The wine just wouldn’t stop dripping.It slid off the table in little lines, pattering on the polished floor like traitorous raindrops that echoed loudly in the silence that had descended in the hall.I stood frozen, the pitcher in my hand and napkin scrunched in my fist as I felt my face burn.Every pair of eyes in the banquet hall was on me. Not on the spilled glass. Not on the noble girl sitting in her wet white dress. On me.Luna Morninne’s smile was sharp enough to cut skin. “Some omegas,” she said sweetly, her tone carrying clean to the far wall, “struggle to learn their place.”My wolf snarled, sudden and hot. “Rip that poisonous tongue out of her mouth, carve her a real smile while you’re at it, to replace the fake one that she plasters on her face every day. I’ll do it if you won’t.”I gripped the pitcher so tightly that my knuckles ached. If I spoke, if I even breathed wrong, I would be finished. So I forced the words down, forced my knees to bend, and forced myself to wip
Black cars were lining up at the gates before breakfast had even begun with their pack crests flashing on polished doors.The sight of them all clamouring to sell their daughters for a rise in status sickened me, but I didn’t really have much choice. This was something that I had to put up with to appease both the nobles and the council until I had figured out what I was going to do.I knew time was running out though, and for now, buying time was all I could do.Jeremiah adjusted his cuffs beside me and the man hired as the protocol master held the ledger like the book was holy, his chin high, waiting for my nod.“Begin,” I said.The doors swung open and families poured in. Alpha’s with daughters dressed in outfits designed to show off their figure, enhancing their assets and covering their flaws, glittering with a vast array of designer jewelry to flaunt their wealth. Mothers carried smiles sharp enough to cut and fathers scanned for new opportunities like hunters stalking open grou
I still ran beside them even as the sun went down.Alina’s seat was in the second row, on the driver’s side and I could feel her fighting the exhaustion that had wrapped itself around her.She would rather sleep sitting up before she leaned on someone else, and she would take her breaks an hour later than everyone else just so that no one would see any sign of weakness.Nolan’s heartbeat was steady now, even when he spoke, even when he signed off on a report one-handed.But not when he checked his mirror and met her eyes for a second through the glass. That was when it changed. One beat longer. One beat harder.My wolf slammed against my skull, his fury raging through me again.“He’s staring at what’s ours! I’ll take his eyes for it!” he roared.“Shut up,” I said, because the alternative was doing something we’d both enjoy in the moment but regret when our brains took over from the primal instinct.“I would regret nothing,” my wolf snarled.The gates came into view, and the guards lif
The instant her fingers touched the mark, it hit me.A searing heat snapped through the bond, sharp and sudden, ripping up my arm like the pain was mine. The bark of the tree that I was leaning on had cracked under my grip before I realized I’d tightened my hand.My wolf lunged in a mix of panic, fear, and desire to protect, all snarls and teeth snapping.“What are you waiting for?! Go to her! Now! We must protect and keep her safe!”I held my position, though, fighting against the rantings of my wolf. If I moved, the members of the unit would start asking questions. They would see their king where he did not belong, and Nolan would be forced to split his focus. She would look up and hand me her attention when she needed all of it on the ground.Below, Nolan barked her name harshly as she staggered back two steps, her hands trembling even as she regained her footing.She was stubborn. Always stubborn when she had no business being..The clearing pulsed around her as she pressed furth
With each step we took into the clearing, the atmosphere only seemed to get heavier.The others felt it too. Even the seasoned warriors shifted their weight, boots dragging a little longer on the ash than they normally would. It was like a sixth sense, our wolves knew something was very wrong, and they were letting us know it.Nolan lifted his hand. “We’re done here. Team two, sweep north. Everyone else, pull back.”You could physically see the relief sweep over everyone. Formerly tense shoulders were now a little more relaxed, and the appreciative murmurs of “Finally” and “Thank the Goddess,” that were muttered hastily under people’s breaths.But I didn’t move to follow the others; instead, I planted my feet as a small frown settled over my face.“Wait,” I called softly, and suddenly every head turned towards me.The warriors frowned. One of them, I didn’t bother to remember which, snorted loudly. “Jesus, the omega wants to die out here.”Nolan’s eyes snapped to him sharply, silenc
From the ridge, I could see all of them working. The unit moved in careful arcs, spreading the tape carefully around points of interest, flagging the perimeter, and marking the ash in places that needed further investigation.. Nolan was at her shoulder, as if the position had always been his.He gave her tasks, she obeyed him, and then, he praised her in his own way.I watched her face shift when he told her "Well done," or "Good,". Even when he nodded with satisfaction at something she had done well, she responded. Not by much, just the smallest lift in her chest and shoulders, and the flash of pride she tried to hide. Her movements were too soft...too vulnerable...and she was too quick to give those reactions to him.“Good,” Nolan said again.My hand curled into a fist against the bark as I watched them together.“Ours,” my wolf snarled furiously in my head. “She is not his to praise.”“He's training her,” I bit back. “That’s his role that we assigned him.”“No. We should be teach