MasukNORATires crunched loudly over the fresh snow as the SUV pulled through the main gates of the estate.Staring down at the silver pistol resting in my lap, the metal felt heavy and freezing against my skin. My finger traced the trigger guard slowly. Thirty minutes ago, I fully intended to walk straight into the east wing and put a bullet directly into Liam’s chest. He absolutely earned it. Hiring mercenaries to slaughter my two-year-old sons crossed a line that demanded blood.However, the blinding rage slowly started to cool.Killing Liam would be incredibly easy. Dealing with the fallout would destroy everything. Alpha Silas took me in when I was nothing. He gave me a home, a name, and absolute protection. If I murdered his only biological son, it would completely break the old man’s heart. I couldn't repay his kindness by putting him in a grave of grief.There was a much better way to handle a traitor. Death was quick. Stripping a proud, power-hungry Lycan of his rank and wealth wa
NORA"We'll see about that." Maddox smirked, picking up his glass. "Your brother seemed very eager to make this union happen. He basically begged me to take you off his hands.""Liam is stressed," I lied smoothly, keeping my face blank. "He thinks your army can protect us from the northern packs.""My army?" Maddox laughed out loud. It was a harsh, grating sound. "Is that what he told you? He said he needed my soldiers?""Yes.""Wow. Liam really is a coward." Maddox shook his head, looking highly amused. "He didn't come to me for soldiers, Nora. He came to me for silence."My heart skipped a painful beat."Silence about what?" I asked, keeping my voice dangerously low.Maddox leaned forward. His dark eyes glittered with malicious, arrogant triumph."Those mercenaries who ambushed you last week," Maddox whispered. "The ones who nearly killed you and your pups in the warehouse. You thought Alpha Vance hired them, didn't you?""Intelligence confirmed Vance signed the contract.""Vance pr
NORA’S POVMy desk phone buzzed sharply, shattering the quiet of my office.Snatching the receiver, Liam’s voice barked through the line. He demanded I come to his study immediately. He sounded frantic, breathless, and angry. Before I could even ask what was wrong, the line clicked dead.I dropped the phone back into its cradle. A bad feeling twisted my stomach. Liam and I hadn't spoken properly in days. Ever since the bloody badge showed up on my desk, my adopted brother had become a paranoid, hostile stranger.Stepping out into the hallway, my heels sank into the thick carpet of the east wing. Guards nodded respectfully as I passed. Reaching his heavy oak door, I pushed it open without bothering to knock.Inside, Liam paced near the window. A half-empty bottle of whiskey sat on his desk. It was barely noon."You look like hell," I noted, closing the door behind me."Sit down, Nora." He refused to look at me, keeping his eyes fixed on the snowy courtyard outside."I have a trade meet
NORA"Wife?" A sharp, mocking laugh slipped past my lips. My glass of bourbon stayed perfectly level in my hand. "You really are delusional, Alpha. My father warned me the northern kings suffered from unchecked arrogance. Now I see it firsthand."Kai’s jaw tightened. His golden eyes burned into mine, searching for the terrified girl he used to know. "Stop lying, Nora.""Address me as Heiress," I corrected smoothly, dropping the smile. "And if you want to cause a diplomatic incident in front of the entire continental council, be my guest. Grab me. Drag me out. Let us see how the fifty Alphas in this room react when you violate a neutral summit to kidnap the daughter of Moon Creek."Halil grabbed his brother’s shoulder, his grip desperate. "Kai. Look around."Dozens of elite guards from various territories had already stopped talking. Hands hovered near holstered weapons. A single aggressive move from Kai would trigger a massive bloodbath right in the middle of the rotunda."You think a
NORA’S POVGolden chandeliers cast a harsh, bright light across the Obsidian Peak rotunda.This was the Continental Council, a brutal political arena disguised as a high-society gala. Only packs with serious leverage held seats at the central mahogany table. Deals made in this room dictated the survival of thousands.Sitting near the front, Kai and Halil looked like absolute royalty. Getting their spots was effortless. Every Alpha in the room desperately sought an alliance with the Blackcrest Kings this winter. Kai sat rigidly in his dark suit, his jaw clenched, his amber eyes scanning every corner of the room. He was hunting.He just didn't realize his prey was currently standing on the upper balcony, holding a crystal glass of sparkling water.Leaning against the brass railing, my gaze bypassed the twins and landed on a much smaller, far more pathetic target.Aiden.Standing near the bar, he wore a gray suit that didn't fit his shoulders right. He looked incredibly proud of himself,
THIRD PERSON’S POV Dead silence fell over the council room.Chloe covered her ears, taking a terrified step backward.Standing frozen near the table, Halil stared at the blank tablet. His jaw hung slightly open.Deep inside the dark, hollow cavern of Kai’s chest, something violently twitched. The rotting corpse of his inner wolf, the beast that hadn't made a single sound in two entire years, suddenly gasped for air."What the hell was that?" Chloe whispered, her voice shaking badly. "That sounded like a monster.""Gideon," Kai spoke, his voice dropping into a ragged, breathless rasp. "Who made that sound?""According to our asset," Gideon swallowed hard, clearly struggling to comprehend his own report. "The Moon Creek Heiress had her children with her in the warehouse. Two toddlers. The mercenaries pointed their rifles at them. The children... they roared, Alpha.""That is biologically impossible," Halil stated immediately, shaking his head. He looked at Kai, his golden eyes wide wit
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
AIDEN’S POV I did the right thing. I was sure of it. Nora was no good. She couldn’t even bear me a pup, not even a female. Her body was frail, and clearly cannot carry my seed. I tightened my grip around my pen, as I scribbled some words onto the document, my heart in a completely different place
KAI’S POV You’ve got to be kidding me. A stray. A fucking stray that had tinges of rejection all over her. To make it worse, she was wolfless. My eyes hovered all over her, and my heart boiled with a mixture of disgust. Why on earth would the moon goddess think she could link us to a stray as a s
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







