LOGINThe assassin smiled."There you are," he said. Time felt frozen. The injured guard fell to the ground, blood flowing beneath him. The hooded man moved across his corpse as though it were nothing more than a barrier. His scarlet eyes stayed fixed on mine. Every instinct within me told me to flee. My legs, however, couldn't move."Stay behind me," Elder Rowan said. Despite his age, he moved in front of me, his shoulders squared as he met the invader. "You have no place here." The assassin chuckled lightly."I didn't come for you old man," he said and his eyes moved back toward me. "I came for the girl." My heart pounded violently."Just what do you want from me?" He started smiling more."Your death." He attacked without warning and Rowan pushed me to the side."Run." A deafening bang resonated across the space as Rowan stopped the killer's blade with a s
Kael turned towards the warrior just as I barely had time to get my breath back."Tell the council they should wait." The little Lycan bowed his head."I am afraid they won't agree to that, Your Majesty," the young Lycan responded and Kael's golden eyes turned black. "They're already assembling in the Great Hall." The room fell silent. I looked from Kael to the warrior, my stomach twisting into knots."Maybe..." I started with caution. "Perhaps I should meet them." Both men looked at me. Kael's expression was not readable."No." He said."Still, what if they're here for me—""They are not here because of you," he said and paused. "They are here for what you stand for." His statements froze me."What do I stand for?" Another knock came before he could respond. This time it was softer. Dressed in a dark silver robe embellished with the Lycan crest, an elderly man came inside the room. Thou
Never before had I seen anything quite like it. When Kael at last placed me just inside the entrance of the massive castle, the sheer magnificence of the place made me totally forget how tired I was. With its gleaming polished marble floors under the light of huge crystal chandeliers, the entrance hall stretched further than the eyes could perceive. Tall silver columns stretched up to a vaulted ceiling covered with fine paintings of wolves running under a full moon. It seemed more like an old, magnificent castle than like a fortress. Standing in the middle of it, I suddenly got painfully aware of my own appearance. My dress was torn, thick mud stained the hem, and my hair was a tangled mess from sprinting through the forest. I appeared quite odd, a tattered ghost amid a house of kings."Come," Kael whispered gently. I raced to maintain his extended stride. The Lycan troops flanking the corridor dropped their heads in profound, practic
The Shadow Beast charged. Its roar ripped through the still night, making the forest tremble and causing flocks of birds to erupt into the trees. Trees moaned and swayed, buckling under the sheer force of its speed as it thundered through the thick undergrowth, its red eyes fixed directly on me. I longed to flee, but sheer terror had pinned my feet to the ground."Run! " Kael yelled, putting himself directly in the beast's way when it was mere feet from me. His golden eyes flared with a sudden, chilling intensity, and a deep rumble vibrated in his chest. Then, in a horrific flash of movement, he changed. Bones cracked and popped as his muscles ballooned, and coarse, dark silver fur exploded over his skin. In mere moments, a colossal wolf stood where Kael had been—except he was more than just a wolf. He was a Lycan, nearly double the size of any Alpha, broadcasting an immense, crushing power.Showing off impossibly sharp fangs, he sprang, and the two monstrosities slamme
"You're not who you think you are." The words weighed heavily in the cool evening air, ringing in the calm areas of my mind. I gazed at Kael, desperately looking over his amazing features for any indication this was a cruel joke or some twisted fantasy generated by the trauma of the rejection. Nothing at all. The Lycan King seemed quite somber."What are you talking about?" I murmured, hardly audible. Unblinking, Kael's golden eyes stayed fixed on mine. "Your ancestry." My stomach clenched in agony. "There is nothing remarkable about my family. I am an orphan." His jaw closed firmly, a dark shadow traversing his face."That is just the lie you have been taught to help you follow." His unadulterated confidence in his voice was quite disturbing. For eighteen years I had lived as the Silver Moon Pack's ultimate outsider. I was the frail girl. The charity case dressed in my sister's cast
"There you are," The stranger's deep, velvety voice gave me a terrible shock right down my spine. I gazed at him, my feet grounded to the earth, absolutely paralyzed. His golden eyes fastened on mine, studying me with a fierceness that caused my heart to pound against my ribs. Who was he? And why did he sound like he had been looking for me? The moonlight caught the man's face entirely as he moved another step forward. He was amazing. Dark hair, a strong jawline, sharp, gorgeous features, and eyes unlike any I had ever seen defined him. They looked practically old; they weren't like everyday wolf eyes. I gently got up, forcing my shaky legs to help. "Who are you?" The stranger's piercing stare turned only a little. "You actually do not know me?" I started shaking my head. Something complex flashed across his face: astonishment then a flicker of real humor that followed quickly."Interesti







