ANMELDENChristie's POV
Kendra's voice was different from Raynka’s. It wasn't emotional or whiny. It was the cold and professional voice."I have requested a civilized meeting," Kendra said. "The elders are occupied, and Raynka is busy playing the martyr. I am the only one willing to talk sense. Christie, I know you can hear me. Why don't you step to the door? I have a proposal that might save everyone a lot of trouble."Lyon looked at me. I nodded. I wanted to hear what tChristie’s POVThe sun was barely up when my phone started buzzing on the nightstand. The sound was sharp and loud in the quiet room. I groaned and pulled the pillow over my head. I had only been asleep for a few hours. My body felt like lead and my eyes were heavy. But the phone didn't stop. It kept vibrating until the wooden table began to rattle. I reached out and grabbed it without looking."Hello?" I muttered. My voice was thick with sleep."Christie? It’s Miller from the lab," a man’s voice said. He sounded stressed. "I am sorry to wake you so early, but we have a major problem. We were running the new testing on the last batch of blood samples. Something is wrong. The data is all over the place and the stability is dropping."I sat up instantly. The fog in my brain cleared. I was a professional. When work called, I didn't have time to be tired. Those samples were critical for the serum research we had been doing for months. "What
Christie’s POVThe car ride from Lyon’s penthouse to my house was quiet. I sat in the back of the car he sent, watching the city streets pass by. My mind was still back in the mountains, but my body was exhausted. All I wanted to do was walk into my room, close the curtains, and sleep for a whole day. When the car pulled up to the driveway, I took a deep breath. I knew that walking into this house meant dealing with a different kind of war.I opened the front door and stepped inside. I dropped my bag by the door and started walking toward the stairs. I didn't even get to the first step before I saw her.Anna was sitting on the sofa in the living room. She had a magazine in her lap, but she wasn't reading it. She was looking at the door, waiting. As soon as she saw me, her face twisted into a scowl. She looked at me with bad eyes. She looked like she was looking at something she wanted to throw away."So, you decided to show up," Anna said. Her voice was sharp and loud. "Where have you
Lyon’s POVThe heavy front doors of the estate slammed shut behind us. I didn't look back. I kept my hand firmly on Christie’s lower back as we moved down the stone steps. The mountain air was cold and sharp, but it felt better than the stale, recycled oxygen of the royal wing. Ren was standing by the black SUV, his head bowed. He didn't ask questions. He just opened the door."The keys, Ren," I said.He handed them over without a word. He knew I wasn't in the mood to be driven. I needed to feel the steering wheel in my hands. I needed to be the one in control of the speed. I helped Christie into the passenger seat and walked around to the driver's side. The engine turned over with a low, powerful growl that seemed to vibrate through the gravel. As we pulled away, I caught a glimpse of the estate in the rearview mirror. The lights were still on in the Great Hall, but the building looked small and hollow. I accelerated, the tires spitting dirt as
Lyon’s POVThe wood of the door groaned as Kael kicked it again. I knew his scent. I had taught him how to hold a spear when he was barely a teenager. Now, he was outside my door, shouting about how I had grown soft. He and the others were only this brave because they knew I didn't want to kill my own blood. They were banking on my restraint."Open up, Lyon!" Kael shouted. "We aren't the elders. We don't care about your stories of the Great Frost. We want a leader who doesn't hide behind a human woman. If you won't come out, we’re coming in to drag her out ourselves!"I looked at Christie. She wasn't shaking. She was standing by the bed, her eyes fixed on me. She knew what was about to happen."Stay behind me," I said.I didn't shift or even growl. I reached out and pulled the heavy iron bar back. I did it slowly, letting the sound of the metal scraping echo through the hallway. Then, I turned the handle and pulled the door open.The hallway was full of men. Kael was in the front, his
Christie’s POVThe sound of a slap echoed through the ventilation duct above the bed. I stood on the mattress, pressing my ear against the cold metal grating. The shouting in the hallway had died down, but the argument in the side office was just getting started. I could hear every word. Lyon stood at the foot of the bed, his head tilted as he listened to the women who were currently tearing his world apart."You hit me?" Raynka’s voice was high and thin. She sounded like she was hyperventilating. "After everything I have done to secure our position? After I brought the child into the hallway to face his father?""You are a liability, Raynka," Kendra snapped back. Her voice was flat and hard. "You think you’re playing a game of hearts, but you’re just proving to Lyon that you’re a parent he can’t trust. Did you hear him? He didn't sound like a man who was ready to surrender. He sounded like a man who was counting the seconds until he could kill us.""He loves his son," Raynka argued.
Lyon’s POVThe silence in the room was broken by the sound of many feet shuffling in the hallway. I didn't need to see through the wood to know who was out there. I could hear the heavy, slow breathing of older men. Then came the sound of a throat being cleared. It was Silas."Lyon," Silas called out. His voice was loud, intended for the guards to hear as much as me. "The council is here. We have brought the Great Ledger of the North. We have been reading through the ancient codes of succession and the laws of the bloodline. You are in direct violation of the foundational oaths you took when you accepted the crown."I didn't answer. I stood by the door with my arms crossed. Christie was behind me, her eyes fixed on the wood. She looked tired, but she was listening closely."The law is clear," another elder shouted. "An Alpha who refuses the council’s guidance and chooses a human over his heir is a man who has abandoned his people. According to the Third Scroll, we have the right to de







