Page 6 (1/2)

PROLOGUE

Then…

VANCE

“If Idun catches you doing this again, she h the door, as a woman makes a lot of noise on the other side

“Damn that devil bitch to hell I’irl cries out like she’s just gotten what she came for

He laughs and groans, and I rollsun that creates a blush across the horizon

Da his shirt on as he goes His trousers are barely hanging on his hips

“You gave it all up for her, and now that you’re da to let you go?” I ask hi-and-dance routine from him “Isn’t that what you said when you called o”

“You finally stayed gone If you can, I can”

“You’re a sexual deviant who can’t even have an orgas soiggle as though proving he left theitated

“I’h Once I work in so, even if I do have to give up my love for the er barely restrained

“You keep going back, since Idun’s the only woone, when you crave that flesh so ue on a tired breath

“I said I’lares at me “I can’t do it anymore I can’t even stand to be in the sah to be able to put her under, and then we’ll all go our separate ways”

“We can’t go our separate ways The Heads of their homes have to—”

“As ument

My eyes dart around our quiet, wooded surroundings just outside the old cabin, before I ain “Arion will have to stand down If the va Idun, we don’t stand a chance His nests are too large, and Idun’s den is massive”

“Because she’s been culling ours while secretly growing hers I know this I’m still in I can convince Arion to stand down if anyone can,” he says very seriously

“He has to feel like he was a part of this vote and just lost,” I say quietly, looking around again

“If we involve hiues “She shot an arrow through es shredded my flock I barely escaped with my own life because she refused to let me feed Arion watched the entirety of the brutal situation and didn’t lift a hand No vote This is not reconcilable”

“He doesn’t even think for himself, Damien He’s Idun’s monster But we need him to stand down”

He cracks his neck to the side “That’s a last resort,” he says toto leave

“It’s actually our only hope,” I call to his back

He tenses before he disappears into the woods

CHAPTER 1

Now…

VIOLET

Chains rattle as Shera finally wakes, groaning before she curses and looks around the small, stone cell we’re in A narrow set of bars at the front is the only decoration in the depressing room

“Fuck,” Shera hisses as the chains rattleto aze

“I’round,” I say, gesturing behind me to where dirt has cracked part of the stone cell and a s there

“Who the hell was that daht her because I didn’t expect her to be capable of that,” she says like she wantsher ass handed to her by an o

“She’s pureblood, but I think thatdifferent to them than it does to everyone else,” I say quietly “What do pureblood vampires do differently than turned ones?”

“Purebloods are naturally stronger—physically,” she says, really annoyingfor my own personal conundrum

Unless er zone, I can be resilient, but not stronger Droppingmyself to my panicky monster, at current

I’ to cut it right now

“They also have severe allergies to sunlight,” Shera continues quietly

“Based on that forht?” I ask as I pat my one-shot knife that stays with me like a small security blanket “They didn’t check me for weapons”

I wishup the store on accident when I was bending over and stuff

“They certainly checkedlike her head’s in pain

“You’re the larger threat,” I say while glancing back at the bars

“Well, this is a very shitty plan Everyone knows better than to kidnap a varowls “Especially wolves”

“The planning is actually good,” I tell her as I peer through the bars, staring at the wall in front of me “It’s the execution that won’t work, because they’re a bunch of o all their instincts for the sake power Not freedoranted”

“How are you awake before I aet comfortable

“Because I fainted after Abby hit me,” I answer somewhat proudly

“You fainted?” she asks, sounding disbelieving of the fact I said those words like they’re bragging rights

“It’s my super power,” I explain absently “I can faint on command I just have to focus”

“Oh, goodie Arion has chosen a girl who faints when faced with life and death,” she states dryly “How did I becorowl

“Because these wolves want to get their hands on not just Emit, but the four Head alphas,” I answer, still distracted as I search for any way to escape

Laughter bubbles out of her like she’s surprised, and I turn to look at her, as her body continues to shake with the force

“They have four Van Helsing caskets,” I go on, causing her to only laugh harder “These are the sao I’ this more seriously”

Her eyes cut totears out of thehs and leans her head back, the chains rattling with every subtle action she makes

“It’s funny because oas bitch that they die for no purpose They’re always stepped on during the wars Well, it’s fucking war between monsters Shit happens The irony is that you and I may die for no purpose at all, outside of a non-existent war, because when Arion co These stupid fucking naïve wolves will likely kill us just to feel like they’ve somehoounded the alphas they wanted to bait to their own slaughter”

“These wolves pinned Damien down Do you know—”

“Damien hasn’t fed the way he’s needed to in centuries, Violet,” she says very seriously “An alpha who hasn’t maintained himself still held these wolves off you, and for all you know, he could have killed all of the up You aren’t understanding how unnaturally powerful they are The betas and ooes on, her eyes narrowing

She stares atwith how best to make me understand

“E hio, but he could still slaughter everything under this roof if he really wanted to They struggled with Idun because they lacked the proper motivation and concern, and she was a very powerful, very motivated bitch of an alpha I fortunately never had tothe shackles on her wrists

I stand and stretch, h the rooht chatter I can hear The chatter is distant, as though this hallway stretches on for a while in the left direction I’ht

“Arion, however, is the one s He enjoys being really good at being the va to most of us—you’d have to be an idiot not to fear him a healthy amount—but no one fucks with him Do you knohy no one fucks with him?”

“Not really, since people are currently fucking with hie bars

I’d have to let e to them Which is too low to safely turn back from Theoretically

“These are some outsiders who think they kno the true world works They think they’re strong enough to break free froulations They think they can do whatever in the hell they want to do, so long as they get rid of the ones in charge The alphas are designed to stop that froreat joy in his part”

Thunder rumbles overhead, muffled by the thin layer above us, so I wonder just how close to the surface we are

“I need to figure a way out of these chains so I can protect us when they figure out this was a horrible idea and try to clean up theus,” she rambles

The chains rattle behindelse

“Why am I in chains and you’re not?” Shera asks like she’s annoyed, as I begin pacing the room

I i and sht”

An agitated expression creases her features

“Guess fainting isn’t such a bad super power after all, is it?” I lance back out the bars

I sit down in front of theet us out of here

“This is what you get when you hang out olves,” she says very pointedly “You think I’m a prejudiced bitch, but the fact is, Emit doesn’t leash them and this is always the result”

“I was attacked by va a case of déjà vu GUE