LOGIN### RolandThe gates finally swung open after what felt like an eternity of waiting.I gave the guards one last hard look before motioning for the driver to proceed. The three SUVs rolled into Blackstone, passing through the entrance and into the expansive courtyard.I had barely stepped out of the lead vehicle when I spotted him.Ryker stood in the middle of the courtyard, his hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers, his expression dark. Unlike the last time we crossed paths, he had no entourage surrounding him. He was alone, and judging by the look on his face, he had been waiting for me.Wonderful.I straightened my jacket and walked towards him, Adrian following a few steps behind.Ryker's eyes swept over me with open disdain."What's this now, Roland?" he demanded. "Have you come to cause another scene? What do you want this time?"I stopped a few feet away from him."Don't flatter yourself. I'm not here for you."His mouth twisted into a humorless smile. "Then y
### RolandI slammed the door shut behind me, shutting out Bianca's desperate screams. The heavy click of the lock echoed through the corridor, but I could still hear her pounding against the other side, shouting my name as though she believed she could somehow force me to change my mind.She could scream until her throat gave out for all I cared.I had more pressing matters to deal with.Adrian stood a few paces away, his expression carefully neutral. He straightened when I approached, though his eyes briefly flickered towards the locked door behind me."Let's go."I strode towards the staircase, expecting him to fall into step behind me. He did, but I noticed the hesitation in his movements, the way he seemed to be weighing his next words before speaking."What is it?" I demanded without looking at him."Alpha, I was wondering if we're truly going to Blackstone today. We'd already discussed this, and you agreed that we would verify Tessa's claim before making a move.""I've
### RolandTessa's lips curled into a bloody smile.“Dr. Vance is in Blackstone.”I went still.For a moment, the only sound in the dungeon was her ragged, hitching breath. Then I slowly lowered my gaze, staring deep into her bloodshot eyes.“What did you say?”“You heard me.” She coughed, wincing as pain twisted her features, but the malicious satisfaction in her eyes remained unquenched. “He's in Blackstone. So why don't you go there and get him?”My jaw tightened until my teeth creaked. “Are you daring me?”“I'm doing more than that.” Her smile widened despite the blood staining her lips. “I'm giving you a chance to prove you're as powerful as you pretend to be. Go to Blackstone, Roland. Let's see how far you get before Ryker tears you in two.”A murderous rage surged through me.That bastard Ryker had already taken enough from me. He had stolen Sincerely, interfered in my pack's affairs, and made a mockery of my authority at every turn. Now his pack was apparently harbor
### RolandThe stench of copper and damp stone hit me before I even stepped past the heavy iron door of the subterranean interrogation cell.Tessa was slumped in the center of the room, bound to a heavy wooden chair by thick iron chains. Her head hung low, her chest heaving with every jagged, agonizing breath. Blood dripped from a split in her swollen bottom lip, staining the torn collar of her white maid’s dress.Adrian stood near the stone wall, wiping a crimson smear from his knuckles with a rag. He straightened the moment I crossed the threshold.“Alpha,” he said, his voice deep and tight. “We’ve pressed her for twenty minutes, but she refuses to talk to my men. She keeps insisting she’ll only speak to you.”I didn’t answer. I took three slow, deliberate steps forward, stopping directly in front of the chair. My shadow fell across her.Tessa flinched violently, her head snapping up. Her brown eyes were bloodshot, wide with terror, and her body trembled against her bindings.
### RykerI studied their faces, looking for any indication that they were concealing something. Neither appeared particularly comfortable, but that could just as easily have been the result of the risk they were taking by coming here.“And what exactly is in this for Blackstone?” I asked bluntly.The first elder didn’t seem offended.“We understand that you would not take such a risk without considering what it means for your own pack. If you help us restore order, and secure Elder Morris’s release, Mooncrest will formally recognize Blackstone’s support and enter into a binding agreement of cooperation with your pack.”I said nothing, so he continued.“We are prepared to negotiate a favourable trade agreement, open access to Mooncrest’s eastern routes, and establish a mutual security arrangement between our territories. Our people have benefited from those routes for generations, and we know that greater cooperation would benefit both packs.”I glanced at Kane. He had remained
### RykerThe following morning, Sincerely’s mood had hardly improved.I had spent most of the previous day trying to distract her, from teasing her until she laughed to suggesting we take a walk around the grounds. She had humoured me eventually, but even when she smiled, I could tell her mind was elsewhere.And this morning was no different.I had just walked into the living room when I found her sitting on the sofa, watching television. Or, at least, that was what it looked like. Her eyes were fixed on the screen, but she seemed so lost in thought that I doubted she could tell me what was happening on it.I paused in the doorway, studying her for a moment.Whatever was going on at Mooncrest had clearly gotten under her skin.I was about to approach her when Kane, my Beta, walked into the room.“Alpha, you have some visitors.”I turned to him, surprised. I wasn’t expecting anyone, and if someone had requested an audience, Kane would usually have informed me beforehand.“Vi







