LOGINAriannaOur daughter Neomi was finally asleep after fighting bedtime for an hour. The little witch wore me out. Six months old and already showing powers that would make grown men shit themselves. Tonight she'd made her mobile spin without touching it and just stared at it with those freaky silver and gold eyes until it started moving on its own.Jax had handled it better than me. Mr. Perfect Alpha just smiled and said our daughter was going to be extraordinary. I'd panicked and called Arielle who talked me down with power not being dangerous when guided correctly. Tell that to the last pack that underestimated me.Now I stood in the doorway of our bedroom watching Jax get ready for bed. He'd been distant lately. Not pulling away exactly but there was something on his mind he wasn't telling me. I could feel the restless energy building for weeks through the bond. Horny bastard probably needed to be put in his place again."Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to
SIX MONTHS LATERArianna The house Jax and I built sat exactly on the border between Black Drayke and Moon Valley territories. I stood on the porch with my hand resting on my swollen belly and watched the sunset. Inside I could feel the pup moving strong already. Jax said he could feel it through the bond. The first child born of both prophecy bloodlines. Silver Wolf and White Wolf combined. No one knew what that would mean or what abilities the pup would have. But we would figure it out together.“You are thinking too much again,” Jax said as he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. His hands settled over mine on my belly. “I can feel it through the bond.”“I am thinking about Jack,” I admitted. “About how he should be here to meet his niece or nephew.”“He died a hero,” Jax said quietly. “He saved you. Saved all of us. That is how people will remember him.”“I hope so,” I said. “I visit his grave every week and tell him about the council meetings. About the peac
AriannaJack’s blood was still warm on my hands when I stood up. His body lay at my feet and I knew I should feel something like grief of regret or hell even horror. But all I felt was cold fury and power thrumming through every cell of my body. The sacrifice had worked since I could feel feel abilities I had never known existed suddenly available to me like weapons I had been training with my entire life.“Arianna,” Jax said carefully though he was watching me like I might explode. “Are you okay?”“No,” I said honestly. “But I will be. After I kill Darius.”I walked out of the throne room and everyone scrambled to follow. The entire pack was assembled in the courtyard preparing for battle. Warriors were armed and shifted and wolves were saying goodbye to their families in case they did not come back. When they saw me they went silent. Every single wolf dropped to their knees including my father’s warriors. Including wolves I had never met. They felt the power radiating off me and
JaxThe prophetess arrived at dawn the day after Darius left. She did not knock or announce herself. She just appeared in the throne room where my father, Arielle, Arianna and I were meeting to discuss what Darius had said. What he knew that we did not.“You need to hear the full truth,” the prophetess said without preamble. “About what the White Wolf really is. About why Darius walked away. About what is coming.”“Tell us,” my father commanded.The prophetess moved to the center of the room and pulled out a scroll so old it looked like it might crumble to dust. “White Wolves are not just protectors. They are power vessels. Every five hundred years one is born with the ability to absorb the power of other wolves. Including Alphas and blessed wolves like the Silver Wolf.”Arielle went pale. “Absorb how?”“Through physical contact during a moment of extreme emotion or willing sacrifice,” the prophetess said. “If a wolf dies while the White Wolf is touching them, their power transfers c
AriannaI had seen those golden eyes a hundred times in my nightmares. Had watched them glow with cold amusement while wolves tore each other apart around him then heard his voice promising that something terrible was coming soon. But seeing him in person was so much worse than any vision could have prepared me for.Darius moved through the courtyard like he owned it. Like every wolf gathered here existed solely for his entertainment. He was handsome in a dangerous way that made my skin crawl. Sharp features and a cruel mouth that curved into a smile as he approached us. When he stopped directly in front of me I could smell cedar and something darker underneath. “You are even more beautiful than your mother was,” he said. His voice was smooth and cultured but there was something predatory underneath. “She always was the most stunning woman I had ever seen. It broke my heart when she ran away rather than marry me.”“You were supposed to marry my mother?” I managed to choke out.“W
JaxThe thirty days were up. I knew it the moment I woke because Arianna was already out of bed staring out the window with her arms wrapped around herself. “They are coming today,” she said without turning around. “I can feel it.”I got out of bed and wrapped my arms around her from behind. Through the bond I could feel her anxiety and dread. She had spent the last month trying to prepare herself for this moment but nothing could really prepare you for being claimed by a kingdom you had never known.“Maybe they will not come,” I said even though we both knew it was a lie. “Maybe they decided to respect your choice.”“They are coming,” she repeated. “And this time they are not going to take no for an answer.”She was right. They arrived two hours later with an entourage that made their first visit look like a casual drop by. At least fifty wolves in ceremonial dress flanked by warriors in full armor. And at the center of it all was a man I had never seen before but recognized instan
Arielle. I didn’t know what to do with myself after he walked away. My lips were still tingling my heart still drumming like a trapped thing in my chest. The whole kitchen felt smaller now like the walls had drawn closer just to listen to the silence between us. For a second, I thought of slippin
Kael. The road to the human world was longer than I remembered. The border fog lingered like ghosts between the trees and the mountains that swallowed the sun before we even made it halfway. Arielle slept most of the way her head pressed lightly against the glass, hair tumbling over her shoulder
Arielle. I couldn’t move. My body was still curled over his knees all warm and heavy and the sting of his punishment had left me trembling in a way I didn’t fully understand. My cheek pressed against the bed with papers crumpled beneath me and the dim light from my lamp made the room feel smalle
ArielleI didn’t sleep that night. The events in the laboratory replayed over and over in my head and every sound sharper in the dark silence. The soft creak of the mansion floorboards nd the rustle of leaves outside along with the heavy rhythm of my own heartbeat that refused to calm down. I kept







