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"You cannot run from your bloodline forever, little wolf," Lady Genevieve’s mocking tone echoes inside my skull, making my claws twitch as I slip through the dense throngs of the territory.Ever since I tore myself out of High Alpha Lestat’s grip, I have been darting through the bright neon grid of the Mooncrest Territory. I look just like a stray pup trying to lose a hunting hound. I have ducked inside three separate potion shops and two rogue gambling dens just to muddy my scent trail. Since my personal pouch holds only a few silver coins stolen from the Silverclaw Ancestral Estate, I haven’t bought a single thing except a horn of mountain water and a massive, frayed straw hood decorated with two dried moon-blossoms to hide my silver hair.Lady Genevieve, Tristan, Victor, and their elite trackers are tearing through the territory to hunt me down. Every single time a familiar pack scent hits my nose, raw terror slices right through my gut. They don't seem to spot me yet—maybe because

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I snap my eyes open and realize his amber eyes are wide open, too. A look of complete, stunned surprise lingers in his gaze, his pupils dilated to the very edges of his iris. A hot wave of intense embarrassment and anger flushes across my face. Wonderful. I am the only one standing here feeling like my soul is melting. Did my tongue feel like a slimy salamander to him?Forget it. I pull my mouth back, my lips puckering in a sharp pout. I am definitely not desperate enough to keep kissing a male who looks grossed out by my touch.Before I can even step away, his large hand slides to the back of my skull, his thick fingers tangling deep into my silver hair. His mouth slams back down onto mine with an open, predatory hunger that steals the very breath from my lungs. I don’t even realize my lips have parted until his tongue glides inside my mouth, stroking against mine and sending a jolt of delicious fire straight to my toes. My head spins into absolute darkness, and I have to grip his ma

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"The blood-fee for this certificate is fifty silver pieces," Pippa says, her tone entirely professional as she breaks into my thoughts. Her eyes sparkle beneath the neon, silently wishing me and Rowan a lifetime of territory victories, provided we can settle the cost.The whole thing feels ridiculous. What happens to a pair of rogues who are too poor to afford a mating license? I almost wish I could claim my pockets are empty, except my cousin Louis Adekunle would immediately spot me the silver from the pack funds. He can be such a meddling enforcer. The pack elders act like they are deeply invested in my future, but they only care about checking their own boxes. If they truly valued my leadership, they wouldn’t force me into a Sacred Moonbond Union just to secure my Ascension to Alpha Counsel. And they definitely wouldn’t demand that I stop my search for the Prophecy of the Moon Queen.The purple neon lights inside the room are far too bright, and Pippa’s fangs show white as she grin

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What if none of those noble females can trigger my wolf? Are you going to forfeit your Ascension to Alpha Counsel and let the council strip your title?I scowl into the darkness, refusing to accept defeat.Rowan is standing right here in my arms. And the official marriage parchment is already resting against my chest. Bind your blood to her, and your seat on the High Council is legally secure.But is a runaway silver wolf respectable enough to satisfy Grandfather Lucien? another voice argues inside my head, though the logic is growing weaker by the second.I look down at Rowan’s wrinkled, mud-stained kirtle. I remember her climbing across the high stone lodge walls, then pulling my jaw down for a breathtaking kiss. I compare that raw, wild image to the cold, stiff perfection of the noble females in the Alpha Noble Circle.Probably not. But does it matter? We can shatter each other's traps. A husband from the First Alpha Bloodline will keep her greedy relatives from ever touching her n

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A high would at least feel pleasant. This silver-root poison is far more dangerous than any drug. "I am not high," I snap back, my grip on Rowan tightening."Can you make the vows quick, elder?" Rowan asks, her head turning toward the door as she catches a scent on the wind."Are you not going to set your bride down on the stones?" the bard asks, looking at how tightly I am cradled around her.I scowl at him. I like the feel of her weight far too much to let her go. "Do the laws require it?""Uh..." He shrugs his narrow shoulders. "I guess not. Since you want the express rite, hand over the marriage parchment."Rowan reaches into my vest pocket and hands the stamped covenant to him. "Are you legally authorized by the High Council to bind blood?" she asks, her voice tight with suspicion."Of course!" He puffs his chest out with immense pride. "I am a properly licensed and vetted officiant of the Southern Territories, and proud of it!""Proud of your terrible howling, too," I mutter und

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"I shall serenade your first mated embrace as our photographer marks the memory on stone!" the bard announces, drawing a deep breath.The magic of the moment shatters instantly. "Please do not open your mouth," I bark. I lock my fingers tightly through hers, spinning her around and dashing out the heavy oak doors before his throat can release another note of that terrible moon song. If he finishes that melody, it will permanently scar both our wolves for life. No amount of pack-healer therapy could ever fix the damage.Jonny doesn't even try to block our path this time. "Have a wild wedding night, Alphas!" he shouts, waving his hand with a massive grin.I kick the front door open, and we sprint straight out onto the stone path, slamming hard into a pasty, pale male standing right outside the threshold. The wolf has short, strawberry-blonde fur-hair gelled flat against his skull. Dark splotches of hyperpigmentation cover his nose and face, and his pale lashes surround a pair of cold, r

All Chapters of Alpha Lestat: Chapter 11 - Chapter 16

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