*Kael*If anyone had asked me before the war what I would be doing when I turned twenty-eight years old, I would not have said marrying my mate who came all the way from the Eastern continent. I wouldn't have said that she didn't come all the way so much as was kidnapped, nor that she would single-handedly end a twelve-year war.I wouldn't have been able to comprehend the pride and love and wonder—and occasional irritation at her stubbornness—that swelled in my chest and made it hard to breathe every time I even thought of her.She found me as a bloodied and broken lost heir who couldn't fathom ever returning to his homeland. Now, thanks to her, I was a king of a renewed city wearing all white under the night sky in the Moon Goddess's temple.And she was across from me wearing a blue dress the color of the sea—what I assumed the ocean looked like, having never seen the same one she knew—looking like she could rival the beauty of the Goddess herself.I loved that dress.
PrologueConnor tilted his head, crooking a knuckle under my chin to examine my face. "You're pretty, Gemma, I suppose. Just don't look at me while we do it. Blue eyes unnerve me."I contemplated snapping at his fingers stroking my cheek. But no, I had to bide my time. I knew why Raisa had given me her knife and offered me up to Connor. Be a wolf. Be an actor. The last thing I saw as the double doors closed behind me was Raisa's terrified face and her lips mouthing the words, 'Do it.'Do it. Kill him."Remember," Connor murmured, eyes raking me up and down as if I was already naked, "this is what you are here for. It's why you came. To protect your… cousin, was it?"I swallowed hard. How did he know?"Very selfless of you." Connor started to lower himself, his face coming closer until I went cross-eyed. "Close your eyes, she-wolf. Whatever I do to you, it will be a pleasant surprise."Could I do it? Could I try to kill Connor Herrick, the Beast of the West, the w
*Gemma*I said it without thinking. No, I said it because I'd already thought about it. Was it destiny that I'd been considering that potential life only minutes ago?Lynn stared at me with rubbed-red eyes, tears streaking down her face. "What?" she croaked."I'll go," I repeated as adrenaline spread through my veins like ice water. "In your place.""Are you crazy?"I grinned at her and shrugged. "Clearly." I took her hands again. "You don't want this. I do. It's an easy solution. Just go back to Uncle Barun, let him give you the rest of the information, and—"Lynn squirmed. "Actually… he already did." I released her so she could pull out a piece of paper from her back pocket and hand it to me. I unfolded it with trembling fingers. Nothing was written on it except for a date and time to arrive at Firth Port to depart on the Galiot headed west. The West… ravaged by war, it was a lawless, massive continent. There were probably hundreds of packs; who knew how many
*Gemma*Out of all the things that could happen to me in my life, I never expected to be kidnapped.My kidnapper refused to call it that. He lounged on the couch opposite mine, the picture of ease with legs crossed and a short glass of whiskey in one hand. "Retrieving, picking up, acquiring… choose your synonym, Springs.""Captured," I snapped, the opposite of at ease. Two days into the trip, the Galiot sailing a smooth path toward the West, any hope I'd had of the excitement of adventure was dashed by the constant annoyance that was Gralyn. Despite his hostile appearance, he was never short of a smart remark. He lifted a shoulder, unaffected by my bad attitude that had been my consistent response to his snarky personality. "I follow orders, no feelings attached."Gralyn's hazel eyes were sharper than a chipped shell, dusky brown hair slicked back and shaved on the sides, looking far too crisp and neat of a male to terrify someone when he smiled so charmingly, even if it
*Gemma*The car ride was long, bumpy, and yes, dusty.It gave me a long time to think of nothing but that male I had seen in the square. His stormy gray eyes wouldn't leave my mind's eye. I hadn't been able to discern any emotion in them, but I thought that if I never let the image go, I'd be able to figure it out."What do you know of the West?" Cillian asked me.I wasn't sure how to feel or what to think at this point, so I just told the truth. "That Hazel Coast and Sun Mountain have been at war for the past twenty years, it doesn't have as much… advancement as the East, and it's very large."Cillian's laugh was sharp, short, and humorless. "It's alright to call us archaic. Trains, cars, anything metal… it's all just defying our roots. We're wolves, Gemma Brooks. Why waste our teeth and claws? And this war? The last thing we need is better, faster transportation. The iron smells horrible too."The Beta couldn't have been more than fifty years old, I deduced, judging by
*Gemma*The Hazel Coast and Sun Mountain packs had been at war for twelve years over what started as a simple land dispute. One year into that, Connor Herrick, only twenty-one at that time, killed his own father to claim the Alpha title to dictate the war against Alpha Syrus Morven. For a dozen years, they brought ruin to the West, decimating or conquering smaller packs, expanding their own borders for selfish, power-hungry reasons. I'd heard them be described as psycho or sociopaths who loved sacking villages and stealing females and pups from their homes just for fun. They made usurpers slaves or killed them in public executions.As far as I knew, Oceantide only sided with Sun and aided with Epsilon warriors because they were the lesser of two evils, which was really saying something. That was what little I was aware of. There were probably a hundred more issues and stories and sides. But the gist was that I'd just arrived in the household of the most sadistic Alpha to e
*Kael*"Lian!"I heard the sound of my fake name but was too stunned to respond to it. I was pushed and shoved by the crowd, some snapping at me to get out of the way. But I couldn't move until that female disappeared into an alley.She struck a chord in the center of my soul. I felt it tug toward her before I even saw her like a flame in the dark—sandy blonde hair, eyes as blue as the faraway Eastern sea, I imagined. She looked like she'd been caught in a dust storm, disheveled and gaunt, but I thought she was the most beautiful shifter I'd ever seen.But who in the Moon Goddess's hell was she, and why did she find me as easily as I found her?"Kael!"The sound of my real name hissed in urgency finally made me turn just as someone grabbed my scruff and yanked me back into the dark alley where we were supposed to be hiding. I almost stumbled right into Jerah, who was glaring at me pointedly."What in the Goddess's hell was that?" he demanded, shoving me deeper down the
*Gemma*"I'll send for you when I want to know what you taste like."Connor's rough purr sent ice down my veins, but I was so disgusted that I said, "I won't let you lick me."His laugh was deep with amusement. "I didn't say I would, but that's a brilliant idea. Your skin may be infused with sand and salt. I might enjoy that."You're sick, I wanted to snap at him, but I kept my lips sealed. I belatedly realized what he actually wanted to taste when his gaze traveled downward. Mortified and furious, I crossed my legs tighter.Connor laughed again. "Maybe I won't have to break you. Just pry you open."The door banged against the wall, and Raisa's voice saved me. "Alpha," she said, and her voice was a remarkable mix of sultriness and assertiveness with an edge of warning, implying there would be a consequence if he ignored her. "Cillian requires your superior war intellect.""I'm busy with a new toy, Raisa," he growled, his face now inches from mine. "She's not what I was