Chapter 1

I'd just paid for premium venison with obsidian and stepped outside when a few packless wolves bared their teeth and backed me into a corner.

Annoyed, I held up the wolf-fang charm Nolan had given me to scare the lowlifes off, but it did nothing.

The witch's magic in the charm was tied to Nolan's life. If it wasn't responding, something had happened to him.

Nolan was the youngest and strongest Alpha in the North. He hadn't lost a single fight since he was 17, and he'd made the Frost family stronger than ever. Every pack in the land feared him!

And yet this proud, untouchable Alpha spoiled only me.

Looking at the dull, lifeless fang, I felt a strange flicker of panic.

When I looked up again, the lazy look in my eyes was gone, replaced by cold, murderous intent.

I didn't have time to waste on this trash. I closed my fingers around the lead wolf's throat and twisted hard, without mercy...

Once I'd dealt with those idiots who didn't know when to quit, I pulled out my phone, but a werewolf news alert on the screen stopped me cold.

Five major packs had joined forces to attack Nolan's territory. The front line had fallen, Nolan's father was gravely wounded, and his two older brothers had been captured...

My heart clenched at the news. Without a second thought, I dropped the venison I'd just bought and raced back toward the pack.

When I got back, the air was thick with the smell of blood and smoke.

Nolan's father, Garrett Frost, lay unconscious from his wounds, and Nolan's mother, Helena Frost, sat beside him, weeping.

She looked up, saw me, and snapped, "With the pack under attack, where have you been?!"

"I went to the market to buy venison..." I said quietly.

"Venison?!" Helena broke down before the word was even out. She shot to her feet and pointed at me, screaming, "The pack is under attack, and you're wandering around at a time like this?!"

Her accusations didn't really bother me.

I'd watched packs devour each other over territory more times than I could count. That was the law of survival here.

But when I thought of Nolan, the proud Alpha who always kept me safe behind him, surrounded by enemies, my fingers curled at my sides.

This unfamiliar unease made me restless. I decided it was time to find Nolan.

A noise came from outside the door.

"Mother." Nolan's hoarse voice rang out.

I spun around and saw Nolan staggering into the room through sheer force of will.

His bare skin was covered in brutal wounds. His flesh was torn open, and some cuts were deep enough to expose bone.

I couldn't imagine how he'd fought his way free from a death trap set by five Southern Alphas.

The heavy smell of blood stung my nose. I'd seen more than enough death in 60 years, yet my eyes still burned.

I hurried over to support him. For once, my voice shook. "Are you okay?"

He forced his ragged breathing under control, and the moment he looked at me, the hard edge left his face.

He closed his hand around mine and held on tight, smiling. "Don't be scared. I'm fine."

Once I was sure his wounds weren't fatal, I could finally breathe again.

But Nolan touched my face and asked, "The fang charm stopped working. Did you get hurt out there?"

I froze and stared at his wounds, unable to speak. Even in this condition, he was still worried about me.

"No, I'm fine," I answered quietly, lowering my head as the sting in my eyes got worse.

Only then did Nolan relax. He took a new wolf fang from inside his shirt and pressed it into my hand. "I just made this. It holds the power I managed to gather. Keep it with you."

I took the fang, and my chest felt tight.

He could barely stand, yet he'd still found the strength to strip away his own core power and make me a charm.

I was touched, but a Judge had no right to interfere in ordinary pack conflicts.

So I had no intention of intervening, even if Nolan's pack was conquered.

Besides, even if Nolan was no longer a mighty Alpha, I would happily stay with him as long as he could still buy me venison and take care of me.

Before bed, I went to find Nolan out of habit, wanting to fall asleep in his arms as usual. The moment I reached his door, I heard a muffled, heated argument inside.

"They want to take all our territory and our forces. Without them, the Frost family will be completely defenseless!"

The room was heavy with anxiety and despair. A few miles away, the combined armies of the five packs stood ready to strike.

Less than two hours remained until their eight o'clock deadline.

Every surviving leader turned to look at Nolan.

Nolan swept his gaze over them, his voice low and cold. "My father is badly hurt, and my two brothers have been captured. Everyone in the Frost family can fight to the death, but what about the civilians and pups on our land?!

"If we keep fighting, more people will die for nothing." Nolan's voice was heavy. "Tell them I'll sign the agreement."

The moment he made that decision, Nolan's rigid posture sagged. He clenched his fists, furious at what he had to do and powerless to stop it.

He had never shown weakness, yet he chose to surrender to save the people who depended on him.

He lifted his head. His eyes were bloodshot.

"Before that, I'm sending Iris away. She isn't a Frost. She doesn't need to face this with us."

The room fell silent. I opened the door, walked over to Nolan, and asked, "Where are you sending me?"

Nolan's hard expression softened the instant he saw me. Reluctance filled his eyes. "To my grandmother's, in the far north. It's safe there."