ROS'

g to tear me apar

een snarling nonstop, pacing behind my ribs like a caged animal, cl

FIND

he moon through the tall window. It hung there lookin

led her a monster in front of the whole pack. Banished her. So why did

front of my face. Th

el wire around my soul and was yanking it tighter

into her palms and knees. Worst of all, that last look she gave me right before she disapp

the empty room. My voice sounded thin

words. My mother built her whole life around making sure they never came true. I'm the Alpha. I don't get to gambl

give a damn about

A

so hard I winced and pressed the

MATE. YOU AR

opened before I could s

She glanced around at the wreckage of my room, the chair I'd thrown against the wal

ed into that fa

ng to me when I was ten and had fallen off my horse. "You did the right

I felt it, Mother. The bond snapped into place the second our eyes met. Why didn'

y. The little clink of porcela

hadow Wolf is a parasite. It mimics the mate bond to worm its way

smell of cold herbs and something me

center of my chest where the bond kept throbbi

cup closer. "You haven't slept properly in days. You forgot

osed to keep an Alpha steady, keep the beast from taking the wheel. I wrapped my fingers

hts. The constant screaming in my skull dialed down. My wolf snarled o

lately?" I asked, fr

ith the stress. You know how wild and dangerous your wo

he back of my hand. Her skin

obably already dead out there in the rogu

the silence rushed back in

ally the tea turned everything gray and far away. Tonight the fog wouldn't stick. The

owhere, a spark li

sn't

e finally feels safe enough to let go. Warmth followed it,

happy. W

one drove a knife straight in

with s

raight past the tea's dulling effect. My wolf sur

HE IS NOT

arred male hand brushing hair off her shoulder. A feel

ble and shattered against the stone floor. Th

hecy or not, the bond was winning. I didn't care if she w

g a rogue threat but didn't say a word about my mate. The second I

ing the only thing

deeper into rogue territory. Air turned colder. Shadows

ne. And t

ozone after lightning, dark vanilla smoke. Sharp

g. I slowed, paws sile

ere sh

ows, black fur gleaming like poured ink

w who was sta

My b

was better off forgotten. He was touching her hair. Looking

e burned away the last dregs of

line. My guards fanned out behind me. I didn't feel

d him. Claws slid fre

om her, Kael

o vibrate under the

ed at

glowing with something dark and ancient. She didn't look at me with hurt, or love,

ropped low, thick with possession. "Eve

, silver flashed as they drew the heav

whole pack feared what I'd become. I just needed the burning

King. And my

soil, pulling the full power o

ed across the clearing like thunder. It wa

or her to collapse under the weight of my

ly. Even Kael buckled, his teeth grind

.She didn't

er fingers like pets. A small, mocking smile curved her li

n't just dro

ders from you an

and it froze the ve