LOGINA few patrons had already begun to cast suspicious glances their way. "I am truly sorry," Madison murmured, her head bowed low. As a female of immense pride and high-caste upbringing, she found the act of humbling herself before me nearly intolerable. But she forced the words through her teeth, desperate to keep me anchored in my seat until the brew took hold."Did a breeze just blow through? Or were you speaking to yourself?" I raised my brows, staring directly at her to signal that her half-hearted attempt wouldn't suffice. I wasn't going to let her off the hook so easily after years of her baring her teeth at me."Don't push your luck, Brooke!" Madison flared up, her eyes flashing with a sudden, sharp heat. I could tell she wanted nothing more than to tear my throat out right there in the bistro. To restrain her wolf, she clenched her fists until her claws bit deep into the meat of her palms.I shrugged, opening my hands in a gesture of feigned indifference. "It matters not to me.
I was in the middle of a peaceful midday feast with my fellow artisans at the Citadel spire."Brooke, your communication stone has been pulsing for a while now. Someone is desperate to track your scent." Megan Wright spoke through a mouthful of venison broth. She was exceptionally observant, a trait that served her well in the high-stakes gossip of the design department, and she could hear the stone's vibration even over the clatter of the hall.It was a fortunate interruption, as I hadn't been paying the device any mind. I picked it up, swiping the surface to reveal a message from Richard Lawson. He was requesting a meeting, claiming he wished to offer a formal apology in person. I paused, the air in my lungs turning heavy with hesitation.Richard had never truly bared his claws at me. If anything, he had spent years looking the other way, occasionally offering a weak word of defense whenever Madison would corner me. He certainly didn't possess the sharp, calculated malice of Evelyn
I had every intention of weaving myself into Charis’s inner circle, and she seemed more than happy to let me inside. Following our encounter at the tavern, the high-caste female made a habit of summoning me for mid-day feasts and excursions through the Citadel’s most exclusive markets."There is no need to hoard your coins for my father's sake," Charis told me, her voice smooth as silk. "He is a wolf of immense standing and wealth. You are in the spring of your life, Madison. This is the season to indulge in the world's luxuries."Charis tightened her grip on my hand, leading me into a boutique filled with rare dragon-silk garments and enchanted accessories. She didn't hesitate to purchase several high-end leather satchels for me—items that would cost a lower-ranking wolf years of labor.I was no stranger to squandering resources; my life before the downfall had been a testament to decadence. While I tried to maintain a facade of humble sweetness before Charis, her words were like mus
The change in project leadership was swift and absolute.Logan hadn't been overly concerned with the idea of Brooke collaborating with Kent at first. But the moment his scent-tracing revealed that Kent’s invitation carried the stench of an ulterior motive, he moved in the shadows. With a few quiet commands to the Pierce Holdings enforcers, Kent suddenly found himself buried in a mountain of internal audits and border disputes. He was far too busy fighting for his own rank to continue prowling around Brooke."Kent has been stripped of his authority over the treasury uniforms. You can breathe easily now." Lucas Grant had arrived at the Pierce Compound to deliver the status report. He leaned against a stone pillar, watching Logan. "Why not just torch the entire contract? It would solve the headache permanently, wouldn't it?""That won't be necessary. My goal was to sever her contact with that scavenger, not destroy her life’s work," Logan replied, his focus fixed on the parchment before
I scanned the chamber, my vision finally clearing.Bayview Medical Center was a pinnacle of the Shifter Citadel—a place where the scent of medicinal herbs mingled with the sterile chill of high-grade silver equipment. Every ward was a private sanctuary, isolated for those with sensitive senses. I didn't need a healer to tell me the cost of this sanctuary would be astronomical. Fear, sharper than the fever, spiked in my chest; I was a wolf with a hollow treasury. Despite my daily toil at the spire, my coins were few."No, I cannot remain here. How will I settle this debt? Logan isn't a high-caste provider, so how can he manage this? Besides, my wolf is resilient. This isn't a silver-wound. I’ll recover with basic mountain herbs and rest."Driven by panic, I reached out and snagged my mate’s leather sleeve, pulling him close to whisper, "Logan, why have you brought me to an elite healer’s den? This sanctuary will cost a king’s ransom in blood-gold. I have no financial weight to throw, a
I had spent many moons observing Charis, and I knew she had meticulously scripted her defense long before I confronted her. Her strategy was transparent: paint herself as the innocent bystander while framing my mate’s perceived shallowness as the catalyst for our rift. She aimed to heap the entire burden of blame onto Brooke. Yet, my summons clearly unsettled her; it proved that I truly held Brooke in high regard, enough to wake the shadows of the night just to demand the truth.I wanted to believe Charis was incapable of such a petty deception. After all, a lie like that would be easily shredded if I brought the two females face-to-face. I had known her for many seasons; she was bold, predatory in her directness, and usually far too proud to waste her energy sowing discord in another’s den.But a prickle at the base of my neck told me the trail wasn't that clean. My Alpha intuition whispered that the truth was buried deeper. Brooke was not a wolf to howl over nothing. If Charis had m
I finally offered a small, stiff nod of concession.A shadow of a triumphant smile brushed Logan’s lips. He reached out, cupping my face with calloused palms, and pulled me into a kiss that tasted of rain and dark intent. His tongue swept against mine, claiming me in a way the ritual never had. We
I had never expected the winds of fate to howl such a shocking truth into my ears today.As I absorbed her confession, my fangs nearly breached my gums and my features hardened. The revelation that Brooke had only accepted our soul-bond in exchange for silver made my blood boil with a mixture of ir
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
"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







