I had one of my personal guards keeping an eye on Annalyse from a distance. With a large pack of rogues around the borders of her pack’s territory, I wasn’t willing to take any chances with her safety. Alec passed on to me this morning that she was meeting her friends today, and Havoc and I both needed to see her. He was restless not being near her and honestly, I was too. I decided to go to her lake and see her. If her friends knew who I was, so be it. She was going to find out anyway in just a few days. She seemed shocked when I delivered her the invitation yesterday, though she hid it well. I found it an adorable tell of her nerves, the way she blurted out her thoughts at high speed when she was flustered. I hurried through the forest, her scent on the wind telling me she was

I jumped in the cool, clear water and surfaced with the water coming to just under my nose. Mostly to hide my smile. I heard every word they said. Now I just had to play it cool, which was no easy task given that it sounded like my girl has been talking about me to her friends.  I almost laughed out loud at being called walking sex. I knew I was attractive and had my fair share of attention because of it throughout the years, but no one has ever been so open and frank in my presence. Great Lycan hearing can be a deterrent to casual remarks anywhere near me.  It was refreshing in a lot of ways. Almost like I was a new friend in their group instead of a Lycan Prince surrounded by those who mostly said what I wanted or needed them to say out of fear or obligation. It was nice to hear real candor, even if they didn’t know that I heard it. 

Leaving Lyse behind, reluctantly, I headed back toward the castle. I brought about my shift to allow Havoc to run. There was a niggling at the back of my mind, a feeling of danger, which Havoc reinforced as we ran. ‘Danger, Chase. It’s near. We need to go back. Our mate is in danger.’‘Go, Havoc. Quickly.’ I urged him on, no question that something evil out in the forest, lurking. I turned and ran, pushing my Lycan faster than I ever had before, even in battle.There was something in the air. The smell of sulfur and death. Of torture and turmoil and want.I skidded to a stop at the edge of the forest back near the lake, Havoc on high alert, the awful scent of destruction still curling through this part of the forest on the wind

 ChaseI sat in the treetop near her house, keeping watch. Keeping her safe.Watching as she cracked open her second floor window, I was struck again by her beauty in the dim glow of the light she kept on as she climbed into bed.I wondered what she thought about that brought a small smile to her lips as she closed her eyes. I was working on a way to get her to the castle as quickly as possible so I could be certain that she’d be safe. Something was out there and I had a feeling she was its target, though I had no idea why. No one knew that she was mine. Hours had passed when Havoc spoke urgently, ‘Protect her. We have to protect her.’

Hearing the worry and anxiousness in my son’s voice through the link had me up and out of bed in seconds. It was early, especially by Dylan’s standards, so I knew something was going on. The rogue problem was something my secret security team was working on. There was something different about this threat and I intended to find out what. It was reassuring to know my son found it equally as worrisome.  The worry he displayed told me there was more.“I found my mate.”, he told me. I smiled, feeling truly happy for him and, as a ruler, relieved for all of our kind. His future queen would only add to his strength as a king and his will enhance hers as well. Upon asking who she was, he moved past being ner