LOGINNORAGunfire erupted, absolutely deafening in the enclosed space. Bullets chewed through the thin metal walls of the office behind me. Glass shattered violently, raining down on my shoulders.Diving hard to the right, I scrambled behind a massive stack of wooden shipping pallets. Splinters flew into the air as automatic fire shredded the wood inches above my head."Flank her!" Griggs shouted over the ringing gunfire. "Move up the left aisle!"Breathing heavily, I checked my magazine. Thirteen rounds left.Listening closely, heavy boots rushed down the concrete aisle to my left. Waiting for the exact right second, I spun around the edge of the pallet, dropping to one knee.A rogue was sprinting straight at me, his shotgun raised.*BANG.*Shooting him directly in the kneecap, his leg gave out with a sickening snap. As he fell forward screaming, I adjusted my aim and put a second round straight through his forehead. He hit the floor, sliding to a dead stop."That's two!" Griggs yelled, h
NORAMorning came with a bitter, biting chill.Frost clung heavily to the reinforced glass of the mansion windows. Staring out at the frozen mountain valley, my jaw locked tight. Sleep hadn't come at all last night. The silver Blackcrest bullet still sat on my desk downstairs, a heavy, polished promise of violence."Tara," handing the heavy electronic security fob to the nanny, I kept my voice absolutely deadpan. "You do not open those front gates for anyone. Not the delivery drivers, not the groundskeepers, not even Alpha Silas unless he calls me first.""Understood, boss," Tara nodded, looking seriously at the fob. She checked the silver-plated pistol strapped to her thigh. "Are we expecting a raid?""We are expecting trouble," adjusting the collar of my dark leather jacket, I checked the loaded magazine of my own weapon before sliding it into my shoulder holster. "Keep the boys in the reinforced playroom. If the perimeter alarms sound, you take them directly into the panic room. Yo
THIRD PERSON’S POV Staring down at her, Silas felt a massive, booming laugh build deep in his chest.He didn't hold it back. The sound echoed loudly against the damp stone walls, completely shocking the two guards standing in the hallway. Silas hadn't laughed like that in five damn years.Lyra used to yell at him with that exact same ferocity. When he tried to keep his daughter locked safely inside the packhouse, Lyra would stand her ground, bare her fangs, and demand to be treated as an equal. This broken, bleeding human girl possessed the exact same unbreakable titanium in her spine."You are incredibly arrogant for a girl standing in a dungeon," Silas chuckled, shaking his head."I am honest," Nora corrected, crossing her arms over her chest to mimic his stance."You haven't told me a single honest thing since I walked into this room," Silas countered, dropping the humor from his voice. "But you've got guts. I will give you that."Silence stretched between them. The only sound was
THIRD PERSON POV Heavy fists pounded against the solid oak door of the Alpha’s bedroom.Groaning loudly, Silas cracked one eye open. Moonlight spilled thinly across the wooden floorboards. It was three in the morning. His old bones ached from the bitter winter dampness creeping into the packhouse."This better be a damn invasion," Silas barked, throwing the thick fur blanket off his chest. "Come in!"Pushing the heavy door open, a young border guard named Vance stepped into the room. The boy looked completely frozen, his tactical gear soaked with freezing water and mud."Speak," Silas ordered, sitting up and rubbing a scarred hand over his graying beard."We pulled a trespasser out of the southern river, Alpha," Vance reported, shivering slightly. "A human girl. She washed up right on our bank near the iron gates.""A human?" Silas scoffed, reaching for his heavy wool coat draped over a chair. "Why in the hell are you waking me up for a human stray? Throw her back into the water. Let
NORAWalking into the massive playroom, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the mountain valley. Wooden blocks were scattered everywhere. A heavily armed nanny, a female Lycan named Tara, stood near the doorway."They have been completely wild all afternoon, Nora," Tara smiled, adjusting the silver blade strapped to her thigh. "Kaelen tried to bite a guard, and Hayes figured out how to pick the lock on the pantry.""Of course he did," I muttered, shaking my head. "Thank you, Tara. You can take the rest of the evening off. I've got them.""Have a good night, boss," Tara nodded, slipping out into the hallway.Sitting down on the thick carpet, I spent the next two hours completely absorbed in their world. We built towers, we read books, and I listened to their broken, overlapping toddler logic. They were the absolute center of my universe. Every single ruthless deal I made, every ounce of power I accumulated in this pack, was entirely to build an impenetrab
NORASitting in the high-backed leather chair at the head of the boardroom, I kept my face blank. The cold air from the ceiling vents blew across my shoulders, but my tailored black suit kept the chill out. Across from me sat three massive, heavily scarred Alphas from the Northern Ridge territories. They did not look happy."Fifteen percent," Alpha Vance growled, his thick fingers gripping the edge of the table. "That is an absolute insult, Nora. We agreed on thirty percent of the silver yields during the preliminary talks last month.""We discussed thirty percent," I corrected, leaning forward and folding my hands together. "We never agreed to it. And that was before your border guards allowed two shipments of our lumber to get hijacked by rogues. You failed to secure the route. The price of our silver just went up.""You cannot penalize my entire pack for one mistake!" Vance slammed his heavy fist against the glass.Coffee spilled over the rim of a ceramic mug, staining the document
HALIL’S POV I clenched my hand around the edge of the Ebony table, as surges of electric current splintered through my chest. Fucking hell! A devilish smirk lined the corner of my lips. “This might just be our chance at easing the grief.” I spat. Kai grunted, and didn’t say a word. My Gamma Chi
NORA’S POV I was stunned to my bones, too stunned to move. I gaped as the drama unfolded around me. My heart bled like someone was ripping it out of its cage. For a few minutes, I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening. The world was spinning around me, and everyone seemed to be okay. I
NORA’S POV “Don’t worry, there’ll be no need for that anyway.” I pulled away, as the maid tried to cover the scar on my face with makeup. The maid didn’t say anything, yet the glaring question was all over her face. A soft knock sounded against the door, “I’ll take it up from here, you may leav
NORA’S POV My heart stomped against my chest as I made my way to the lavish waiting area that led to Alpha Aiden’s office. I grabbed my clutch in one hand, my other hand trembled lightly. His secretary walked out of his office, her expression inscrutable. “He’s busy…” Her voice came out indiffere







