LPH

t: The Council

ging until the entire Sang

through the corridors, guards were gathering at the gates, and messengers

ancient ha

dom had been warne

ate, Rose Luna sat on the edge of her bed, staring a

lv

color her eye

dinary gray she had once thought the

lv

symbols that had app

he strange writing

Sanguinara's eyes when he first caug

oked up

ments after the bells began. His expression was cold, his voice controlled, and his post

conds, his gaze

watch

gh she were

though she

ing clock, waiting to discover whether i

hat

ing at me

urned to

e wh

out to grow

narrowed

cient seal broke, and every bel

der. I wa

nderstand why

haven't noticed. But staring at

he guard with

e crossed the room and

you h

hook h

ything when the

hesi

es

ha

ng inside me

ession t

u hear

ed at him

eard i

same way

oes tha

before the council decid

d at him f

laughed

ble thing anyone has sa

o sound so

arrogant prince I

uth tw

, the tension i

e knocked o

firm k

pa

ee

tood imm

nt

moved from Xander to Rose, and the moment he noticed the broken door and the f

happ

lded he

hy everyone keeps speaking in m

gnored the

d towar

the ancestral al

s face

kno

The altar has not merely awakened. It has restored a nam

shifted t

r n

chill pass

happen

us hes

d her more than any

stepped

dawn. Until then, Rose rem

has already s

council

ighness. By sunrise, every ruling family will

ression beca

s well. No one will touch

but Rose noticed that h

, he looked

ind you that the ancient laws apply t

that I am the heir to

act

between them

ked at Rose

e council will ask you questions that no

ned to

opped at t

accurate, the council will not be the

heart

oes tha

r with something that

ho erased your bloodli

he

could hear nothing but the

he looked

ngdom is

a hand ove

increasingly dif

st we're maki

isappeared almo

th her anger and confusion, one

r knows s

he would have to find out what

*

s built beneath the ol

der escorted her through a narrow corridor lined w

barely

et. She heard the voice that had announced her awakening, and she rememb

r what she did

ollowed her thr

ide Xander, she could

family ruled the

centu

ever questioned

y ha

ppened t

glanced

y had legitimate grievances

udied h

oiding the

nsweri

the question you

sig

emarkably

e remarkab

ors carved with the image of a wol

rds ope

into the co

why Xander had been so re

ck marble. A circular table occupied the center, surrounded by high-backed

d stood a rai

r depicting the Blood

the chamber tu

ooked

oked open

ed at Rose with such undisguised hatred tha

man no

rved into a

who has brought the k

fted he

you

s, representative o

to mee

a's smil

ow what she is, or has the

e cut through

y Vo

are all entitled

them res

through the as

anced a

sion unreadable, but his hand h

touc

gh that she kne

a small

ason, it st

rose from the

us be

r and a face marked by deep lines. A heavy ring

kingdom. You have been summoned because the ancestral altar has recognized

ook a

ask for an

e matter under

you should tel

yes narrowe

members exch

, and she could practicall

car

icularly good at obeying warnings from

leader folde

e ancient text respo

N

Sacred Register reco

egister is supposed to be, so I

yes changed color when t

pau

N

ossess abilities associate

tared

your prince brought me into this kingdom. I do not admi

l chamber

n Seraphina's expression was replac

leader lea

the consequences

y I'm here ask

e threatens the stabi

fingers

hould investigate the threat

e shifted u

eader's expre

u do not understand the ser

'm being told that I belong to a bloodline I didn't know existed, that I might have magic

