All Chapters of Dark Wolf King (Wolves Of The Night Book 3): Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The leader whistled, low and impressed. He took a leisurely step forward, and the two wolves flanking Kodan bared their teeth and growled. “We don’t usually keep an eye on this pass here,” he said. “The good trade is usually north or eastward. But a little bird told us to spread out, focus on the paths leading out of Efra, and it looks like it’s paying off.”“Little bird?” I asked. “Who told you? Why?”“It’s no matter,” the leader said. “Just give us the goods. Now.”“Last chance,” Kodan said. “Get going, or this is going to get ugly.”The leader raised his hand. Behind him, the other bandits shifted — and then the pass was full of scraggly, skinny wolves. These were wolves without a pack. Wolves who had been kicked out of their cities or otherwise turned away, and had formed a ragtag pack of their own. They were hungry, desperate, and looking for a quick way to make some money.Kodan exhaled in irritation. Then, with a crackle of magic, she shifted.Her paws hit the dirt in front of

Adora was close behind her, and she gripped Aerika’s upper arm. “Stop!” she cried. “We have to get back!”Aerika clapped her hands over her mouth. “No,” she whispered. “It’s not possible.”The Fae turned their empty gazes to Aerika in unison.Then, the balds exploded into chaos.The Fae moved like they were different heads of the same Hydra. They lunged at all of us simultaneously: at the wolves, at Kodan, and two of them were at Aerika. I leaped in front of Aerika, knocking her backward into the fog, and drove my sword through the throat of the first Fae. The screech he emitted turned into a gurgle as I withdrew the bloody blade. His body collapsed like a puppet with the strings cut. Behind him, another Fae lurched forward to take his place, and I struck him down with another well-placed strike.“Reyna!” Kodan called.Panting, I looked up, just in time to see Kodan slide her own sword through the belly of an oncoming Fae. But this Fae didn’t collapse. As Kodan withdrew her weapon, he

Eagle shifters did not shift into birds like the ones that perched in the branches of Frasia. I knew the shifters were different, and I’d read extensively about those differences and their unique culture, but seeing them was still intimidating. They were tall, nearly two heads taller than me, with a body like a dragon: broad chest, thick legs, clawed feet, muscular arms. Their wings were huge even when folded against their backs, and they gazed down at me over terrifyingly sharp, immense beaks. And these were just eagles — not even the Griffin war-shape some of their mythical fighters had.The eagle in the center stepped forward. He tipped his head to the side and blinked his eyes, large and shiny like two twin coins. Then, with a crackle of magic, he shifted into a human form.“Your Highness.” He swept into a bow. “I am Parlan of Cruora, a soldier of King Lonzo’s court.” Parlan was not nearly as intimidating when in his human form. He was a short man, with broad shoulders and dark ha

“And then she’ll come for Frasia?” Lonzo asked. He raised his eyebrows. “How do you expect the eagles to help you then? Do you come to me to ask for reinforcements?”“No,” I said immediately. Already I knew Lonzo was not the type of king to offer soldiers unless it was absolutely necessary. “She may come for Frasia next, or she may come for Cruora. I intend to stop her before she does either of those things.”“And how will you do that?”“Are you familiar with the jaguars of Askon?” I asked.Lonzo nodded. “I have no qualms with the jaguars.”“Queen Enet and King Khainan recently visited my Court. I raised my concerns about the Fae Queen gathering power. Us wolf shifters only have our shifting magic — nothing like the magic the Fae wield. Queen Enet suggested that the eagles may still have access to the kinds of magic that could hold strong against Fae magic.”Lonzo’s hands stilled. “Did she, now?”“On our travels here, we encountered Fae scouts at your border,” I said. “They were not n

I cleaned up and changed into a simple but elegant jacket and trouser set, then wound my hair into a fine plait. Elegant, but functional. When I returned to the room, the other girls were up, sharing breakfast with Kodan. I found I wasn’t hungry and waved off their requests to join them. Instead, I took my sheathed sword, and stepped out of the entrance of our chambers where Parlan was waiting.“Good morning, your Highness,” he said. “What can we do for you this morning?”“I’d like to speak with King Lonzo,” I said. “If he’d be so kind to see me.”“Surely you’d like to see more of our Fortress first? There’s the training facility, as well as--”“Please,” I interrupted. “It’s a timely matter.”Parlan nodded curtly. If he was irritated with me, he didn’t let it show on his face. Instead, he led me up the stairs back to the throne room. It was quiet this morning, with just a few servants and soldiers in the vast space. The morning sunlight fell in vast golden stripes across the open spac