ra

one of glacial contempt. He pulled his hand from my wrist as if my skin were a h

hoed in the hol

udy after the

a strange pull resonated deep in my bones. The searing scent of winter woods and amber liquor became my sole compass, a thread of cold air drawing me through opulent, unfamiliar galleries where my very presence

d trembling in the

sk of dark mahogany, his disgust a

el said, his voice dev

wolf whining for a touch I now knew

e growled. "A queen of iron and silver to stand

ried, taking a hal

sperate, clawing force that wanted to break free and claim me. But Kael crushed it with an iron will, burying the howl of his own soul beneath the cold weight of centuries of expectation. He was Alpha.

d the Alpha

ne

n iron grip. My body was thrown forward, my knees s

useless, spille

g over me like so

and spoke the ancie

ect you, Elar

aveled, thread by painful thread. The pain was a physical pres

before now crumbled like worm-eaten wood, d

gh racking my body, and a dr

re of his presence

complete

e words tasting of blood

read of our bond wi

y-pure, undiluted agony-flood his features before he could mask it. His inner wolf was howling, clawing at the cage of his ribs, and the echo of that howl r

itory," he ordered.

udy floor. And as I stumbled toward the door, I heard it-a low, keening whine from deep within his chest, a sound no Alpha should ever make. His wolf was already mourning. But it was too late. T