"Miss Blackwood." Amelia's voice sliced through the boardroom like silk over steel. "I believe these photos will interest the board."My stomach lurched as images flashed across the projection screen. Callum-my mate, my anchor-in compromising positions with multiple women. The rational part of my mind screamed that something was off about the shadowing, but my heart seized with familiar pain."I won't stand for these baseless accusations," Marcus Bennett, Callum's oldest friend on the board, snapped."Baseless?" Amelia's laugh tinkled like breaking glass. "The evidence speaks for itself. Our CEO's. personal activities have put Wolfe Industries at risk."I gripped my phone, thumb hovering over Callum's number. The mate bond pulsed with warning, but I forced it down. After James's betrayal, I'd sworn never to be fooled again."I need to see him," I said low, gathering my stuff. None of the board members even really paid attention as I left, too involved in their argument.Rain slammed a
The full moon cast an eerie glow through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my Sterling Financial office. My hands had shaken as I reread the anonymous text message for what had to be the hundredth time: "He was never on your side. Run.""This can't be happening." My voice shook as I took a step backward, forcing myself away from my desk. The city lay out before me, a labyrinth of glittering towers and dark shadows hiding everything from the big bad to the bogeyman.In a surge of the emergency lights in blood crimson, bloody shadows fell against my office walls. There were three huge wolves prowling beyond my threshold, with eyes aglow bright of predatorial meaning."Back!" I grasped the nearest heavy weapon available-a crystal paperweight Callum gave me last month. It wasn't lost on me that the irony was all too great.James's voice drifted through my mind – all those hushed phone calls, his convenient absences during pack meetings. The way he always knew exactly which buttons to push w
Fire raged through my veins as the change took hold. Every heartbeat pulsed waves of agony through my body. I screamed, my back arching off the blood-stained carpet."Hold her down!" James's voice cut through my pain. "Don't let them get away!"Through tear-blurred eyes, I watched Callum's huge wolf form tear into the rival pack. Fiona and Alistair moved like deadly shadows, their synchronized attack speaking of years fighting together."You betrayed us all," Fiona snarled at James, her wolf form pinning him against the now shattered windows.James merely laughed, a cold, mirthless sound that raised gooseflesh on the back of my neck. "Betrayal? I was protecting our kind. Humans have no place in our world-especially not as mates to an Alpha."My body twisted with another wave of pain. The transformation tore me apart from the inside out, reconfiguring every cell in my body. I felt my bones shattering and reforming, my muscles stretching to new shapes."Olivia!" Callum's voice cut throu
Medical monitors beeped a serenade as I stood beside Callum's bed, my fingers hovering inches from his bandaged torso. Outside the window, camera flashes lit up the sky with strobes of lightning as Amelia's final revenge unfolded in real time-the world was getting word on werewolves."Ms. Blackwood, the press is getting aggressive." Alistair's deep voice cut into my thoughts. "They're demanding answers about the. incident."I turned to face him, observing how his massive frame barely fit in the doorway. "Let them wait.""The Council's meeting downstairs." Fiona paced near the window. Her red curls caught in the strobing lights of the news trucks. "Every pack in Europe is calling. Amelia didn't just out us-she outed everyone."My phone buzzed again. Another news alert: "BREAKING: Werewolves Among Us – Global Governments Call Emergency Sessions.""This is what she wanted." My voice cracked. "To destroy everything Callum built.""Olivia." Emilia's hand was soft on my arm. "The Council ne
The crystal chandeliers of The Dorchester cast dancing shadows across my emerald silk blouse as I stood before the ornate mirror. My reflection stared back-green eyes sharp with determination despite the sleepless night spent in custody after James and Amelia's arrest."We don't have to do this." Callum's voice came from behind me, husky from exhaustion. His immaculate suit strained at its seams, its collar pulled a fraction out of kilter."Yes, we do." I turned to him, catching the leached tension in his broad shoulders. "The world needs to hear the truth from us, not from leaked videos and wild speculation."A sharp knock interrupted us. Fiona burst in, her red curls wild about her face. "The reporters are getting restless. And you need to see this." She thrust her phone at us, showing a tweet from a junior reporter: *'BREAKING: Monsters walk among us! Sources confirm supernatural creatures in London's elite.'*"Fantastic," Callum growled, his eyes flashing amber. "So much for contr
The abandoned farmhouse loomed ahead, the worn stones glowing amber as the sun set. Clutching my tablet closely into my chest to avoid it getting wet in this rain, our little contingent pressed on. Each splash across wet grass sent another set of ripples up the nerves in my spine."Just a little farther, Marie," I heard Pierre mutter from behind, his voice low. "Just hold on."I turned to see Marie limping heavily against his shoulder, her face tight with pain. The gash in her leg from our hasty escape through that barbed wire fence wasn't healing properly. The sight of her suffering twisted something in my chest. We'd been moving constantly for two weeks, but Marie's injury forced us to break pattern.Thunder boomed across the French countryside as I checked my encrypted messages once more. My fingers were shaking slightly as I pulled up the latest report from my IT team."Another pack gone dark in Germany," I whispered, mostly to myself rather than to the others. Third one this week
