l had never f

monial hall, yet Lyra could hear the soft scr

st

ano

f the hall s

ma

Al

had loved fo

of Blackthorn fastened over his heart. Elders stood o

he council s

necklace glittered

aze sett

necklace only tw

been in a portrait

ers ago, when Darius had taken

from its velvet case but ha

him about being overly serious. "The Alpha

n that quiet way that use

me comes, it

ost laug

, the time

not f

yr

oice cross

ised h

d changed the mom

vening, the cold authorit

fro

ered wha

ken w

lous

uld run into his arms an

e first step of the

sto

e you been

ste entered

had sh

nature on a mar

ile the man she loved discussed a futu

woman was wearing the n

allowed

ded so

studi

ficult. Even now, damaged as it felt, she

rch

chi

wolf w

a

nched he

toni

that instinct h

e he

xtended

simple

ad taken that hand wh

argu

r hu

ouncil affairs kept

one day he would stop hiding her behind closed

veryone wa

she'd finally g

ced towar

an hadn

ile curved

fid

at unsettle

n afraid of being discovered with

n who already knew nob

yr

voice h

ked bac

remained

e he

N

rd was

had been built f

's han

ved through

er publicly

on

es nar

's wr

d have s

to know why Selene had

e marriage agreement at

, Lyra

ore than cryi

thi

cended ano

come t

ched f

epped b

wept throu

as though she

shed throug

fus

ge

something dangerou

o

of them was f

voice lowere

ared a

e y

ars of

there was something no

whispered that an Alpha who truly wan

sponsibilitie

needs

s lov

carefully that she hadn't not

l to

ted near th

e moonlight coming thr

ooked

at Da

ething I wan

w tigh

sk

elene suddenl

rned to

rest

me, Selene's con

ued smoothly. "Whatever misunderstanding

dersta

peated

eyes sh

oked betw

happ

ost admi

d her to make th

nto the pocke

nt felt heavy bet

idn't tak

t

he looked

ful nec

tinctively

expressio

yr

your m

answer i

n't ne

nod

hat I rem

tarted t

en to

est ti

four

four words before discovering that the explana

u

iti

mi

ess

l betrayal a h

till bleed

ff," Dariu

e sti

ooked

s spark of hope f

d, "Darius, the

take i

ommand shoo

e wen

moved towa

d have fel

di

said the necklace wa

there was no ma

words Lyra had overheard

de me was never p

moved the

eld out

tly placed i

a looked

ap

ide her final

pp

his were ab

he evidence erased t

he necklace rest

en anything for him to p

ught made h

N

s brow

ha

not h

ession h

me what thi

folded document

s closest to Dariu

e it

e

surp

gnit

not

id D

ward the elders bef

id you g

ques

fragile h

lded the

need to rea

carved itself i

ical

ckt

hf

u

the b

Black

sign

ours?" s

yr

your si

le

gan pacing

ea

se s

ze remained

he said

ed through

ves lowered

did

refu

nk y

ked almost

r w

answe

the agreeme

need one m

tu

fted he

ointed direc

s, bare throat still reddened where Darius's

at the man fate

k whether he

nly seemed

dn't a

be time for

only question

he Luna y

ent utte

dreds of Blackth

topped b

exchanged n

ns had lowered t

wai

se

w

re

mand warriors wi

nce traitors w

ith blood running down his c

uldn't an

th

an the

n the ag

lene's trium

ra her

dded s

s

a, w

urned

aught he

touched hers, their

e

ng

a

toward him des

a

a

a

ed behind

o

ears letting that word

at Darius's hand

t g

l you lis

ised he

expression made

"you can explain every poli

ed her w

t, Alpha Bl

years she had called him by

s face

wolf recoil th

nother ste

ve chosen, then there's one

stared

ready

ryone in th

e turne

on

hammered agai

t about th

wait

he'd fallen

neck

sign

sile

directly into

ect