"...What did you just say?" I asked, my voice thick with disbelief."I said they've declared war," Alexander repeated. "They've said that if we don't release Caius before sunset tomorrow that they will officially announce their intent to bring him home by force."Less than twenty-four hours. I had less than twenty-four hours to free him or we would be initiating a war....And it would be my fault."It's not enough time," I whispered, the panic rising inside me once more. "...It's not enough time... It's not enough time."I took a step backwards as my mind continued to whirl. This was it. Everything had been leading to this moment and it was finally here."Is there anything else I need to know?" Aleric asked him.Alexander frowned as if he'd expected him to have a different reaction. "...No? Just that we received a letter from the Silver Lake just now... —.""You can go then," Aleric interrupted. "Thank you for te

"Alpha... I am here today to confess my crimes of treason."The room around me became icy cold, a deafening silence hanging as no one even dared to breathe too loudly. All of them too shocked over my words.And, among them, seeming the most shocked and hurt... my father. I hadn't told him what I'd done. In fact, we'd barely spoken the last few months since we'd had that argument about Thea. Not because I was still angry at him, Goddess knew I was in the wrong there, but because I was ashamed. I'd tried to force him into doing something that jeopardised not only his safety, but my mother's also. Even in grieving, it was stupid.Tytus looked me up and down, the only person who hadn't been affected by my sudden announcement. Knowing him, his mind was already thinking of ways to turn whatever I was about to say into something that could benefit him."...Elaborate," was all he said.Strong. I needed to be strong."I...," I started, my vo

'Three hundred and one… three hundred and two… three hundred and three… three hundred and four….'I crept my fingers like legs along the wooden panel as I sat curled up on the seat of the windowsill nook. In my head, I would count the steps I made until my hand couldn’t reach any further… then I’d repeat. How many steps could I count until I was eighteen?Everything felt like it blended together, almost as if two timelines were now indistinguishable. It must have been at least a month or two since they dragged me in here kicking and screaming. I had tried to run the minute I saw where they were taking me, a reaction that surprised even myself. But this place held worse memories for me than even the trial grounds where I’d died.'*“No, not here,”*' I had said adamantly as they tried to force me to go inside. '*“Anywhere but here.”*''*“This is

“If we can request a forty per cent decrease to our alliance tax for just the next five years, I believe that this amount alone would allow us to grow exponentially,” the Alpha from the Red Star pack said. “You’d easily see the missed returns back in full from the tax break, though I think easily more than full, once our annual revenue grew further. Currently, we have several plans in place for expanding our business interests, but we’re just short of the funds required to implement.” Aleric took a moment to consider before finally replying. “I’m happy to allow that,” he said, “but I would expect an increase of trade goods to come through the Winter Mist during that period of discount, something that would assist with both of our economies. In addition to that, I will also add the condition where, should you fail to increase your total gross income after ten years, the Winter Mist will reserve the right to claim the amount in missed taxes during the initial five year

'Reach for it…' 'Stretch...' I dug deep within myself, searching where I had felt that familiar energy first stem from. Before it used to always feel like it was just out of arm's length, as if only the tip of my fingernail could graze it, but now it felt as though I needed several more appendages just to get anywhere near it. But it was there. I had to believe that it hadn’t just been my imagination. 'Stretch just a little further…' But then I exhaled quickly in release, panting from the strain it had caused to my body. I’d been sitting on my bed practising ever since arriving back at my guest lodgings. However, since starting over an hour ago, there had been little to show in progress. I knew there had to be a trick to this, some sort of internal cue to summon it. Elder Luke had mentioned that this energy was something that could be trained but I was now trying to accomplish it with a sever