The skirmishes began first. It was nasty work, with eight units dispatched in every direction to deal with the threat. They weren't the main problem though, just probing tests to see how strong Tahoe Village's defenses were. So be it. It gave Anna a chance to slip away undetected with the handful of discreet werewolves who would be going with her to gather the needed reinforcements and spread the word that the village was finally under attack. Every unit thought Annalise was with another, and no one would be any the wiser.Which was good timing. If Anna hadn't been able to leave until the main assault began, Beth would never have been able to release Noah so easily. For the last week, he had been detained in the village jail, which was crude and weak and would likely never have held the man if he weren't fuming and so bitterly envious of his wife's success. He hadn't resisted captivity yet because he wanted to see Annalise fail, and then for everyone to come crawling on their knees

PRESENT DAY***"Matthew Catii's squadron has departed. They mean to make it to the southern portion of the outer territory within the next fifteen minutes, then work their way outward in a zig-zag pattern. The snow is falling harder now so they believe that's for the best, using it to their advantage instead of trying to take a straight path out, and they'll launch small ambushes on any rogue stragglers they find. Message delivered, Alpha Elizabeth!"The lieutenant saluted her, and she accepted it with a firm nod. It almost felt natural now to have a few of her subordinates call her by that title. The rest still refused even if they respected her authority, but that didn't matter. What was important that she had their obedience and cooperation, not vain address and pomp."Good work, thank you for your diligence.""Should I relay any message to the others, Alpha?""No. I trust them to be holding their positions as instructed. You should rest and prepare while you can, at least until t

"Daniel." Beth stared back at him, gazes locked. "Don't overthink it. It doesn't matter what his intentions are when mine are what's important, right? Daniel?"She pressed her hands to either side of his jaw and ran her thumbs over the slight stubble that had formed, relishing the feel of him against her fingertips as much as she sought to comfort him back. He was tired, just like she was. They were both Alphas with Alpha constitutions, but he must have fought so much more fiercely in his determination to cut through the entirety of the rogue forces to get to her. And his mind, too, had taken a beating. Matt had always gotten under his skin even when the man didn't try."Daniel, answer me," she insisted. "Are you really worried I'm looking at anyone but you?""I know you're not. But I don't want him looking at you.""What'll that do? He'll never have what we have." She rubbed her thumbs over his cheeks again with a smile. "But if it's any consolation, I don't think he came for me bec

"You should be glad I waited for you," Beth quipped as they settled in a cave to dodge the heavy snowfall that had dumped upon them with the unpredictable weather. "I was going to leave you here by yourself, in case you forgot.""I would have chased you down until I caught you.""I'm no rabbit, Daniel. I would have outpaced you so fast I'd be back before you managed to wander in a circle fifty times looking for me.""I've caught you now." He wrapped his hand around her bare elbow before she could slip her thick tunic on. "You're not getting away from me again.""Don't even think about it," she warned. "You know what the doctor said. Any unnecessary exertion will worsen your condition and make the toxin spread faster. When you're in your wolf form, at least it's manageable enough that you can run and not worsen it, but this is not going to happen." She peeled his fingers off of her arm, holding the stare steady. "If you need that simplified, we are not having sex until we get you the

They spent more time gawking at the passersby and the unbelievable architecture than they did actually investigating for the whereabouts of the cure, but in all fairness, they had to start somewhere, and keeping a close eye on their surroundings was the best lead they could exercise until they stumbled upon something more substantial than that. So until they overheard anyone talking about an antidote, their best bet was to peek around corners, searching for knowledgeable if shady types who looked receptive to questions. And in the meantime, if they could sightsee and absorb all of the outrageous things here, then what was the harm?It was midnight again by the time they gave up, according to the grand clock that rose up from one of the great stone towers with decorative embellishments constructed all around it. By then, Beth and Daniel were both exhausted and had made no headway at all except to deduce that the tenth of the city they had scoured was devoid of the information they nee