LOGINThe solar was filled with the scent of dried lavender flowers and the sharp bite of the mountain air blowing in through the open, high windows.In the lower courtyard, there were sounds of horses’ armored hooves and the clinking of supply wagons being carried by the southern escort. There were fifty northern huskarls ready in full iron gear, saddling their horses and preparing to carry the heir of the south beyond the Dragon’s Spine.It was deathly quiet inside the chamber.I sat on the edge of the low settee, hugging my son tightly to my chest. His small body was swathed in thick layers of quilted white wool and ermine furs, his little face warm and pink in the cold air. He was almost eleven months old, he did not understand any council decrees or the blood borders that separated the north from the south. All he could do was babble meaningless syllables, playing with the silver chain of the Tear of Elyra around my neck.A sharp sob tore from my throat before I managed to stop myself
The rays of dawn illuminated the mountainous crags of our room.Within the chambers of the High Council of Obsidian Keep, no traces remained of last night's festivities, the warm smells of cooked mead and roasted pine wood had given way to a metallic tang of chilled iron.I was seated in my own chair to the side of the Sovereign Chair, which belonged exclusively to the king and his queen.The silver crown lay upon my forehead, weightless but impossibly heavy, and the newly formed mating bite on the side of my neck throbbed hotly, possessed. The bond lay wide open; humming softly with Draven's dominant iron willpower. To my side, sitting beside me in a thick charcoal fur robe, was Draven himself. His hands lay on the arms of his own throne while his chin rested on the top of a fisted palm. In his gleaming amber eyes, the curse now cleansed, a sovereign, lethal calm kept the elders in their places in check. Their gazes were riveted to him alone.Standing before them at the heart of th
The knot surged past the tight muscle barrier and locked in place.An animalistic cry burst from my lips as I was being forced open to the extreme limits of my body, the base of him pulsing and throbbing within me with a force that made my eyes roll back into my head. Each and every movement he made caused the knot to rub against my innermost places, and each touch sent an explosion of pleasure and pain that collided until the two sensations became indistinguishable.Draven’s head lowered to rest against my shoulder as a snarl tore from him and his entire body stiffened with tension before he began jerking his cock inside me. Twice. Three times. Then the first surge of his seed filled my cunt, and I felt it spill from him endlessly, the heat of it burning me, his growl of pleasure echoing as the knot was ground further into my body."Fuck, you’re taking it all," he snarled, his tone raw with passion. "Going to breed this cunt until it can no longer hold anything else."His hips began
As soon as the thick oak doors to the Great Hall closed behind us, the roar of the party became a distant echo. Draven's fingers were already clamping over my wrist, not pulling me, but grabbing, dragging me through the lit torches' corridors of the Blackthorne castle with a desperate need that made my heart beat fast.We barely made three steps beyond the door to his private solar when he twisted me around and shut the door with the kick of his booted heel. The solid thump of the bar being thrown across echoed in the room like a warning. And then his mouth was on mine; hot, open, hungry. His tongue slid into my mouth, tasting of blackberry mead and sheer possession. I moaned into the kiss, fingers already scratching the laces of his charcoal tunic."Been hard for you since the first fucking reel," he growled against my lips, his voice raspy with the edge of the wolf. "Seeing you smiling at those lords with my mark still fresh on your skin. I wanted to bend you over the nearest tabl
The heavy oak doors to the Great Hall were closed tight against the howling northerly winds, but within, the chill had melted away entirely.Fat logs of spiced birch and dried pine burned in the hearths at each end of the hall, sending up a sweet smoke mingled with roasted venison and the sweet, tangy scent of blackberry mead. The tension that had filled the hall an hour earlier had broken and become the heady atmosphere of northern celebration. Servants dashed between the long trestle tables, bearing great platters piled high with roasted boar, trenchers of dark rye bread, and flagons of frothing, honeyed ale.The bards took their stations on the landing above the dais hearth.The harsh rhythms of the warhorns were gone. Instead, silver-strung lutes, bone flutes, and deep skin drums beat out the warm rolling rhythms of the northern reel, setting every foot in the hall stomping in time.Beside the dais hearth, on a bed of layered white sheepskins, Mother and Mother Elara sat cross-l
Aria’s POVThe scream burst from my throat as Kael ripped the sheepskin bundle from Mother’s grasp, backing away to the side service door with the maniacal look of a cornered beast.The Great Hall was plunged into a cacophony of screams and the clash of armor and drawn swords. Northern huskarls were rushing from the colonnade, and across the dais, the image of Draven began to blur with the golden light of the transformation as the massive obsidian wolf was preparing to tear to pieces the southern Alpha.“Stop!” I screamed. A single strike from Draven could make Kael twitch, and the panicked reaction of an Alpha could hurt Leo.I am a Nullifier.I didn’t need to chase the man into the snow. I didn’t need to bleed in the darkness once more.Hold, Draven! I projected through the newly established soul-tether, the mental connection burning hot along with the bite on my neck. Don’t strike!I stepped to the edge of the dais, standing firmly on the northern flagstones.I closed my eyes for







