Sam saw the moment the giant man exited the caves, carrying Alina over his shoulders. The other three wolves were already inside the dank caverns, but he'd hung back, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop a rampaging bear. It didn't take long for Sam to realize who the shifter was. Axle carried Alina through the central cave opening, looking furtively around, assuring himself that there were no secret ambushes in wait. Satisfied, he quickly loped out of the immediate area, and Sam cautiously followed, unsure of how to reveal himself.The sun was high before Axle stopped for a break, and as he gently lay Alina down, her eyes opened, puzzlement showing clearly."What happened?"Axle was sitting to her left, sharpening a stick with the pocket knife she gave him for Christmas. He looked up with furrowed brow on hearing her voice.Then Alina looked around, her gaze landing on her friend, then searching further, as if she had sought someone else. This w

By the time the man put Alina down, it was halfway through the next day. She was miserable. He delighted in caressing her body as they traveled, teasing her with firm strokes on her thigh and feather-light kisses along her hip until Alina felt sure she was going mad. On the last leg of their journey, as the temperature dropped, Alina finally learned his name. " Cyrus Lincoln." It was a small concession, but she took it gratefully. To know a man's name was a thing of power, and in this game, Alina needed all the advantages she could get. Luckily Cyrus seemed to like the sound of his own voice, readily revealing details of his pack and the outlay of his camp after stopping to rest, a handful of miles left from their destination. They were well outside the royal grounds, and though she couldn't move or walk on her own, Alina tried to leave an object or scent wherever she could, knowing Axle wouldn't be far behind. "I heard about you, even as far as my pa

"I'm sure Dad had his reasons."Alina's jaw dropped when Kane dismissed her kidnapping as if it was a minor misunderstanding. The young man stood, regarding her outraged expression before shrugging his shoulders, "Sorry Luna, but I don't second guess the Alpha's decisions."Let's just wring his neck, Calliope growled, and Alina agreed, if only there weren't so many witnesses. But the townsfolk had become emboldened by the two of them simply standing in the street and started coming up to introduce themselves. Alina was forced to smile and talk to the wolves and their families, all eager for an audience with the "new luna," many knowing already that she was a Deveraux. They were friendly and extracted promises from her to visit their homes or businesses in the oncoming days, something Alina had no intentions of doing, but nevertheless, years of training as a Royal prepared her to give the appropriate responses, and by the end of it even Kane looked at her with

Alina was halfway off the balcony ledge when a thud outside her front door gave the princess room for pause. A perfunctory knock saw her swinging her legs back over again with a growl and rushing to open the door."What on earth...?" The sight of the guard lying unconscious at her feet was confusing, and Calliope reared inside her mind, warning Alina to be careful, but she didn't have enough time to react as she was shoved back into her lounge hearing the door shut firmly behind them."You'll have to do much better than that if you want to escape my father," a feminine voice drawled, causing Alina to look up in surprise.Katana stood against the door frame, knives in hand as she regarded the other woman. Pushing off with one foot, she extended a hand, offering Alina help to stand up."You don't have much time," Katana continued, " I've disabled the guard towers on the north and east side of the island and sent all foot soldiers to the farthest tip, lookin

Kellan dodged again as the aggressive Alpha narrowly missed his jugular, taking advantage of his momentum to shove Cyrus against the crowd of people watching them. Trading wound for wound they'd fought, inflicting injuries but maintaining enough awareness to deny each other the killing blow. Kellan was tiring. His leg grew weaker with each feint left, the aftereffects of the Olitiau's poison hobbling him more and more the longer this fight drew out. Cyrus sensed this and began pushing his advantage, coming in hard and fast, his wolf's massive bulk taking out Kellan's legs as he bowled straight over him, coming to a halt a few feet away. Some of the crowd cheered their Alpha on, but more were silent as Katana's words hit home.Unable to take anymore, Kellan relinquished control, and Lucas found himself on the ground, bleeding in human form as the alpha wolf towered over him, victory evident in his eyes. Deacon yelled encouragement, having had his gag removed, and Scott and Oli