Chapter 18 "The Daughter's Choice"

• That evening, as Jake Morrison disappeared back into the forest with promises to keep their secrets, Miranda sat in her father's study surrounded by the truth of her heritage. Maps of pack territories covered every surface, marked with allies, enemies, and question marks representing unknowns. Books on supernatural politics lay open to chapters about assassination techniques and political coups. The peaceful cottage she'd grown up in had revealed itself as a war room in disguise.
• "How many people want me dead?" she asked quietly.
• Prospero looked up from the letter he was writing—correspondence with old allies, she assumed, preparing for her entry into their dangerous world. "Specifically you? Three major Alpha families and their various political allies. Generally speaking, anyone who benefits from the current power structure and sees magical ability like yours as a threat to their control."