Third Person’s POV
The snoring wasing from Elias, who was sprawled out on the sofa, sleeping like a dead weight.
Lance sat across from him, gripping a newspaper so hard his knuckles were white, a vein throbbing in his temple.
He wanted to catch some shut–eye too! But this damn snoring was loud enough to bring the roof down. How was he supposed to rest?
As the host, he couldn’t exactly ditch his guest and head back to his bedroom.
Lance red at Elias, wondering how he could have zero manners. Who shows up at someone else’s house at the crack of dawn just to take a nap? No wonder Harper was always riding him; clearly, she had her reasons!
An hourter, Lance and Adide finally saw that group out, only for the next wave to arrive: Ellen, Anilo, and Ampelio, along with their mates.
The wives had heard their husbands had apprenticed themselves to a young, beautiful she- wolf, and they’d shown up with their guards high, itching to see exactly what kind of “teacher” this she–wolf was.
However, the second theyid eyes on Paisley, their suspicions evaporated.
Paisley was stunning, sure, but she radiated the kind of lethal aura only a top–tier warrior possesses. She sat there with the cold authority of a hawk, her eyes sharp enough to cut.
Meanwhile, their husbands were acting like obedient schoolboys in her
presence.
The wives instantly flipped to “best friend” mode, offering warm smiles and the New Year’s gifts they’d brought.
They’d prepared two sets: one for the mistress of the house, Gamma Adide, and one for Irene.
Avery was over the moon. “Jackpot,” he muttered, rubbing his hands together as his eyes gleamed.
With all these goods in hand, he could head to the Shadow Peaks tomorrow to see Irene.
Daisicy au pic
miscalcted.
<b>C </b>
The three couples were intensely respectful–Ellen’s mate even hand–delivered her ck coffee.
It made her wonder: was the hierarchy here really this rigid?
She thought back to her days under Irene in the Crimson me Pack. It was never like this.
Most of the time, Irene would be cussing her out while simultaneously tossing the best cut of roast meat onto her te.
The sharp contrast made Paisley feel a sudden pang of guilt toward her old mentor.
“Damn it,” she muttered, taking a sip of coffee. “I actually kind of miss that grumpy old wolf.”
The next morning, a convoy was ready to roll.
Avery was acting like a foreman, barking orders at the omegas as they shoved gear into the trucks.
For this trip, he was taking Paige and Georgina along; they’d been taken in by Irene as kids, and it was time they paid her a visit.
The trunks of the two SUVs were packed to the ceiling, with massive waterproof supply bags strapped to the roof racks.
Since Georgina and the others refused to take a sry, Adide doubled Avery’s bonus. He was grinning ear to ear.
Over the next few days, the ckthorn pack stayed busy.
Lance took Adide to visit several royal elders living in the capital.
Their first stop was Aldrich’s private estate, which felt eerily quiet.
His son was currently a lord in a far–off territory and couldn’t return without Lycan Erasmus’s orders, leaving the old werewolf pretty lonely during the holidays.
After a massive lunch, Lance sat with the old man by the firece for a cigar.
After some small talk, Lance finally cut to the chase.
“At the banquet the other night, you went out of your way to praise Germain… that didn’t seem
70
+10 Free Coins
Paisley had nned on being a “gentle” teacher for the new year, but she quickly realized she’d miscalcted.
The three couples were intensely respectful–Ellen’s mate even hand–delivered her ck coffee.
It made her wonder: was the hierarchy here really this rigid?
She thought back to her days under Irene in the Crimson me Pack. It was never like this.
Most of the time, Irene would be cussing her out while simultaneously tossing the best cut of roast meat onto her te.
The sharp contrast made Paisley feel a sudden pang of guilt toward her old mentor.
“Damn it,” she muttered, taking a sip of coffee. “I actually kind of miss that grumpy old wolf.”
The next morning, a convoy was ready to roll.
Avery was acting like a foreman, barking orders at the omegas as they shoved gear into the trucks.
For this trip, he was taking Paige and Georgina along; they’d been taken in by Irene as kids, and it was time they paid her a visit.
The trunks of the two SUVs were packed to the ceiling, with massive waterproof supply bags strapped to the roof racks.
Since Georgina and the others refused to take a sry, Adide doubled Avery’s bonus. He was grinning ear to ear.
Over the next few days, the ckthorn pack stayed busy.
Lance took Adide to visit several royal elders living in the capital.
Their first stop was Aldrich’s private estate, which felt eerily quiet.
His son was currently a lord in a far–off territory and couldn’t return without Lycan Erasmus’s orders, leaving the old werewolf pretty lonely during the holidays.
After a massive lunch, Lance sat with the old man by the firece for a cigar.
After some small talk, Lance finally cut to the chase.
<b>2/4 </b>
“At the banquet the other night, you went out of your way to praise Germain… that didn’t seem
<b>70 </b>
+10 Free Coins
like you. It made it look like his ‘care‘ for his mother was just a calcted move. You usually stay out of the fray–why jump in now?”
Aldrich had always been a smart hermit. His family was far away; he had nothing to gain by offending Germain or the paranoid Lycan Erasmus.
In this climate, keeping his mouth shut was the key to survival.
Aldrich blew a smoke ring and looked at Lance with a resigned shrug. “If I told you it was just a moment of impulse, would you believe me?”
“Impulse?”
Lance and Adide traded a look of pure shock. That was thest answer they expected.
“You didn’t see Germain acting like a total hypocrite,” Aldrich said, a sh of disgust in his eyes. “He didn’t even show up until the banquet started, pretending to be the devoted son. I wasn’t overthinking it; the words just came out.”
“You should really keep your head down,” Lance warned, his voice low and serious.
“Offending either side is a bad move. On one hand, you’ve got Germain, who has nothing left to lose, and on the other, a Lycan King who’s looking for shadows everywhere.”
Aldrich’s gaze softened, and he nodded.
“Don’t worry. I won’t make the same mistake twice. This was… myst bit of recklessness.”
As the holiday ended, Adide was running ragged.
As Commander of the Ironthorn Legion, she had a mountain of backlogged work. Meanwhile, Lance and Caldwell braved the cold to inspect the site for the Tamara Institute.
It was an old, abandoned convent, and the renovation was a beast. They had to build a newbat training ground and dorms.
Plus, it was the dead of winter; the ground was frozen solid, which naturally slowed the crews down.
Luckily, Paisley and the deep–pocketed Harper had thrown enough money at the problem to keep things moving on schedule.
When the Council reopened, Ulrik walked into Adide’s office looking like a shell of a man. He formally requested to resign from his post.
11:44 <b>Mon</b><b>, </b>Jan <b>19 </b>
…
(<b>70 </b>
+10 Free Coins
Adide stared at the papers for a moment before signing off and forwarding them to the Pce.
Inside the Oval Office, Lycan Erasmus sat behind his ebony desk.
His golden eyes flickered over Ulrik’s resignation letter with zero interest.
“Gamma Adide,” he said, his voice deep and carrying that signature Lycan aura. “What’s your take on this?”
admin
<strong>Olivia Harris</strong> is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy novels. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.