로그인"If Eve can handle the intensity," Raphael cautioned. "It's not like feeding from your mates. This will be hostile energy, violent energy. It'll feel wrong, uncomfortable, possibly painful. You'll have to process it anyway.""I can do it," Eve said with more certainty than she felt. "What else?"They spent the next hour going through specific scenarios....what Katerina would likely try, how Eve should respond, what openings to look for, what techniques to deploy. Raphael demonstrated movements, made Eve practice defensive positions, drilled her on energy manipulation until her hands moved on autopilot.Finally, as evening approached, he called a halt."That's enough for today," he said. "Your body needs rest. Overtraining now will only make you slower during the actual trial."Eve wanted to protest, wanted to keep going, wanted to use every possible moment to prepare. But she could feel the exhaustion bone-deep, and she knew Raphael was right."Tomorrow we'll work on specific counters
Raphael settled into a seated position across from her, his expression serious. "Katerina has been commanding military forces for over three hundred years. She's survived seventeen major conflicts, countless skirmishes, and more personal combat challenges than anyone has bothered to count."He paused, choosing words carefully. "Her primary strength is exactly what you'd expect....pure, overwhelming combat ability. She's mastered virtually every fighting style that exists in the supernatural world. Hand-to-hand, weapons, magical combat, tactical warfare. There's no area where she isn't at minimum expert-level, and in most she's far beyond that.""Her weaknesses?" Eve asked.Raphael's expression became more grim. "That's the problem. Someone doesn't head the Seraphim Court's military forces for three centuries without having eliminated their weaknesses years ago. Or learning to compensate for them so effectively they might as well not exist.""So she's perfect," Damon said flatly. "Unbe
"That was the point," Raphael said grimly. "Katerina wanted to demonstrate dominance. Wanted to show that she could affect an entire pack just by showing up. It's psychological warfare...making Eve's support structure look weak before the combat even begins.""It worked," Marcus Senior said bluntly. "Sir, I apologize, but I need to be honest. Some of the warriors who were out there....they're questioning whether Luna can stand against someone who affected them that severely just by existing.""Then they're idiots," Silas said flatly. "Katerina is five centuries old. She's had five centuries to refine her combat abilities, her power projection, her psychological manipulation. The fact that she affected unmated males isn't a reflection of their weakness or Eve's inadequacy. It's just...." He paused. "....it's just reality.""But perception matters," Damian said. "Marcus is right. Some pack members are going to doubt after seeing that display.""Which is why Eve needs to win," Raphael sa
Eve felt rage building in her chest...not at the insult, which was expected, but at what Katerina was doing to her pack. To her people. Using her power like a weapon against males who had done nothing except respond to the ward alarm.She stepped forward, moving past Damian's instinctive protective gesture, and faced Katerina across the ward boundary."Lady Katerina," Eve said, her voice cold and precise. "You're projecting sexual energy onto pack territory in a way that's affecting pack members without their consent. I'm asking you politely to regulate your power output while you're here."Katerina's expression shifted to something between amusement and contempt. "Asking politely. How sweet." She leaned forward slightly, and another wave of energy crashed outward, stronger than before. Behind Eve, she heard several males groan. "Here's the thing, little heir. I don't regulate my power for anyone. If your wolves can't handle being near a real alpha, that's their weakness. Not my probl
Seven days after Margaret's funeral, life at the Blackwood estate had settled into a careful routine of grief and preparation.Eve moved through her days like someone who was functioning rather than thriving. Morning training with Raphael....less intense than before, her uncle giving her space to grieve while still maintaining momentum. Afternoons spent reviewing Court protocols, studying faction intelligence, preparing for what was coming. Evenings with her mates, who surrounded her with quiet support and didn't demand more than she could give.She was managing. That was the best that could be said.Maya had extended her stay indefinitely.....her apartment back in the city temporarily sublet, her life rearranged to be present for Eve through this difficult time. She and Elena had become inseparable, the two of them creating a pocket of normalcy that Eve found herself gravitating toward when Court politics felt overwhelming.It was mid-afternoon on the seventh day when the wards screa
After the eulogy, there was music...pieces Margaret had selected herself, apparently, years ago when she'd pre-planned the service. Songs that were meaningful but not maudlin, celebratory rather than sorrowful.Several other people spoke briefly. A neighbor who talked about Margaret's kindness. A library colleague who shared a funny story about Margaret's organizational system that no one else could ever understand.Each story added another dimension to the woman Eve had known, showed her sides of Margaret she'd never fully seen.The final part of the service was the committal.....Margaret had chosen cremation, her ashes to be scattered in the city park where she and Eve had spent countless afternoons when Eve was young. But that would be private, later, just Eve and the people closest to her.For now, people filed past the closed casket, paying their respects in whatever way felt right. Some touched it briefly. Some stood silently. Some cried.Eve stood with her mates, receiving cond
"He can't do that," Damon said flatly. "The northern territory has been ours for three generations. Our grandfather bled for that land. Our father died defending it. It's ours by right of blood and conquest.""It's ours unless we fail to respond to a formal challenge," Damian corrected, his voice h
DAMIAN'S OFFICE - BROTHER'S DISCUSSIONThe three brothers sat in Damian's office, the door locked, supposed business documents spread across the desk that none of them were actually reading."We need to talk about last night," Silas said finally, breaking the tense silence."What about it?" Damian'
Eve's cry echoed off the tile as he took her roughly from behind, his reflection in the mirror showing that usual intense focus. Making her watch herself being fucked, seeing her own face contort with pleasure."Eyes on the mirror," he commanded when she tried to look away. "Watch what we do to you
Her apartment felt smaller and shabbier than ever after spending the night in luxury. Eve packed a larger bag this time...more clothes, toiletries, her laptop. If she was going to be staying at the estate multiple nights a week, she needed to be prepared.She also grabbed the framed photo of her mo