"Marco DeLuca truly is a formidable ally, Roman. Why does your wolf bristle at his shadow?" Willow Grant Log asked, shifting her weight to lean more heavily against the Alpha of the Vale.Roman Vale Ro snorted, his powerful arms tightening around her waist as they stood on the balcony of the Vale Compound. "The man is a silver-tongued rogue to any female he deems worthy of his courtly mask. To the rest of the world, he is a predator who wouldn't blink twice if they were caught in a trap."Willow rolled her eyes, her turquoise gaze catching the moonlight. "Regardless of your grumbling, he stood between us and the silver blades today. We owe him a formal gesture of gratitude. Perhaps we should invite him to share the kill at the next Great Hunt dinner?"Roman grunted, a low vibration in his chest that sounded suspiciously like a growl. "I suppose I am indentured to that Italian bastard now," he muttered. When Willow arched a skeptical brow at him, he cleared his throat. "Perhaps. But no

"So? How was the audience with the Great Mother?"Willow Grant Log released a heavy breath, sinking into the furs of the sofa. "It was civil. She was welcoming enough, but the tension was thick. Roman Vale Ro warned me she would be guarded, and he was right."They had detoured to the high-altitude sanctuaries of the Italian Alps to seek her out before the final trek to the Eastern Peak. Roman had been hesitant; his focus was solely on the bond and the sanctuary of their journey, and he knew the former Luna would not be thrilled by the interruption. She only permitted Roman and Matthew Ross to breach her perimeter on the winter solstice. But Willow had been adamant. She needed to understand why the woman who bore the Alpha kept such a desolate distance from her own blood. She understood the trauma of the Great War that had ravaged Redwood Bay, but surely the scars had faded enough to let her son in.The meeting had yielded no revelations. The former Luna spoke only in riddles and hollo

"The blood has already left your face, Vincent. You look as though the moon has abandoned you," Roman Vale Ro rumbled, his voice echoing like shifting stone within the iron-clad walls of the silver pits.Vincent Hale scrambled back, his shackles rattling against the damp floor. "You cannot do this to me! The Council will never allow it! I am an Elder of the Southern Verge!"Willow Grant Log felt the ground begin to heave beneath her boots. The scent of damp stone and the sharp, acidic tang of silver in the air made her head swim. The world tilted, the torchlight on the walls blurring into long, jagged streaks of amber."The Council follows the Alpha, and the Alpha has seen your treason," Roman replied, stepping away from the bars to wrap a steadying arm around Willow’s waist. "I offered you the respect due to your age for years. Now, you will face my wrath. You should have considered the cost before you conspired with Luca Ferraro to ambush my mate. You sought to bleed the Vale; now y

"The pull is different now, isn't it? That fierce need to shield the flicker of life inside you?"Willow Grant Log met Roman Vale Ro’s gaze, her fingers trembling as she pressed them against the flat skin of her abdomen. "It’s a tidal wave, Roman. I didn't expect the wolf to claim this so quickly."Roman didn't speak, but his golden-gray eyes never strayed from her hand. He shifted on the edge of the infirmary cot, his large fingers twitching at his sides. He looked like a predator trying to hold back the urge to pounce, desperate to feel the warmth of her skin where their future was knitting itself together."You’ve spent your whole life hunting for a pack to call your own, haven't you?" Willow whispered, her heart aching for the Alpha who had spent years in a cold, solitary reign. "You’ve wanted the warmth of a hearth and the laughter of pups since the day you were exiled.""I have survived," Roman rumbled, his voice thick. "But I have never truly lived. Not without you."Willow too

All Chapters of Inevitable Red Flag: Chapter 81 - Chapter 84

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