جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 80

The scent of dark magic and rotten blood hung heavy over the Moon Goddess Bond Hall, but I kept my hands folded over my stomach, my chest rising and falling as my wolf growled inside my ribs."High Elder Aldwyn Hollowmere won't touch this contract," I said, my voice echoing off the ancient marble walls of the pack sanctuary. "He just secured the Sunsand territory alliance and he won't risk his pack rank for a disgraced human."Selene Moonwhisper tightened her grip on her leather parchment scroll, her wolf ears twitching in frustration. "I checked the Moon Trial invitations from the performance arena. Director Jacob is the only Moon Bard Master who hasn't removed your name, Eloise. The rest of the Alpha Council already replaced you. Do you want to step back from the trials?""I can still hold on, Selene," I answered, my fingers digging into the soft, velvet fabric of my cloak. "We came too far. I won't let these fake herald reports stop me."The communication crystals across the territ

Selene Moonwhisper whispered into my ear, her breath warm against my neck. “It looks like the territory heralds only want to dig up dirty rumors about a human female and ignore the absolute truth of our sacred bonds.”That was the harsh reality of our modern werewolf world.When you sit at the top of the pack hierarchy, everyone howls your praises. But the second a storm hits your status, more wolves line up to watch you bleed than to offer aid.I had long gotten used to the judgment of full-blooded lycans who looked down on my plus-size human frame.What the outside packs thought of me did not change who I was inside, but I refused to walk through the territory with a forged stain on my reputation. I wanted to stand at the peak of the Moonsong Dominion, side-by-side with Lucan Ashcroft as a true Luna.If I let a few spiteful bards defeat me here, how could I ever be worthy of the Ashcroft Silverclaw Royal Pack?“Selene, let us leave,” I said, turning away from the council steps.“Lea

“When Eloise Hollowmere was at the lowest point of her career, how did she treat the people around her?” Selene Moonwhisper spoke quietly into the stone, her eyes fixed on the man standing before us. “How did Meredith treat you just now?”Kayden stood at the stone archway of the borderland compound, pulling heavily on a rolled leaf of dry pipe-weed.He channeled his energy into his communication crystal and dialed his mate’s frequency. “How have you been these few days?”“I am fine,” his mate replied softly over the bond. “It is just that our family’s trading stall in the lower territory is failing and needs to be shut down. Kayden, when will you return to the pack? The pup and I miss you terribly.”“It does not matter how much silver we earn, as long as our family remains whole,” she added.Kayden’s eyes turned red, his throat tight as he stared up at the endless dark sky of the borderlands. “Tomorrow. I will come home tomorrow.”He had given Meredith Thornvale every chance to show a

Lucan was still standing right beside me, his towering shadow covering us both, his hand resting possessively over the curve of my hip. I did not want my inner circle acting unrefined in front of the High Alpha.Lucan saw right through my shy posture. He pulled me close, his heavy thumb tracing the side of my ribcage, sparking a wave of heat straight to my core.“I would love nothing more than to carry my Luna back to the Alpha King's Chamber right now,” Lucan murmured, his dark voice sending a shudder down my spine. “But the Alpha Council Overseers are waiting for me at the Grand Council Hall. Corwin is already holding the carriage. Selene, see my mate safely back to the citadel.”“On my life, Alpha Lord!” Selene bowed quickly.“Remember to eat your afternoon meal,” I whispered, stepping close on my tiptoes to press my lips against the rough line of his jaw, smelling the crisp winter air and rich cedar scent rolling off his skin. “I will see you when the moon rises.”Lucan let out a

“What did you say, Selene?” I asked, leaning against the cold stone desk in the Ashcroft Dominion Hall, my heart pounding against my ribs. High Alpha King Lucan Ashcroft had already laid out every tactical piece against our enemies, but I knew the deep corruption running through the territory went far deeper than a few shadow heralds.“Do you still have access to the rogues’ herald who refused to hand over Alpha Quentin’s scent-marked crystal projections?” Selene Moonwhisper frowned, her wolf eyes glowing with sharp annoyance. “I suspect he was heavily bribed by Maria Vane with silver coins from the Aorai territory treasury. Otherwise, he would never have backed out of our pact so suddenly. If he has an accomplice among the heralds, we can turn his own dirty tricks right back on him.”There were certain lawless actions that the royal warriors of the Ashcroft Silverclaw Royal Pack could not execute without triggering an open territory war, but as a independent female bard, Selene had n