LOGINSLOANE Thane’s lips are still firm against mine, his heavy body trapping me against the wooden door, when his growl vibrates deep within his chest. He breaks the kiss by just a hairsbreadth, his dark eyes burning into mine with an intense, fierce heat I have never seen in him before. His breath is hot against my jaw, his grip on my waist tightening until I can feel every line of muscle in his arms. "I’ve been patient, Sloane," Thane rasps, his voice low, rough, and dripping with raw, undivided need. "I’ve given you space, and I’ve let you breathe. But don't use me to run from your past unless you intend to stay right here in my arms." The words cut straight through the lingering fog in my head, hitting me like a splash of freezing water. My mind snaps back to reality. The intoxicating heat of the moment evaporates, leaving me cold, exposed, and utterly overwhelmed. The memory of Roan’s starved, soul-shattering kiss is still burning on my tongue, clashing violently with the stea
I snap my head up. Roan’s dark brows pull together, his eyelids fluttering as he slowly, painfully fights his way back to consciousness."Roan?" I breathe, leaning forward, my heart slamming wildly against my ribs.His dark eyes open, unfocused at first, before slowly drifting toward me. The moment his gaze locks onto my face, a visible shock goes through his body."Sloane..." he rasps, his voice so deep and broken it barely sounds human."Don't try to move," I warn quickly, tears blurring my vision again as I squeeze his hand. "Just stay still. You're safe. We're in the hearth recovery room."Roan doesn't listen. Ignoring the pain clearly wracking his frame, he pushes himself up onto his elbows, his breath hitching sharp and ragged. His dark eyes search my face, scanning my lips, my cheeks, my eyes, as if checking every inch of me to make sure I am real."You're... you're breathing," he chokes out, his chest heaving. "The poison... it's gone?""It's gone," I sob, unable to hold it ba
SLOANEAwareness does not return to me all at once. It seeps in slowly, dragging me up from a dark, suffocating abyss where my lungs have felt like burning ash.The first thing I register is warmth. A soft, thick blanket wrapped around my shoulders, the crackle of a fire somewhere nearby, and the soothing, earthy scent of crushed herbs resting against the skin of my inner wrist. My throat is raw, parched like desert sand, but the agony that clawed through my veins outside in the garden is gone.I open my eyes, the ceiling blurring before slowly settling into the exposed wooden beams of the hearth room."She's awake."Del’s voice breaks the quiet room, sharp with relief. Within seconds, her face appears in my line of sight, her eyes red-rimmed and exhausted. Right beside her is Thane. His jaw is tight, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a deep, lingering tension, though the relief in his dark eyes is undeniable."Easy," Thane says softly, his voice a low rumble as he reaches out, pla
ROAN We burst into the small, carpeted hearth room just off the main hall. A massive stone fireplace crackles with roaring orange flames. I lay her flat on the thick rug right in front of the heat, collapsing onto my knees beside her. Thane, Del, Kieran, and Selene crowd into the room, closing the heavy oak door against the frantic noise of the main feast outside. "What do we do?" Del asks frantically, dropping a bowl of hot water and clean cloths onto the floor. "Roan, what do we do?" I reach into my pocket, pulling out the small silver hunting blade I always carry at my belt. "Roan, what are you doing?" Selene shrieks, taking a step forward. "Are you out of your mind?!" "Shut up, Selene!" I snap, unsheathing the blade. I look up at Thane. "Hold her shoulders down. When the poison hits her nervous system, her wolf is going to fight the release. She'll thrash." Thane doesn't argue this time. He drops to his knees at her head, his heavy hands coming down firmly onto Sloane’s shou
ROAN The wind on the terrace is freezing, but it does not do a single thing to cool the fire burning under my skin. My hands are still shaking. I can still feel the phantom touch of Sloane’s fingers clutching my jacket. I can still feel her warm, frantic breath against my mouth. When she whispered yes—when she admitted that I terrified her, and then stepped directly into my space anyway—every wall I had spent two years building inside myself completely crumbled. Thane standing in that doorway stopped our lips from touching, but he didn't stop the truth. She still wants me. Beneath the anger, beneath the bitter distance, the bond between us is alive, screaming, and starving. I watch Thane lead her back inside the hall, his hand resting near her back. No more, my wolf growls, a heavy, dark pulse rattling against my ribs. No more stepping back. No more letting another man guide her while we bleed in the shadows. I have spent two years hiding behind my guilt, convincing myself that s
VERA The music inside the grand hall feels like an insult. I stand tucked into the deep shadows near the wooden support pillars, my dark wool cloak pulled tight around my shoulders to hide my low-ranking grey garments. I shouldn't be here. Omegas are meant to tend the fires, scrub the grease from the spit-roasts, and stay out of sight when the high-born alphas hold their grand feasts. ‘We belong here’, my wolf hisses inside my head, her claws scraping raw against my mind. We belong at his side. Not her. "Quiet," I whisper under my breath, my fingers clutching the rough timber behind me. "Did you see the way the Moonrise Alpha looks at her?" a female voice whispers nearby. I still, leaning my head slightly toward two high-ranking females who are sipping warm ale from carved horn cups. "Prince Thane has never looked at a woman twice in his life," the second female murmurs back, shaking her head. "Not the council daughters, not the high-pack heirs. No one. Yet tonight, he’s carryin







