Elroy’s POV Sam was a wonderful pack Beta. Smart, hardworking, level-headed, had a memory like a steel trap—all things I needed in a right-hand man. I liked to think we even got along. I never thought that would bite me in the ass. It was biting me in the ass because the very same attributes t
Olivia’s POV The acrid taste of bile rose in my throat as I rolled over, my hand instinctively reaching for Elroy's warmth. Instead, my fingers met cold sheets, and I jolted awake. If Elroy was awake then I had overslept, and I had too much to do for that kind of irresponsibility. A groan escape
Elroy's lips pursed. "I know it’s bullshit, Olivia. We just need to put some distance between you and Astor for the foreseeable future.” I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. Unfortunately Elroy was right, and all three of us knew it. Even Astor didn’t deny it, even though he lo
"So none of those leads panned out?" he asked, leaning forward. I nodded, rubbing my eyes absently. We'd been at this for hours. "Not one,” I admitted with a sigh, “but the lack of bodies—" The library door creaked open, interrupting my train of thought. Jordan appeared, balancing a tray of stea
Whatever else I might have to say about the Ruby Room, it had one hell of a comfortable bed. Talking to a maybe-cannibal had really been the icing on the cake for my anxious body, the residual discomfort still keeping my shoulders tense hours later, but at least tonight I could actually sleep at a r
I realized how close I came to being Iris. I hadn’t thought about it in what felt like ages, but some of Elroy’s past words drifted back to me. I whispered, "You threatened to do the same to me." Elroy flinched as if I'd struck him. "Olivia, I..." He reached for my hand, hesitated, then let his
The heavy oak door creaked open, revealing Elroy's office. Sunlight streamed through the single window, illuminating shelves lined with leather-bound tomes and casting a warm glow on the polished mahogany desk. It wasn’t a huge space like the library, and something about being able to see the whole
“Yes, Iris told me,” I said. “Well, all that time Astor had our father to himself. It was like I didn’t even exist, and he was basically an only child. All of father’s attention, all his efforts, went into him. “When I presented as an Alpha, it changed everything. Suddenly my father was interest
Elroy’s POV The moment Olivia's breathing evened out in sleep, my wolf growled angrily in my mind. I pursed my lips, knowing exactly why. Olivia looked so peaceful in her sleep. Even now, seeing her safe and sound sent a wave of relief through me, just as it had when I'd found her alive after th
I’d barely done anything in the grand scheme of things. Hell, I’d only been here two months. That my people would do this for me was… Well, there were no words. All I could do to show my gratitude was walk over and pull Jordan into an embrace. “I love it,” I said, voice shaking. “Thank you Jorda
My room was done. It seemed like a silly thing to be so excited about, but I’d always been someone who needed her own space. It was an Alpha thing—we called it denning, an instinct that harkened back to the old days of fighting for and protecting territory. Obviously we weren’t competing for the b
Elroy's movements were sluggish as he crawled under the comforter beside me, sighing as he spooned me. We were both tired after a long day of playing host, and sleep was already dragging at the corners of my consciousness. I didn’t want to fall asleep just yet, though. I had missed this touch, the
The crystal chandeliers threw shimmering light across the grand ballroom, and as I sipped sparkling juice out of a champagne glass my eyes darted over to the cluster of sullen-faced council members huddled in the corner. I couldn't suppress a smirk. "Look at them," I murmured to Ines, nodding disc
“I’m in,” someone said, and my breath caught as Ines stood. My eyes stung. After everything she had been through, for her of all people to show faith in us was… I didn’t have the words for it, but it was something that felt deeply profound. Almost holy, really—a sign from the Goddess that we were
Fay returned much faster than I’d anticipated. I gulped, my heart pounding; we were teetering on the edge of a new future, one I wanted to help them reach so bad, but whether or not it happened was up to them. I was so scared they were going to say no. “They want to hear from you before they mak
“You’d face repatriation for anything your pack stole or damaged while in the city, but as your new pack it would be our responsibility to cover those costs. Anything done by ‘Rogues,’ like damage to the outer walls, wouldn’t impact you.” “We’d pay that happily,” Elroy added, “and you would never
For a long moment Fay just looked at us, her expression unreadable as the tension in the air wound tighter around my throat. I wanted to throw myself at her feet and apologize, but it felt wrong for me to be the first one to speak. Instead, Elroy did. "I want to apologize to you and to your pack,”