LOGINKade’s POVMorning light filtered weakly through the narrow, barred window of the Cold Palace chamber, casting pale gray stripes across the stone floor. The fire had burned down to embers overnight, but the bed was still warm, thanks entirely to Aria’s body curled tightly against mine.I woke slowly, my cock already half-hard and nestled between her thighs, the head brushing against her slick folds. She was still asleep, breathing soft and even, one leg draped over my hip. My arm was wrapped possessively around her waist, holding her close. The scent of last night’s sex lingered in the air, musky, sweet, and unmistakably us.I shifted my hips, sliding my length along her slit without entering her yet. She stirred with a sleepy little moan, pressing back against me instinctively.“Mmm… Kade?” Her voice was husky from sleep and from how loudly she had cried out for me during the night.I kissed the back of her neck, nipping lightly at the mark I’d left there hours earlier. “Good morning
Kade’s POVAria’s hips rolled slowly against mine, drawing a deep groan from my throat as I stayed buried inside her. The aftershocks of our second round still pulsed through both of us, her walls fluttering around my cock, slick and warm with our mixed release. She leaned down, pressing soft kisses along my jaw, her damp hair falling like a curtain around us.I slid my hands up her back, pulling her closer until her breasts were flush against my chest. The Cold Palace stone walls felt a thousand miles away. Here, in this small room, with her body wrapped around me, the world narrowed to heat and scent and the sweet taste of her skin.“I should go back tonight,” I murmured against her shoulder, even as my hips gave a lazy thrust upward, staying deep inside her. “The pack… the meetings…”Aria made a soft, protesting sound and nipped at my earlobe. “Stay.”The word sent a fresh wave of heat through me. I rolled us so she was beneath me again, propping myself on my elbows to look down at
Kade's povThe memory hit me hard, her legs wrapped around my waist, her breath hot against my neck, the slick heat of her pulling me in again and again until I lost myself completely. The bond had flared so brightly in that moment, chasing away the haze that had nearly cost me the bout. Even now, days later, the ghost of her scent lingered in my mind, making my wolf stir restlessly.“Alpha Kade?”One of the board members cleared his throat, voice cutting through the fog. Several heads turned toward me, expressions shifting from concern to mild confusion.I blinked, realizing I had missed the last several minutes of discussion. My fingers were clenched around the arm of my chair, knuckles white.“Apologies,” I said, voice rougher than intended. I pushed my chair back and stood abruptly. “This meeting is adjourned. We’ll reconvene tomorrow when I’m… more focused.”Murmurs rippled through the room, but no one dared protest. I strode out without another word, the heavy door closing behin
Kade’s POVThe drive back to the pack house felt longer than the journey there.Riven sat silently in the passenger seat, staring out at the frost-covered fields rolling past the windows. He hadn’t said a word since we left Claire’s parents’ house, but the tension radiating from him was impossible to ignore. His jaw was locked, hands resting on his thighs like he was physically holding himself back from speaking.I kept my eyes on the road, knuckles tight on the steering wheel. Claire’s tears, the way she had hit my chest while sobbing, her quiet warning about Aria, it all replayed in my head on a loop. She hadn’t agreed to come home yet, but she hadn’t slammed the door shut either. That small crack of hope was the only thing keeping the guilt from crushing me completely.When we finally pulled up to the pack house, the sun was already dipping low, painting the stone walls in shades of orange and gold. The place felt quieter than usual, as if the entire building was holding its breath
Kade’s povI set off for her parents’ house on the eastern border of the territory, Riven riding silently beside me in the vehicle. The drive was tense, the frost-covered countryside blurring past the windows. Riven hadn’t asked many questions, but I could feel his disapproval radiating off him. He had tried to talk me out of this twice already.When we arrived, the large family home looked unchanged, warm lights glowing in the windows despite the cold afternoon. Claire’s mother, Luna Elara, opened the door before I could knock. Her face hardened the moment she saw me.“Alpha Kade,” she said coldly, arms crossed. “You have some nerve showing up here.”“Elara, please,” I started, keeping my voice respectful but firm. “I need to see Claire. She hasn’t come home. She won’t answer my calls. I just want to talk to her.”Elara’s eyes narrowed, disappointment and anger flashing across her features. “Talk? After everything you’ve put her through? First you lied that you banished your previous
Kade’s POVThe pack house felt heavier than usual as I made my way through the quieter corridors the next morning. The trials had paused for a brief rest day, giving wolves time to recover and elders time to deliberate on the standings. My body still ached from yesterday’s bouts, but the herbs Aria had given me continued to work their quiet magic, keeping the fog at bay and my thoughts sharper than they had been in weeks.Yet something else gnawed at me.Riven.The way he had looked when he walked into the dining hall last night, shock, then something darker flashing across his face before he shut it down. The stiffness in his bow. The way he had barely met my eyes on the trials ground afterward. He had been off ever since Aria returned, and it wasn’t just concern for the pack. There was something personal there. Something I couldn’t quite place.I had considered confronting him directly. Pulling him aside and demanding answers. But Riven was loyal, sometimes to a fault, and pushing h
Kade’s POVSunlight streamed through the windows of our bedroom, warm and golden.I woke to the scent of jasmine and the feeling of Claire’s body pressed against mine, her leg draped over my hip, one arm curled across my chest.For the first time in months, I felt… peaceful.No guilt gnawing at my
Aria’s POVThe sun had barely risen when Elder Cassius arrived for my third lesson.I’d been awake for hours, studying the texts he’d left me the previous session—dense volumes on pack law, Luna responsibilities, and the intricate hierarchy that governed wolf society.My head ached from information
Aria’s POVMorning light filtered through the grimy windows, turning the dust motes into dancing stars.I woke to the sound of Olive knocking frantically on my door.“Luna! Luna, are you alright?”I sat up quickly, disoriented. The wardrobe I’d shoved against the door last night loomed like a silen
Claire’s POVThe corridor leading to our chambers was thick with smoke even before I opened the door.I adjusted the thin silk mask covering my nose and mouth, fashionable enough to pass as an accessory, and practical enough to filter out the worst of the incense fumes.The door swung open silentl







