Charles After taking Grace home with the good news, I headed back to Blackwoods Castle. It held a strange sense of comfort now that everything was in the open. As I got to my office, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was my aunt, Elara. "Charles," her voice was gentle. "Sorry for missing your c
"Proper queen," I spat, the words bitter on my tongue. They wanted a puppet, a pawn in their twisted game of power. Someone they could manipulate and control, someone who wouldn't dare stand by my side as I challenged them. I should have killed him and his stooges years ago, but I wasn't a kin-k
Grace The clock on my office wall mocked me with its glowing red digits – 3:14 am. It had been another night spent hunched over my laptop, fueled by coffee and determination. The pressure was relentless, the weight of getting the production numbers up was almost overwhelming. A sudden, shrill sh
The night air whipped past me, a chilling me and freezing my scream. Below, the ground rushed up to meet us, a terrifying kaleidoscope of asphalt and concrete. Through the blur, above us, I could see the figures of the attackers bursting through the barriered doorway, their faces contorted in rage.
Grace Tears streamed down my face, a mixture of fear and a dawning horror at the lengths someone was willing to go to. The flames danced in my eyes. All could hear was the distant roar of it. I saw flashes of my dream about Mooncrest burning down around me. I could hear Alpha Shadow's voice, moc
Xavier zoomed in on the scrolling text displaying the final part of the Wolfsbane statement. "Consider this a warning. The production and testing of that so-called Moonlight Phoenix will remain ended. Werewolves are meant to die. Let us see how well the States function without their primary pharma
Grace It was definitely Charles, beard and all. He was in his Enforcer gear. My heart lurched. Had he been in the building during the attack? My gaze drifted over the all black armor. He dismounted in one fluid motion, the concern etched on his face. "Grace," he breathed, his voice laced with re
"What are you all doing here?" I asked. "Your office got blown up," Esme said wryly. "We're your grandparents." My lips twitched. "I'm okay." "Sure, let's get you home. I want to meet my great-grandkids," Ascher said. Eason hustled me up and out of the building into an Enforcer care. Ethan w
I nodded. "Don't let me trip." "I'll do my best." With a shared laugh, we headed out the door. Esme was there at the door, hanging back. Gracian stepped away from me and linked arms with her. "We'll see you soon." I nodded and watched them go. We stood in the foyer of the building. From wh
Grace A month later... After the attack, the remaining members retreated into the cabinet to figure out what to do. After all, the other half and the president had been killed in the attack because they attacked Mooncrest. Luckily, Astarte had simply fixed everything, and aside from the aches an
Fire spilled over the doors as we fought our way down the stairs. Something swiped my cheek, but I didn't heed it. We stumbled over the bodies and slipped in the blood. I tried not to think about how many people I'd killed. I didn't want to think about it. "Back up is coming, but we need time, "
Grace I heard dying screams as I ran. The sound of battle echoed down the hallway. I found Astarte holding a group of attackers off at the door of the other stairs. "There was no way off." Astarte snarled. "Your mother's office! Lock the door." "What about--" "Go!" I bit my lip and ran
"A good PR move comes with a splash of fun." Astarted nodded forward. "I believe you should get to your command room, yes?" I nodded and headed upstairs to my father's office, adrenaline pumping through my veins. An attack, contained or not, was a serious threat. The city needed to be locked dow
Grace As we boarded the crowded bus, a knot of unease tightened in my gut. Astarte made a show of being intrigued. She smiled for every photo and seemed genuinely delighted, all the while, she explained her plan. I promised to help you. PR is important. Having me here will get you attention beyo
"Thanks." "Really well," Xavier said, setting his laptop on the table. On one side was a report on my interview, a headline streamed across the bottom. "Alpha Wolfe: A Beacon of Hope in Dark Times." Below it, a graph charted a dramatic rise in public approval for both myself and Wolfe Medica
Grace A nervous flutter danced in my stomach as I smoothed out the wrinkles on my blazer. I'd rather be orienting all the students, including the bright-eyed Westridge students, but Xavier and Amira swore up and down that this was for the best. Charles leaned into my office and grinned. "Nervous
I set my phone down and scoffed. When had my alma mater allowed so many idiots since I'd been an undergrad? Their loss. The lycans, humans, and witches had no problem. Seraphina, Margaret and I met everyone who had signed on in the conference room at City Hall. The excitement was palpable as the n