Chapter 16: Full Moons Only, Alpha

The Warden doubled the guard on the gate and put archers on the wall.

By dark, every wolf in the hold knew a dozen northern scouts were somewhere in the pines below us.

I wasn't allowed to help.

"You sit," the Warden said. "You eat. You keep the cubs warm. That's your whole war tonight."

I was eating soup in the great hall, glaring at it, when the boy from the wall came in with snow on his boots.

"There's a car at the foot of the road, Princess."

"Whose?"

"A man got out. Big. He's walking up with a coat and nothing else, and he won't stop."

I put my spoon down.

"Dark hair?" I said. "A scar through one eyebrow?"

The boy's face told me.

I stood up. Maud, across the table, didn't even look up from her bread.

"Don't," she said.

"I'm not going to talk to him."

"Of course you aren't, dear."

I went up the wall stair in Maud's old gardening coat, slowly, with one hand on my belly.

The archers stepped aside for me.

Below the wall the gate stood shut, and in front of it, in the snow, a man was standing with his hands at his sides.

He had no hat. His hair was white with snow.

Rhys looked up, and he did not call out.

Behind him at the road, a small figure in a parka was hauling a medical bag out of the back seat.

"Joanna?"

"Hi!" Joanna waved with the whole bag. "He drove eleven hours and didn't say a word. He bought my coffee twice."

Keep reading free with an account. Start Substitute Luna, Runaway With His Quadruplets from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.