LOGINZahra's POVMy chest tightens painfully as I watch him sprawled on his back in the middle of my bed scrolling through his phone.“Morning, baby,” he says with a smile, his beautiful green eyes sweeping over my running gear and sweat-soaked appearance. “Good run?”I nod.“Have you eaten?” he asks, sniffing the air slightly.“Yeah. Lacy was already here when I got back.”I sit down on the edge of the bed as he places his phone back on the bedside table.“What time are you training this morning?” I ask.“Not until after lunch. We’ve got a teleconference with Yellowstone this morning, then I’ve got a session with Dr Garland.” He studies me for a second. “You going now?”I nod.But I don’t move towards the shower.For one horrible second, I nearly pretend everything is fine. Pretend I’m just tired. Pretend I’m not about to hurt him.“Max…” I start quietly, unable to meet his eyes.He rolls closer, his eyes turning serious. “What is it?”He shifts so he’s propped up on one elbow.“I think w
Zarha's POVI chew my way through my steak.Okay, whatever I say about it being boring is one thing, but Lacey’s cooking is heavenly. It’s juicy and perfectly cooked. I just wish I could enjoy it a bit more, but you know what they say about too much of a good thing…As I swallow down my last mouthful, Alpha Lucas walks into the kitchen.“Morning, Zahra. How are you today?”“Morning, Lucas. Yeah, same old.”He glances at me. “You off to training?”I just nod.“Greg says you’re getting stronger.”I huff and shrug. “I guess. It’s just annoyingly slow.”He doesn’t reply, but he looks at me over the top of his coffee mug as he drinks.“Are you looking forward to your birthday?”I glance up to see him watching me closely.“I’m not sure. On the one hand, I can find my mate, but on the other, I don’t want to disappoint anyone, and I’m not looking forward to being the centre of attention.”“What do you mean, disappoint anyone?” His voice is gentle as he lowers his mug.“Well, what if my mate i
Zahra's POVI push myself faster, my legs pounding, my breathing deepening, as the roar of my blood fills my ears. I’m still not fast enough. My lungs burn too quickly, my muscles ache too soon, and the version of me who used to move like this without thinking feels painfully far away.The Task Force warriors they don’t think I know about are keeping up far too easily. I scoff to myself. I still can’t believe they think I don’t know they’re there. What sort of warrior would I be if I didn’t notice men trailing me wherever I go?Or maybe it’s just after… everything.No. Not everything.After I was kidnapped and tortured for months.Dr Garland keeps telling me off for minimising the gravity of what happened. Apparently, that isn’t healthy. Owning my experiences is necessary for healing, or some bullshit like that.Zanthe gives a sleepy, irritated grunt in the back of my mind, but she doesn’t wake properly.I push harder, even though my thighs are starting to tremble and each breath scra
Aiden's POVWatching Kirsten rub herself all over her mates brother makes me feel a little nauseated and I frown. What the fuck does she think she’s doing?Through our bond, I feel Jasmine’s sharp burst of disgust mirror my own.That is not normal.A properly mated wolf usually avoids unnecessary physical contact with wolves of the opposite sex entirely unless they are actively betraying their bond, but to deliberately press herself against her mate’s brother, directly in front of Felix?It is so wildly inappropriate I do not even know where to begin.Felix is frowning now.“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kirsten. I’ve heard so much about you,” Tobias says as she steps back into Felix’s hold.“Funny, all I’ve heard about you is that you were away,” she chirps with a smile. “Mummy, Daddy, come and meet Felix’s big brother. This is Prince Tobias. Prince Tobias, these are my parents, Michelle and Justin Breverton.”Dad clears his throat beside us. “I think you mean Crown Prince Tobias.”Ki
Aiden's POVJames, Dad and the others head out before us. If this is going to be believable, it needs to look as natural as possible. The guards are explainable, but all of us arriving en-masse is not.'Everything okay, darling? Your emotions are all over the place,' Jasmine asks through our link.'I’ll explain later. Where are you now?''We’re down in the orangery having a drink. All us girls are. We were expecting you lot about ten minutes ago.''We’re on our way. Some last-minute Council business came up, but we’re coming now.''Good, because the terrible threesome are out in force, and I’m going to need you to stop me screaming in this woman’s face, or just ripping it off entirely.'I snort at her violent words.Goddess, I love this woman.'No face-ripping tonight, my love. See you in seconds.'Jasper, Marcus and I fall into formation around Tobias, with Lincoln at his side. Henry, Dustin and the other two guards flank us, but they hang back slightly so it looks like his normal pr
Lincoln's POVAt that last word, my eyebrows shoot upwards and I glance sharply at Tobias.But he’s not paying Alice any attention.Are they old lovers?Why the fuck did she just call him baby?Lex snaps through my mind, 'Focus. That’s not important right now.'Fuck.He’s right.“We need to tell our fathers,” Marcus says grimly, and I see his eyes glaze slightly as he mind-links.A few moments later, there’s a knock at the door.The King walks in with his unit, several warriors I’ve seen before, and Henry close behind them.Aiden recounts Alice’s story, and the room falls silent afterwards.“You are one hundred percent sure you saw her pay an Omega and put something on the food?” Nicholas asks, his face grim.Alice nods immediately.“Alice, I am only going to ask this again because this is extremely serious,” Nicholas says carefully. “Did you, or did you not, witness Kirsten attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince with your own eyes?”The room seems to tighten around us.Alice swallow
Zach's POVLucas, Hugo, and Austin appear from the study and join us in the hall to greet the others.In the lead are the Night Howlers. Brant and his dad. Arlo and his dad. They climb out of their cars and greet us all, their faces solemn."How are you, man?" Arlo asks as he pulls me into a hug.I
Zahra's POVDrip, drip, drip.I jolt back to wakefulness with a sharp clank as my chains rattle. For a second, I can’t place where I am, only the cold stone beneath me and the weight at my throat, then memory slams into place like a door locking.Fuck.My eyelids are swollen, heavy, and I can’t ope
Zahra's POVA clink of keys sounds above, followed by the scrape of metal. My attention snaps towards the only entrance. Across the room, someone in another cage whispers prayers under her breath, the words broken and desperate, as if faith is the only thing the bars can’t take from her.I lean for
Xander's POVNone of us sleep a wink. We stay huddled in the great room. I’ve not slept since Monday, and Sunday night was restless because I was so excited to see her. But now I’m empty. I can barely keep my eyes open, but I can’t sleep. Something deep inside me is telling me something is very, ve







