ora

d every guest present

ck her. Augusta's dignified composure finall

e laughingstock, had just proposed to the undisputed

t. Beneath the cold exterior, beneath the rigid control, a flicker of dark, undeniable excitement passed through his eyes.

r voice first. Sh

ting you, Alpha! She's doing

ot merely unconventional. It bordered on sacrilege. It twi

al head on. My voice, when

am upholding honor. The failure of the son must be rectified by

ly invoked law, but law nonetheless. It gave the elders pause, th

nreadable, but I knew he

truth. He did not know my re

Years ago, in the Border Wars, Alpha Fenton Fields took a silver blade meant for the old Alpha King. The wound

final, soul-deep marking bond. He was powerful, yet alone, incapable of the one connection every wolf craved abo

was a flaw

it was a

ot form the ultimate bond was a mate whose alliance was based on duty. Emotions were fickle. Honor and dut

my ace in

her seat. She moved with slow, deliberate grace and

carried the weight of generations. "Fenton, the girl has a point.

a mate for too long. The pack needs a Luna. The Moon Go

final hurdle. Her words were, in thems

He saw the unwavering determination in my eyes. I could

s honor had been damaged beyond repai

contained. The pack would have its Luna. And his own condition would be neatly m

liberately

rds were quiet, but they landed

e commanded the

ony. The blood union was anci

d, dark almost to blackness, welled up. He handed the blade to me. I took it, gripping the hilt tightly,

m him, suffocating in its intensity. It was not the warm, comforting pull of a fated mate's bond. It was a weight of dominance, an oppr

ered through the ritual words. "I declare the Alpha

as d

yes, pure dread flickering within them. I did not smile. I held her gaze for three long seconds, as if I could already see the trouble t

Instead, his broad hand closed around my wrist like a steel trap. He was no

eath laced with mint and

de. I was walking into the lion's den, but even so, I