LOGINAVIONNA'S POV Nothing had ever smelled better.A thick, musty musk swarmed my senses. One second, it wafted like the base note of rich forest loam and freshly upturned soil after a heavy autumn rain. The next, it was the undertone of rotten cedar bark and crushed pine needles dried to a crisp.My wolf's anger dissipated immediately. In a twinkle of an eye, it was gone. Everything faded, narrowing into one thin line, into the man practically dripping with the smell. She lifted her head, and gone was the recollection of why she was angry in the first place.Within her, I was lost too, but not because of the scent that had intoxicated her. What I couldn't understand was why she hadn't shown submission.Just like Cicero who was now back in his human form, chest panting heavily, stewing with suppressed animosity and whose face held a thick layer of discontent, I had felt the irrepressible command in Fabian's voice, but unlike Cicero, my wolf seemed completely unaffected by it.She didn't
AVIONNA’S POV‘Stop’A faint, panicked voice, far away, pleaded to stop, think, wait a minute, but she…My wolf didn’t listen.She had taken the reins and all her vision could register was the Beta standing in the doorway, teeth gritted as though he was struggling to contain himself.The smell oozing off him was acrid, like singed hair and the tang of overheated copper born from the rapid rush of adrenaline that his anger had given rise to.He was a threat. And threats needed to be taken out.An inhuman wail, both a yowl and a roar, filled my ears from inside my skull and my spine ripped out of my skin.Pain coursed through me all at once as my body began to turn from the inside out, an explosion of splintering bone and shredding muscle.No. No you can’t. We’re too weak. He’ll shred us to pieces.I tried to call my wolf to order, but she was too far gone to listen to me. My voice had faded to the background of her mind and pure animal instinct had taken over.It was almost as though s
AVIONNA’S POVWhat do you do when there's a male wolf in your doorway, ferocious and angry, yellow eyes fixed on you like he's already decided you're his next target?You run.Did I run? Absolutely not.Following the absolutely tragic ruin that dinner had turned out to be, Zolani led me to her room after fearlessly calling the two grey-faced grown men dimwits, an action I found unfathomably courageous.It wasn't the suicidal bravado of an Omega thinking she could outfight a Beta twice her size either, nor the shallow pride with which Aubrey paraded herself through the Crescent Pack as Lucien's mate.Her courage was of a different kind. It was the fierce, secure confidence of a woman who knew she was cherished, and who knew with absolute certainty that these men would never lay a hand on her.And unlike Zolani, I knew without a sliver of doubt that I wasn't safe in their hands.So when she led me to walk out of the room, I followed but I couldn't help looking over my shoulder to the t
FABIAN’S POVZolani's words struck a place deep in my heart that I had refused to look into for years, buried underneath all the work I threw myself into.The old part of the city needed rebuilding. Trade relations with other regional Packs needed to be established. The Pack’s enforcement needed to be reshaped and restructured, giving average wolves with limited dreams opportunities to aim higher. There was still so much more I could do to develop the commercialization of our Pack. There was always something waiting for my attention. So much needed to be done, and too little had been covered. As long as I kept moving, I didn’t have to stop and think about what I had lost. I couldn’t allow myself to sink deeper into grief when there was an entire Pack depending on me. Their livelihood and sustenance depended on the decisions I made.So, I buried it.I pushed everything I felt into a place far out of reach and refused to look back, not allowing myself to think about it, or feel it exc
FABIAN’S POVI knew Zolani would come even before I heard her footsteps stamping down the hallway.Zolani was the opposite of me. Maybe that was what had drawn Father to her and made him bring the Four year old child covered in dirt with a face darkened by grime, home.I could never forget the look the child with the tear-streaked face had given me when Father instructed that she call me brother.Her pupils had enlarged, shining so brightly they looked like they held all the stars in the sky. With snot running down her nose, and the brightest smile I had ever seen, she had called out to me.“Brother.”And although she was stewing with anger right now, and had nearly gotten into a brawl with Cicero over dinner, and could be so frustrating sometimes, there had never been a day when I stopped loving this sister of mine.Just as the thought surfaced, the door to my study was yanked open and Zolani stormed inside.“You’re unbelievable.”I didn’t look up from the papers on my desk and inste
AVIONNA’S POVFabian’s silence was enough of an answer for Zolani whose expression dropped.The realization seemed to settle over her all at once.“Oh my God,” she clasped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening.Her gaze swerved from Fabian to me. I met her eyes briefly then looked away. I didn't need to see the thoughts form in her gaze to know what she was thinking. Earlier, I pondered why she was being so approachable to me and even appreciated the fact that she was being so kind and friendly towards me. Now, after determining that she didn't see me in the same light as everyone else and didn't think I should be punished for a crime I hadn't committed, I was thankful. But that didn't erode the fact that she hadn't known what Fabian's intention in bringing me back was until now.Zolani hadn't known that I wasn't her brother's mate, and that I was merely a woman he brought back to be punished.I didn't realize she was holding me until her grip on my wrist tightened, bringing my focus