The ancient stone archway loomed before me, snowflakes swirling through its weathered frame like lost spirits seeking sanctuary. My boots echoed against worn granite steps as I descended into the massive chamber, heart thundering against my ribs. Centuries of pack histories spiraled up the walls, countless stories carved in stone by those who'd sought refuge here before me."This way," Fiona whispered, her red hair a flame in the darkness. "The others are gathering."I followed her deeper into the sanctuary, trying to ignore how the torchlight made the refugees' amber eyes glow like burning stars. We'd been running for so long, across borders and through cities, always one step ahead of those who wanted us dead. Now, finally, we'd found the sanctuary hidden deep in the Swiss Alps.That's when I caught his scent.Pine needles and winter frost, threaded through with something distinctly *him*. My fingers trembled as the mate bond hummed to life, a bittersweet ache I hadn't felt this str
I sat in a cramped, circular meditation chamber deep in that ancient sanctuary, several hundreds of candles floating-illuminating with their firelights all across weathered stone walls. My fingers touched inscriptions on cold rock which made its match in files back with James and chilled."Every attempt to harvest werewolf DNA has ended in catastrophe." Elder София's withered hands quivered as she unrolled a fragile scroll before us. "Entire villages wiped out. Hybrid creatures driven mad with pain."Callum's shoulders tensed beside me. Even in the dim light, I could see the muscle working in his jaw."How many attempts?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady."Too many to count." Sofi'a's silver hair shone in the candlelight as she walked over to a towering mosaic. "The earliest records date back to the 12th century. A monastery in the Alps—"My phone buzzed, interrupting her. Three urgent messages from my corporate contacts flashed across the screen."James's company," I whispered
"Consider it done," Elena Volkov said firmly. "Go save your mate."Callum didn't waste time responding. "Alistair, organize the medical team. We need the anti-silver treatments developed by pharmaceutical. Fiona, coordinate from here." He was already moving toward the door."Where are you going?" Alistair asked, though he already knew the answer."To get Olivia.""Callum," Fiona called, her expression grim as she studied the biometric readings from Olivia's tactical gear. "Her heart rate's dropping."The Alpha paused, his face a mask of controlled fury. "Then I'd better hurry."I drifted in and out of consciousness, aware of voices around me but unable to respond. The silver burned through my system, preventing my werewolf healing from closing the wound."Stay with me, Olivia," Lucas urged, his hands pressing against my side. "The extraction team is coming."Silver poisoning was a unique agony—like acid in the veins, burning from within. I'd experienced it before, but never this sever
The damp air of London's underground tunnels clung to my skin, rank with the smell of sulfur and centuries of decay. I signaled the team to halt, my eyes adjusting to the darkness."Scent markers ahead," Lucas whispered, his military training evident in his precise movements. "Two hundred meters.""Everyone clear on the objective?" I asked, adjusting the tactical pack containing Amelia's stolen files against my back.Sophia nodded, her dark eyes gleaming amber in the low light. "Get in, confirm virus distribution points, get out. No engagement unless necessary.""And if it becomes necessary?" I challenged."Then we make them regret ever hearing the word 'werewolf,'" Lucas growled, his fingers flexing as if already imagining claws extending.The three younger wolves—Elliot, Zara, and Dominic—exchanged nervous glances. They were pack members Callum had reluctantly agreed to include after I'd insisted we needed their specialized skills."Stay focused," I told them. "Remember your trainin
Rain lashed against the windows of the executive suite of Wolfe Industries as I stared at the security footage playing on my tablet. My hands shook as I watched James-my ex-husband-stalk through the loading docks of our research facility."How did he get access?" I demanded, my voice sharp enough to make Fiona flinch."Amelia gave him the codes." Fiona's Irish lilt carried a growl. "She's been feeding him that experimental serum for weeks."My stomach lurched. The mate bond with Callum pulsed with shared anxiety-he'd felt my distress from across the city. "Show me the lab footage again."The video showed James injecting himself with a glowing blue liquid, his body convulsing as bones crackled with the transformation. But this wasn't a normal shift. The black wolf that emerged was grotesque, nearly twice the normal size."Olivia." Callum's voice came from the doorway, low with tension. He crossed to me in three long strides, pulling me into his arms. I breathed in his scent - pine and
