LOGINElise's eyes widened as Ronan's words finally sank in. A strangled gasp escaped her throat, and the colour drained from her face. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, fingers curling and uncurling as she desperately tried to conceal her fear. It was useless. Her terror was written all over her.
It felt as though the ground had disappeared beneath her feet, leaving her with nothing to cling to. Every second she remained in Ronan Kingsley's hands brought her closer to death.<
The word hung heavily in the infirmary.Murdered.For several seconds, Blaise said nothing. His gaze remained fixed on Ronan as though he were waiting for his brother to laugh and admit that the entire conversation had been some cruel joke.But Ronan didn't smile.There was no amusement in his eyes, no trace of the playful brother who had teased him moments earlier.Only grim certainty.I squeezed Blaise's hand, wishing there were something I could say to make the news less painful.Doctor Thomas had clearly meant a great deal to him. Even after all those years apart, Blaise had been ready to trust the man with our future.Now that hope had been taken away."Who would do something like that?" Blaise finally asked.His voice was quieter than before.Ronan's
I did not know when I had fallen asleep. All I knew was the gentle stroke across the top of my head, smoothing my hair the whole time. When I opened my eyes I was still by Blaise’s bedside in the infirmary, and the room was eerily dark.As soon as I sat up, the weight on my head vanished. My attention went first to the moon, then to Blaise. I sucked in a sharp breath when a pair of silvery gray eyes looked back at me."Blaise." I murmured his name. My heart pounded against my ribs so hard it was almost deafening. Excitement and relief swirled through my chest, and for a moment I could not tell whose feelings they were.Without another word I launched myself into his open arms and tucked my head into the crook of his neck. In that position his natural scent filled my nose, the perfume of home. I snuggled deeper. When he laughed softly, my body moved with his."It is good to see you too, Kaela."
"Let me go!"Elise screamed and thrashed wildly, struggling against the men holding her despite the agony coursing through her body.Blood trailed behind them as they carried her away.Ronan made a mental note to have the mess cleaned up later. He didn't want the scent attracting vampires or wendigos towards Nightreign's territory.He had dealt with enough of these creatures, as humans liked to call them, to last several lifetimes. The thought of closing Nightreign's borders and shutting the rest of the world out sounded increasingly appealing.If only his responsibilities would allow it.He would gladly disappear somewhere peaceful for a few weeks. At this point, a proper holiday sounded like heaven."You can scream until your throat gives out," Ronan said, watching Kaine carry Elise over his shoulder like an unwanted sack of potatoes. "
Elise's eyes widened as Ronan's words finally sank in. A strangled gasp escaped her throat, and the colour drained from her face. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, fingers curling and uncurling as she desperately tried to conceal her fear. It was useless. Her terror was written all over her.It felt as though the ground had disappeared beneath her feet, leaving her with nothing to cling to. Every second she remained in Ronan Kingsley's hands brought her closer to death.Vernon could still save her.At least, that was what she had been telling herself.That last thread of hope snapped when Ronan planted his shoe on the back of her hand and slowly increased the pressure. With her cheek badly damaged, she could barely produce a proper scream."Or perhaps you'd prefer to discuss something else?" Ronan hummed, clearly enjoying himself.He glanced at Kaine, who im
"You can touch him, you know."Nicole's gentle voice interrupted my thoughts.She was still cleaning her medical instruments, soaking them in alcohol before rinsing them thoroughly. The amount of blood spilled during the operation had left the entire infirmary smelling strongly of disinfectant.I wasn't sure the smell would disappear anytime soon, but with enough time and patience, the room would eventually return to normal.I could only hope Blaise would do the same."He looks so fragile." I moved closer to the bed, yet I still hesitated to take his hand. "How long do you think it'll be before he wakes up?""I honestly can't say." Nicole didn't pretend to know more than she did. "His body needs time to recover. Now that the silver has been removed, he should wake within minutes or a few hours. That's one of the advantages of being a werewolf."
The grim expressions on their faces vanished, replaced by pure shock, the moment their alpha stepped out of the car completely naked. I climbed out after him, but hardly anyone spared me a glance. Ronan's physique was far too distracting for them to look away.Lucien nearly choked at the sight. He was the only one bold enough to show his reaction. The others simply stared before quickly lowering their heads, unwilling to meet Ronan's narrowed gaze."Where are the clothes I told you to bring?" Ronan demanded instead of offering a greeting.That explained their strange welcome. He must have instructed them to prepare some clothes beforehand.Lucien shoved a bag into his hands."Here. A new shirt and trousers. Honestly, I thought you were playing a prank on me when you called." He watched as Ronan finally began dressing, covering himself and saving the watching wolves from a collect







