LOGINAlice settled onto the floor across from Winter, her back against the opposite wall. The space was too small for comfortable distance, their knees almost touching. "Levi's worried. Says your training has been off. That you're distracted." "Hard to focus with an audience judging every shadow movement." "I know." Alice's voice went soft. "Olivia stirred up trouble and now everyone's watching you like you're about to betray us. It's not fair." Fair stopped mattering around the time Winter had been chosen as tribute. Life just happened, fair or not, and people dealt with the consequences. "I'm thinking about leaving," Winter said. The words came out before she'd consciously decided to speak them. "Not going back to wolves. Just......somewhere else. Somewhere no one knows what I am or cares about bloodlines and ancient feuds." Alice was quiet for a moment. "Do places like that exist?" Probably not. The war between witches and wolves had spread across territories, poisoning relationsh
Winter's chest hurt thinking about it."He told me I could leave," she said to the darkness. "That the gates weren't barred. And I almost believed him. Almost thought maybe he wasn't as terrible as everyone said."Then the witches had taken her. Rescued her, according to Sophia and Levi. But Winter hadn't wanted rescuing. Not really. She'd wanted time to understand what was happening between her and the Alpha King. Time to figure out if the mate bond was just biology or something more complicated.(She'd been outside in that forgotten garden. Fresh air and growing things. The first freedom she'd felt since arriving at the citadel. And Ezekiel had given her that freedom, even though it clearly cost him something to do it.)The memory of him at the fountain merged with the memory of him killing the wolves who'd tried to hurt her. Blood splattered across his face and chest, his golden eyes blazing with fury, his hands still dripping when he'd t
Winter spent three days avoiding people. Not difficult in a cave system this large. She found unused tunnels that branched off from the main sanctuary, narrow passages that led to dead ends or forgotten storage chambers. Places where the only company was Vex and her own spiraling thoughts. The Council had decided she wasn't an immediate threat. That conclusion should bring relief. instead Winter felt hollowed out, like she'd been examined and found wanting. Trustworthy enough not to execute but suspicious enough to watch constantly. She trained with Levi in the evenings (still). But now other witches attended too, standing along the walls of the training cavern with expressions that ranged from curious to hostile. Observers making sure Winter didn't do anything dangerous. Witnesses in case her magic turned violent. It made focusing nearly impossible. Right now Winter sat in one of her discovered alcoves, a tiny space barely large enough for her and Vex. No light crystals here,
Winter followed Sophia and the elders toward a side tunnel. Behind her, she heard Olivia's voice rise slightly. The tunnel led to a small chamber. Inside, three more elderly witches waited. The full Whispering Council. Six women watching Winter with expressions ranging from curious to skeptical. The chamber's walls were carved with protective symbols that made Winter's skin prickle. Wards against intrusion. Whatever happened here would stay private. "Sit," the eldest witch said. Her voice was raspy but firm, gesturing to a stone stool in the chamber's center. Winter sat. The stool was uncomfortable, positioned deliberately so she faced all six Council members at once. Sophia stood to the side. "Winter Moon," the eldest witch continued. "Daughter of Sophia, granddaughter of Morwenna. We have questions about your time in the Crescent citadel. You will answer truthfully." Not a request. A command. "Yes, Elder." "How long were you in the Alpha King's custody?" "Weeks. I'm not sur
The mate bond pulsed in her chest and Winter pressed her hand over her sternum. Levi noticed, his gaze tracking the movement "the bond is still there," he said quietly. Winter nodded. "It's always there. Cold and distant but present. Like he's on the other side of a wall I can't see through." "Does it hurt?" "Sometimes. When I think about him too much. When I wonder if he's looking for me or if he was relieved when I disappeared." "He's looking." Levi's tone was certain. "Alpha Kings don't lose their mates without searching. If even half the stories about Ezekiel's possessiveness are true, he's probably torn apart half his territory trying to find you." The image should be frightening. But what Winter felt was complicated warmth mixing with guilt. "Would you go back?" Levi asked. "If he found you. If he asked." Winter opened her mouth to say no automatically, but the word stuck. Because she didn't know the answer. The citadel had been lonely and frightening and suffocating. Bu
"You're going to ruin her life because Levi won't give you private lessons?" Alice's voice cracked. "That's what this is really about." "This is about protecting our community." But Olivia's tone had shifted. Less certain. "If I'm wrong, no harm done. The council will investigate and clear her. But if I'm right and we do nothing, she could get us all killed." Footsteps retreated down the tunnel. Alice stayed outside Winter's alcove for a long moment before she finally left too. Quieter. Slower.. Winter sat up on her pallet. Her hands were shaking and that tight feeling in her chest had spread to her throat. Vex pushed through the curtain and pressed his muzzle against her shoulder. "She thinks I'm a spy," Winter whispered. The words tasted wrong. Absurd. But also terrifying because if Olivia believed it, how many others might? Vex huffed. dismissive. Unconcerned. "The Council meeting is tonight." Winter's stomach twisted. Hearing Olivia's accusations changed everything. Now it
The silence he left behind was louder than a scream. Winter sat frozen on the hard wooden chair, her entire being vibrating with the aftershocks of his presence. Her mind was a kaleidoscope of fractured images: the terrifying intensity of his golden eyes, the shocking heat of his body so close t
A tremor ran through her, a violent shudder she couldn’t control. She wrapped her arms around herself, her teeth chattering. His eyes narrowed further, a flicker of deep annoyance in their golden depths. Her weakness, her fear, it was like a grating noise, a flaw in the perfect, cold silence of hi
She sat up, her heart pounding. the room was silent. Empty. But the feeling was back. Stronger this time. The hum of the bond was a distinct thrum in her blood, a resonant frequency that made the hairs on her arms stand up. He was close. She slid off the high bed, her bare feet silent on the co
This must be Elspeth, Winter thought, recalling the name from Jax's earlier comment. She had served the Citadel for a long time, and her loyalty was to the Alpha King alone. The woman’s eyes, the color of slate, flickered over Winter once. It wasn’t a glance; it was a judgment. It was a look that






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