Montgo

lent stop, throwing me forward before I

er wrenched the cage door open, letting freezing rain b

er barked, stepping back as if

lagstones. Before me towered Northwind Castle, its jagged black spir

ut. Instead, the driver had pulled up beside a narrow, mud-splattered poster

d gray hair and spotless white gloves. Flanked by two armored guards holding a massiv

k," the old man said, his voice carrying clearly over th

xact name Glenda had written on the slip of paper-the witness who had

him from beneath the wet brim of my hood. "If y

only open for highborn she-wolves of strong blood. By order of the old Lord,

beside him sn

one guard muttered. "Even the scullery ma

d a white-gloved finger at the pudd

anner, and crawl in through the servants' postern," Ab Mckay commanded

nleashed the heavy, predatory au

er, meant to buckle my knees and force me into the mud. At

black war-hound lunged straight at my face,

el. Any ordinary wolfless girl would have

yield a s

eks, I lifted my chin. Beneath the shadow of my hood, m

bloodline and drove that ancient, sovereign dominance straight into the war-hound

e-blooded White Wolf was the pr

mid-air. A terrified, high-pitc

etween its legs, dropped belly-first onto the wet flagstones, and press

their faces. "What the hell? Frost-

ast at my feet, I walked s

essure had made the wolf in his chest let out a panicked whine, as

d a drop of rainwater off the collar of his black coat. My fingertips grazed the s

cold sweat breaking o

tract stamped with the blood seal of your Council of

in the face to Lord Andrae himself. Tell me, Mckay-since when doe

shing royal aura had vanished completely, leaving him wondering if he had hal

shrewd old butler realized I was no soft target. Swallowing his pride,

kay barked at the stunned gu

he shivering war-hound behind in the rain, I str

s burned with orange flames. Walking half a pace ahead of me to le

staircase toward the upper flo

pt entirely on the balls of his feet-the

ep he took up the stairs, his

used only by the freezing fog of Dead Man's Gorge along the old no

my voice echo off the stone walls. "When our carriage passed Dead Man's Gorge, I thought

kay's boot faltere

breast pocket. Through the dark wool of his coat, I caught the distinct, narrow outlin

d and turned his head slightly, his gray

a tight voice. "Northwind Castle has many ghosts. For your own s

nd said nothing. I didn't need to rush; he ha

ropped sharply. Deep claw marks scarred the stone walls of

Yet as I drew a slow breath, I caught something else beneat

ll. That wasn't medicine meant to save a dying werewolf; so

ck oak doors carved with snarling twin wolves. Even a veter

kward. "His inner wolf has been violent since the ambush. None of the d

d butler turned and hurried back dow

ors and pressed my palms against the cold brass handles. With a low

me with a heavy thud, plung

denly, a jagged bolt of white lightning tore across the sky outside the

oad-shouldered man in a heav

loose black tunic hung open at the collar, revealing

owed by the gloom, while his long, powerful fingers sl

dominance of a cornered apex predator rolled off him,

molten-gold eyes cut through the sha

p voice rumbling through the