LOGINLucian's POVWe had been marching since the sun was high, and now it was sinking low behind the mountains, turning the snow the color of old copper. My legs ached, and my throat was dry from breathing cold air all day. Forty wolves moved behind me in a long, silent line. Nobody spoke. The only sounds were boots crunching on frozen ground and the soft whistle of wind through the pines.The march should have taken half a day. It had taken nearly all of it, and that was my fault. Near noon I had spotted an Eastern scout on a high rock, a thin gray wolf with a bow across his back. I had thrown up my fist, and the whole line had dropped flat into the snow like fallen logs. We had lain there for what felt like an hour, with the cold soaking through our cloaks, while the scout turned his head slowly from side to side. When he finally climbed down and vanished into the trees, Kane had crawled over to me and whispered one word. "Well?""He saw nothing," I had whispered back. "But we cannot
Elara's POV I thought of the knife under my pillow. It was only two steps away, and it might as well have been a mile. My heart slammed against my ribs. I twisted and kicked, and my foot struck his shin, but he only grunted and pulled me closer."Thane, stop," I gasped. "Stop this."He scoffed. "Be calm, little wolf. I will not hurt you.""You are hurting me now!" I snapped.The tent flap flew open with a sharp snap."What is going on in here?"Sable stood in the opening with a bundle of blankets in her arms, and her round face was stiff and white. She took in the whole scene in a single glance, Thane's arm around my waist, my hands pushing at his chest, the way my hair had come loose. The blankets dropped to the floor. She crossed the tent in three fast steps and shoved herself between us, forcing Thane back with her shoulder."Get your hands off her," Sable said."Sable," Thane said, and he let me go, though his eyes burned with irritation. "This is not your business.""The hell i
Elara's POVThe words hung in the air. I stared at him, and for a moment I thought I had heard wrong. "What did you say?""You belong to me," Thane said again, calmly, as if he were stating the price of salt. "You are only with the Southern prince for now. It is a temporary arrangement. The King wants a child from him, and you are the one chosen to give it. When the work is done, when the Southerner has been broken or used up, you will come to my tent."The words rolled around in my head, and one of them snagged like a thorn. "Used up," I repeated slowly. "What do you mean by used up?""It is only a saying.""It is not a saying. You said broken, and then you said used up. Those are not words you use for a man who is going home." My heart began to beat harder. "Is the King planning to do something to Lucian?"Thane scoffed and waved his hand, as if I had asked whether the sun would rise. "Surely you were not expecting this to last forever. He is a Southerner, Elara. He does not belong
Elara's POVI was smoothing the furs on the bed for the third time when I finally admitted to myself that I was not making it neat. I was only keeping my hands busy. Every time I pulled one corner straight, the other corner crumpled, and I would start all over again. The lantern burned low on the small table, and its light made my shadow look large and strange against the canvas wall.The camp had gone quiet. That was the worst part. An hour ago I could hear the clink of armor and the low voices of warriors, and the horn that called them to the gate. Now there was only the wind pushing at the tent and the faint crackle of a far-off fire. Lucian was gone. Kane was gone. Forty of the best wolves in the North had walked into the dark, and the only thing left behind was the silence they took with them."Please come back," I said again, softly, to nobody. "Both of you."I sat down on the edge of the bed and pressed my palm against my stomach. It was still flat, still hiding its secret,
Lucian's POV Thane stepped out from between two supply carts, his black braided beard shining in the torchlight. A heavy axe rested over one shoulder, and a cruel smile played on his lips. Three of his captains walked behind him like shadows. Every warrior in the clearing stopped what they were doing."Thane," Kane said coldly. "This does not concern you.""It concerns me if my men are standing around gossiping while the night burns away," Thane said. He looked me up and down slowly, taking in the leather chest plate, the sword at my hip, the cloak. His eyes narrowed. "Our Southern prince is dressed for war. Interesting. Did you decide to join us?""I did," I said."He did not," Kane said at the same time.Thane's smile grew wider. "Which is it? One of you is lying.""I am joining the first group," I said calmly. "It was my plan, and I wish to see it through. Kane thinks I should stay behind.""Does he?" Thane turned his head to look at Kane. "Why?""Because he has no place on the f
Lucian's POVThe cold hit me the moment I stepped out of the tent, but I barely felt it. I stood still for a breath with my hand on the heavy flap, and I could still feel the warmth of Elara's fingers on my skin. I could still hear her small voice saying that she would wait. I made myself let go of the cloth and walk away. If I looked back even once, I knew I would not leave.The camp was no longer quiet. Torches burned along the main path, and their light jumped across the snow. Warriors moved between the tents in small groups, tying cloaks, checking bowstrings, and tightening straps on their boots. Nobody laughed. Even the loud ones, the men who bragged at every feast, kept their mouths shut tonight. The air felt thick, like the moment before a storm breaks.I followed the sound of clinking metal to the open ground near the northern camp. About forty warriors stood there in rows. Some knelt to sharpen blades against stones. Others passed a waterskin from hand to hand. At the cent







