FAZER LOGINMy wolf came back like a dam had burst.It was sudden and all-consuming, almost painful in its intensity. My nerve endings lit on fire. A bond I’d forgotten for too long suddenly snapped into place like a live wire pulling taut. I looked up, and an animal howled in my mind.Mate.My Lord let out a d
Andrei’s POVThe ring was too small for every finger except my pinky.I couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Her hands were still wrapped around mine, and she was saying something. Not out loud, but somewhere deep and resonant. Inside of me, where my Lord’s voice dwelled, came hers. Soft and sweet and so
I still knew every word.“Mom.” Max’s hand tightened on my arm. “Drop it. Look at me.”I looked at him.He had dirt on his face and his lip was split and his eyes were wide and scared and absolutely certain, all at once. He looked eleven years old and he looked forty, and I loved him so much in that
Natalia’s POVI fought like hell.My arm shook from the strength it took not to let that blade drive down toward Andrei’s chest. Max’s screams faded into the distance. The knife hovered six inches above Andrei’s chest, getting closer with each second.I had both hands wrapped around the handle now,
Natalia’s POVIt all happened so fast—a flash of movement at the edge of the platform, a small hooded figure vaulting up the steps, and then the knife coming down in a quick, hard arc that made the blade catch the red light overhead.Andrei threw himself sideways just before the knife collided with
I straightened up. My heart was pounding. I looked around the room and for a single, disorienting moment, I had no idea where I was. The black stone walls, the red sky beyond the window, the dead air of this place—none of it felt right. None of it felt like mine. I felt like a man who had woken up m
“Natalia! What a surprise. I didn’t know you were in town.”“Just visiting,” I said.“Without Alpha Andrei?” She looked around like she expected him to materialize out of nowhere. “Where is he?”“He’s—” I hesitated. What was I supposed to say? That he had sent us away because he was afraid he might
Natalia’s POVThe festival preparations were in full swing. I spent most of the morning cleaning. It was tedious work, but it kept my hands busy and my mind occupied.Hope was napping. The twins were outside helping Andrei’s Beta hang decorations in the town square. For once, I had a little time to
And there, sitting on a bench, was Natalia.She was talking to someone. A man. He was leaning close to her, smiling, and she was smiling back.Something hot and violent surged through my chest. Jealousy. Rage. How dare he sit that close to her? How dare he make her smile when I couldn’t?“Your secon
Andrei’s POVI woke to the feeling of someone shaking my shoulder. My neck was stiff from sleeping at an awkward angle, and my mouth tasted like old coffee and morning breath.“Andrei. Wake up.”I lifted my head from the desk. Damon was standing over me with his arms crossed. The look on his face to







