POV: Jenna.The strands were coming apart at a startling rate, and no matter how firmly I held onto them, my control was eroding like sand through closed fingers. Managing events from the shadows until Darrel's obsession with Ivory Wells burnt out was supposed to be the easy part. Then he would come back to my side, determined only to maintain the strength of the Ludderton pack and secure my place as his Luna.But I'd gotten lost along the endless bramble-lined trail. Become caught up in the very webs of lies and betrayal I had so deftly woven to maintain the natural order of our lives. Now, everything I'd planned for was perilously close to collapse, and instead of relishing the delicious nectar of success, I was choking on the harsh ashes of shame and defeat. It had begun gradually, like the unnoticed jerks of a lady waking up from feverish dreams into the chilly light of day. Little clues that the steadfast Alpha I'd wooed was becoming less and less connected to the tortured soul

POV: Callum Wells.I used to control everything like pieces on a chessboard, but suddenly things got out of hand. Ivory Wells kept digging up secrets I wanted to keep hidden. Her actions even turned people against me.I thought I could scare Mia into staying quiet, but she's still helping Ivory. It's like dealing with annoying insects that won't go away.If I don't stop them soon, they'll cause bigger problems. So I need to take action.I asked for a report, trying to stay calm. But I was itching to hurt someone.One of my most reliable guardsmen stepped out from the shadowy line, his face hidden by the distinctive cowl. Like a rabbit immobilized by the hypnotic gaze of a serpent, I could taste the stench of his fear drifting off of him in nearly visible plumes.All OK. The ranks were kept focused more effectively by fear than by any other feeling."Mia Wills remains...uncooperative, despite our overtures," the wretch said, unable to keep my eyes on her for more than a few seconds. "S

POV: Darrel WilliamsWith a stifling weight, the lair appeared to encircle me, the ghosts of the past pressing. Grabbing the edge of the bulky oak desk till my knuckles became white, I used the physical agony to anchor my disorganized thoughts.How could I have believed the lies that were presented to me seven years ago with such blindness and willingness? I could smell treachery and deceit in the strong earthy smells that had always comforted me. Every time I closed my eyes, Ivory's face swam behind mine, her beautiful features bearing the scars of her exile. As my most reliable friends denounced the woman I was a woman whose only transgression was giving birth to a child whose entire existence they considered a "abomination," I had said nothing.No matter how hard I tried to ignore the memory of that terrible night, a deep growl rumbled in my breast. Callum's greasy tones were still hissing in my head like a snake.Alpha, the whelp threatens the purity of our ancestry. What is to

POV: JennaWith every instant that passed, the weight of my acts descended over me like a stifling blanket. The echoes of my footsteps seemed to taunt me as I walked around my rooms, reminding me of the repercussions my hand had started.Originally a desperate attempt to uphold the dignity of our pack, what had started as a simple web of lies and dishonesty had threatened to destroy the entire fabric of everything I had battled so valiantly. The once solid ground underfoot had collapsed into a dangerous chasm, and I was teetering on the brink, trying to hold onto power.Darrel's disobedience had been the first fault in the foundation, a fissure widening daily. His obsession with the human woman Ivory had blinded him to the old customs meant to protect our species for millennia. How could he not realize that her entire presence was an insult to our way of life, a blight threatening to ruin the purity of our bloodlines?My calls to reason with him, to help him realize his mistakes of be

POV: Callum WellsThe shadows appeared to hang over me like a shroud, their cold fingers encircling my being and stifling me with their hug. Walking the boundaries of my cave, the weight of my deeds fell on me, a continual reminder of the sins I had done in the name of safeguarding our way of life.For so long, I had thought that my road was the moral one, that the sacrifices I had made were required to preserve our bloodlines' purity. Now, though, as the reality started to fall apart before my eyes, I started to doubt everything I had always revered.Ivory's unrelenting search for the truth had grown to be a thorn in my side, a continual irritant threatening to untangle the well-spun web of lies I had created over the years. Her sheer existence was a stain that had to be eliminated before it could permeate the very fabric of our pack, an affront to all I had battled to preserve.I could feel the noose tightening around my neck as the days went by, the whispers of dissent getting loud