Mag-log inChaos? The word sent a chill through me.
She walked past me with her usual grace, making it clear the conversation was over. That was just like my mother, always asking questions, never giving answers, but still she expected her orders to be obeyed.
But she is wrong this time. Even if chaos comes, we’ll deal with it. Still, as I left her chambers, unease followed me down the corridor like a shadow. Gina’s scent lingered on my skin, warm olives and light beneath
POV: Gina"Line up straight," Dessa called across the training yard, her voice carrying easily over the noise of clashing practice weapons. "You're soldiers now, not children playing at war."The joint training grounds had been set up just outside the palace walls, wide enough to hold Lycan soldiers, wolf pack fighters, and a handful of Thorne's bear warriors all at once.It is our first real attempt at merging the three very different fighting styles into one unit, instead of them simply standing near each other."They're improving," Thorne said, watching from beside me, his arms crossed over his massive chest.“The progress is slow,” I commented."Yes, but they are still improving." He nodded toward a cluster of young recruits struggling to match their formation to a bear warrior's much larger stride."Give it time; trust doesn't build overnight, especially not between peoples who've spent generations wi
POV: LenaI found Keith exactly where I expected him to be — in the small records office near the guard barracks, surrounded by stacks of paper he had clearly been sorting through for hours."You look like you haven't slept," I said, setting down a cup of tea in front of him."I haven't, much." He rubbed his eyes and glanced up, a warm expression crossing his face despite the exhaustion. "You didn't have to bring that.""I wanted to." I sat across from him, watching him work for a moment before continuing. "Caleb told me about Mary and what Gina noticed in the garden.""It fits with what I already suspected." He tapped a folder in front of him. "This is the account trail I found weeks ago. Small payments, routed carefully, going back well over a year. I couldn't prove where they came from before, but now that we know to look harder—""You think you can find the source.""I think I am close." He looked up at me, his expression becoming serious. "I keep thinking about what Gina said. Tha
POV: GinaI saw a note when I woke up the next morning; it was slipped under my door before I had even finished dressing.It was Mary's handwriting in small print, asking to meet me in the small garden behind the kitchens, the same spot where we used to talk when we were both just maids trying to survive the kitchen heat.“Don't go,” Bey said immediately."I have to. If I avoid her forever, I'll never understand what's actually happening."“Then let someone know where you're going. Just in case.”Bey had a point, so I told Keith on my way out. I saw his expression sharpen before he nodded and said he would stay close without making it obvious.Mary was already waiting when I arrived, sitting on the same low bench we had shared dozens of times before, and for a moment, looking at her, all I could see was the friend who'd once explained this whole strange world to me, patient and kind, when I had nobody else."You came," she said, relief flooding her face."I wasn’t sure I had a choice
POV: GinaI did not really spend the night in my old room; I had thought no one would notice, but apparently becoming a royal representative between the Bears and the Lycans had truly upgraded my status.So, my treatment was also upgraded. Now I even had a maid assigned to me.Her face was unfamiliar, since I was not that accustomed to meeting all of the serving maids even when I was a prince.Comfort and luxury are truly how I would describe my new space in the palace, but strangely I felt unwelcome as compared to Maren’s old hut.By night, I had my dinner, a sumptuous spread that I had only had a bit of when I was eating with Prince Caleb in the past.But that was not the only new thing; now I can boldly say I have a meeting with the King of Lycans.This morning after my breakfast, a guard requested to see me.“Princess Gina, the king requests your presence. Once you are ready, I am to lead you there,” he stated respectfully.Even though I had seen him before, I still needed to be s
POV: CalebI requested a formal audience, which I know surprised my mother, so she had no choice but to agree with any objection.By midmorning, I was standing in my father's study with both my parents seated, the doors closed to prevent any interruption."I know why you're here," my mother said before I even said my first word."Then let me say it anyway. I would rather you hear it directly than assume my current thoughts."She inclined her head, permission granted, though her expression remained carefully composed."I intend to declare Gina my chosen mate formally," I said. "Not privately, nor as a rumor which court whispers are usually about, then everyone pretends not to know. It will be public, with whatever ceremony that it requires, as soon as it can be properly arranged.""Caleb—""I'm not asking for permission," I continued, before she could redirect the conversation the way she usually managed to. "I'm informing you, out of respect for my parents, before it becomes public kn
POV: GinaThe formal audience took place in the throne hall an hour after our arrival, once the courtyard crowd had been dispersed. The alliance's leaders — Thorne, Maren, Dessa, alongside Caleb, Lena, and myself — had been given time to wash the road from our clothes, if not fully from our bones."You'll want to stand at the front," Lucien told me, before the doors opened. "Not behind Caleb. Beside him.""Is that the usual custom?""No," he said, his tone filled with an underlying humor. "That's precisely why I'm suggesting it."The hall itself was fuller than I had ever seen it; there were nobles, council members, and the guards lining the walls. They were all watching with an intensity that made the earlier courtyard crowd feel almost restrained by comparison.Lucien addressed the room from the dais, his voice carrying easily across the space. "Weeks ago, I encountered a young woman in the royal forest, in the depths of night, standing among wards that have lain dormant for generat
The look on the maids’ faces made me want to laugh. They seemed stunned, as if I’d told them to slap themselves. I’d never personally invited anyone into my chambers before.Not like this.I ignored their shock and entered first. A second later, I heard her footste
Gina POVWe were kept busy all through the queen’s event. Lila kept snapping like a she-wolf in heat. Maybe she is in heat. Who knows, with these Lycans, I don’t have much understanding of their biological makeup.By evening, the nobles invited by the royals had wined and dined, and my encounter wi
“Chief steward, apologies for keeping you waiting. I’m glad you honored our pack!”I heard my so-called father say as he approached a wiry-looking man with gaunt but stern features. His stance showed he was probably someone to be respected, especially with the way my father was currying favor towar
Gina POVSheila Adam had never thought of herself as special; being born an orphan meant the odds were always truly stacked against her, and she had never found a place to belong.So here she was staring at the ragged ceiling of a cave, looking at weeds growing out and stones of various shapes arou