James stood in Callum's office, and the mere presence made my skin shiver. His new form felt like ill-fitting skin with twitchy movements. Behind him, the full moon neared, cloaking everything in an ominous luminescence through the floor-to-ceiling windows over the panorama of London at dusk."I did this for you, Olivia," James said, shifting a step closer. His amber eyes flashed in that terrible rhythm of human and wolf. Terrifyingly too irregular. "To understand what you've become.""Back," I stammered, continuing my reverse pace. The shifting in James wasn't quite right - a perversely distorted sense in his energy - wrong."Afraid?" He let loose with a burst of manic-tinged laughter. "The great Olivia Blackwood afraid of her own husband?"Ex-husband," I corrected sharply. "And you're insane if you think this changes anything between us.""Everything's changed!" James lunged forward, grabbing my arm. His grip burned like fire. "You took everything from me when you chose him. Now I'l
I cross-referenced another bank statement, and the numbers on my screen all began to blur together. My wolf bristled beneath my skin, restless after hours being trapped in my office. But I had to find the connection. Had to prove Amelia's research wasn't just funded by concerned citizens."Got you," I whispered to myself, my fingers flying across the keyboard. Shell companies folded into shell companies, but they all connected to one base-PharmaCorp Global.My office door burst open. "Olivia." Callum's voice was tight with tension. Amber eyes locked onto mine, and instantly my wolf perked up at her Alpha's presence. "The board meeting's been moved up. They know."My heart stopped. "How?"Amelia." His jaw clenched. "She sent proof to every major shareholder.""I'll come with you." I stood, but Callum raised his hand."No. Stay here. Keep digging." His voice softened. "Please, love. This could save us all."He was gone before I could argue. I forced my attention back to my screen, the a
I quaked and replayed for the third time the recorded shot from surveillance cameras. Amelia's secret facility gleamed on screen in all clinical white and beige, and then he appeared-the figure of James meticulously recording how captured werewolves struggled and writhed through transformation."Olivia." Callum's voice held concern tight as he stood a step behind. "You really don't want to go over this again.""I do." It cut deeper than James's infidelity ever had. "He's working with Amelia to develop a 'cure' that's nothing but torture.""We have enough evidence." Callum's hand settled on my shoulder. "The pack alphas are waiting."Turning from the screen, I met his amber gaze. "How many did they experiment on?""Too many." His jaw clenched. "But we'll end this. Tonight."It was already chaotic when we entered. Five London alphas prowled the marble conference room, centuries of rivalry crackling between them."This is a waste of time," Marcus snarled, his massive frame towering over
My body shook with strange power coursing through my veins. Shattered glass crunched beneath my feet, scattered across the marble floors of Wolfe Industries' headquarters. The full moon's ethereal glow filtered through the broken windows, casting long shadows across the destruction."Olivia." Callum's voice was tight with concern. "Your eyes."I caught my reflection in a shard of glass. Where my green eyes once were, brilliant gold now blazed back at me. The power rising inside was ancient, primal-something far beyond the normal werewolf strength I'd grown so accustomed to."What's happening to me?" My voice shook as another wave of energy pulsed through my body.Callum took a step toward me, then stopped, once more. My mate was one of the most powerful Alphas in London, but even he acted cautious against the force emanating from my skin. Through our bond, I felt his amazement and uncertainty."The prophecy," he breathed. "It's actually happening."The screech of helicopter blades cut
Chapter 89: ConvergencePain rips through my body as another wave of silver fire courses beneath my skin. Through blurred vision, I catch my reflection in the penthouse window – ethereal symbols pulse across my arms in an ancient script I shouldn't understand but somehow do. My fingertips trace the glowing marks, each touch sending sparks of electricity through my nerve endings."She's burning up." Marcus's worried voice sounds like it comes from afar. "The Proto-Lycian markings are spreading at a speed I have never seen. At this rate.""At what rate?" I demand in my hoarse voice. "Tell me what's happening to me!"The pack healer gives a glance at his assistant. "The ancient bloodlines stir within you. But the blend of First Born and witch ancestry-it's unprecedented."I try to focus on the London skyline beyond the glass, but my enhanced senses are going haywire. The heartbeat of the city pounds in my ears-thousands of footsteps, whispered conversations, and. something else. A primal
The ancient Celtic runes swirled in front of my eyes as Emilia's fingers quivered across the worn leather journal. My heart crashed against my ribs, each beat a repetition of the omen to be. The heat from the lamp couldn't dispel the chill in my bones."Olivia." Her voice broke. "The prophecy. it's about you."Callum's presence behind me shifted, his warmth radiating against my back. The lamp's glow cast long shadows across the pack library's wooden shelves, making the ancient texts loom like silent witnesses."What do you mean?" I fought to keep my voice steady."Five bloodlines must come together under the power of the crimson moon." The pattern that outlined the runes glowed beneath the touch of Emilia's tracing finger. "The Blackwoods- which is your family. Should one of these five fail, the ritual has to. This can't-"I turned, and fell, nearly stepping back onto Callum, my face beet red."A werewolf," Callum completed in a growl. "Your bloodline is no coincidence, Olivia. The Ma