Chapter 11: Lyla's Overreach

The heavy oak doors of the Bloodwood Pack’s war room swung open with a dramatic, echoing thud.

Valeriana Cross did not look up from the meticulously rolled parchment she was tying with a black leather cord. She stood at the far end of the great mahogany table, methodi

Chapter 12: The Missing Ledger

The dull, rhythmic burning beneath Valeriana’s collarbone was the first thing she felt when she woke.

She stood before the mirror in the austere bathroom of the North Tower, her fingers brushing lightly against the raised, angry red skin. The rune of the Bond-Severi

Chapter 13: The Frame Job

The North Tower was wrapped in the quiet chill of late afternoon when the heavy iron door shuddered violently on its hinges.

Valeriana did not flinch. She sat behind her broad oak desk, her posture perfectly straight, a cup of chamomile tea resting in her hands. Beside t