Night falls around us, and we settle in, ready to pounce at the earliest sign of trouble. It’s past midnight when one of our scouts signals to Mother that they see something coming across the river. Mother runs out of her hiding space and stands at the river’s edge, straining her eyes against the da
*Kieran* “That was quite a speech,” Father says coldly, coming to stand within inches of my face. “You’ve certainly spun quite a tale.” He’s saying this for the benefit of those around us, I know. The fury blazing in my eyes is a sharp reminder of the truth of my words. When he deems someone a thr
King Cole must not be too far away, which is a relief. The moment we cross into Escuro, he can help us regroup. Even if most of the army followed my lead, my father will not stop until every last one of us is dead. I can only hope that the soldiers in Escuro have prepared in some way. There weren’t
*Raven*The night drags on, heavy with anticipation as we wait for the soldiers to arrive. Mother and Father don’t let go of each other for much more than a moment. When they aren’t holding each other, they’re simply gazing at each other. Mother looks at Father like he’s the most precious thing in t
“It’s okay, Kieran,” I comfort him. “We’re ready for them. While you’ve been gone, we’ve been working on a plan. I just need you to get yourself and your followers across the river. Once you do, I’ll take care of the rest.” My heart swells with pride at the thought. There’s something so satisfying
KieranWith Raven’s last words—I love you more than you can imagine—ringing in my ears, I pound across the open plain toward the river that is apparently our only hope of survival. We left the forest half an hour ago, and since then, my father’s forces have been gathering behind us. More men stayed
RavenEscurians and people from Dun’s Crossing celebrate all around me, but I only have eyes for a bloodstained, silver wolf on the other side of the river. I shove through the crowd, desperate to touch him and know that he’s safe. That we all are.King Gavin is dead!Kieran seems to have the same i
KieranI run my thumb nervously over the back of Raven’s hand as Fleming, the royal healer, looks her over in his study. The wizened old man mumbles to himself as he works but never anything I can understand. My heart pounds. I will not have gone through all of this to lose my wife at the end. I wil
She groans. “I really think that might count as two parties.”With a laugh, I let them lead me out of my new bedroom in my new home and down to the temple to start the rest of my life. Ingrid, Estrella, and Raven leave to join the crowd, but Eva stays with me. According to Snowcrest tradition, she w
CandaceI drag a comb through my thin hair and stare at myself in the mirror on my vanity. More accurately, the new mirror on my new vanity. Hollis and I had to exchange one more goodbye because I had to return to Dun’s Crossing long enough to pack up my life. Some things weren’t worth the trouble o
I press my mouth to hers, mapping the curve of her smile with my tongue. She laughs up into me, breathless with relief. I trace the fullness of her cheek, the slope of her neck. She nips my lower lip. I climb into the bed with her, careful of her many injuries. Someday, we’ll talk about her mother,
Hollis‘Got some more over here,’ Zain calls through the mind-link.I drag the heavy cart across the red-mottled snow toward my Beta. My muscles burn with exertion, but I’m not stopping until this whole battlefield is clear. I won’t let a wolf suffer longer than they have to.Zain nudges ice off a h
“No!” Nessa shrieks. “I warned you about this, about her. She’s twisting your mind.”Eva laughs in her face. “She’s twisting things?”Nessa darts to Soren’s side and grabs his arm. “We can’t stop. Rowena said there would be hell to pay if—”Hollis gestures sharply with the arm I’m not holding onto.
CandaceMy heart hammers in my throat. Our weapons shine dully in the snow, Hollis’s sword dwarfing my dagger. Eva drags her gaze from them up to our clasped hands. My other arm throbs, a reminder that I don’t think I could fight her off if I wanted to.She adjusts her grasp on her knife to a stabbi
Eva scoffs and smashes the hilt of her knife into my fingers around her arm. “When have we ever had trouble talking to each other?”“Exactly.” My fingers throb as I wrap them around my sword. “That’s why it was so hard.”“Bullshit!” Her voice cracks. “Just tell me. Four little words. I found my mate
HollisAt the same moment as I reach the wide ring of defenders and ranged fighters encircling the heart of the battle, Candace limps to a stop at my side. Blood stains her gray coat in a dozen places, and my heart leaps into my throat. I meet her huge, dark eyes. She melts into a human before me. H
There. The break I need. ‘Gavin wouldn’t let you lead, would he?’The shield flickers for a moment, and I crash through it. Sweet air courses into my lungs. I can’t waste the moment, so I charge at her blindly.‘I kept him as my figurehead,’ she howls. ‘I did not need his permission to act. I needed