LOGIN~ Harvey ~
I don't shower — just wipe the blood from my body with a wet cloth, pull on jeans and a shirt, and head for the dungeon. My wounds are still untreated, and putting weight on my right foot sends pain lancing up my leg, but I can't go to the clinic right now. Not when Maya is missing and every minute counts. Karina jogs to catch up with me, and it guts me to see that my once vibrant, sassy sister is now a shadow of herself — thin, nervous, pale as a ghos~ Harvey ~I sit at the head of the table, keeping my face unreadable while a storm brews inside me.The council members have already arrived; Brian and Yanita greet and welcome them while the Omegas serve refreshments. I can't waste energy on small talk — not when I need every scrap of focus I have. Every word spoken at this table today will carry weight, and any one of them could bring victory or ruin.Footsteps echo against the walls, and as the attendant opens the door, they file in: the Beta couple, the Gamma couple, my parents, and five council members — one of them Elder Marcus. He gives me a supportive glance and a soft nod. Marcus knows exactly what I'm going through right now.Last comes Alpha Knox, strolling in with a coffee in hand, wearing the expression of a man who's just stepped in filth with his best shoes.A murmur of greetings passes through the room, and once the formalities are done, Alpha Knox speaks first.
~ Maya ~ The light is blinding, but before I even open my eyes, my hands try to move to my stomach — and I flinch when they don't budge an inch, locked in place."Your pup is fine," a low voice booms, full of authority. A voice I know — though I still hope that when I open my eyes, I won't see him."Kitty?" I call. Silence is my only answer.Foolish, to have hoped my kidnapper wouldn't suppress my wolf.I open my eyes, and there — shirtless, in sweatpants, lounging comfortably in an armchair — sits Alpha Knox, his expression almost bored.My eyes dart around the room: spacious, with an enormous bed, my hands cuffed to its bedposts; a large window with bars across it; a wardrobe; a sofa and an armchair with a small side table between them. I pull against the cuffs, mostly on instinct, because it's already clear I won't slip them so easily."You were out longer than I expected," Knox says, pouring a glass of water and com
~ Harvey ~Gina is in a room with the lights dimmed, much younger, looking frightened before a tall, black-haired woman. The woman's eyes glow red. The mark of a dark witch.Gina is seventeen here — I remember this version of her too well, back when she was forever experimenting with her hair. The silly bangs that didn't suit her, the silver highlights that clashed horribly with her strawberry-blonde hair."Are you certain this is truly what you want?" the witch asks, and Gina shivers, but nods."He's all I've ever wanted, all I'll ever want. I can't lose him to some fated mate," she mumbles, her hands fidgeting with the handle of the bag she's clutching."Very well. But the price is high.""That's no problem. I have plenty of money. How much?"The witch chuckles bitterly. "Little girl, I'm a dark witch, not a shopkeeper. Yes, I'll take ten thousand — I have bills like anyone else — but the forbidden ritual you're asking
~ Harvey ~ After the meeting, Lazar retires to confer with his advisors and trackers, and my own officials regroup. Even though they have clear instructions on what needs to be done, I still want to lead from the front — but Rowana catches my wrist before I can leave the meeting room. "Forgive him his outburst. He's worried and angry, same as the rest of us," she says. I'm surprised she pleads on her prince's behalf — as if my regard were ever something Lazar cared to have — but I nod anyway. She has never been anything but kind and helpful to me. "And forgive yourself, too. I know you're blaming yourself — for not letting her mark you, for drinking that tea, for not seeing sooner that everything was going south, and a hundred things more," Rowana murmurs, and I'm stunned by how much more she sees than I ever let on. And suddenly a wild idea crosses my mind. "Rowana — is there anything you can do to get even
~ Harvey ~ I don't shower — just wipe the blood from my body with a wet cloth, pull on jeans and a shirt, and head for the dungeon. My wounds are still untreated, and putting weight on my right foot sends pain lancing up my leg, but I can't go to the clinic right now. Not when Maya is missing and every minute counts. Karina jogs to catch up with me, and it guts me to see that my once vibrant, sassy sister is now a shadow of herself — thin, nervous, pale as a ghost. "I came to say I'm sorry," she says, and I stop dead, an ugly thought creeping in — the possibility that Karina was somehow part of the attack. "For what?" I frown. "For failing you." Her voice is barely audible. "As your sister, as an Alpha's daughter, I should have fought at your side. Instead, I was crying while your head warrior had to babysit me. On top of being a mole, I'm useless — completely worthless to this pack. Even Mom is working tirel
~ Harvey ~"Can you tell us exactly what happened here?" I ask Rowana.Rowana closes her eyes and begins to chant, turning slowly, her hands sweeping through the air like the arms of a windmill. Time stretches thin, and every second of waiting gnaws at me. The trackers are already combing the pack grounds, but after a battle like the one we just fought, finding the right trail is almost impossible.Brian, Yanita, and Gladys slip into the room; my father follows a moment later. All of them wait in silence for Rowana."I feel so much pain here. Fear. Anger," Rowana murmurs. "Several vampires. A dark witch. And werewolves. Maya fought — but the witch suppressed her powers.""Was she taken, or did she leave on her own?" Nico cuts in, still hunting for the last scrap of proof that Maya did not abandon me and the pack.Rowana shakes her head. "I can't say for certain. But I feel her fury — it rose long before the fighting began. She wa







