I took to the woods and ran. I needed to think, to get away for a bit. I thought it rather pointless to run away from Xander. He could smell and find me wherever I went. I just wanted to breathe, and the night air that filled my lungs awoke in me something that I hadn't felt in a long while: freedom. Hot tears streamed down my face. I swiped my shirt sleeve over it and kept running. I was in flight mode—screw the fight approach. Panic swelled inside my chest when I heard Xander calling out my name not too far behind. It would be a matter of seconds before he would reach me. I didn’t want to see him just yet. Not with what I had just heard. I needed to find somewhere to think about all of this, calm myself down and quell all this building anxiety, but I knew my legs would never allow me to outrun a Lycan, even if Xander was in human form. I felt something cool and tingling on my back. When I jumped over a fallen log, I was projected into the air. I let out a surprised scream as I took

We had to wait until the moon ceremony before Xander could challenge Jordan for the right to become Alpha and King of the last Lycan pack. We didn’t have to wait long because the ceremony came the next day when the moon was at its apogee in the night sky. It also coincided with Jordan’s wedding with the girl from the Birchwood wolf pack. I was a little nervous about the full moon. Young shifters had issues controlling their shifts, which made them extremely dangerous. Leo kept resurfacing in the back of my mind, remembering all too well when he tried to attack me when I had opened the forbidden room in Xander’s quarters back in High Hill Estate. He had started to get better at controlling it, but Xander and Gideon always took him away when it was the full moon, returning only when the sun started rising again. “Are you ready for what is about to come?” Asked Una to Xander. “Once you challenge, there is no going back.” “Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s just hope everything will go smooth

Xander POV The chaos which had been raining all around us halted. I assumed Ida had found whatever was causing the explosions that killed Lycans and soldiers alike. I had lost track of Jordan when he pushed through the mob, trying to get to my father. I suspected he was most likely dead. This had been a fool’s deal, I thought as I tried to claw at one soldier’s jugular. The Alpha had given a golden opportunity to one of this country’s most dangerous men. How did he not think that Duke Kestrel would not waste this chance? I howled in rage and jumped on the next available victim. The ground was starting to be slippery, and I had to work extra hard not to land on my haunches. One wrong move to the ground, and I could get slashed by a sword. The weapons they had brought had been dipped in silver. One jab and the Lycans would go down, writhing and transforming back into a human where they did not stand a chance against the well-trained Kestrel troops. The screams and sound of sliced f

After a few moments of silence, Jordan banged his fist to his chest and bowed his head, accepting Xander’s offer. Many followed suit until every member of the pack present stood and made the same gesture. The old council members were the only ones unhappy with this turn of events. “Very well. I thank you all for your confidence in my mate and me. I understand the pack has chosen all of you to represent its best interest in these meetings. While we prepare for our departure, please vote for new council representatives. I will expect a list of names by the end of this day to discuss logistics for this pack. You may voice any concerns or quarrels with Beta Jordan, who will bring them forward to me.” Seeing Jordan there surprised me. I didn’t think Xander would have kept him in the pack with the stunt he tried to pull. But I supposed Xander saw something in the defeated Alpha that made him choose to keep him. “I will also need representatives of this pack to visit every wolf shifter pa

“What do you mean, he died? He was fine last night! When did this happen?” “Sometime during the night. Leo came to get him, and the next thing I knew, the boy was at my side, white as a sheet, telling me that Nimu was unmoving. Once I got there, I confirmed his death. He must have used too much magic for his old age and slipped quietly in his sleep.” My heart sank. I had let this happen; I thought miserably. I should have been more alert when I noticed Nimu getting paler. I felt utterly devastated that I had pushed him to his limits. Otis saw the look on my face and grumbled, placing his hands on my cheeks and forcing my head to meet his gaze. “It is not your fault, Cressida. He knew what he was doing. There’s nothing more you could have done to prevent this from happening. Let it go.” Tears spilled down my face, and Otis flicked his thumbs over the rolling beads. I grabbed his wrists and stepped forward, burying my head in his robes. “He did so much for me, for all of us. He hel