city

of rooms in the main wing. They were spacious and well-appointed, situated ad

s. Her demeanor was professionally respectful, but her eyes held a co

from the turmoil in my mind. I had a name, a roof over my head, but I was surrounded by ene

w, trying to formulate my n

t wasn't the fire alarm. This was a deeper, more urgent tone-the s

eard running footsteps in the hall, hushe

sion tightened in

sure shattered. Her face was as white as a sheet, her lips trembli

her voice barely a whisper. "The Matria

. Servants were weeping with joy, guards were clapping each other on the back

ching the arm of a warrior who looked as if he'd ridden for days without rest. He was c

t loyal friend. He was supposed to be in the nort

with emotion, but it carried acros

The Alpha..

rlisle let out a choked gasp, her face losing all co

froze. The world t

ad just bound myself to

ush site, shielded from view. He was gravely injured, unresponsive, trapped in a coma so deep they h

oy streaming down her face. "Get the finest

ubilant chaos, dozens

idow. The t

ory. I was the bonded mate of a living, breathing, comatose Alpha. My carefully cons

, they brou

s flanking him. Eleonora led me to his rooms-the r

s face was pale, his body battered, but ruin had not managed to make him small. Scars, both old and new, crisscrossed his skin. But even in th

man named Alistair Shaw, was brought in. Afte

"But his spirit... his Inner Wolf... it was a grievous blow. The lin

leonora asked, he

e tomorrow, or he could... fade. If his wolf does not answer his call withi

was alive, but on borrowed time. Breath remained in his bo

aving me alone in the quiet room w

and fall of his chest. My fate was now tied to th

d uncertainty that the silence

ed to be dead, and waited for some sign that the Godd

hest

hest

nly answer the