Alpha Blood,Royal Heart

even give

et made of consequence. A silver bracer etch

thigh. "Ironwood. Won't kill most wolves. Bu

tered. "Love

ht, eyes locked on the training field like he wante

be

looking at me. "It's a demonstration. The

ation?"

hoping

sn't an execution in ceremonial wrapping. The Council watched from above, cold and s

g. Not full alphas. Not yet. But ranked. Skil

d into t

th cracked under my boots.

ll r

first wo

My dagger sliced across his arm, blood blooming. He snarled, s

blocked, barely. My blade met his, a show

"You're qu

hissed. "Y

and then Ka

g-but his aura flared. Like wildfire rollin

" Lucia

ave time t

sweeping my legs. I fell,

mark

om my chest. For a mom

olves

dience

ound beneath m

not by shielding me, but by th

a flash, hand gripping m

ed across the fie

w in his throat.

suppo

ion bl

w fl

cent

eld from a

th

n them

per wasn

lived

slammed my palm

rd, controlled just enough to stop short of

e unless you

cleared before the Cou

oke the

sn't san

uld've

ot-Tea with annoying calm. "Which is far more restra

oice boomed over t

ood. And the w

the other alphas.

were

"The mark reacted without command.

embling with leftover

oed like fa

ound for magical suppression unti

" I

use

ou don't get to seal me away just b

w, voice low. "Don't c

? He's already made it clear

ted little sigh. "Gods, sh

ame th

t o

m V

ith her arms folded and a wicke

id, "is how a Luna

slowly. "You approv

just reminded every wolf here

her muttered, "

her eyes.

column like this was his favorit

" he called. "She didn't. If you

linched

cil didn't p

cou

arena hadn't

bowed

palace's eastern balcony. My skin still hummed with en

th

e done i

come from the s

e from

clutching

ore throu

n in f

ine-scarred

me in a language I didn

beside me like

ering again,"

he's trying

is

more than that. She's angr

deny it. His

y one strong enough to

ned t

ond p

question I hadn'

you lov

at me for

n said,

't looking

looking

g I noticed wa

t. There were always footsteps, hus

d q

e hall empty. No guards.

ce

dow m

threatening. J

wa

idor, half in moonlight, half in da

e a ghost," I said

smile. "Ma

"You said you were th

dded

hy

ckthorn silver with a crescent moon carved into its face-

fr

his before,"

id. "Because it was you

nd. "The first Luna created this to protect

eart racing. "Wh

ulled it fro

at him. "You

Hidden. Boun

d n

ng to see what

e outer courtyard, pacing like his so

your pos

pacing. "You we

na b

e. Green. Furious. Guil

I added. "He ga

oze. "H

up th

away like it

n't you t

le

ad

that to my family before she disappeared. She said if th

u k

id. "Not until the fire. Not unti

So you were never

here t

here to see if I'm h

toward me.

t get t

the sky

pierced t

rom the rooftop above-

ed on i

sin midair. He ignited, body convulsing as flam

dro

e

e flick

, sword drawn, blood on h

leeding,"

oked

e had ni

lice acros

thing wa

sion

dy sw

me as I fell,

wound, cursing under his brea

t?" Kade

ooked up

n a

trembling, "Fr