LOGINCHAPTER 32: A MOMENT BY THE FIREMason’s POVThe storm arrived before the council session could begin, sweeping across the palace grounds with enough force to send the guards running for cover. By midafternoon, the outer corridors were closed, the eastern passage was flooded, and two sections of the roof had started making noises that worried the head steward. The session was cancelled shortly afterward.The steward told me the heating in the west wing had failed. Since Ashvara’s rooms were affected, I had her brought to the private sitting room beside mine.She arrived with a book tucked under her arm and a suspicious look on her face.“Before you ask, I haven’t done anything wrong,” she said.“I didn’t know you needed an invitation to defend yourself.”“Your invitations usually come with a reason.”“The heating failed in your rooms. This one is warm, and the corridors aren’t safe.”She glanced at the windows, where the wind rattled the glass. “So I’m being relocated.”“Temporarily.”
CHAPTER 31Jax’s POVAshworth had been behaving strangely for days, and the more I watched him, the less I liked what I saw.He wasn’t good at hiding things. Most of the time, he carried himself like a man who believed nobody would ever question him. He laughed with the other guards and greeted Mason whenever they crossed paths.But his habits had changed. He had started taking the west corridor, even though his post rarely sent him there. Twice, I had seen him leave the war council chamber carrying papers that were supposed to stay inside the room, and both times he came back without them.I could have confronted him, but that would have been foolish. A wolf who knew he was being watched would only grow careful, so I waited.On Tuesday evening, I was coming back from the training yard when I spotted him near the staircase to the western wing. He glanced over his shoulder before heading down the corridor, and I stopped walking. He was checking whether he was alone.I gave him a head s
CHAPTER 30Ashvara’s POVRumors are such a weird thing in a pack of wolves, especially because they do not know how to be quiet. I noticed the first rumor because the conversation stopped the second I walked into the room.It happened at breakfast. Two of the beta women stood near the long windows, whispering while a servant arranged fruit on the table. Neither of them looked at me. They suddenly became very interested in the apples, as if three pieces of fruit were the most important thing in the palace.I sat down and picked up my cup. “What were you saying?”Both women froze.“Nothing, my lady,” the older one said. “We were only talking about the kitchen.”“Of course.”I let it go, but I didn’t forget it. Since coming to the palace, I had learned that people rarely stop talking because they have nothing to say. They stop because they don’t want you to hear it.By the end of the week, there were too many little moments to pretend they were unrelated. A servant who wouldn’t meet my
CHAPTER 29Ashvara’s POVThe palace looked different before sunrise.During the day, it never stopped moving. Servants hurried past with trays, guards changed shifts, and nobles whispered in corners about things they would deny saying later. But before dawn, all of that disappeared. The halls were silent, the windows were dark, and the palace felt like it belonged to someone else.I liked it better that way.For three weeks, I had slipped out through the side entrance before the first servants began their rounds. No one asked where I was going, and it had become one of the few things in my life that belonged only to me.When I reached the courtyard, Jax was already there, stretching his shoulders.“You’re much early,” he said, smiling faintly.I dropped my shoulders. “You told me to be here before sunrise.”“I didn’t tell you to beat me here.”he said flatly.“Are you upset that I followed instructions?” I folded my arms. “I’m upset because now I have to find something new to complai
CHAPTER 28Astar’s POVIt was the dead of night, and the first thing I noticed when I reached the meeting place was how quiet it was.There were no patrols nearby, no travelers passing along the old road, and no signs that anyone had used the area recently. A line of trees separated it from Silverfang territory, thick enough to hide a wolf standing only a few steps away from the border.It was exactly the kind of place I wanted.I waited under the trees with my hands folded behind my back, listening to the wind move through the branches. I had been there for nearly twenty minutes when I heard footsteps approaching from the other side.The rogue appeared between the trees.He didn’t hurry or look around nervously as he approached, and he moved with the same confidence he always carried, as though he had never considered the possibility that someone might be waiting to kill him.That confidence irritated me, a lot.“You are late, Maverick,” I said, not bothering to hide the disgust on m
CHAPTER 27Jax’s POVUsually, when I noticed something was wrong, everyone else had already decided there was nothing to worry about.Councilman Vale had missed two meetings that week because of what the palace healer called a stomach illness. It wasn’t nusual for an older wolf to fall sick, especially during the colder months, and no one seemed particularly concerned when he failed to appear at the first meeting.Then he missed another.On the third day, I saw two servants carrying a tray of food toward his chambers while a healer followed behind them with a small wooden case tucked beneath her arm.“How is Councilman Vale?” I asked.The healer looked up at me. It wasn’t Mira, but one of the younger women who worked under her.“He is resting,” she said. “He should be back on his feet soon.”“I hope it’s not too serious.”“It isn’t as serious as we think though. I believe he is simply weak.”I nodded, but my gut hadn’t been convinced yet.She continued down the corridor, and I watched







