LOGINTalia’s POVRobin set Annie down against the tunnel wall. He put his finger over his mouth to tell me not to speak before he stepped past me to face the dark.The first rogue appeared, and Robin attacked before he even knew what was happening. The rogue fell with Robin’s blade in his throat. I never knew Robin could fight like that, but it sent a shock through me, and it made sense why my father always kept him so close.“Take his armor,” Robin said, wiping the rogue’s blood on his leg.“What?”Robin stripped the rogue’s armor off his body and pushed them at me. I pulled the armored vest over my head. The blood from the rogue’s throat had already soaked through the front of it.Robin covered his hand in blood and wiped it over my arms. I jerked away in disgust. “What are you doing?” I asked.Robin grabbed me by the shoulder to keep me in place. “Stay still.” He continued smearing it on my arms and on my chest.Robin turned to Annie and did the same. “Are you going to tell us why you’r
Talia’s POVDuring dinner, Nolan sat across from me, eating slowly and asking how my afternoon had been. I tried to come across casual, but inside I was a bundle of nerves. He reached over and touched my hand.“I hope you haven’t forgotten about tonight, Talia. I have been thinking about it all day,” he said.“Of course not, my love. I am well rested today,” I told him.Nolan smirked, “Good. I am going to make sure it is a night you won’t forget.” If it had been the real Nolan, I would be quivering with desire. All I felt was disgust and dread for this imposter. I managed to force a seductive smile.“Hurry and finish your soup so you can do your rounds. I want you back early. Don’t make me wait,” I said, letting my voice turn soft and inviting.Nolan smirked. “I will be back early.”I watched him finish his soup. When he was done, he stood up, kissed my forehead, and left for his rounds.Once he was gone, I let my fake smile fade. ‘Disgusting,’ my wolf growled. ‘Get his scent off us!
Talia’s POVLast night, I barely slept. When I got back to my room, my hands wouldn’t stop shaking as I pushed a chair against the door. I kept listening for footsteps in the hallway, afraid the imposter would return and force the mate mark on me.All night, I kept replaying the possible ways to get a message to Robin. By early afternoon, when the guards were usually distracted, I knew what I had to do.This morning, there was a young guard by the dining hall I hadn’t seen before. I spotted him when Annie walked me to breakfast. He kept staring at my diamond earrings. He was young and undisciplined, just the kind of person I could use.I approached him quickly and said, “I want to walk in the lower garden. I will not be long.”He replied, “Alpha said you can’t leave the wing without an escort, Luna.”“You can be my escort. Walk me down,” I said simply.“I cannot leave my post.”“It’ll just be for ten minutes. No one will know,” I urged, trying not to let my anxiety show.I held out th
Nolan’s POVTalia had been missing for three days now.I had barely slept since Talia disappeared. Four hours in my desk chair was all I had managed. The mate bond was intact. She was there, unreachable but alive. Each hour without her drained me. It felt worse than the last time she disappeared because I had gone against my instincts. Something had felt wrong about that night, and I should have gone with her.‘We will find her like last time, and we will make whoever took her pay with their life,’ my wolf promised, but it didn’t make me feel any better.The morning meeting started at seven. Della came in first, her hair pulled back, the dark circles under her eyes deeper than they had been the day before. Marco entered after her. Solon sat quietly, already in his chair when I came down. Derek arrived last, clutching a map as he stepped inside."Any news?” I asked.Derek was the first to respond. “Unfortunately, no, Alpha Nolan. We have nothing new to report.”“We have searched everyw
Talia’s POVThe first set of green eyes broke from the line and came at me low, weaving quickly between the trees. I saw the rogue’s hunched form for an instant and managed to step half a pace back, preparing myself as he lunged the remaining distance toward me.A howl split the forest.From off to my right, its sound rose, long, high, and sharp. Instantly, every set of green eyes in the trees around me flicked toward the noise. The rogue about to land on me twisted its body mid-leap, claws skimming past where I’d stood, and turned aside. The eyes withdrew into the darkness in a coordinated sweep, vanishing together like a flock of birds wheeling as one. In seconds, the last shapes disappeared, and the forest behind me was empty.I stood in the clearing, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. My breath came in shallow, uneven bursts, and I fought the urge to collapse to my knees.I heard the crunch of approaching footsteps through the undergrowth, getting louder as someone drew closer to
Talia’s POVHis hands moved to the front of my dress and began to pull at the buttons. He was not careful. The first button came off in his hand. The second one came off as he tore through the fabric with his claws.‘How dare he!’ my wolf snarled. I could feel her pushing to take control, but I forced her down.“Nolan, stop,” I said, making my voice tremble. When he groped my breast painfully, I yelped, “Please.”Then, he at last looked at me. The look was one I had never seen on Nolan's face, and especially not directed at me. It was a hungry, possessive thing, the look of a man who was about to take something he believed he was owed."Please control your wolf, Nolan,” I said. “You would never force me. You have never forced me. You are not going to start tonight. I trust you!”He hesitated as he looked conflicted, but he had finally stopped, and that alone was a relief. "I am exhausted. Give me just one night. I promise you I will be worth the wait. Tomorrow night, I will make you







