MasukI set the cup of tea down in front of Sutton. I got her back up to our apartment but she still refused to sleep. Not until we figured out how to get to Osric. So, now we sat at our dining room table, waiting to hear about Raphe and Nomi.“We met near the northern border,” Raphe began to tell us. “After my mother died, I had a hard time being in the palace. I started to travel the country. Convincing myself I was getting to know my people so that when the time came, I’d be a good king. But in reality, I was drowning. Avoiding dealing with my mother’s death.” He paused to take a sip of his tea. “I was with a hunting party in the Hollow Moon Pack.”“Hunting party?” Sutton asked. “What were you hunting?”“Rogues,” Raphe clarified. “There is a strip of land along the base of the mountains where the rogues from the northern territories congregate. They had been hassling the local village. So, I was helping some of the pack warriors scare them off. But instead of rogues, we found an injured
“I… I need some air,” I announced to the room.My feet started moving on their own. My thoughts going in a dozen different directions.“Sutton, wait,” Lucas called, rushing to get ahead of me. “Come on, princess. Let’s just go home. You need to get some sleep. We both do.”“I said I need some air,” I snapped back. “Just give me some space, Lucas.”I pushed past him, feeling guilty about snapping but not enough to turn back. I did need some space. I did need some air. But more importantly, I needed to do something. I needed the truth.I needed to talk to Raphe.I left the packhouse and shifted the moment I caught my uncle’s scent. Nova followed it toward the woods. The light of the surrounding city seemed to hover over the trees. It was cold. Making every scent seem stronger. We could see our breath as we stopped to get our bearings.Nova could tell we were closing in on him. We kept our eyes pealed for movement among the brush as we kept moving. Suddenly, a massive wolf leapt out in
“So, how did Hank go from being the head of royal security to an assassin?” Lucas asked.“Osric was outraged when the cure didn’t work,” Soloman continued. “He blamed Hank. Osric was convinced that Hank owed his mate's life to him.”“Osric was threatening Hank’s mate?” I replied in outrage.Soloman nodded. “But Hank felt guilty as well. He failed to save his queen. That made it easier for Osric to bully him out of his position. I had heard he was doing some of Osric’s dirty work over the years, but I didn’t think it was anything that bad. Osric pushed me out of is his life.”“He pushed everyone out of his life,” Raphe said. “He barely spoke to anyone. Or so we thought.”“Yes, apparently he was staying in touch with this Hank,” I said. “And sending him after my father and my mate.” I let out a scoff that was almost a growl. “How can he believe I would ever forgive him?”“Yeah, that’s something I still don’t understand,” Lucas said. “I think we can all understand his grudge against the
“Soloman, my mother died thirty years ago,” Raphe said stiffly. “I know it broke my father but what could any of this have to do with her now? Better yet, what does this low-life assassin have to do with my mother?”“He wasn’t always an assassin,” Soloman said. “He used to be the head of your father’s security. Until…”“Until what?” Raphe pressed angrily.“Raphe, there’s something you need to know…” Soloman continued. “Something I swore to your father I would never tell you, but…”“But my father has betrayed everything we believe in, so I don’t really give a damn what he never wanted me to know,” Raphe snapped. “He’s taken my mate. He’s taken my sister. And I sense that you’re about to tell me that he somehow did something that took my mother away from me too.”“No, not at all,” Soloman insisted. “But… but you should know that… that your mother’s death… the details of your mother’s death weren’t entirely true, Raphe.”“Excuse me?” Raphe replied, jumping to his feet. “I sat with my mot
I sat at the conference table once again. This time waiting for Osric’s video call. He insisted on video, but even that was a reluctant agreement. His persistence in meeting with us in person only convinced us more that he was trying to set a trap for us. So, there was no way we would be meeting without this call first.We would inevitably have to meet with him in person. Whether it was in negotiations or on the battle field, we would have to meet in person. And I would deal with that when the time came. For now, I wanted answers. Those answers would determine in what capacity we would be seeing each other.The call indicator started to ring on the monitor.“Ready?” Raphe asked me from across the table.“Ready,” I told him with a deep breath as Lucas squeezed my shoulder.With the press of a button, Osric appeared on the screen. Standing behind him was Nomi and, to my dismay, Alpha Anders. I could feel the tension in the room rise.“Raphe, Sutton,” Osric greeted us. “I’m so glad you…”
Lucas and I ended up returning home later that day. It had been a hard decision. We both wanted to be there to help with the aftermath of the battle. But after a phone call with Raphe address Osric’s broadcast, we accepted that we needed to return to the packhouse and prepare for the next steps. The step to contact Osric in particular.We left Jaden, Helene, and Max back in Wildmore to finish the cleanup. I didn’t trust leaving Lana behind though. We did need to figure out who she was and what she was up to, but it wasn’t our first priority. Still, keeping a close eye on her was more than a good idea. Since I could smell the scent of rogue on her and the others couldn’t, I had Amos and Tarvyn follow us back with her. Having to be stuck in a vehicle with that stench for hours would not improve my already less than pleasant mood.“He doesn’t want to speak over the phone,” Raphe told us as we sat in our living room that evening.I scoffed. “Of course he doesn’t,” I said. “But we’re not g
“Anything,” Soloman replied.“Tell me about the Royal Council,” I requested. “I want to know what I’ll be walking into.”“That I can do. Where would you like to start?”“Well, first, I want to know what the Ironpaw Pack’s standing is with the Council,” I said. “How do they feel about Lucas? How did
“I don’t know…” I replied hesitantly, despite Nova pushing right up against our barrier.She wasn’t trying to force a shift but rather make sure she didn’t miss anything. Her curiosity was almost overwhelming, and I had to admit, it was something I had wondered about myself. But it still felt like
“Are you sure I should be here?” Sutton asked nervously. “I don’t know if I should be here. He’s probably not going to want to see me. I should go.”I grabbed her before she headed for the door. Taking her by the shoulders and planting her on the couch.We were in the apartment my family stays in w
“You don’t think that would cause trouble?” Max asked.I raised an eyebrow. “Any more than we’re already in?”“I mean from them,” Max said. “If Mason got to Hannah, how do we know he didn’t turn the others?”“Because I’ve spoken to her stepfather,” Soloman offered. “He still shows an interest in he







