LOGINMalakaiThe long stone corridor leading down to the pack infirmary was cold, quiet, and wrapped in thick midnight shadows.Every heavy step of my leather boots made a slow, muffled sound against the flagstones. The rest of the central keep was fast asleep, resting after the tense days of war, the southern invasion, and the final sentencing of Lord Victor to the silver mines. The grand oak doors of the court were shut, the hall torches burned low, and the mountain wind whistled softly outside the narrow glass windows.In my right hand, I carried a heavy, dark glass bottle of strong northern mead.The thick, golden honey liquor sloshed softly against the glass with every step I took. It was the good stuff—aged for ten years in deep oak barrels, strong enough to burn the throat of a mountain bear, and brewed specifically for victorious warriors returning from a brutal siege.I stopped right outside the iron-reinforced door of the high infirmary room.I didn't open it immediately. My broa
MalakaiThe agonizing, burning terror in my soul snapped like a dry twig the exact second the silver collar fell away from Gideon’s neck.Through the permanent golden thread of our soul bond, I felt Daphne’s spirit flare bright, fierce, and victorious high above us on the stone cliff. The sharp, searing pain of the silver cut on her broad left arm still hummed against my chest, making my blood boil with a violent, unhinged need to slaughter every single southern wolf standing in this canyon. But she was alive. She was standing tall on that high ridge. My Queen had scaled the sheer wall in total darkness, struck down the commander, and saved our Beta.High on the smoke-filled ledge, the remaining seven southern archers stood frozen in absolute horror. Their leader lay dead in a dark pool of his own blood, and the broad, blood-stained Luna of the Northern Pack stood over his corpse with her hunting blade drawn.Gideon didn't hesitate for a single fraction of a second.The moment the hea
DaphneI didn't give the southern commander another second to breathe.I launched my broad frame out from behind the overturned supply cart, my heavy leather boots staying silent against the flat stone ledge. The smoke from the burning carts drifted thick and gray around my shoulders,hiding my movement until I was right behind the rear line of southern archers.The first archer didn't even hear me approach. He was leaning over the low stone barrier, aiming his silver-tipped arrow down into the dark canyon.I stepped up behind him, wrapped my thick left arm around his neck, and drove my sharp northern hunting blade straight into his side, right under his leather armor. The male let out a tiny, choked gasp before his body went completely limp in my grip. I eased his broad frame down onto the stone floorboards without making a sound, pulling my bloody steel free.Before the second archer beside him could turn his head, I grabbed the back of his iron helmet with my bare right hand. I slam
DaphneThe freezing mountain air bit into my skin as I pressed my broad chest flat against the icy, vertical stone wall of the eastern cliff.Below me, Malakai’s roaring voice echoed off the narrow canyon walls like a thunderclap, filling the night with raw Alpha fury."YOU WANT MY QUEEN, VICTOR?!" Malakai screamed, his deep voice carrying a dark, terrifying power that shook the stone floorboards. "COME DOWN HERE AND TAKE HER FROM MY BARE HANDS! IF YOU WANT MY SILVER MINES, YOU WILL HAVE TO RIP MY THROAT OUT FIRST!"Every single southern guard on the upper ledge was completely transfixed by him. They leaned over the wooden edge of their burning supply carts, their eyes wide with panic, their silver-tipped arrows pointed straight down at Malakai’s massive, blood-covered frame in the canyon below. The southern commander was screaming back at him, waving his arms in wild rage, completely oblivious to the shadows creeping up the eastern cliff face.I took a slow, silent breath, my heart b
MalakaiMy heavy steel broadsword fell from my hand. The long blade hit the bloody gravel of the canyon floor with a loud, ringing sound that echoed off the fifty-foot stone walls.My chest rose and fell in fast, heavy gasps. Dark red blood covered my bare arms, my chest armor, and my face. The scent of fresh copper, dark smoke, and burning leather filled the cold night air. The brutal fight in the canyon had stopped. The shouting of four hundred southern wolves died down into a terrifying, dead silence.I didn't care about the dead warriors lying around my boots. I didn't care about Lord Victor groaning in the dirt near the canyon wall.My bloodshot golden eyes were locked on the high stone cliff above the canyon exit.Up on that dark ledge, ten southern archers stood under the orange fire of their burning supply carts. In the center of those archers stood Gideon.Our Beta was bound in thick, heavy iron chains. His face was bruised dark purple, his broad shoulders were bloody, and hi
DaphneThe peaceful quiet of the master bedroom did not last long.I lay on the massive bed with my head resting against Malakai’s bare, broad chest. The permanent soul bond on my neck pulsed with a steady, golden warmth, vibrating in time with the heavy beat of his heart beneath my palm. The lingering heat of our union still settled softly over the wolf furs. The silver signet ring on my right hand felt warm, settled, and right. We had finally closed the painful chapter of Valerie’s poison, Gideon’s departure, and the broken trust that had nearly destroyed us.Then, the massive iron-reinforced doors of the central keep slammed open downstairs.The heavy crash vibrated all the way up through the stone floorboards of the master suite.Malakai sat up instantly. His broad, muscular shoulders went rigid, the long black hair falling over his face as his sharp golden eyes cut toward the closed bedroom door. The golden pulse of our bond flared with sudden,alert energy, bringing his inner wol







