LOGINCaden POVThe White Wolf. And this is my first meeting with her.Great first impression, Caden. I step back and lower my head in respect. But not before I catch the look on her face. Which tells me everything.Queen Kerris doesn't like the way my hand is wrapped around Marissa's wrist. The faint golden glow in her eyes is not excitement. It's... a warning.How did she even get here without making a sound? Does she poof from place to place?Maybe that's one of the White Wolf's magical abilities. My friends would give anything to trade places with me right now. To be face to face with the new Queen. The Kingdom's White Wolf.But me? All I can think now is that I wish she would just... Jog on already.In an attempt explain the handholding, I start speaking quickly."She looks like someone I know, Your Grace. I was only trying to make sure.""I see," she replies gently. One warrior has come to stand behind her. An IronFang top rank Gamma.Frank Marshal.I know him well because not
Marissa POVCaden remains as still as a stature on his seat.He just stares at me with a face that's almost without expression. Like someone who forgot how to react.Or someone terrified that blinking will make what he's seeing disappear."Move, Rita." Gamma Myra's sharp whisper cuts through the silence.For one confused moment, I don't respond.Then I remember. Rita. Crap! She's talking to me. Rita Mage is my name here. The name written on every prison record and attached to my conviction.No one here knows I'm Marissa Blue. No one knows Alpha Gareth Stone bought me to be his son's breeder.As far as IronFang is concerned, I'm an inmate owing a heavy fine and serving ninety days for possessing restricted herbs.Of all the places, I had to be caught and sent here. The very place Caden is having his final Alpha trials.I force my feet to move. One step. Then another.The tray in my hands suddenly feels two times heavier.I stop before the first future Alpha and place a glass before
Caden POV"Move!" one of the instructors bellows. "You are Alphas. Not puppies learning to walk!"Move. Move!"A dark skinned male from the Moon Crest Pack groans beside me. "I thought they said this was an evaluation""It is an evaluation," another male mutters between breaths. "They're evaluating how close we are to dying."A few exhausted laughs rings through the line."Talking?" the instructor roars. "Excellent. Since you've all got breath to spare..."He points toward the mountain. "Again."IronFang is exactly as I remember it.Cold and disciplined. Merciless.The training grounds sit only a short walk from the royal castle. Young Alphas from every corner of the Kingdom move about the sprawling stone complex. The few strong enough to make it this far.Some will inherit thriving packs. Others hope to build their own.By the end of the trials, every one of us will earn the right to call ourselves Alpha.Either that or leave in disgrace. To repeat another year of training.We've be
Marissa POVPain greets me before I even open my eyes.Every muscle in my body protests as I shift beneath the thin blanket. My ribs ache. My shoulders burn. Even my fingers feel strangely heavy.At least I'm alive. The last thing I remember is collapsing, then drifting in and out of darkness as I'm hurled into a windowless van. I honestly thought I was being driven to a graveyard to be buried. Instead, here I am on soft sheets, surrounded by the sharp scent of antiseptic and a strange warmth tingling beneath my skin. As though I've been touched by the moon.Only the ache in my chest remains, humming quietly in the background. Proof that I'm not in the afterlife, dead from the mate-bond wound.I stare up at the unfamiliar wooden ceiling for several long seconds before the events of the last few days comes rushing back.My escape. The arrest in the woods.IronFang.The full realization makes my stomach tighten as I slowly push myself upright.The smell of the place tells me I'm in a
Kerris POVBy the time we pull into the infirmary's courtyard, I almost feel like myself again.Then I see the crowd.Doctors. Nurses. Patients. Even people who clearly aren't sick have gathered outside the building."Oh no," I breathe.Frank glances at me through the rear-view mirror."Everything alright?""Who told them?""Told them what? That you're coming? "I may have mentioned that the Queen could be visiting one of the city's infirmaries today."I stare at him. "How could you do this to me.""I... I told one person, Your Grace... I mean, Kerris." He shrugs innocently. "Apparently, that was enough."Doctor Colton chuckles beside me. "News spreads quickly. Everyone's delighted about the Luna Queen."Frank points through the windshield."They would have figured it out anyway."That's right. The car is Zach's black Cadillac. And driven by his Gamma with his Deputy in front. I drop my forehead into my hand."The King's car is a bit hard to miss," Frank said."Remind me to use one
Kerris POV Marriage changes everything. Even my work. Being the Alpha King's mate means I can no longer live as ordinary as I used to. Apparently, I can't return to the Towers just yet. According to everyone around me, the Alpha King's new bride is supposed to spend her first few weeks settling into palace life before throwing herself back into work. Not that I'm complaining. Because Zach is staying close too. He insists it's because there's plenty of paperwork waiting for him inside the castle. Somehow, I doubt that's the real reason. Ever since our mating ceremony, he seems reluctant to let me out of his sight for long. I'm not exactly eager to leave either. Becoming Luna Queen has turned my entire world upside down. People bow when I walk past. Servants rush to open doors before I even reach them. Everyone calls me Your Grace. Every single time. I still haven't figured out how to answer without looking over my shoulder to see who they're talking to. Maybe it's
Kerris POV"Where's the temp?" Zach catches sight of me as soon as he asks the question.“Here she is,” Mary replies.This is it. Time for the meeting I've been dreading and waiting for this past two days. I enter the reception and greet, "Good afternoon, your majesty.""Sure is," he responds, the
Tyrel (Third-person) Ty can tell he's not making any sense to the other Alphas. When Axel opens his mouth to speak, he knows the guy is about to pıśs him off some more,"You know, there's rumors that 'playboy Zee' is a little too attentive to his temp assistant. That's your girl, right? Kelsie or
Zach POVAres is no longer ill from the 'evil potion' in the wine. I can feel his strength and passion. As much as I feel the other guy's. All is well in every inch of my body and psyche.Yet I can't help thinking that the drugs have an influence in the feelings run through me. Madison had insisted
Zach POVYes. True. I should listen to her. She's pretty. She'll be Luna Qu--Ares' groans cut off that line of thought. He's struggling to emerge but can't. "Something's wrong...""Nothing is wrong," Madison insists, her eyes turning bright with purpose. I want to disagree with her but can't. H







