I felt restless, and the pack was restless. Nearly all the females stayed out all night. I had a bad feeling about this, and it didn’t get any better as Eir met me by the door after breakfast and announced they were ready to show us what they had made; with our help, she so graciously added after a little pause. But she shone like the sun where she was standing in the doorway, and there was no place for my worry or suspicions. Shortly after, I did what she asked, bringing the rest of the pack to the old house. The house we all knew as the female’s first stop. It had been building for that back in the days, and never had it been used for anything else. I’m not quite sure why, but I have a feeling it is because we all know, deep down, it wasn’t right what it had been used for, and for them, this house only carried terrible memories and trauma. So, we avoided it. It's as simple as that. Out of sight, out of mind. So I thought. Now, we looked towards the house and nervously shifted our we

Elisabeth/Eir´s POV “Bullshit!” I winched as Toke’s voice roared inside the dimmed room. He slammed his fists at the massive wooden table and glared at the council men. The attack had stopped, but from what I understood, it was only a temporary peace. The old men had been polite enough, questioned Astor and me. “Now, calm down, young Alpha! There is no need for foul language or raised voices.” “But it is lies! All lies! They haven’t even seen her! There is no way they have evidence to prove these claims!” “If you sit down, we can discuss this as proper men. You might even learn what supports their claims!” I didn't know what claim had been made, but it was obviously something dire. Toke was enraged, to say the least, and most of his men seemed tense and cold. Leaning forward on the table, Toke took a couple of deep breaths. When his father squeezed his shoulder, he seemed to break out of his raging thoughts. His muscles relaxed, and with a frustrated huff, he slumped down in his

" That pretty little ass is far away from home. Go back, Now!" The angry roar made me jump. To focus on the black wolves in front of me, I didn’t notice the man who came walking out of the dark forest line. With my pulse ringing in my ears and my own heartbeat stuck in my throat, my eyes followed him. His eyes shifted, but unlike Toke`s eyes, the beast`s eyes lighted up the darkness with a red-ish hew. The more I looked, the more precise the man got. Tall, incredibly tall! Toke could not compare at all! The man bulged with raw muscles; tattoos shifted with them as he moved. Dark swirling lines decorated his shoulders, chest, neck, and back, even behind his ear. His beard was thick and black as the night; his hair was the same color. His eyes never left me as he walked towards the sitting wolves from the side. "What?" "I said go back! Now!" "Why?" The snarling growl that pushed through the darkness was nothing but threatening, and the tiny hairs on my arms and neck stood straight u

“What were you thinking?” Toke paced back and forth, still ranting. I've tried to get in a word since he basically dragged me back behind the walls. Everyone else had disappeared, sensing his mood. So now there were only us here in the massive empty hall, lit up by the fireplace and a couple of burning lamps“What if they found you? Did you ever think about that? What they could have done to you?” “But I..” “No, because you didn’t think! This is not your world! You can’t just walk around shouting about equal rights! That doesn’t mean shit here!” “Toke! That..” He abruptly cut me off again, and I don’t know why I still try! I get that he is angry and worried, but he is taking it too far! “Nobody cares what you think or mean! Make things better! It is the strongest that decides—the fastest or the cruelest! As simple as that, you better learn that!” My heart hammered inside my chest, and anger and hurt raged through my body. What he said hurt, that he was the one saying it made it

Toke´s POV. It didn’t turn out the way I planned it to. Yes, it might have been a bit drastic to drug her and keep her down the days following. But the journey was dangerous, and it was all for her! She knew that. I told her, but she still refused to leave. This is my land, my world, not hers. Not the place she is used to. I did what was best for her, to protect her. I expected her to be mad and confused but not outright furious! These guys are different; I can’t show them I’m soft. There is no place for softness or love in this world. It is survival of the fittest, even among guys like Arcane, Hades, and their crew. I’ve known them for years since we were small, and pack fractions were different, even rogue packs. Times change, and even if I still know these guys and would trust them with my life, I know they live a different life. The rogue pack lives as our accident ancestors lived. Blood rituals and raids. They kept slaves and praised the old gods. They depended on them, fightin