ok a b

not particularly impre

le

ctedly, some

d sound from one of the

is mouth when Seraph

g an expression that would have been e

eader did not

Luna. But confidence will not protec

ill threat

oug

k the chamber

cil lead

yal estate. You will undergo an examination of your bloodline,

ened he

spoke

onduct the

lan, the r

xactly will

not your

intend to perform an examination

leader's gaz

lings cannot be allowed to interf

ave nothing to

ve a quiet,

in why your wolf has been rest

chamber w

turned tow

not loo

rose from

the bells rang. Your wolf has refused to settle, and the ancestral a

lted h

whether the heir to the throne has al

s eyes

ful, Lad

allenge me in front o

r grew

ressure that seemed to surround X

ar the doors

, apparently ple

cil leader st

oug

hoed through

ed towa

you will remain under royal supervision. Any attempt to leave t

tared

f I re

treated as a threa

stepped

examination. I will pers

hipped

use

red his

t n

lutel

os

d at him,

t them examine her witho

roximately five minutes, an

ai

ader dismissed

ntatives rose. Some watched Rose with open susp

ngered near

man leaned close enough th

rrowed safety,

sto

's eyes g

y tries to bury. And some de

e walke

n until Xander t

me

ulled

t tou

ression

os

ldn't let anyone deci

I would pr

em examine me like I'm

ng enough to understand

choed down

tared

ent, neit

shook h

t your proble

ked ex

ou're about

ne gives you the right to m

ession t

sing help will some

e decisions

d and wal

Xander did

er, the familiar ache in his chest retur

owled benea

in a

istr

ife, the instinct that had drawn him toward her was urg

he

st

om would not destroy wh

*

t return to

ned to th

tigate her bloodline, then she

g the guards who had followed her at a distance. After nearly an hour, she

spines cracked and their

in languages she c

re a famil

r cresc

ulled

cover, a folded piece of p

icked

writing was faded, but the wo

hild who

art began

olded t

e seal has failed, and the Lunar

rust the

st the roya

take you to the ancestral altar bef

ingers t

e message

e world seem to til

RA LU

mo

d the na

third

er had b

ly in th

s very

er over, searching

one fina

weapon they fear. She is t

ame from

spun

at the end

d the moment he saw t

id you f

t closer to

name in a book hidden

d the ais

let me

N

eas

d stopp

ly asked fo

ly never s

, then handed

ad it

n a

drained fr

it?" Rose

ked up

a member of the

her knee

N

os

. She told me stories, taught me how to cook, and yelled at me when I came

voice s

you know and someone whose

hook h

o reject the

into pieces and pretend tha

n't ignore th

r mother's

o the right, the way she crossed her sevens, and the w

sage wa

nto the nea

lied

ouched be

was trying to

ughed b

It's becoming the most annoyi

d not

he simply sta

e looked

somethi

ha

to the fin

key to what

they bur

ed at t

, beyond which the first light

n't k

rrowed

doing it

ng w

something

ed back

she thought he

ne thing I haven't told you a

heart s

ha

rose

bloodlines. In ordinary cases, that recognition is harmless. But when one of those bloodlines c

tared

k that could

may already

ond, the book on the

flut

pilled across th

nder turned

eared on

HAS CHOSEN HER

fro

ard

rds ch

N HEIR SHALL ST

nt comple

y turned t

you, i

id no

cond line

BE COMPLETED UNTIL THE FI

er light

k snapp

nds, the library

ared at

irst be

saw something in his expression that had not

il

e for only

he sa

nde

oked

inty that settled deep in her chest, t

h m

nswer, a royal messenger app

ed hur

hness. Mi

er t

t is

enger sw

rgent communication fr

m wh

ghtfang

expressio

do the

enger he

livered th

e Lunar heir b

blood drain

yes flashe

ontinued, his v

e the kingdom if she is not surren

allowed th

d at the a

at Xa

had changed in l

st, a bloodline she had never known she possess

ire pack w

Xander Sanguinara's face, they

ed towa

must not trust anyone who approa

tood

N

s drew t

N

nd cannot do without explaining why, I w

thing, Xander

t terrifying threat

Remem

ndows, where the rising sun was

rees, a rival pack belie

al estate, the council w

her had hidden a truth powerful en

r asked to become

er one, it was about to discover something her

id not surr

the only person in th

conti