"I can explain," said the stranger. "I'm a Bronze Nation emigrant, now an outlander technically by your terms. I recognized you from afar when I saw you questioning the locals, but I didn't know if you were friend or foe. There's been no word yet about the situation on the border so I was being cautious."A Bronze Nation emigrant? That was usually the polite designation for a spy, especially since Bronze Nation's Catii pack exercised their power through business and intel, but this could be a trap, too. Beth never lowered her guard as she glared at the man, waiting for him to continue speaking.He took her silence as a signal to continue. "I was sent here with my family almost fifteen years ago when I was just a boy. The Catii pack installed us in these parts to keep a steady flow of information coming from past this point, since this is a hub of information across a lot of the other nations. And I know the Heether pack has been collaborating with the Catii pack for weeks now, we got

The first night would be the hardest, Beth told herself. It could only get better from here. So as she settled into the chair by Daniel's bed for the night and felt his hand, heart twisting at the coolness of it, she reminded herself again and again that this was only temporary. Twelve hours from now, twenty four hours, he would be well on his way back to his normal self. One night and a day and he would be stronger, livelier. She had nothing to fear.Marten had assured her that even if he looked to be in pain now, it was manageable with the herbs and medicines he had access to in Pandemonium. In the werewolf nations, not much emphasis existed on medicines and pain killing methods since werewolves were by nature resilient. Even Gold Nation with its plethora of half-shifters mixed in with its bursting population didn't invest into these things, not comparably anyway.But here in the outlands, it was far more vital since there were shifters and other peoples who didn't possess werewolf

Beth helped Daniel sit back down on the bed after helping him wash up later. With a grunt, he settled back onto the cot."It's better not to tell him we know," he said. "Let him think we're taking him at his word. I wasn't supposed to see that symbol on his wrist or know it's connected to Matthew, so it's better to pretend we know nothing."Beth nodded. Though she couldn't admit it, she well knew there were harsh consequences for slip-ups, and although Matthew might be a changed man now, he had been hard on all of his spies in the first life, far more than he ever should have been. She couldn't stomach the idea that Marten might be punished when he was only trying to help them. If not for his help, Daniel might not be alive this very second."I agree," she said. "Besides, it's no harm done. I'm concerned what it means that Matthew's reach extends this far when it's completely illegal... but that's between him and the Union Court if it ever comes to it. I won't have a part in it. Neith

Beth... Beth had been right to tell Anna that fighting in actual battle was different. This was nothing like the one on one fight to make Noah submit. There had been no time to calculate for what the enemy did this time, and the battle had ridden on reaction, instinct, pure adrenaline only. She couldn't even remember how many she fought and defended against, couldn't recall how she had gotten half of her wounds at all.But it had been an ambush. Surely not all battles were this chaotic. Surely it had just been this one, because they had been taken by surprise and Anna had let down her guard.She refused to believe this was her best, or even her usual. She refused to believe she was so mentally weak that even her Alpha body couldn't keep up."This way, Annalise," Michael urged. "We'll be passing by the area your father the Alpha was last seen in on the way to check your mother's cabin, so it would be best if you can investigate both. You knew them best, maybe you'll find something we m

"That's a far deductive leap for you to take," she said, voice frosty and giving nothing away. "Is it perhaps that you knew before you even asked me that? Or maybe I'm only letting you think the situation is so. You can know nothing for certain."The man chuckled. "You remind me of someone else I know, with that sharpness. Except you're even thornier if that can be believed. But make no mistake, it's a valuable quality to be so cautious. I respect and appreciate it. Then how about this? You can simply keep me captive here for as long as it takes to prove myself useful.""Useful? So you think you can do something about the situation, if there is a situation? Strange. Very presumptive of your value.""That's fair. Then here's a concession. If I can't be actively useful to you, you can keep me captive to make sure any intelligence I gather fails to make it back to whoever might have tasked me to come here. Is that a fair deal?""You make it sound like there was going to be a choice at al