LOGINZara’s POVThe morning sun was spilling through the tall windows of Kael’s study and I was sitting on the plush velvet sofa while wrapped in one of his thick cotton shirts that smelled like cedar and pine, and even though the sleeves were far too long and I had to roll them up several times I felt safer in his clothes than I ever had in my own. My throat was still tight and silent because the Hag’s price was absolute and it felt like a heavy weight was sitting on my chest every time I wanted to open my mouth to tell Kael how I felt, and I watched him as he moved around the desk while leaning heavily on a cane because his shoulder was still stiff from the poison. He had refused to let the servants into the room this morning because he said he wanted a moment of peace before the war started again, and he carried a silver tray over to the small coffee table and set it down with a soft clink before sitting beside me."I know you probably hate the taste of this porridge but Elara says i
Seraphina’s POVThe sun was hitting the floor of my bedroom in bright, annoying streaks that made my head throb, and I spent the first hour of the morning pacing back and forth on the silk rug while I waited for a raven or a messenger that never came. Kage should have been back by now with the proof I asked for, and every time I thought about that silver-haired brat still breathing somewhere in the woods I felt a wave of nausea hitting me that had nothing to do with the child growing in my womb. I stopped by the vanity and looked at my reflection and I saw that my skin was pale and my eyes were rimmed with red from lack of sleep, and I grabbed a crystal vase from the table and hurled it against the wall just to hear the sound of something breaking because the silence in this house was starting to feel like a noose around my neck."Mistress, your father is waiting for you in the breakfast room and he says it is urgent that you join him before the council envoys arrive at the gate,"
Kael’s POVThe first thing I felt was a fire spreading through my shoulder that made me want to rip my own arm off and the ceiling of my bedroom was spinning in circles as I tried to blink the grit out of my eyes, and the air was so thick with the smell of boiled lavender and crushed roots that it made my stomach turn over. I tried to push myself up from the mattress but my muscles felt like they had been replaced by wet sand and I let out a groan that sounded more like a wheeze, and then I felt a cool hand on my forehead pushing me back down against the pillows while the blur in front of me finally settled into the face of my sister. Elara looked like she hadn't slept in days and her hair was sticking out in messy clumps from her braid and she was holding a wooden bowl filled with a steaming green liquid that smelled absolutely foul."Don't you even think about moving because I spent the last six hours pulling black rot out of your veins and if you tear those stitches now I am goi
Zara’s POVThe clearing was suddenly full of light from the torches that the Northwood warriors were carrying and the smell of the damp marsh was drowned out by the metallic scent of Kael’s blood and the sharp tang of silver, and I stood with my paws planted firmly in the mud while I looked down at Kael’s pale face and the way his chest was barely moving under the matted black fur of his shoulder. I felt a growl vibrating in my own chest when I heard the heavy thud of boots running toward us because I didn't know if they were friends or more of the Seeker’s shadows, and I bared my teeth at the first man who stepped into the light until I saw the familiar face of Silas who stopped dead in his tracks and raised his sword with a look of pure confusion."What in the name of the ancestors is that thing and why is a silver wolf standing over the Alpha like she’s ready to tear his throat out?" Silas shouted to the men behind him and he gestured for them to spread out and circle around the
Kael's POVThe scent of the marshes was thick and stagnant but beneath the smell of rot I could feel the electricity of the bond snapping like a whip against my ribs, and I pushed through the last wall of tangled briars and burst into a small clearing where the moonlight was hitting the grass in a single bright beam. I saw a man dressed in black leather standing over a wolf that looked like it was made of pure silver and light, and for a split second I couldn't even process what I was seeing because no Beta or common wolf should have a coat that shimmered with that kind of ancient power. The man raised a long silver blade and started to bring it down toward the silver wolf’s neck, and I didn't even think about the distance or the risk as I launched myself into the air and felt my human skin tearing away to make room for the massive black beast that had been begging to be let loose since we left the manor.I slammed into the Seeker with the full weight of my Alpha form and we rolled
Zara's POVThe moon was hanging so low in the sky that it looked like a giant white eye watching me from above the trees, and as I stumbled out of the thick marsh mud and onto a patch of dry grass I felt a strange heat starting to bubble up in my bone marrow that made my skin feel like it was several sizes too small. I tried to scream as the first wave of the transformation hit my spine but my throat was still tight and silent from the Hag’s medicine, and I could only gasp for air while I fell to my knees and gripped the dirt with my fingernails. The feral wolf was standing a few feet away and he was watching me with a look that almost seemed like respect, and he let out a low bark as if he were trying to tell me to stop fighting the change and just let the power take over my body.It’s time, Zara, and you need to stop holding onto your human fears because the wall is gone and I am ready to breathe again, Ayla said in a voice that was so loud it made my head throb, and I felt my ri
Zara's POVThe world was spinning and my ears were ringing so loudly that I couldn't even hear my own breathing, and as the metal box settled at the bottom of the ravine I felt a sharp piece of wood poking through one of the air holes and scraping against my shoulder. I tried to push myself up but
Kael's POVThe climb up the rocky slope was steep and the loose gravel kept sliding out from under my boots but I didn't slow down because the scent of honey was getting stronger with every meter I gained, and Silas was right behind me with his hand on his sword while the rest of the tracking uni
Zara's POVMy vision was swimming and every time I took a step it felt like the ground was shifting beneath my feet, and I looked down at my hand and saw that my fingers were swollen to twice their normal size and turning a nasty shade of purple and red. The infection was spreading fast and I cou
Damien's POVThe floorboards in the upstairs hallway had a tendency to creak near the linen closet so I made sure to step close to the wall where the wood was sturdier and I waited for a few seconds after every movement to make sure no one was coming, and the house was finally quiet now that the e







