill-pile, Calvu kept her gaze on her boots."The situation was turning sour," she muttered, her jaw set. "Lucas was about to lose his throat. I wasn't going to crouch in the shadows while a high-ranking officer got butchered. I might be healing and small in stature, but I’m a seasoned warrior. Lucas is a strategist who’s been shielded by the pack walls since he was a cub."She didn't soften the blow. Lucas winced, dragging a hand through his hair. He looked like he wanted to snap back but realized he had no ground to stand on. This tiny, bloodied female was right—she was the supe
"Shift out of the way!" Calvu snarled, her voice a low vibration of warning as she shoved Lucas hard.Lucas stumbled, his eyes wide as he stared at the woman. He looked like he’d scented a ghost, paralyzed in place while she closed the gap with a speed that defied her ragged appearance. Seeing that Lucas was still frozen in the path of the silver, Calvu lunged forward. She slammed her body between them, one hand catching the woman’s wrist in a bone-crushing grip while the other clawed for the knife."Get back, you bitch! This has nothing to do with you! I want that snake’s head!" the woman shrieked. Her hair was a tangled mess and her eyes were bloodshot, burning with a frantic, unstable heat.A shifter with silver is always a lethal threat, but a crazed one is a nightmare. Calvu could feel her own healing skin stretching and tearing; her previous wound was far from closed. She couldn't do much more than pin the woman down as they grappled on the cold stone floor of the garage."Calm
The demand from Samson hung in the frigid air like a challenge. Logan didn't blink. He simply tilted his chin, his dark eyes flashing with a predatory, freezing light that made the surrounding high-bloods recoil."You really don't know the wolf standing in front of you, do you?" Logan’s voice was a low, dangerous rumble. "After everything you've done to purge me from your history, why would I lift a claw for your treaties? What is the prize this time? Are you offering me a position as a kennel-boy? Or perhaps I can sweep the bones from your feast hall? Your jokes are as weak as your bloodline."The silence that followed was absolute. The Pierce family stood frozen, unable to process the sheer audacity. Was this lethal, composed male really the same discarded failure they had trampled on for cycles? Without waiting for a response, Logan clamped his hand around my wrist."We’re leaving," he whispered.He led me straight through the center of the hall, walking past the High Alpha as if h
Seeing my focus waver, Gerda gave me a concerned nudge."Why don't you retreat to the apartment for the rest of the sun? The scent of this drama is everywhere. I’ve heard other designers are already howling to the overseers, claiming your conduct brings shame to the Pierce Compound's reputation. Th
My legs turned to water. The next heartbeat, I was a heap on the floor, the cold stone of the Harbor View Apartment biting through my clothes.A jagged, suffocating lump rose in my throat. I wanted to howl until the mists shook, but a cold instinct prickled at the back of my neck. Something in that
Logan’s heavy, dark-furred mantle seemed to swallow my entire frame, leaving only my eyes visible to the world. "It feels peculiar to wear your scent so boldly," I murmured, clutching the thick hide. "It masks the Master's silk completely."Logan guided me toward a low stone bench, his fingers gent
"Of course, I’m hunting for a real professional!" The woman snarled, her finger stabbing toward the iron-bound exit. "Slink back to the shadows, now!"I took a few steps toward the threshold, but my pride reached its limit. I spun on my heel, my eyes flashing with a cold, predatory light as I pinne







