Mag-log inMAYAI let out the long breath I had been holding the moment I put enough distance between myself and Kael. My legs carried me just outside the pack house, where I leaned heavily against the cool stone wall. I took several deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart that still hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.Nymeris stirred within me. "Well done, Maya. I thought you were going to crack under that steely gaze of his.""The exact words I need right now," I hissed internally, sliding down the wall until I was crouched low, letting the tension slowly drain from my shoulders and back. "All of this happened because of you. If you hadn't gone to him, acting like—" I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence."A bitch? A slut?" Nymeris finished for me without hesitation. "Is that the new name you want to call yourself?"I groaned aloud, pushing myself back to my feet and brushing dirt from my dress. "That was too close, Nymeris. It's okay if I'm freaking out right now," I mutt
HIGH PRIESTESS LIORA "No!" Miriam shrieked. "We can't let her know." She spoke frantically as she pushed herself to her feet. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "She's so tender-hearted, Mother. She's suffered so much already. She spent her entire teenage years dealing with those awful pheromones, hiding, struggling just to feel normal. Now that she has her life figured out a bit, I won't wear her out by telling her she's abnormal again. I can't do that to her.""Then what do you suggest we do, Miriam?" I asked, keeping my tone measured."We have to stop her wolf from manifesting," Miriam replied immediately. "I'm going to stop it.""What do you mean?" I rose to my feet slowly."I'm going to clamp her wolf," she declared. "There's a way. I could use those pearls I once had. They'll suppress the wolf, stop her from manifesting, and she won't even know it's happening. She'll be safe.""Restricting a two-tailed wolf with a pearl has always ended in disaster," I warned, stepping cl
HIGH PRIESTESS LIORA My time was drawing near, I could feel it in my bones, but the world I would leave behind was messier than I had ever imagined. And worst of all, it was largely my fault.If only I had been firmer with Miriam, I thought. If I had put my foot down instead of being blinded by my love for her, perhaps Maya would never have come to be in this way. I had guided so many priestesses over the decades, yet with my own successor, I had faltered.I was grateful to the Moon Goddess for granting us a Moonwhisperer after ten thousand years. But who could have foreseen that Miriam’s mistake would carry such devastating repercussions? I had known there would be consequences, but nothing had prepared me for this. An ordinary wolf would have been manageable. I wouldn’t have lain awake at night with this cold dread. But a two-tailed wolf… I felt the fine hairs on the back of my neck rise in fear. Immediately, I muttered a quiet prayer under my breath, willing my weak old heart to
KAELI grabbed her arm just as she tried to slip past, spinning her around with controlled strength and pinning her gently but firmly against the wall of the corridor. The corridor was quiet.Her breath hitched audibly as she looked up at me. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips in a way that sent heat rushing through my body. Fenrir surged forward inside me for one small kiss, for anything. I wanted it so badly my hands trembled slightly, but I shook my head and leaned in instead, bringing my face close to her neck."What are you—" she began, her voice breathy, but the words died as I inhaled deeply, brushing my nose along the delicate skin of her throat. Her scent flooded me.I felt her body tremble despite how hard she tried to appear unaffected. She pushed half-heartedly at my chest, urging me to move away.I pulled back just enough to search her face. My eyes locked onto hers. "It was you this morning, wasn't it?"She stared at me. "Me this morning? What are you talking about?"
KAEL"Maya!" the name slipped out before I could stop it.Unable to hold back, I crossed the room in quick strides and pulled her into my arms, engulfing her in a tight hug. The crushing tightness in my chest that had lingered for two days finally began to ease. Ever since I had carried her feverish body from the training grounds back to her room, Selene had been a shadow, making it impossible to visit without raising questions. But now, seeing Maya standing here, it was like breathing fresh air again.As I held her close, Fenrir stirred within me, sending warm currents of lust surging through my veins. I leaned in deeper, inhaling her scent like a man starved. My arms tightened instinctively around her."That scent!" Fenrir’s voice growled in my head. "I’ve perceived it before. This morning…""What?" I mentally replied, leaning even closer and burying my nose against the curve of her neck, breathing her in.The scent carried a familiar message straight to my brain. It was reminiscen
MAYAAfter I was sure we were far enough from Kael and his warriors, the shift came over me again. The pull of bones and fur receded as I returned to my human form, collapsing onto the soft earth beneath a cluster of trees. I lay there panting, chest heaving as I stared up at the brightening sky. My dress was filthy, torn in places, and stained with dirt and what I suspected was blood. So this was how all those mysterious bruises and clothing stains had appeared before. I was still trembling from the exertion, but beneath the fatigue bloomed a profound sense of peace I had never known. It felt like a missing piece of my soul had finally clicked into place."What were you thinking?" I lashed out internally at Nymeris, my voice sharp even in my mind. "Your behavior with Kael was completely inappropriate! Rubbing against him like that? Purring? We could have been discovered!""Inappropriate?" Nymeris scoffed. "He's our mate, Maya. Wanting to be close to your mate is hardly inappropriate







