AnwenI stand in the open gate as the milky white Haze silvers with the rising moon. Not everyone finds their mate during their first Haze. I keep reminding myself of that.This is my first time in public since Father’s death, other than mandatory political appearances. I can’t believe my siblings a
EstrellaThe morning after the Haze in Dun’s Crossing, my body aches deliciously. The scent of my mate fills the tent–cool mint and that brown liquor they served at dinner here. After months of running out into the Haze back home, panting and wanting and finding no one, I am finally sated. I can fee
“Don’t speak about him like that.” Anwen takes a step forward, mere inches from me. “In fact, don’t speak about him at all.”My hurt and confusion starts to fade, and the pride my parents taught me surges in its place. I am the crown princess of Sundrop Gem. Our pack cares nothing for gender in our
AnwenAfter Estrella leaves, I abandon the morning-after clothes and shift. If the bell’s already ringing, I’m fucked for time, so I’ll be better off seeming like I stayed out all night and asking the gate guards for something to wear. I take a breath and start running. Today, even my wolf can’t sto
I force my gaze to Prince Castor next. He wears a broad-shouldered tunic like his father but in more sedate colors, jewel tones instead of brights. No crown, no obvious marker of status beyond his ramrod-straight bearing. But his bow is awkward. He’s not used to being paraded around. Least-loved sec
EstrellaBreakfast feels like a dance I don’t know the steps to. My wolf sings inside of me, begging for the touch of my mate again. Only a table separates us. And she won’t listen to me when I remind her how he treated us. So we compromise. When he looks at his plate, I look at him. The way the tow
“I think it will be.” She laughs again. “Goddess, this is going to be great. I’m taking you under my wing, okay? And I’m going to make sure you have the best time here.” She leans close and drops her voice. “Or at least, as good of a time as you can in a place like Dun’s Crossing.”We exchange secre
AnwenAfter breakfast, I give Kieran my notes. Floyd was nosy, as usual. The king and queen of Sundrop Gem seem to lead together. Prince Castor seems sulky. Nessa isn’t trouble.Kieran hums thoughtfully. “And Princess Estrella? She seems smart, involved.”“Yes,” I say through gritted teeth.“You don
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