Perhaps in another time, another moment, another life, Rhiannon would have given herself time for an explanation, but six centuries in the Glass Cell of the Watchtower would definitely weigh on anyone’s spirits, so she didn’t allow herself to hesitate or wait before rushing off toward the elevator that would take her to the parking garage.“Raksha... Raksha!” she called her she-wolf and felt her stirring inside.“What’s wrong, where are we?” she asked half disoriented.“We’re escaping,” she answered, and her chest tightened. She felt the she-wolf howl inside her.“What did that stupid wolf do?” she bellowed angrily.“He tried to lock us up again.”“Show me!” Raksha commanded, and Rhiannon closed her eyes for a moment, conveying to her everything she had heard and felt with those words from Aidan.“Stupid bastard!” the she-wolf raged. “But I don't understand. Akela wouldn’t let him do something like that. Why lock us up again? How is that a way to keep us safe?”“I don’t know, Raksha,

Something was calling her though she didn’t know what exactly. Something that made her turn her head every five seconds toward the road Brennan’s car had taken. Maybe it was anger, maybe it was grief, or maybe it was just that certainty that she had been betrayed again.“Do you think it’s true?” she heard Raksha shriek angrily inside her.“Which of all the lies?” asked Rhiannon with a heavy heart.“That thing about him having a wife.”“That I wouldn’t doubt. He’s already lied to me in so many ways that I don’t doubt for a moment that he does have a wife” Rhiannon grunted, feeling the girl’s hand pulling her tightly.“But why do we trust Brennan and not him?” her she-wolf said thoughtfully. “I understand what we hear, but perhaps the Beta is not as good as he seems. Why should we believe him and not our mates?”“Because Brennan wasn't the one who decided to lock us up again against our will! Why didn't he tell me, Raksha, that he was married? Did Akela tell you anything? By the Goddes

“Do we have to take him?” the queen asked with a tone that varied between disgust and feigned indifference. There was something about that lycan that she didn’t quite like.Aidan stood with his arms crossed in front of the door of the plane, until Brennan ran through the hangar and up the stairs.“A rushed trip?” he asked his Alpha in a whisper as he caught the displeased faces of the monarchs, but he’d had three centuries to get used to them.“That’s right. My mother wants to start the hunt previous to the ritual ceremony immediately, so we’re leaving for Astan.Brennan rolled his eyes and snorted in annoyance. The Astan Reserve had become the new reserve of the royal house. Only members of the court were allowed to visit, and the territories, which covered a large part of the northern United States, were under the protection and surveillance of General Nader, Myra’s father.The largest hunts were always held there, and despite being guarded by such a despicable being as was General

Rhiannon sighed wearily and sat down on a rock, looking up at the cluster of huge buildings rising in front of her. She had been walking much of the night and all day, crossing the countryside and skirting villages, faithfully following Raksha’s instincts.“We could move faster if you’d let me out,” the she-wolf protested.“And what do you think a white wolf will look like in the middle of these places? I’m weird enough with hair this color, imagine a wolf your size.”Raksha grumbled, but she knew her lycan was right. Rhiannon mustered her strength and stood up again, deciding which way was more viable to go around the group of buildings, but as soon as she was closer, a muffled growl brought her to her senses.They must have been perhaps a hundred paces away, but the smell of lycan blood was undeniable. They were hurting him.Rhiannon didn’t even think about it, all of her instincts had been honed for protecting her race since birth. Maybe she still wasn’t as strong as she used to be

Aidan would have burst out laughing out loud at such stupidity, but just one word from that old woman, just one, had made his soul shiver, and that word was “white”.“Lidora, please, stop bothering the Alpha!” When General Nader’s voice echoed in the room, Aidan snatched the stained cloth from the woman’s hand and stuffed it into one of his trouser pockets.“Nothing’s wrong, General,” he said, turning around in a crisp voice. “The lady here wasn’t bothering me.”“I’m sorry, Alpha,” the general said apologetically and bowed his head a little as a sign of respect. “The years are already weighing heavily on her and she says a lot of incoherent things... but blood is blood and we cannot just abandon her to her fate.”“The virtue of a family is reflected in the way it cares for its elders. I am glad to find virtue in your family,” Aidan replied, and the general seemed to swell with pride.“That’s right, that’s right... We’re one of the oldest families in the race and—”“And we’d better sta

