All Chapters of The Dual Claim: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The chandeliers blazed with hundreds of candles, their flames mirrored in the polished marble until the ballroom looked like the inside of a star. Music drifted from the gallery, bright and full. Perfume, wax, and heat mixed in the air. A bell rang twice and the hall quieted.Alpha Corren rose from his chair at the head table. He was older than I remembered—hair gone silver, shoulders still straight.“Welcome, allies and honored guests. As the Moon turns through her twelve faces, each of the Twelve Allies stands in turn to serve as host before the full moon. Tonight, it is Silverpine’s honor to celebrate the banquet of The Luna’s Calling.”Applause rippled through the room, soft and polite. He lifted his glass in salute, then nodded to the dais.Elder Galdo stood. His voice carried calm authority. “We thank Luna for her bounty and the strength she gives our hunts. May our alliances hold, our hearths stay full, and our hearts remain ready for her choosing,

 The door stuck. I put a shoulder into it, and it gave with a groan. The courtyard beyond lay dark except for the moon’s soft glow. Thankfully, the music didn’t reach me here, only the sounds of frogs and crickets. I stepped outside and breathed in a huge gulp of the night air. The fountain in the center of the courtyard sprayed water as the droplets hit the pool at its base. Around me the pack lands spread for miles and miles. Orielle! His wolf. Reaching. Orielle surged up inside me, ears pricked, tail high, ready to run back. Mine! Let me go to him. My chest lurched with her. “We ca

My pack felt heavy on my shoulders, I tried to shift the weight a bit… just in case I had to make a run for it. I told myself to keep walking, keep steady. The sound of boots behind me couldn’t help but make me feel uneasy. I didn’t get the chance to turn before an engine growled. Headlights swept across the cracked pavement as it made a U-turn. A black SUV slid up next to me and stopped hard enough to leave tracks on the road. All four doors opened at the same time. Wolves unfolded out of it—broad, heavy, faces that were focused and mean. Their boots hit the ground and flanked me in seconds. “Soraya Wane,” the tallest said. “You’re coming with us.” I squared my shoulders, tried to sound braver than I felt. “Why.” “You’re wanted for the Alpha’s murder.” The words stunned me and I froze. Hands were on me before I could answer. My pack stra

The stone cell was cold, but it wasn’t designed to keep prisoners comfortable.It seeped through the cot, through my clothes, and me until my bones ached and my muscles stiff.The shackle at my wrist chafed if I moved too far from the cot. Every so often boots passed in the corridor and then faded, I wondered if there was another prisoner down here.Orielle paced inside me. She bumped against my ribs like as if trying to be let out. I told her to stop. We weren’t escaping.Light under the cell door thinned. I dozed and woke with a jolt, heart running fast.The guard’s keys jangled, and the bolt scraped. I sat up fast, thinking it was Lucien coming back to blame me again, and scooted until my back pressed to the cold stone wall.The door opened.An Elder stepped inside with two guards. His hair was white, his eyes sharp. They didn’t soften when they looked at me. I searched for Lucien, but he wasn’t there.

The door opened again, but the hallway beyond was darker than before. I lay on my cot watching them without lifting my head. The door swung inward. Four elders entered. Selwyn first with a leather bag. Marius came next, arms full—two shallow iron bowls balanced in one hand, a wrapped bundle of herbs in the other. Rathus had a case of chalk sticks and a copper dish with a tight lid. Hale shut the door from the inside. No one else followed. The corridor remained silent. “The bond still holds,” the short shifty one said. “Ansel was right.” “Where’s Lucien,” I asked, wary of these men. Selwyn approached my cot with a determined look in his eyes. “Then we will perform the reverse of the mating call,” he began, completely ignoring my question. Then continued, “Ancient magick designed to bring two wolves