Luna Sana, my mother, stared down at me. Her fleshy hands gripping the ends of her thrones arms. One of those hands had my sisters placed tightly on top. The room smelt of sweet violets, my sister had clearly been there for a while already. My mother’s eyes, cold and glossy, barely looked at me. On her left stood the head of the Elders. Advisors to the Alpha. They were meant to be the wisest, most trustworthy men in the pack. One of my first plans as Luna had been to disband them. To end the Elders judging every eighteen year old after their first shift. Deciding whether the mark branded on their skin meant they were fit to contribute to Kallio’s upper ranks. Elder Brent's gray, cool gaze met mine, his sneer already curling upwards. I’d only told Dominic of my plan to disband the crusty bastards. Had giddily confiding my plans to Dominic contributed to this disaster? In silence I waited, hands clasped in front of me while the guards shut the huge wooden doors and left me at my

From the second the drawbridge came into view I felt eyes on me. It’s unsettling. Prickling away. Left me expecting a sniper's bullet at any second. Staring up at the sheer white cliff face with its warren of blindingly white balconies, windows and nooks carved everywhere it’s a place of lost decadence. What can happen when a pack is allowed to grow in peace for generations. My packhouse is whichever building has enough bedrooms and hasn’t been set on fire in the past six months. So I should be used to being watched from the shadows. Initially, I thought the prickly heat came from Luna Elle. Undoubtedly beautiful, despite the slightly crooked nose. She is light and charming. Her figure elegantly displayed with her midnight blue gown. Captivating amber eyes and a winning smile. No issues so far. Almost perfect, beigely-compliant wife material. All manners and poise. Just as my Betas had suggested. I don’t feel crude thinking like that when I know she is sizing me up in exact

A rare smile breaks across my face, a thrill of excitement speeding up my pulse. I quickly tiptoe out of my room, leaving the door just ajar. The stone atrium is empty, all the guests sound asleep. I sprint up the stairs in just my stockinged feet, in too great a rush to bother with shoes. Racing up the last few steps I press open the final wooden doorway and feel my heart expand at the moonlit view. It’s just as stunning as I remember. Gazing wistfully from a window doesn’t compare to standing up here. The wind is fresh, cleansing. My skin tingles at the cold breeze and the scent of seasalt in the air. I can hear the waves breaking against the far end of the granite-backed cliffs. But I don’t want the sea tonight. Ahead of me was the land where the pack I was born to lead. It fans out into the darkness like rumpled black silk. That’s what I love to see. All the potential, the other cliffs and their carved houses jut out into the night sky, tall and imposing, but nothing reac

Throughout the meal, Elle smiles endlessly, charming little dimples forming in her cheeks. “Well, hopefully I can pay a visit to the Volare Clan in the near future? It sounds so interesting.” With my best attempt at a charming smile, I offered a weak, “I certainly hope so, we are proud of it, but it is a work in progress. There is no match for the grandeur of Kallio right now.” "I miss the balls. When the Alpha Council was in session, before my father passed."/YES/ my Betas link in unison. Finally, Elle is onto something."Perhaps you could be the one to restart it? Your clifftop balls were always the most spectacular?""I've never been to one Alpha Ayr," she replies flatly, her smile dropping for the first time. I've made an error. "They were purely for my parents to attend back then. Cassandra would have attended her first one had she not...""Betrayed us all!" Luna Sana interrupted with a drawl, pointing her glass at Elle.Shit I need this back on track. Not because I want to fl

Stubble greets my chin, making it blindingly clear this isn’t a crazed fever dream. Roughly seizing him, braced for his resistance, my chest presses against him. My hardened nipples rub against the roughness of his chainmail. It is like I’ve thrown myself onto the rocks at the sea-facing end of the cliffs. Hard and brutal, the metal chainmail is cold to the touch as is the stone cold floor on my bare feet. But his lips. The feel of my hands upon his jaw, his blonde hair just brushing through my fingertips. That’s the kind of soft warmth I could bask in forever and never wake up. He murmured with surprise but I held on, determined to make this scene stick. This kiss isn’t for me. It’s for my bitch of a sister to discover. To ruin Ayr’s attempt to win her. No marriage, no alliance. It will give Kallio a chance to sort itself out. Who knows what might happen if I get rid of Ayr as an option? The people could one day make up their own minds about Elle. I thought I’d have to hold