Brian and Zayden sat in their cells in the dungeon. With the silver collars around their necks, they couldn't shift, mindlink, or use any other werewolf abilities. There were no guards inside. They were only outside, so the two men felt comfortable talking quietly without being overheard. "How much do you think they know?" Zayden asked. He hadn't wanted to get involved, but Brian had convinced him it was the only way to get rid of Ryder. He wanted to come clean about everything but knew Brian wouldn't agree."They know we buried her, but that's it. Ryder can't kill us for that. They found her alive, although I don't know who could have seen that tiny hole in the ground." Brian said. There were only three of them that knew where she was buried, and none of them would have told Ryder. "Do you think we should tell them about Connor when they come? Maybe it will throw some of the heat off us if we tell them it was all his idea and we did it under duress." Zayden asked h

The following morning, the search for Oliver continued. They were keeping it under wraps from everyone except Nathan and the warriors he trusted. There was no trace of him anywhere. Ryder was beginning to think that Oliver had help from more than just Connor. Zoe started noticing some changes as they ate breakfast in the dining hall. Her vision was better, allowing her to see details on the wall on the other side of the room that she hadn't noticed before. She began picking up Ryder's scent. It smelled like pine trees and a fresh sea breeze; it was intoxicating. Her body responded every time she smelled it. "Are you okay?" Ryder asked quietly, noticing her face was flushed."Yeah. I think I'm starting to feel some more of my wolf. Like I can smell your scent now, and it's making me hot all over." She whispered so no one else would hear. Ryder chuckled."Now you know how I've felt since the first time we met." He said near her ear, kissing her cheek. Zoe felt her

Warning: This chapter contains topics that may be sensitive to some readers.Oliver had seen Zoe leave Ryder's office to go to the restroom and knew it might be his only opportunity. He snuck in through an open window and waited until she came out. As soon as she hung up the phone, he made his move pouring the potion on her so she would be invisible and fall asleep. He was carrying her down the hallway when Ryder came out of the office. Once outside, he sprayed his scent-covering spray on her and began running. He had a small cabin he had built in the forest outside of the pack lands. Oliver noticed he was starting to get winded as he ran, and it didn't make sense. Werewolves could run for hours without getting tired. They reached the cabin about thirty minutes after he had used the potion on Zoe. She was still asleep. He was glad he could get her before her wolf showed up. As long as she was human, he could overpower her easily. Oliver laid her on the bed. He was go

Connor stood outside the pack lands waiting for Oliver. He had texted him and told him to meet him an hour ago, but there was no response. Where was he? He needed to know what was going on inside the pack. If Zoe was the princess, she might already be awakening her lycan. They couldn't allow her to fully transition, or it would be a lot harder for him to stop Ryder. Not impossible, just harder. He was getting anxious while he waited. Why hadn't he received anything from Oliver? Connor decided to try Crystal. He had promised her that she would be his mate if they took down Ryder, and she would have special abilities from mating with a Lightning Guardian, but in truth, all he was doing was using her. He forced Crystal to have sex with him whenever he wanted with the promise he would mark her once Ryder was dealt with. He would dispose of her like he'd done with all the others before her. When he didn't get a response from Crystal, he began getting worrie

Zoe looked at Cressida and smiled. She could tell most of the injuries were superficial, so she quickly cleaned them. None of them needed any bandages. "I don't trust her. There's something off about her scent. Be careful." Lyra told Zoe, still trying to get a feel for the young woman."Do you know who attacked you?" Zoe asked as she cleaned a few scratches on her arm. "No. I was taking an early morning walk when I was attacked. So tell me about this place." Cressida didn't want to waste time with her fake story. She needed to move fast before anyone was able to tell she wasn't a human."There's not much to tell. We just prefer to live in a remote location away from the city." Zoe answered cautiously. Cressida smiled widely at her."It's nice out here. So was that your brother you were with? He's really hot. Do you think I have a chance with him?" Cressida could feel the anger in Zoe, and it took everything in her not to laugh."He's not my brother. He's my