The Alpha King of Iron Nation was now the second most powerful leader out of the four werewolf nations. That used to be Alpha Mal of the Heether pack, but after the terrible tragedy that had befallen them, that crown now fell heavily upon Alpha William's head.Maybe too heavily. Beth abandoned Daniel and Jim to wade through the crowd that parted for her - she was a female Alpha, after all, even if she needed to disguise that she knew perfectly well how to exploit her aura thanks to a decade of experience she shouldn't have. The closer she came to her father, the more clearly she saw the evidence of age and stress lining his face. He didn't appear as worn down and fragile as the broken Alpha Mal of the Heether pack did, but it was all too obvious he had gone through his own share of tribulations in the past few months.Her poor father. Luna Dahlia had cried her heart out begging her daughter to come home, showing her weakness with great fanfare to try to change Beth's mind, but her fa

Jim gave her a long look. "You know...I could ask you the same question," he said, each word dragging slightly. "I know you've both grown up since we last played together, and I'd be stupid to assume you're the same person you were when we were still playing sword fighting with each other. But you used to adore her. Wouldn't let anyone say a single bad thing about her or you would fly off the handle."Beth stilled. That was true, wasn't it? Her most recent memories were the bitter, painful ones of her past life, years spent in the shadow of betrayal but unable to retaliate against Annalise. But in this life, in this time, she should still be an adoring elder sister utterly unaware of the truth. That she had hit her head one day and decided not only to spontaneously agree to an engagement she had protested for over a year, but also to start holding Annalise at arm's reach instead of embracing her fully the way she always used to - that must have confused a lot of people. And Jim...we

Full morning came swiftly on the heels of the dark, gray dawn, and although Daniel went straightaway back to Beth's room, it was too late to discuss things with her. The rooms on either side of hers were already occupied, and the risk of being overheard through the walls was too high if their neighbors were nosy enough to put their ears to them. He signaled to her with a nod that he would find an opportunity to speak discreetly about what he had learned, and they both retired for the morning. There was still another afternoon and evening left of festivities. They should keep up appearances.More annoying was how everyone seemed to want to swarm around Beth. Wasn't Orion White supposed to be the star of the party? The White pack should be the ones bothered every minute, not Beth, but Alphas and female Alphas alike constantly surrounded Beth, separating her from Daniel on occasion when the group became too thick and pushy. More than a few times, he nearly lashed out, and was conta

"The Delta wasn't a fighter," said Selo. "He was with Matthew's entourage to help carry the valuables being offered to the other pack. The pathing they chose wasn't supposed to be dangerous since even the middle leg of it that crosses the border is well-populated and guarded by Gold Nation soldiers and pack warriors guarding the territory edges. So when the fighting broke out, he escaped, but he was wounded anyway. He dragged himself this far to tell us where the ambush occurred. It wasn't even that far from here...It took him twice as long as it should have to get here, but it's ordinarily a two-day journey to the point, if that."Only a day's worth if Beth ran there, she knew. That point he was talking about was Lake Ogal, where she and Matt used to go before he turned into a cheating bond-traitor bitch. In the other life, they had carved their names and initials all over the place in hidden nooks, in tree trunks, on the surface of rocks and boulders. To think that might be wher

It was strange that the Delta girl hadn't told Beth who was here to see her, since that implied she didn't know who it was. At this time, who would be here to pay visits, especially strangers or acquaintances so rarely seen the younger pack members had no idea who they were? She hurried into the receiving room, intent on greeting them and saying farewell as quickly as possible. These were hectic times, and she didn't have a second to waste on socializing. She whirled into the room, mouth already open to welcome the guest."Adrian!"The older man was already facing the door and greeted her back with an open smile as he approached. They shook hands, quick and strong."Adrian, welcome back. If you're looking for Luna Margaretta, she's retired to one of the detached houses away from the center of the pack territory. We were told she wanted a change of environment for...well, Alpha Mal isn't doing well, and she thought it would be good for the both of them. They've been there since be