LOGINThe 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
Aria’s POVThe silver circlet of the North glinted coldly and heavily on the velvet cushion beside the dais, reflecting the flickering shadows of a thousand candles.I stood by the throne in the Great Hall of the Obsidian Keep, my back stiff and my chin high. My heavy twilight-blue gown fluttered around my ankles, my neck and shoulders encased in the white fur of the snow fox. My fresh mating mark lay against the hollow of my throat, glowing crimson and practically steaming with the dominant scent of cedar, iron, and pine.Beside me, Draven stood in his unarmored black leather, his powerful chest rising and falling with every breath. He didn’t conceal his wolf’s aura. It billowed off his broad shoulders in thick waves, rolling across the stone floor and making every visiting elder, Alpha, and chieftain instinctively duck their gazes.To my left, Mother held Leo.My ten-month-old baby was nestled in his white sheepskin blanket, holding onto his carved wooden stag toy while his golden-b
The reverberations of the horn were still sounding around the room when I seized her lips.Now there would be no more waiting, no more holding back. The beast and the king were one and raging in a way that Aria accepted without hesitation. Her nails dug into my scalp as I pinned her to the stone wall with a powerful hold. Her back touched the mantelpiece; I could feel the hard wood digging into her as she gasped.Mine. Finally, all mine.The wolf inside my ribcage gave a deafening, predatory roar. The beast didn't ask for permission. He didn't pace. With a quick movement, I pulled her gown upwards, revealing more and more of her thighs. My fingers met the silk of her stockings, which made a rustling noise. Already, she was shaking from anticipation and need. The scent of her aroused body was coming through, making my beast happy. “Draven…!” Her voice was breaking with my name as I picked her up with ease. My one hand held her in a powerful grasp by her bottom; the other hand rested







