MasukNORASitting 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
KAIDawn was just beginning to break over the horizon when the armored trucks rolled through the heavy iron gates of Blackcrest.Stepping out of the vehicle, my bare feet hit the cold gravel. I was covered in freezing mud, dried blood, and melting snow. The crisp morning air did absolutely nothing to wake me up. I felt like a walking corpse.Standing at the top of the grand marble stairs, Halil and Grandma Emrys were waiting.Halil looked exhausted, his suit wrinkled from pacing all night. Emrys gripped her silver cane with both hands, her sharp eyes scanning the empty vehicles behind me."Where is she?" Emrys demanded, taking a slow step down the stairs.Walking slowly up the steps, I didn't flinch. I didn't let a single ounce of grief bleed onto my face."She wasn't there," I lied, keeping my voice dead flat."What do you mean she wasn't there?" Halil frowned, stepping forward to block my path. "The smuggler gave us an exact location. You said you felt the bond. You said you could s
KAITearing through the deep snow, my massive paws shattered the icy crust with every single bound.Freezing wind whipped against my golden fur, but the beast inside me didn't feel the cold. It only felt pure, unfiltered rage. My Lycan senses pushed outward, mapping the dark, frozen woods of the eastern mountain pass. Behind me, the heavy, thudding footsteps of Gideon and twenty elite enforcers shook the ground. We were hunting.Catching the foul, stale scent of cheap tobacco and unwashed sweat, my lips peeled back over my fangs.He was close.Bursting through a thick cluster of snow-covered pines, a small, rocky clearing opened up near the edge of a steep cliff. A massive, heavily scarred rogue was scrambling desperately up the icy rocks. He clutched a stolen radio in one hand and a rusted machete in the other.Lunging forward, I cleared forty feet in a single jump.My immense weight slammed directly into the rogue’s back, driving him face-first into the freezing stone. Bones cracked
KAITearing through the deep snow, my massive paws shattered the icy crust with every single bound.Freezing wind whipped against my golden fur, but the beast inside me didn't feel the cold. It only felt pure, unfiltered rage. My Lycan senses pushed outward, mapping the dark, frozen woods of the eastern mountain pass. Behind me, the heavy, thudding footsteps of Gideon and twenty elite enforcers shook the ground. We were hunting.Catching the foul, stale scent of cheap tobacco and unwashed sweat, my lips peeled back over my fangs.He was close.Bursting through a thick cluster of snow-covered pines, a small, rocky clearing opened up near the edge of a steep cliff. A massive, heavily scarred rogue was scrambling desperately up the icy rocks. He clutched a stolen radio in one hand and a rusted machete in the other.Lunging forward, I cleared forty feet in a single jump.My immense weight slammed directly into the rogue’s back, driving him face-first into the freezing stone. Bones cracked
AUTHOR’S POV"Which direction, rogue?" Halil asked."East," Kael answered without hesitation. "Toward the steep mountain pass. He said he wasn't going to wait for your border patrols to find him. He said he was going to march her directly to your gates and demand the gold in person."Silence dropped heavily over the room.Above my head, Kai’s heavy boots stopped pacing. He was standing directly in the center of the kitchen. Right on top of the rug. Right over the trapdoor.The floorboards creaked loudly under his massive weight.Through a tiny, millimeter-wide crack in the wood, a faint slice of yellow lamplight shined down into the cellar. Suddenly, a massive, dark shadow blocked the light completely.Kai dropped to one knee.My heart hammered wildly against my ribs. It beat so fast, so incredibly loud, I was genuinely convinced the sound was echoing up through the floor. Pressing my hand flat against my stomach, I prayed to a Goddess I didn't even believe in that the baby would stay
THIRD PERSON’S POV Dropping to my knees, my hands flew to my chest.A sharp, violent twist of pure heat sparked deep inside my ribcage, burning like a hot iron rod shoved straight through bone. I was gasping for air, as my vision was blurred.The magic flaring through my veins wasn't warm or comforting.It was aggressive.Feral.Before Elara could even ask what was wrong, a loud, piercing mechanical shriek shattered the quiet evening.The camp’s perimeter alarm.Red emergency lights began strobing violently through the dirty glass of the cabin window, painting the wooden walls in harsh, bleeding flashes. Outside in the freezing darkness, a deafening roar echoed through the thick pine trees. It wasn't a normal wolf howling at the moon. It was the deep, chest-rattling boom of a massive, golden Alpha Lycan tearing through enemy lines.Kai."Goddess, Nora!" Elara yelled, dropping a stack of folded blankets on the bed. She rushed to my side, grabbing my shoulders. "Are you bleeding? Is it
NORA’S POV. I groaned, struggling to pry my eyes open. “Our Luna decided to grace us with her consciousness.” A stern voice cut across the room. I made to sit up, but all my bones felt like they were crushed under the weight of a boulder. My eyes lingered around the room. It wasn’t like my room i
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







