Page 1 of Wolves Betrayed

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In no time at all,it was done, and Misti Wolventon was married to Talon Kastner. The only solace she could take was that her father would be livid to realize his daughter, one time heir to the Red Nightwalkers pack, had married a Wild Shade.

Her father would be even more infuriated to learn that her heart had been claimed by another wolf, an Anders Kraus, the one-time heir of the hated Shadowed Stars.

While her father had intended for her to marry the dutiful and loyal Red Nightwalker Jed Wright, she would not abide by his dominance any longer. She had slept with Anders, and for her betrayal, her father had sent ten werewolves to kill them both.

Instead, they had slain them all. Only Jed had spied on them and ran to tattle to her father, leaving Misti and Anders no choice but to seek out the aid of the Wild Shades, a pack that had once lived near theirs but had been driven away because of the deep-seated hatred between the Red Nightwalkers and Shadowed Stars.

They fled to find peace, and we’re forcing them back into war.

Dunn Kastner, their alpha and Talon’s father, had agreed to help them only if Misti would marry his son. Which she had. Marriage was one thing. Claiming was quite another.

The wedding feast was extravagant with course after course of mouth-watering dishes… at least Misti assumed they were delicious from the way the other werewolves scarfed down their food. She had no appetite. Sitting next to her husband—that was going to take some getting used to, that word, husband—was awkward. She had only met Talon the previous day.

When his father approached, Misti stood. Her face felt like a mask. She couldn’t bring herself to smile like so many of the other werewolves in the hall were. She had heard scattered portions of their conversations. Most were looking forward to a chance for revenge, having nursed bitterness during the long years they had been forced away from the mountain.

“Mr. Kastner—”

“You are my daughter-in-law now and wife to the heir of Wild Shades. You can call me Dunn.”

She would rather not, but still, she pressed on, “Dunn, I would rather us start our preparations than sit here and gorge.”

“Preparations?”

“For war.” She forced herself not to scowl. He had known what she had been referring to. He was deliberately being difficult. Have a run away from one werewolf who was more like a cunning viper only to seek help from one who is a rattlesnake in disguise?

“I understand your eagerness, but surely that can wait.”

Misti glanced around the hall to see that hundreds filled the long benches. The walls were plain, barren, without any pictures or paintings. The Wild Shades lived simple, almost militarian lives. Almost every face here belonged to a stranger. When her gaze fell on Anders, he stared at her blankly for a moment. Then his mask slipped, and he gave her his wolfish grin. Her heart started to race. Just last night, she had slipped to his room and given herself to him one last time. The werewolf had wanted to claim her, and she wished she had allowed him to. But no, she couldn’t think like that. If they had given in to each other, both of their fathers would not have stopped until they were dead. This is our only chance at survival.

But what good was surviving when you couldn’t be with the one you loved?

She shook her head. “It can’t wait,” she said, a hint of desperation leaking into her voice.

“She is right, Father.” Talon stood. She hadn’t even realized he was paying their conversation any attention. “We should gather the members and have a war council.”

Dunn stared at his son for a long while. “You would delay your claiming for words?”

“For the chance to ensure that we will have more than enough time for claiming and bedding and producing an heir, yes. The future is most important.” Talon touched the small of Misti’s back, and she forced herself not to flinch. She didn’t know Talon. Last night, they sat beside each other at dinner and hardly spoke. At least he saw her viewpoint on this matter.

“Very well, then. I’ll have Tia fetch my men.”

“Anders too,” Misti blurted.

The alpha raised his bushy eyebrows. “Do you think that is necessary?” he asked, his voice low and almost a growl.

“Yes. He knows the Shadowed Stars. He can tell us all he knows—”

“He was exiled for almost a decade. What he knew about them and how they operate today could be two entirely different things.” Dunn grimaced, the lines around his mouth deepening into canyons. “Very well. He may join us.” He pivoted on his heel and marched away.

“Your father is a strict man.”

“He does not bend, but order is what keeps us safe.” Talon’s lips twisted into a grimace. “We haven’t always had an easy time of it here. When my father first became alpha, it was very rough. Discipline is all he wants, well, discipline and respect.”

“Not love,” she murmured without thinking.

“No. Not love,” Talon agreed almost too quickly.

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