No. This wouldn't do. Beth paced back and forth in her bedroom where she had cooped herself up for hours now. Daniel had left four days ago which meant he and the warriors would only be a quarter of the way to the border by now, but the dark thoughts that swarmed her every night when she tried to sleep warned her that peril could befall them at any moment even from within Silver Nation.She should have gone with him. Strategically speaking, she and Daniel were the only leaders of value worth targeting, and the Heether pack was in unfriendly terrain for any rogue wolves to try to attack. The sister packs that surrounded their territory would make any invasion unlikely without great preparation that the rogues weren't known for. So while that meant she was safe here - she should be with Daniel, because that meant an attack on him was almost imminent. Whether from by rogue wolves or from Andrew's forces that he believed were working with them in the shadows, surely they would be ambus
PRESENT DAY"How about it, Daniel Heether? Should we work together in earnest now? Should I show you the extent of my commitment?"Daniel narrowed his eyes. The extent of his commitment? What was Andrew Troy saying now?"Allow me to explain myself. I sent for her the moment you arrived since I knew you would both want that."On cue, someone knocked on the large, heavy doors of the sitting room, and Andrew and Daniel both looked in their direction as the sounds echoed through the wood. "Come in," said Andrew. "Not a moment too soon or too late."The doors opened with a soundless arc. And there between two Deltas who escorted her - was Beth.He stood up so fast the guards recoiled where they stood, tensing and muscles bunching. So these were real fighters, not the halfling ones that reacted more like humans than werewolves by relying on weapons or other artificial means. These were true Delta guards of the Troy estate, trained to fight the proper way. And that meant they could sense t
She was in her bedroom. Too bad there were so many damn people in this pack house, it was like there was an entire village's worth of residents just on this floor. Not that she and Daniel would have been able to sneakily do anything anyway...The walls were thin enough probably that anyone would be able to hear if they got up to...things.But she was so lonely. Or maybe she was just frightened. She wanted Daniel's touch more than anything, not because of lust, but because she was at a crossroads where she was sure she was supposed to be - the right time, the right place to make a difference. Wasn't that why she was here? It couldn't be a coincidence. An espionage coordination effort to alert the entire nation as soon as the rogue wolves began making their move, she was the first in line to find out if anything happened.And in the future, she had learned things in hindsight, valuable things that she had been too late to utilize. But in this life, she might know it before it even happe
What was he doing? Andrew Troy, heir apparent of the Troy pack, Alpha King of Gold Nation in all but name, bringing her breakfast with his own two hands? It didn't suit him at all, this show of being hospitable and humble, especially when Beth spotted the glint of gold on his fingers as he presented her with the tray. Wearing gold rings inlaid with diamond, jewelry expensive enough to buy out most minor packs' territories outright, but looking at her with that too-kind and pleased smile as he waited for her response...Creepy. There was no other word for it. She especially didn't like the way he placed the tray in her lap over the covers when she had been about to climb out of the bed, effectively stopping her and keeping her in place. And when his hand brushed hers, by no means accidental because Andrew Troy was the kind of man who was deliberate in every action, every word, Beth nearly shuddered with visible disgust. She only stopped herself just in time and disguised the motion
Ha. Andrew Troy, that son of a bastard. So this was the surprise he had been referring to back then, was it?Because before her stood two surprises indeed. One Beta and an Alpha she knew very well. Or, should she say, a Beta and his she-Alpha fiancee."Beth. You look well." Annalise stepped forward at Beth's greeting, but surprisingly, she didn't reach for her hand or grab her for a hug. Even the usual 'Bethie' nickname was missing from her lips. She only stood there with a small smile, far more reserved than Beth had ever seen her. Indeed, she seemed like she had grown so much over the last half year with an inch more to her height, or had it been even longer than that since they last saw each other?She was only a couple of years younger than Beth and yet had always carried herself with falsely innocent childishness. This strange new maturity and calmness that graced Anna's features didn't suit her at all. Beth hardly knew who she was looking at anymore. What a joke."Why don't you
There was no way Anna would apologize. Certainly never verbally, but even this stupid faux apology Beth demanded in the form of a drink from the flask? Definitely not. That had always been Anna's weakness, her vanity and pride. Despite her ability to put on a top-notch performance to fool anyone and everyone of her little vulnerable damsel ways, she had never, ever believed in a sincere apology.Beth knew her sister. She knew her far too well. She knew every little thing about her down to the dark crevices of her mind, because by the end of her first life in that bed, in that godawful, tear-stained, prison-bed where Matthew had kept her when she began to weaken and grow sick, Annalise had made it a point to come in and taunt her by revealing her true self. Every ugly thought, every dark scheme, every evil thing she had hidden away - confessed, gleefully.So she knew well before she ever stuck the flask out at Anna that the girl would only scrunch her nose up, frown, and turn her hea
Beth hadn't been so stupid as to stay out in the open with Anna no matter how tipsy she was. Like hell she was going to fall asleep next to her sister only to wake up in the morning with a literal knife in her back. Well, no. Maybe something more subtle than that, but still. The point remained. Her expert con of a younger sister was putting on a frighteningly convincing act of being a changed and better person, but how many times had she done that before? Far too many to count. Just another notch on the stick, honestly. So Beth had excused herself and gone to bed early, since it seemed Noah wasn't going to be around for the planned strategy meeting anytime soon.Figured. Big important man couldn't be bothered to plan and consult with a she-Alpha. He probably only tolerated Annalise's help as it was because she was his fiancee, and therefore a credit to his manliness as an obedient and useful wife-to-be. But Beth? No. Never.And yet the night wasn't peaceful at all. Beth woke sometim
When Beth awoke in the morning, she had no hangover and had instead a newfound certainty that the two warriors from last night were exactly who they said they were. Thank the Moon Goddess. With some luck, maybe she could get them released so they could fight alongside her. Being Silver Nation warriors, even if they weren't strictly Heether pack, they would be far better trained than the half-hearted troops she had on hand. Better yet if they were from one of the close sister packs, whose trained warriors were almost as good as the Heether themselves.But she had to hope that the message by falcon would return in time to vouch for them. Her word alone wasn't good enough. Moon Goddess help them, Beth found herself praying. If the rogues would hold off on the attack long enough for a reply to come back, then things would be so much easier. Winter-weather trained falcons could brave the storm and make the trip in record time, but whether the snow would slow down the rogues was in quest