LOGINI wasn’t ready for this part. I knew it was possible Lucas and I would have to split up. In fact, I knew it was practically guaranteed. Lucas wasn’t going to allow Anders anywhere near me. It was an unspoken conversation we had shared through the many looks and glances we shared every time we talked about facing that madman. We both knew if the worst happened, I would have to run. My best chance at escaping Anders’ grasp is to stay as far away from him as possible.Lucas sent Hunter back out to make sure check that we had a good opening to leave our hide away. I found myself clinging to his arm. My heart was about to beat out of my chest as the very real possibility that I wouldn’t see him again started to sink in. That couldn’t happen. I hadn’t had enough time with him. So little time together. He felt my anxiety and pulled me to the far corner of the room, tucking us into the space next to a vending machine for what little privacy we could manage.His lips were on mine before I coul
I didn’t tell them that I had been feeling the same connection Sutton had. It was incredibly strong now. If I hadn’t already been an Alpha for so long, it would have been overwhelming for even me. I was trying to distract Sutton from this whole blood moon and omen business, downplaying it as nothing more than superstition. But deep in my gut, I could feel something more was going on.I wasn’t going to tell Sutton, though. It was too much pressure. And it wouldn’t change what we came to do.Our fate… whatever it was… was sealed.Rhonen paced anxiously in my mind. Showing no signs of disappearing like Nova. In fact, he was right on the edge of our barrier, brushing and pushing against it as he honed in on one tether in particular. A tether that didn’t belong.Anders was anxious. And angry.Those emotions were radiating through our shared consciousness. And he was close. I didn’t know where in the palace he was, but he was definitely here. And Rhonen was fixed on him. Because we both kne
I sat in the dark room Soloman had found for us to hide out in. I’d picked a spot on the floor. My knees pulled up to my chest as I closed my eyes. I was trying to make sense of this new connection I was feeling. A connection that kept getting stronger by the minute. I was trying to organize through the heightened emotions coming through the tethers when I felt someone come to sit next to me. It wasn’t Lucas.“Soloman,” I said with a sigh. “I can’t do this.”“I’m not sure which daunting task you’re talking about, but I have no doubt that you’re wrong,” he said, his tone lighter than it had any right to be in that moment.He was trying to make me feel better. I wasn’t sure that was something that was possible at the moment.“You were the king’s Beta,” I commented. “I was still getting used to the pack being tethered to me. How do you deal with being connected to an entire nation?”“The same way you carry a pack,” he said. “You learn to compartmentalize. Our minds were built for this, m
I had been worried that there would be armed guards all over the campus as we headed for the library. However, I was surprised to find that the we only caught glimpses of them as they seemed to stick to the edge of the campus. I also saw more students than I expected to see. It wasn’t a lot, but for such a late hour, with the city destabilized, it was enough to wonder. Lyla led us straight to the library. She said it was probably the best place to start recruiting anyway. So, while I started to look into this whole blood moon business, they would start getting our distraction in place.“Are you sure there will be people there?” Jaden asked, reading yet another flyer posted in the hall. “These are lockdown instructions.”“I’m sure,” Lyla insisted. “We have midterms coming up soon. Some of the students may be scared to stay in their dorms or even to go back home, but there will definitely be a decent group that will be sticking to their study schedules well into the morning hours. I hav
I closed the distance between us. Lifting her face to look at me.“I don’t want to leave you, Sutton,” I told her. “You’re everything to me. I could never just leave you.”“But…?” She stared up at me expectantly.My hands fell to her shoulders, sliding down her arms as I tried to think of what to say.“I was never meant to be king, baby,” I told her gently. “They won’t accept it.”The sting registered first. My head snapping to the side before I could figure out what had happened. The burn from her palm making contact radiated through my jaw from where she had slapped me.“Don’t you fucking dare do that to me, Lucas Danvers,” Sutton hissed venomously, pushing hard at my chest. “Don’t you give me that bullshit excuse. I know you don’t want this but don’t try to kid yourself into thinking you can’t do the job better than anyone else in this country.”“Sutton, I have no idea how to run a damn country,” I snapped back.“And I do?” Sutton exclaimed, her voice echoing loudly through the sto
“Why the King’s Moon?” Sutton asked.“Raphe was accurate when he said the blood moon appears when there is a major shift in power,” Soloman explained, encouraging us to start moving again. “What are the biggest changes in power in any civilization?”“The end of a dynasty,” I commented.“And the start of a new one,” Soloman confirmed. “A blood moon is a kingmaker. An indicator that the moon goddess herself blesses the new ruler and their lineage. A blood moon has appeared for nearly every regime change within the last five thousand years.”“Nearly?” Sutton questioned.“Three times a new bloodline took the throne without a blood moon,” Soloman continued. “One didn’t last more than a generation. The other was one of the most turbulent times of our history. It was four generations of infighting, corruption, natural disasters, famine. You name it. The third… well, that was when your family came to power.”“I see,” Sutton said. “You said made it sound like my family basically won the crown
I returned to our suite to find Sutton awake, sitting at the head of the bed, knees up to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. Motty sat next to her with an arm around Sutton’s shoulders. She spoke gently to her, keeping her relatively calm. There was a sadness creeping through our connection,
I spent as much time training as I could over the next two days. At least three or four long sessions each day with either Lucas, Max, or Jaden. Mostly Lucas.For some reason, I didn’t think I was going to like Lucas as my trainer. I guess I thought he would be too careful with me. He’d hold back o
I was numb. I had to be. There was no other way to approach the situation.They covered Daisy’s body but I still had to get Jack out of there. We sent a warrior to run back to pick up a vehicle and meet us at the main road. I would have carried Jack but he refused to let go of Sutton. He clung to h
After the progress of the past two days, I found it easier to concentrate on everyday tasks the next day. I had confidence in Ned’s abilities, so there was no reason to dwell on that when there were other things that needed to be addressed. By the time Sutton had joined me in my office, it had been







