登入The walk back to the temporary cabin Emerald’s family was using for the festival was quiet, the frantic energy of the day finally beginning to wind down as the late afternoon sun slowly dipped toward the jagged peaks of the Frost mountains.When they reached the door, Emerald didn't want the silence of an empty room. Uncle Cobb, Aunt Nesha, and her cousins were still out on the festival grounds enjoying the last of the daytime events and preparing for the evening feast, and for the first time, Emerald realized she wanted a friend more than she wanted to hide."Do you want to come in?" Emerald asked softly, pushing the door open.Reagan smiled, a warm, easy expression. "I’d love to."They settled at the small, sturdy wooden table in the cabin's kitchen. Emerald immediately reached for her travel satchel, pulling out a thick strip of brown leather, a spool of fine copper wire, a set of heavy stitching needles, and a few small pots of vibrant paint. The rhythmic, familiar motion of her h
The heavy canvas flap of the medical tent fell shut behind them, cutting off the stifling heat and the suffocating sound of Stephen's quiet weeping.Reagan walked beside Emerald for exactly five steps.Then, Emerald broke down.The adrenaline that had carried her through the confrontation completely evaporated, leaving behind a sudden, heavy void. The raw, staggering emotion of having just forgiven her tormentors—of finally severing the toxic tether that had bound her to their cruelty—was simply more than she could bear. Her knees buckled. A ragged, agonizing sob tore from her throat, and she stopped dead in the dirt path, burying her face in her hands as the tears finally spilled over.Reagan was there instantly.The petite Frost host didn't hesitate, closing the distance and pulling Emerald into a fierce, grounding embrace. She wrapped her arms and the edge of her heavy, fur-lined cloak around Emerald’s shaking shoulders, shielding her from the distant noise and prying eyes of the f
The heavy canvas flap of the isolation tent was pulled back, letting in a sliver of pale afternoon light, but Stephen didn’t look up from the cot. His bloodshot eyes stared blankly, and his hands trembled where they hung between his knees. For three days, he had barely moved from Julia's side, ignoring food and sleep entirely. The only sound in the stifling tent was Julia’s ragged breathing, every rasp sounding weaker than the last."MacGregor." The familiar voice cut through the suffocating silence.Stephen flinched and looked up to see Reagan standing just inside the entrance, her arms crossed tightly over her chest in a rigid, openly hostile posture. But it wasn't the Frost warrior that stole the breath from his lungs; it was Emerald. She stepped quietly into the dim tent, sunlight framing her for a brief moment before the canvas flap settled closed behind her.She didn't speak, simply taking in the agonizing scene before her. She looked at the metal tub packed with melting ice, th
The walk back to the outer perimeter after Alpha Zyan dismissed them was completely silent.When they finally reached the boundary line, Stephen’s new accommodations were already waiting for him. True to Zyan's orders, a standard-issue canvas cot had been set up fifty yards away from the miserable shack, completely exposed in a freezing patch of pines.Stephen didn't rub his victory in her face. He didn't even look at her. He simply walked right past the shack, sat down on the freezing cot, and turned his back to her.The absolute, visual confirmation of his rejection burned away whatever fragile thread of panic Julia had left, leaving behind only toxic, stubborn rage. She stormed into the cramped shack and slammed the flimsy door so hard the walls shook.But by the second day, the chill deep in Julia's bones had mutated into a violent, unnatural fever. She huddled under the thin wool blankets, her teeth chattering so hard her jaw ached. Dark, spider-webbing veins had begun to creep o
The heavy, rhythmic sound of Zyan’s boots fading into the tree line left behind a silence so absolute it felt like a vacuum.For a long, agonizing minute, neither Stephen nor Julia moved.Stephen kept his eyes squeezed shut, letting out a long, ragged breath that materialized as a white cloud in the freezing air. The devastating truth Zyan had just dropped didn't come as a shock. Not really. If Stephen was entirely honest with himself, the signs had been there all along. He just hadn't wanted to admit it.He had seen the way Reagan, the fierce and untouchable Frost Alpha's twin, had been hovering around Emerald, treating her not like a guest, but like family. He had watched from a distance as Emerald walked through the festival grounds, her head held high. She wasn't the trembling, shattered girl he had abandoned. She had gotten to a point where she wasn't afraid of Alphas anymore. She didn't flinch when massive, lethal warriors walked past her.She felt safe. Because she was standing
Zyan studied the broken man standing on the other side of the barricade. The request was pathetic, desperate, and entirely genuine. But Zyan was not running a hotel, and he was certainly not going to bend his territory's logistics to accommodate the man who had shattered his mate's heart.The Frost Alpha’s dark smirk faded into a cold, impassive mask."I'm sorry, Stephen," Zyan said, his tone completely devoid of pity but ringing with absolute finality. "But the only thing I can give you is another cot."Julia immediately saw an opening. The sheer humiliation of Stephen’s request had briefly stunned her, but the Alpha’s rejection breathed life right back into her suffocating entitlement."Good!" Julia snapped, stepping forward and pointing an accusing finger at Stephen. "Because he deserves to sleep on the floor! Now, Alpha Zyan, about my VIP—"Zyan’s gaze snapped to her.The temperature in the air seemed to instantly plummet. The terrifying, crushing weight of his dominance slammed d
Back at the booth, Emerald stood perfectly still, her hands trembling against the edge of the display table. But for the first time in over a year, the shaking wasn’t from fear. It was adrenaline—pure, unadulterated relief. The heavy, suffocating weight she’d carried since her bond was broken had s
His jaw locked so tightly his teeth ground together. He tried to take a rigid step away, to subtly disengage his arm and turn around to discipline his men for the disrespect.But Julia wouldn't loosen the hold she had on his arm.Oblivious to the whispers—or perhaps just not caring as long as she w
Stephen gripped the top rope of the ring boundary so hard the thick canvas actually groaned under his grip. His chest actually hurt as a dark, desperate panic clawed its way up his throat. He had lost the respect of his men. He was tied to a woman who made his skin crawl. And the only female who ha
The sun beat down on the packed dirt of the combat ring, the heat radiating off the cheering crowd. From her spot on the bleachers, Reagan rested her elbows on her knees, her golden eyes tracking the two massive Frost pack fighters warming up inside the ropes.A bittersweet pang tightened in her ch







