LOGINLeora's POV "Why did you take so long to get here?" I asked, stepping back as Jon walked through the bedroom door and closed it behind him.Jon stopped near the edge of the rug, his shoulders tense. "I was just taking a walk. I wanted to have some time alone."I forced a soft, sweet smile onto my face, softening my voice to sound warm and gentle. I walked closer to him, reaching out to brush my fingers gently against the front of his shirt. "Oh no, you can't be having walks and having times alone when your wife is right here. You should always have me next to you, shouldn't you?"Jon stared down at me, his eyes narrowing slightly in deep suspicion. He didn't trust my sudden shift in tone. "Leora, what exactly are you asking me?""If we are going to both be the rulers of this pack and we are going to be married, it only stands to reason that we should be working together in all things," I replied smoothly, keeping my hand resting against his chest so I could feel the rapid beat of his
Jon's POV The walk from the main estate to the lower worker quarters took ten minutes. The night air was cold against my face, still stinging from Cain’s grip and the humiliation of Leora’s lies. I pushed open the wooden door of the small, modest room at the edge of the pack grounds and stepped inside.Kim Bradley looked up from the edge of the narrow bed. Her eyes widened with surprise, and a soft, genuine smile broke across her face. She stood up immediately and hurried over to me."Jon," she whispered, her hands reaching out to touch my chest. "What are you doing here this late? I thought you were stuck at the main house."I looked down at her, taking in her simple clothes and the warmth in her eyes. Unlike Leora, who looked at me like I was a piece of dirt beneath her shoes, Kim treated me like a human being. She was an orphan who worked the pack kitchens, and she truly believed that a beta prince like me lowering himself to be with her was the greatest gift in the world. She w
Unknown POV Calvin had just finished giving orders to the pack guards when he leaned back to rest. "You know we could run this pack beautifully together, right?"Calvin froze. He whipped around to see Sandra standing near the corner of the desk, watching him with a cool, confident expression.He stared at her, completely caught off guard. "What the fuck are you saying?"Sandra blinked, taken aback by his blunt language. She pulled back slightly, her eyebrows rising. "When did you start using words like that? Did you even hear me out?"Calvin shook his head, his hands flat against the edge of the table. "Sorry. What did you mean we could run this pack beautifully together?""Well, I wasn't talking about usurping Kolton," Sandra said, stepping a little closer to the desk. "I was talking about you sharing some responsibility with me so I can help you run this pack too. I am the closest person to the royal line in this pack. I've been with Kolton for long enough.”Calvin folded his arms
Unknown POV Magdalene raised her head from behind the plaster pillar. Her heart raced, but she knew she had to move. The two men who had snatched the ring from her were still out in the lobby, pinned down by the gunfire, or worse. She did not want to stick around to find out what happened to them.She crawled away from the pillar, stood up on shaking legs, and hurried down the dim hallway toward her room. Her primary goal was to reach the window and use the secondary exit she had noted earlier when she first arrived.She reached her door, grabbed the handle, and pushed it open. She stepped inside, ready to make her escape, but froze instantly when she saw a strange figure standing near the bed.The man turned around to face her."Where is it?" the man asked.Magdalene stepped back, her hand gripping the edge of the open door. "Where is what? And who are you?""Where's the fucking ring?" the man demanded, taking a step toward her."What ring are you talking about?" Magdalene asked, he
Unknown POV Magdalene froze for a split second, pretending she hadn't heard the rough voice behind her. She picked up her pace, taking quick, silent steps back down the dim hallway toward her room."Hey, you! It's you we're talking to!" James, the hotel owner, yelled from behind the front desk, raising his hand to point at her.Before the words could even finish leaving his mouth, one of the men at the counter swung his fist, striking James hard across the jaw. James stumbled back against the key rack with a loud thud, groaning as he clutched his face."Shut up!" the man barked at James. "It wasn't you we were talking to. What does she have in her hand?"Hearing the violent exchange, Magdalene kept backing away, her eyes wide as she reached for her room handle. But the two men had already turned away from the desk and were advancing rapidly down the narrow corridor toward her.She turned around and sprinted for her door, but in a fraction of a second, the larger man closed the distan
Unknown POV The gray gravel of the Neutral Lands crunched under Magdalene’s boots as she walked down the dusty main road, scanning the block for a place to stay. Ahead of her stood a low, weathered building with a faded sign hanging off one hinge that read ‘The Crossing Inn’. It was far from fancy, its peeling paint and sagging porch making it look cheap enough for her to afford comfortably for up to three weeks without draining her resources. Between the cash she had brought with her and the thick wad of bills Alpha Colton had handed her before driving off, she wasn't broke, but being careful was her top priority.She pushed open the front door, a small brass bell chiming overhead. The lobby smelled of stale tobacco and old wood. Behind the high wooden desk stood a heavy-set, middle-aged man with greasy hair who doubled as the owner and the receptionist.Magdalene stepped up to the counter. "I need a room for a week. Maybe three."The man looked her up and down, sizing her up with







