EstrellaI lie in bed with my arms crossed, glaring at the canopy overhead. Anwen Solberg may be the most stubborn, most callous man I’ve ever met in my life. How dare he call me weak? How dare he commit such atrocities in my name and then have the gall to act surprised when I show him the truth of
After he was crowned, he put off the matter of the portrait for years, claiming his princely portrait would do. So as the years passed, an image of Father at perhaps sixteen hung over his head, growing ever more out of date. On his thirtieth birthday, Mother put her foot down. He had to replace the
AnwenPain screams through every limb, starting and ending in the center of my chest. Liquid fire burns through me. Someone is tearing my heart out.I lurch up in bed, where I passed out after my run with Kieran, and find myself alone. Windows and doors all closed. I grope my chest. No sign of injur
She doesn’t shake worse. She doesn’t flinch. It might be the best I’m going to get.Taking Kieran’s advice, I go right for the hard stuff. Nothing I’d ever dream of bringing up with the girls I used to spend time with. “So, my mother’s in the dungeons.”No response. That makes sense. I plunge forwar
Estrella“Yes, Mother.” I prod at the toast on my plate. For the last week, that’s about all I’ve eaten. I have no stomach. I just keep turning the night over and over again.Castor shakes his head. “I don’t believe you were even listening.”I glare at my brother, but in truth, I wasn’t. I know I s
My stomach twists. I grip the arms of my chair. Anwen said—“Early this morning, a body was found,” Floyd says. “Looking to have been thrown from the highest tower in the castle.”“By the Goddess,” Mother murmurs.Castor just shakes his head.“That of a Dun’s Crossing soldier, one who had been missi
AnwenThe tears on Estrella’s cheeks catch the late morning light like diamonds, and I know I’m already too fucking late.This is what I get for following my head, letting it lead me away from my mate. Baz’s first call to the tower was fine. But as soon as I saw Harper’s broken body at the base, I s
Estrella shivers like she’s been shocked, but she still doesn’t look at me.“And Kieran”—I swallow—“he’s the reason I changed. He figured out what Father was doing and exposed him first to the men following and suffering under his orders. To those who needed the information most. That man, the one w
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