LOGINElsie’s POV I don't even need to describe what a colossal failure many of the warriors experienced on Commander Hunter's new balance beam. After dozens of humiliating falls into the thick, freezing mud, most of them started to get the hang of it, though every one of us was going to need a serious bath. Later that night, training was finally dismissed, and I hurried down to the stream to wash off the caked-on dirt and sweat. The ice-cold water was incredibly refreshing against my sore muscles. Not long after I returned to camp, I was summoned to a strategy meeting inside the Iron Fort. It was just me, Harding, Commander Jasper, the King, and Dane, who sat at the edge of the table ready with pen and paper. "The healer ran tests on the sample we brought back," Commander Jasper began, placing the empty leather waterskin on the map table. "It's a crude, highly flammable oil mixed with dried pitch. If the rogues set fire to those buried trenches during our advance, it will create a wall
Elsie’s POV The rogue wolf looked like it was simply taking a casual stroll through the snow. How incredibly unfortunate for it.I slowly unsheathed one of my twin fang blades, keeping my movements silent. The rogue suddenly snapped its head in our direction, catching sight of us crouching in the brush. But before it could let out a howl, I whipped my wrist forward. The blade spun through the air and struck the wolf squarely in the temple.The beast dropped dead into the snow without making a sound.Commander Jasper glanced over at the corpse, then gave me a sharp nod. "Good throw. But let’s get out of here. They will soon notice he is missing from his patrol."We gathered all our stuff quickly. I wiped my blade on the rogue's fur, sheathed it, and looked over at Jasper. "Back to the Hold, right?"He nodded once. "To the Hold."We set out at a brisk, steady pace through the forest. The tension from earlier had worn off, so we ate our remaining rations, talked, and even shared a few q
Elsie’s POV We crouched low to the frozen ground, hiding behind a thick ridge of snow as we watched the rogues down in the clearing. They were still working, digging relentlessly into the hard earth and hauling heavy loads. Don't these males ever get any rest? I wondered bitterly. They probably operated on strict shifts.From this lower angle, I could see much more clearly than I had from the trees last night. The rogues were carrying large wooden buckets filled with a thick, pitch-black sludge and carefully pouring the dark liquid into deep holes in the ground. I couldn't tell if there were containers buried inside those holes or if they were just filling natural subterranean hollows.What is that black sludge? And more importantly, how could we get a sample of it back to the Hold?First, we needed something to carry it in. I leaned back slightly and whispered to the warrior beside me, "Does anyone have an empty leather waterskin?"Leather was tough enough to hold liquid without lea
Elsie’s POV Much to Quinn's displeasure, I was standing in a tight line alongside seven other warriors chosen for the scouting mission. We were going in a group of eight so that if we happened to run into rogue patrols, we would be able to protect one another and ensure everyone returned safely to the Hold.It was snowing heavily, and the sun had already set over the mountains. I had gone through my usual morning training, spent the day finishing up tasks around the camp, eaten a big meal, and then completed another round of pacifying Quinn to put his mind at ease.He really didn't want me to join the expedition, but I loved scouting. Even my near-death experience the last time I was outside the Hold didn't deter me in the slightest. Before I left his tent, we had kissed deeply, he had given me back my twin fang blades, and I had finally stepped out into the cold night.Commander Jasper was leading the expedition. We had all been instructed to dress dark and warm, and special clothin
Quinn's POV I felt exasperated, the tension sitting heavy in my shoulders. Elsie winced at my words, twiddling her fingers together nervously. She let out a soft sigh, walked closer to my desk, and unexpectedly crawled into my lap. She wrapped both of her arms tightly around my neck, burying her face into the crook of my shoulder. Her sweet, clean scent instantly hit my senses, soothing the hot irritation under my skin. "I'm sorry, Quinn," she whispered softly, her voice muffled against my collarbone. "I'm sorry for being such a bad mate. I always knew I wasn't really good mate material, but it's just so glaringly obvious now." A second later, I felt tiny, wet drops of her tears dripping onto my neck. The sight and feeling of her crying alarmed me at once. I never wanted to see her cry. My wolf began thrashing around inside my chest, throwing all sorts of angry, displeased feelings at me for daring to make our mate weep. If this were any other female, I would have assumed the s
Quinn's POV I honestly didn't know what to feel. I had been awake since the devilish hours of the morning, unable to sleep a wink.The old healer had come to meet me in my tent late yesterday night, confessing that she simply couldn't keep the matter to herself. She told me flat out that Elsie had gone to her tent earlier in the day asking for contraceptive herbs.First of all, Elsie hadn't said anything at all to me about it before going to the woman. Second, why the hell did she even want those herbs in the first place? Why?I had always made the random females I bedded over the long years use those herbs, but surely I shouldn't have to deal with my own mate also trying to use them. After the healer left, my initial impulse was to march over to Elsie's tent and demand answers, but I forced myself to sit down and calm the fuck down first.It wasn't even like I was truly angry with her—I was just fired up.I had noticed through our bond that she stayed inside her tent all through th
Elsie's POV As if the news from last night wasn’t enough to rot my soul, the next morning brought a fresh disaster. Oliver showed up at our front door, acting like the most dutiful son-in-law in the world.I watched him from the shadows of the hallway. He was dressed in a clean, pressed shirt, his
Quinn's POVI asked for strong, hardened warriors. So why did I find myself staring down at a runt who looked like he had barely seen eighteen winters?I sat perfectly still on a thick branch of the ancient oak tree, my presence masked by the shadows and the rustle of leaves. Below me, the pup had
Elsie’s POV"She has humongous tits," a hairy, buff man shouted, his voice echoing off the canvas walls of Tent 42. He was leaning back on his bedroll, a crude grin plastered on his face. "As she rode me, they were flapping in my face like great balloons!"He finished his sentence with a roar of la
Elsie's POVA hand with wicked-looking claws sliced through the air toward me. I felt the rush of wind against my skin and only ducked at the last second. I could have moved sooner, but I loved the thrill of the danger. It made my blood hum.Staying low, I swiped my short wooden sticks, the ones I







