POV: Ivory Wells.My mind hammered, the continuous pounding beating time with the bouncing ideas that would not let me have a moment of quiet. After yet another night of idly staring at the disorganized papers and files strewn across my desk, bone-deep fatigue bit me.I knew the solutions were buried in those damning papers, the jigsaw pieces that would at last bring the whole picture into clarity. However I organized the truth's pieces, important pieces were always absent, the whole picture permanently hidden.A shocking insight struck me like a stray wave on the shore, just as I thought my stupid pride and stubbornness would make me oblivious to what was in front of me. I had assumed for all of this time that Darrel Williams was entirely responsible for what had happened to me when I was banished from the pack. I had without a second thought thrown my suffering, my exile, my entire reason for being in the ordinary world squarely on his shoulders.What if, though, I had been seein
POV: Darrell Willams.With deadly accuracy, the blade whistled past my ear, a metal haze cutting through the quiet of the night. Throwing myself into a forward roll, instinct took over and the knife's sharp edge found grip in the tree trunk inches from where my head had been.I looked frantically around the treeline, chest heaving, for the would-be killer. But the woodland remained a spooky haven of darkness and quiet, the only sound coming through the emptiness was my labored breathing.Pulling the knife carefully out of the bark, I looked at the workmanship with disinterested bewilderment. This wasn't just any steel; it was a ceremonial hunting sword made of silver bolstered with wolf's bane that could stop even an alpha's quick healing.That could only indicate that my unidentified attacker came from among our species.More than any weapon, the realization froze me to the bone. Though it seemed some of my reliable inner circle wanted those secrets forever buried, I had long felt th
POV: Jeremy Willams.I was hammering through the forest, my breath coming out in jerky gasps and every nerve-ending tingling with that familiar rush of adrenaline and danger just out of sight. But under the shaded trees this time, there was no innocent game of hide-and-seek. There were answers to the most basic questions about my very existence calling from the other side of this dreadfully serious quest.Just enough phantom light to guide me to the remote cabin came from lunar wisps that seeped through the canopy. My sanctuary, or rather, our sanctuary right now. Though the task tonight was serious, the illicit joy that came with that secret acknowledgment made my pulse thump.Finally, the modest farm emerged from the shadows, its windows beaming with a warm welcome. I eased to a comfortable pace and took the time to just take in the feeling of community that came from that little home.How odd to consider that the sight of a straightforward wood and glass construction could arouse s
POV: Jenna.The strands were coming apart at a startling rate, and no matter how firmly I held onto them, my control was eroding like sand through closed fingers. Managing events from the shadows until Darrel's obsession with Ivory Wells burnt out was supposed to be the easy part. Then he would come back to my side, determined only to maintain the strength of the Ludderton pack and secure my place as his Luna.But I'd gotten lost along the endless bramble-lined trail. Become caught up in the very webs of lies and betrayal I had so deftly woven to maintain the natural order of our lives. Now, everything I'd planned for was perilously close to collapse, and instead of relishing the delicious nectar of success, I was choking on the harsh ashes of shame and defeat. It had begun gradually, like the unnoticed jerks of a lady waking up from feverish dreams into the chilly light of day. Little clues that the steadfast Alpha I'd wooed was becoming less and less connected to the tortured soul
POV: Mia.Unseasonably cold night air made the delicate hairs on my nape bristle with dread. Maybe all it was, was the approaching change of seasons, a subtle psychological deception. Perhaps my subconscious had already realized that treachery and deceit were waiting just over the horizon, trailing spectral warning tendrils in their wake.For whatever reason, instincts blazing like synapses in an electrical storm, I stopped on the wooded trail that led back to my little flat. Something was wrong, thrown out of the natural order of things in a way that sounded discordant notes across my entire existence.Breaths came in shallowly and I looked around me intently. In some way, the silence was heavier, with a nasty watchfulness prickling my nerve endings. It was as though the trees themselves were mute witnesses, leaning in a conspiratorial silence.Grasp yourself, Mia. Just from hearing too many of Ivory's delusional beliefs about old grudges and persistent dangers, you're scared.I push
POV: Callum Wells.I used to control everything like pieces on a chessboard, but suddenly things got out of hand. Ivory Wells kept digging up secrets I wanted to keep hidden. Her actions even turned people against me.I thought I could scare Mia into staying quiet, but she's still helping Ivory. It's like dealing with annoying insects that won't go away.If I don't stop them soon, they'll cause bigger problems. So I need to take action.I asked for a report, trying to stay calm. But I was itching to hurt someone.One of my most reliable guardsmen stepped out from the shadowy line, his face hidden by the distinctive cowl. Like a rabbit immobilized by the hypnotic gaze of a serpent, I could taste the stench of his fear drifting off of him in nearly visible plumes.All OK. The ranks were kept focused more effectively by fear than by any other feeling."Mia Wills remains...uncooperative, despite our overtures," the wretch said, unable to keep my eyes on her for more than a few seconds. "S
POV: Ivory Wells.The blurry surveillance picture in my shaking palms hammered like a jackhammer in my chest. It saw a little dark haired child being escorted away by an unidentified person. But those huge naive eyes that had followed me around for two long years were unmistakable. Darcy my beautiful daughter!Emotions threatening to engulf me, I sank onto the ancient couch, the picture dropping from my fingertips. Was she still among us? Could it be possible that after all this time, believing she had died and picturing the worst? As opposing dreams and anxieties fought inside of me, tears ran down my face.Something was wrong, I've suspected ever since Jeremy showed up on my doorstep inexplicably a few weeks ago. It smelled of secrets and deceit, the way the weird child clung to me, those uncanny resemblances to Darrel. I ought to have known that after I was banished, the Purple Moon pack would never leave me alone.Then Jeremy said, "I've never seen or met Jenna before." How, of c
POV: Darrel WilliamsWith a stifling weight, the lair appeared to encircle me, the ghosts of the past pressing. Grabbing the edge of the bulky oak desk till my knuckles became white, I used the physical agony to anchor my disorganized thoughts.How could I have believed the lies that were presented to me seven years ago with such blindness and willingness? I could smell treachery and deceit in the strong earthy smells that had always comforted me. Every time I closed my eyes, Ivory's face swam behind mine, her beautiful features bearing the scars of her exile. As my most reliable friends denounced the woman I was a woman whose only transgression was giving birth to a child whose entire existence they considered a "abomination," I had said nothing.No matter how hard I tried to ignore the memory of that terrible night, a deep growl rumbled in my breast. Callum's greasy tones were still hissing in my head like a snake.Alpha, the whelp threatens the purity of our ancestry. What is to