LOGINElira Ashwyn pushes into the small kitchen, her small plush body tensing as she sees Kaedrin Thornvale standing awkwardly amidst shards of shattered clay pots.He raises his sharp grey eyes to her, looking lost and helpless. "I was scrubbing the grease when they... slipped right out of my hands."Well, a rough border male like him had not touched kitchen items in years, so a mess was inevitable.Elira crouches down, her short fingers carefully gathering the shattered pieces from the floor.She isn't sure whether to laugh or cry. "I am guessing you did not rinse them first. Clay pots need warm water and gentle soap.""I see. I will remember that next time," Kaedrin growls softly, ripping off a piece of dry linen to hand to her. "Move out of the way, little female. I'll pick up the rest so you don't cut your skin."He doesn't want her getting hurt because of his clumsy hands.It doesn't take long for Kaedrin to finish clearing the broken clay. When he steps out of the alcove wiping his
Elira Ashwyn shifts her weight on the hard wooden stool, her dark skin flushing with heat as the interview panel murmurs."Why would you hand her an exam meant for high-ranking estate managers with a decade of territory experience?" the second female interviewer asks, glaring at Vespera Hollowmere. She snatches up Elira's file from the desk, scanning her achievements. "Elira Ashwyn has top marks from the academy. She managed four border keeps before her graduation. We need someone who actually understands high-court logistics, Vespera. Do you have a personal vendetta against her?"Vespera bites her red-painted lip, her yellow eyes flashing with hidden malice. "Why would I care about a low-ranking stray?" She shrugs, pretending to look bored. "There were plenty of rumors about her back at the academy. She is not as pure as she acts. She spent her first year trying to lure high-beta males away from their mated pairs. I know her scent better than you do. She has a trash reputation, and o
Elira Ashwyn stands rigid on the snow-covered threshold of the Ashwyn pack lodge as cold wind bites at her dark skin. Lady Morwen steps out into the courtyard, her silver robes sweeping over the frost as she forces a sweet, frantic smile onto her face."Kaedrin, you must have misunderstood things in there," Lady Morwen says, her voice trembling slightly under his heavy shadow-aura. "I only scolded the girl out of motherly discipline. It meant nothing at all.""I am not interested in your pathetic lies," Kaedrin Thornvale says flatly, his grey eyes locked on the trembling older female. "Save your tongue for someone who cares."Fenros Greymane steps forward instantly, picking up the four heavy iron chests of rare crystals and runic gems without a word. He locks each steel latch with a heavy click, turning his back on the lodge."Take every token back to the carriage, Fenros," Kaedrin commands, his voice rumbling like deep thunder through the courtyard. "The Ashwyn clan does not deserve
Elira Ashwyn pushes through the grand iron gates of the Ashwyn pack lodge, her small, plush four-foot-five frame heavy with exhaustion.Now that she has bound her wolf to Kaedrin Thornvale in the sacred hall, she needs the fifty thousand silver tokens to pay the medicine wolves treating Elder Maelis for shadow-rot.Lady Morwen Ashwyn sits on a high furs-covered throne inside the inner hall, sipping warm moon-mead from an silver goblet. She looks up at Elira with a cold, mocking smile."How is life in the border shacks with your rogue mate?" Morwen asks, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "Did you come back to crawl on your knees to your pack?""I am here for the silver tokens," Elira says, her dark brown eyes burning with rage. "You swore under pack law that the moment I signed the mating contract in place of Cerys, you would hand over the chest for Elder Maelis's healing crystals."Morwen sets her goblet down on the stone table, her expression turning into a ruthless sneer
Elira Ashwyn startles, her dark brown eyes widening as she tilts her head up to meet Kaedrin Thornvale's intense grey gaze. "If I am not Cerys Ashwyn, who else would I be? That is a ridiculous accusation."She tries to keep her voice even, but her pulse hammers in her throat. She signed the blood contract in place of Cerys under the Ashwyn clan name. If Kaedrin realizes the swap before Garrick Ashwyn releases the silver tokens to the healers, Elder Maelis will die of shadow-rot in the den.Kaedrin narrows his eyes, his mountain-Alpha instincts picking up on the subtle shift in her scent. The rumors about Cerys Ashwyn described a vain, haughty female who refused to touch common ground and spent her nights drinking mead with wealthy pack heirs.Yet this plush, short female in front of him accepted his bare stone lair without a single complaint. She didn't turn her nose up at his lack of pack status, nor did she scream when he threatened to kill any male who touched her.He stepped back,
Elira Ashwyn catches the faint glint of silver runes on the heavy steel cuff around Kaedrin Thornvale's wrist. The massive warrior leans down, his scent of bitter cedar and blood hitting her nostrils, and speaks in a low growl."This is just a stolen trophy from a rival rogue I slaughtered on the border," Kaedrin whispers, his hot breath brushing against the shell of her ear. "I wear it to look dangerous, but I didn't think a little female like you would spot it so quickly."He unclasps the rune-cuff and shoves it into his leather belt pocket."It looked authentic," Elira mutters, stepping back as her ears burn with sudden heat.Having this broad-shouldered warrior towering over her four-foot-five frame makes her heart thud against her ribs. She shakes her head to clear her mind. It makes sense that an outcast bloodline rogue would carry stolen gear from northern battles."The ceremony is over," Cerys Ashwyn sneers, strutting forward with her hands wrapped around Torric Blackthorn's t