The next two days were a dark haze in Aidan’s tortured mind. He had barely paid attention to the final banquet of the ceremony; his mind was a constant battle to accept reality, to understand it, or at least, to remain as sane as he could.“Get up! You look like you’ve been drugged, what the hell is wrong with you?” Brennan reprimanded him once the plane landed in New York. “The ceremony will be tonight, in less than six hours. Everything is already prepared and you look like a zombie since you came back from the hunt. Did you get bitten by a fly or—”“She is the rightful heiress to the throne...” That was all he said, and Brennan was drained of color.He dragged him out of the plane before he could say another word and took him directly to the rooms that had been set aside for him in the royal household. That was where the ceremony would take place, in the temple of the Goddess, with hundreds and hundreds of lycans watching him.“Say that again?” Brennan demanded when they were final

If there was ever a good time to dig a hole in the ground and bury yourself in it alive, this was it. Maddox could feel all the energy being released from Rhiannon’s body in a second, and he held his breath, because he felt it overwhelm him. Yes, from one second to the next that embrace had transformed from “holding” her to “containing” her, and the lycan wasn’t quite sure if he would be able to.“You’re... saying... that... Aidan is...” Rhiannon couldn’t seem to breathe. Her whole nature was rebelling against it. It couldn’t be. Aidan couldn’t have betrayed her like that, Akela couldn’t have betrayed her like that after she had freed him.“Aidan is the last son of King Caerbhall and Queen Erea,” Brennan murmured, because it was useless to keep it from her any longer. “He is the son of the traitors who murdered your entire family. Aidan Casthiel is the heir to the throne, and today is his coronation.”Rhiannon’s partial transformation came like an explosion, and her scream would have

The new temple of the Goddess had been built like a Greek theater and could hold half a thousand lycans. It was divided into four semicircles where the attendants were to be seated in order, according to their ranks.The one closest to the orchestra held the eight governing Alphas of the crown territories, together with their families. They were the most important members of the court, so they had a preferential place.The second semicircle held the war lineage: the generals, lieutenants, and Betas of the race. Any soldier with a rank belonged there.The third semicircle was for families of lesser importance and prominent figures of the lycan society.And the fourth and outermost semicircle was reserved for servants and common soldiers. Apparently the monarchs liked to have a little of plebeian reverence in their meetings.And that temple was overflowing with people.Aidan tried to loosen the collar of his ceremonial robe every five seconds. He was nervous and irritated. All his insti

Aidan had resented that lycan ever since he had first set foot in the temple following Rhiannon. He had hated his scent from the very moment he had smelled it, and he had envied his stupidity, or his determination, to let his wolf walk beside Raksha in front of everyone. But what triggered every last one of her nerve endings was seeing him achieve a partial transformation in a second, as if propelled by a small explosion.His hair turned from gold to gray, extending almost to his waist; his body seemed to give off a shockwave full of power as his eyes took on a deep black color, and his claws emerged with a jolt.With one of them he grasped the wrist Rhiannon was offering him, brought it to his nose gingerly, sniffing it for a brief second, and then, before Aidan could make a single move to avoid it, he closed four sharp fangs on the snowy, delicate flesh of her forearm.Rhiannon did not utter a single sound of protest, but the muffled growl that escaped the Alpha’s throat made all ey

“This is going to turn into a massacre very soon,” Raksha muttered, directing her communication solely towards Akela as she watched him shake and slowly get up after being torn from Aidan’s body.“You think?” the wolf replied sarcastically. “What on earth are we going to do?”“We?” Raksha snapped angrily. “Well, the only thing to do here is for your lycan to put his head down and beg for his life.”“Raksha, we always knew this was going to happen when Rhiannon found out about the truth! We said we’d handle it together!” Akela retorted. “It’s one thing to handle the matter of his identity and quite another that he had the nerve of trying to take the throne! I never imagined he would dare!”“He was really doing it to protect her... I wasn’t on board with it, either, but you can’t doubt his heart!" Akela claimed, and Raksha growled angrily at him in front of everyone.“I don’t care about his heart or his intentions. He had us locked up! He knew who Rhiannon was and still he dared to ac