LOGINRonan’s voice curled through the blackness, low and mocking.
“You sound more desperate than I expected. What happened to all that bravado about never lying with me again?”
“I—”
“You’re practically offering yourself up like one of those collared women you used
We had other matters to deal with in the meantime,” Ronan replied through clenched teeth. “As I’ve already explained, we’ve been dealing with vampire attacks.”“Spare me the speech,” Alpha Thorton interrupted. “Vampire attacks are no excuse for neglecting the consummation of a mate bond or the crowning of a Luna. Yet all I’ve heard about Nightreign are stories of your promiscuity and the beautiful women supposedly waiting on your every whim. You don’t strike me as a man who values the concept of fated mates, so save your excuses for someone else.”Wow.Alpha Thorton certainly knew how to strike where it hurt.I was genuinely surprised by how accurately he seemed to have judged Ronan. If this conversation had taken place just two months earlier, his accusations would have been painfully accurate.“That isn&rsq
No alpha wanted to find himself in a position where he had to beg another alpha to save his pack. It went against every instinct they possessed.I tried to send a wave of calm through our bond. Ronan was not an embarrassment. He was brave enough to put his pride aside and seek help for the sake of his pack’s survival. That was what made a good, strong alpha. I was proud of him, and I knew Blaise was too.“Yes, I need help.” Ronan spoke through clenched teeth. “I could obtain supplies from other human towns, but I don’t want to risk having those supplies sabotaged by vampires or hunters.”Alpha Thorton nodded. I suspected he understood the reasoning, but I doubted he would simply hand Ronan what he wanted. His next words confirmed my suspicion.“What can you and Nightreign offer in exchange for our supplies?” Alpha Thorton tilted his head curiously. He d
“How dare you?” Dahlia sputtered indignantly. “This is my pack! If anything, you're the one who should leave!”I winced inwardly.That was it. Our entire journey was a failure.We were about to be thrown out without even getting the chance to meet her father.To my astonishment, however, Dahlia continued speaking as though she were having a conversation with herself.“But because I'm a gracious and kindhearted person, I'll forgive you. After all, we're going to be married eventually. What's a few harsh words between mates?”Blaise and I exchanged discreet looks of disbelief.Dahlia was either incredibly optimistic about her chances with Ronan, astonishingly confident in herself, or completely delusional.“Are you going to take us to see your father or not?” Ronan demanded impatiently.“Someone's certainly eager to meet his future father-in-law.” Dahlia cooed at him.Before Ronan could deliver another scathing response, she turned around.“Come on, then. Follow me.”At last, we were ma
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than the sound of a church bell rang through the air. The enormous gate began to creak open, forcing the three of us to stand outside and wait.I could practically feel Ronan’s irritation growing by the second. He clearly wanted to march straight inside and get down to business rather than stand around waiting like an uninvited guest.“Pretentious fuckwits,” he muttered under his breath.“Manners,” Blaise and I said simultaneously.The surprise that flickered across Ronan’s face was priceless. He quickly composed himself, however, just as someone approached us.The woman was tall, with long, dark hair pulled into a high ponytail and straight bangs framing her forehead. Her sharp blue eyes narrowed in distaste as she examined me from head to toe, clearly unimpressed by what she saw. She sniffed the air before recoiling with a contemptuous huff.“A human? And not even a beautiful one.” She looked me over disdainfully. “You’re weak, and you have
What sort of pack is Thunderstrike?” I asked from the back seat, where a bag of supplies and a change of clothes rested beside me.We had departed at first light after eating an early breakfast. Despite our efforts to remain optimistic, I could not stop worrying about what would happen if we failed to secure enough food for Nightreign.Ronan was behind the wheel once again, while Blaise occupied the passenger seat. He had recovered sufficiently to insist on joining us, refusing to be persuaded otherwise even after Ronan warned him that the journey would be long and painfully boring.Thunderstrike was situated far enough away that we had at least six hours of driving ahead of us. The pack occupied territory beyond the mountains, and I rolled down the windows to let in some fresh air before the motion of the car could make me nauseous.The roads were uneven and bumpy, and I was already regretting my position in the back seat.However, I had no intention of asking Blaise to switch places
“A vampire killed him, Blaise. They drained his blood, slit his throat, and left him sitting in his favourite armchair for us to discover.” Ronan explained everything bluntly, making no attempt to soften the horror of it.Blaise parted his lips as though he wanted to respond, but no words came out. His fingers tightened around my hand until it almost hurt. I did not pull away. At that moment, I was the only thing keeping him from slipping into the darkness of his grief.Tears welled in his eyes, and his throat moved as he struggled to speak.“I... no... but...” He finally managed to stammer, wiping his eyes with his free hand.A heavy wave of sorrow washed over me, threatening to drag me under. The grief was not mine, yet I felt every bit of it through him.“I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye.” His voice weakened as he sank further into the pillows. “I should have visited him more often. I had the time. I could have called him. I could have done something, anything. Why did I







