Mag-log in"Fine," I growled, my claws scraping the underside of the wooden headboard. "But only so the rest of the pack thinks we are mated.""Let us sleep, Lyra." Kaelen wrapped his thick, scarred arms around my waist and pulled me back onto the mattress. He did not try to touch my skin further, keeping his grip firm but strangely gentle as he held me against his chest.When dawn broke, my eyes snapped open. I slept heavily, probably because of the strong northern wolf-liquor, though I vaguely remembered Kaelen leaning down to press his lips against my shoulder and neck in the middle of the night.The Alpha's Shadow Chamber was freezing, and the mate bond was humming under my skin, making it impossible to go back to sleep. I slipped out of the bed, leaving Kaelen and the pups snoring softly, and walked out into the corridor of the Crimson Fang Lodge to clear my head.The hallway was dead silent. I padded softly on the wooden floorboards, making sure my bare feet did not make a sound.Just as I
I pat Mirelle's shoulder and try to ease the tension in her scent. "It is fine, we will get through this."Once we secure the legendary ice hockey blade craftsman, our pack sports brand will dominate the entire northern territory.Mirelle fills me in on what happened at the arena store while we walk up the stairs of the lodge.Boyce arranged a massive feast in the private dining hall of the Crimson Fang Lodge to welcome Armand and Theresa.Liora is rubbing her eyes, her little wolf pup ears twitching sleepily as she reaches up toward Kaelen. "Daddy, hold me while I sleep."She is so spoiled when it comes to him. She wraps her small arms around his neck and buries her face in his shoulder.Kaelen kisses her forehead, his hard expression melting completely at the sight of our daughter.He looks over at me, his deep voice sending a shiver right down my spine. "I will take her up to the chamber first."I nod, letting him go.With Kaelen gone, I use my fork to pile more meat into Orion's p
The lobby doors of the Crimson Fang Lodge hissed shut behind us, cutting off the heavy, pine-scented wind of the Duskwild Expanse.Kaelen still gripped my hip, his fingers digging bruisingly into my skin, his possessive heat searing right through my leather pants.“Let go of me, Kaelen,” I muttered, my inner wolf whining at the loss when his grip only tightened. “We aren't in the pack territory anymore.”“You are mine, Lyra,” he growled, his voice deep and rough near my ear. “That never changes, no matter where we stand.”My heart hammered against my ribs, the sheer power of his Alpha aura making my knees feel weak.I tried to pull away, but my ankle throbbed with a sharp, burning pain, forcing a quiet gasp from my throat.Kaelen’s eyes darkened instantly, his gaze dropping to my foot before he easily swept me up into his arms, ignoring my small cry of protest.“You are injured, yet you still try to run from me,” he murmured, his chest rumbling against my back as he carried me toward
I opened my mouth to explain the situation, but the shop worker screamed over me, “Lacey, don’t listen to her! This stray is the one who brought these brutes to smash our store. Have them thrown in the dungeon!”I glared at her.Kaelen handed Liora to me, his jaw set in a hard, uncompromising line. “Go wait for me in the transport. Now.”He intended to finish this here. Even though he wanted our son, Orion, to grow a spine and learn how to handle threats, he didn't want Liora exposed to such ugly, jagged violence.I clutched Liora to my chest, turning to leave, but Lacey Ward, the manager and the shop worker’s cousin, stepped forward to block my path.“This mess started because of you,” Lacey hissed, her eyes darting to Kaelen’s imposing frame. “You aren't leaving until this is made clear.”Kaelen looked up, his golden eyes cold enough to freeze blood. “Talk to me, not my Luna.”Lacey flinched, her breath hitching in her throat as she met his gaze.He looked even more lethal than Char
“Let go of me, Alpha,” I gasped, my skin prickling as Orion shoved Kaelen’s heavy, tattooed arm off my shoulder.My five-year-old son squeezed his small body directly between us, his tiny hands pushing against Kaelen’s hard chest with surprising, pup-like strength.Kaelen froze, his gold eyes widening slightly as our son’s fierce glare locked onto him, completely shielding me from his father’s predatory shadow.“Mummy, hold me,” Orion muttered, his little voice trembling but determined as he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist.I melted instantly, kneeling onto the cold hardwood floor of our Crimson Fang Lodge suite to bury my face in his soft, dark hair.Kaelen sighed, his broad shoulders dropping as he sat back on the edge of the mattress and stared blankly at the timber ceiling.“Mummy, did you have a hard time before we found you?” Orion asked suddenly, his small fingers gripping the fabric of my linen shift.I blinked, confused by the heavy question from my little boy so ear
I snatched up the heavy hockey jersey I had stripped off earlier, holding the thick fabric toward Kaelen’s face. "Look at the crest."Kaelen didn't know the first thing about textile manufacturing, and his confused frown told me he couldn't see anything unusual."The weave is made of high-grade northern wolf-silk," I said, my voice rising with excitement as I traced the emblem of our team. "It is not sold in the southern markets anymore, but Charles knows the master weaver who specializes in harvesting this thread. I want to hire him to manufacture our pack’s official athletic gear.""It is unbelievably durable," I added, rubbing the slick material between my fingers. "It resists silver-tipped slashes and does not tear under claws, making it perfect for the ice rink during high-impact matches."I could go on forever when it came to the technical gear for our pack's professional hockey franchise.Kaelen just stared at me in the dim light, his chest rising and falling as his gold eyes s
“Your tears won't change the execution decree, Sheryl,” Orion said, his massive frame blocking her from taking another step toward the executive rink. “You pushed an unranked wolf into boiling water on Blackthorne territory. You know the Alpha’s law regarding pack violence during the tournament sea
"The Alpha rarely sleeps under this roof when the moon is high, it is Miss Frost’s birth-night, after all."Mirelle lingered at the threshold of the Alpha’s Shadow Chamber, her voice carrying a sharp edge of pity that felt more like a serrated blade.I didn't give her the satisfaction of seeing me
"Our mothers bound our fates before we could even walk. How could I possibly be the one to sever that blood-oath?"I kept my gaze fixed on the floorboards of the Nightbane entryway, refusing to look Kaelen in the eye. I could feel the weight of his stare, heavy with a silent fury that matched my ow
“That suite is reserved for the High Alphas and their mates keep your paws off the handle and use the common room to the right,” the saleswolf snapped, her lip curling as she looked at my frayed sleeves.I didn't argue. In a place like Ironvale City, the scent of poverty was a crime. I ducked into







