The Night Prince

Aurora wakes from her shared nightmare in a bedchamber at Lowfell, panicked. Callum calms her, and she remembers killing Sebastian, her former betrothed, and being bitten by James, the Wolf King and Callum’s brother, hours earlier. She tells Callum about Blake’s scheme: He linked their lives so Callum cannot kill him without also killing her, allowing Blake to challenge for the throne after Callum wins it.

Aurora feels intense desire for Callum when he examines James’s bite wound on her torso. As he moves to pleasure her, Aurora suddenly feels cold darkness creeping in. She becomes overwhelmed and breaks into a fever. Callum shouts for Blake as she loses consciousness.

Aurora endures three days of feverish hallucinations. In her delirium, she hears Blake tell Callum that her body is trying to assimilate the wolf and that she will suffer episodes until her first shift. His voice echoes in her mind, calling her his pawn and puppet. She sleepwalks into Blake’s bedchamber holding a silver blade. She presses the knife to his throat before blacking out. Blake carries her back to Callum.

Aurora finally wakes alone, weak and disoriented. She finds a note from Callum instructing her to rest and eat, but she ignores it. After dressing, a young woman from Blake’s clan named Elsie arrives to summon her to the council chambers. Aurora hears Callum and Blake arguing as she approaches the door.

Aurora enters the council chambers, where Blake, Callum, Jack, and a large man named Arran are gathered around a map. Callum reveals she has been unconscious for three days. Blake announces he has invited Lochlan Christensen, alpha of Glas-Cladach, to attend an upcoming ritual called Oidhche Fhada. He wants to persuade Lochlan to join their cause against James, as Lochlan commands the second-largest army in the Northlands. Blake outlines a timeline: three weeks until the full moon, with their move against James planned for shortly after.

Callum objects, arguing that Lochlan is untrustworthy. Sebastian recently seized a fort in Lochlan’s territory, making Lochlan and Sebastian enemies, but Lochlan may blame Aurora since Sebastian was searching for her. Ryan, a young wolf loyal to Callum, interrupts to deliver a letter from James. The message is cryptic, but Callum explains: James holds Fiona, Callum’s oldest friend, hostage and wants to trade her for Aurora.

Callum explains that Wolf Law dictates a half-wolf who survives a bite becomes “property” of the biter’s alpha. Aurora rejects the notion that she belongs to anyone. Since James outranks Callum, he has a legal claim to her. Refusing would breach Wolf Law and damage the reputation of a future king. Blake proposes that another alpha claim Aurora by biting her before James officially demands her return, which would override James’s claim.

Aurora adamantly refuses, insisting she will not be claimed. She already has a title as princess and will not defer to an alpha. She points out that James will pursue her regardless and they must focus on securing allies and rescuing Fiona. Callum leaves to speak with Ryan. Blake dismisses Jack, leaving himself alone with Aurora.

Aurora reflects on her hatred for Blake. He tries to read her emotions through their bond, but she blocks him out. To unsettle him, she recounts helping her father expose a traitor who was subsequently killed. Blake taunts her about seeking her father’s approval even after learning he murdered her mother.

As Aurora leaves, Blake alludes to her feverish visit to his bedchambers. She believed it was a dream. Flustered, she denies it and flees. In the corridor, she finds Callum arguing with Ryan, who wants to attempt a solo rescue of Fiona. Jack arrives to lead them to their new chambers, which once belonged to Bruce, the former Lowfell alpha Blake killed.

Callum carries Aurora to the bed and confesses his worry over everything that’s happening. Blake’s spy has confirmed James does not possess the Heart of the Moon. As they embrace, arousal builds between them, but Callum pulls back. He fears provoking her wolf will trigger another multi-day fever. He decides to wait until after her first shift at the full moon before being fully intimate.

They explore the loch-surrounded fortress and the woodland beyond. Callum explains Lowfell’s history: It was nearly impregnable, and his father once allied with Bruce until Bruce propositioned Callum’s mother, nearly sparking war. Soon after, Blake killed Bruce and seized control. Callum leads her to a dilapidated chapel in the woods. He identifies it as dedicated to the God of Night. Inside, he explains that Night’s Acolytes once rose against other werewolves, seeking to free their god using the Heart of the Moon. Aurora notices a symbol carved above the altar—a key with two crescent moons—which she recalls from her dream. Unsettled, they leave.

In the days before the Oidhche Fhada, Callum remains restless. They observe Blake’s clan, including Arran, Elsie, and her young son Alfie. On the night of the ritual, Aurora reads one of Blake’s books about experiments on werewolves, growing anxious about her own pending change.

Callum initiates a sensual encounter, but he restrains himself again, reaffirming his decision to wait. They join Blake’s clan and other wolves gathering in the courtyard. Blake notices Aurora now carries Callum’s scent and shows subtle distaste. The group departs Lowfell, beginning the nighttime hike up the mountain for the ritual.

Aurora struggles with the steep hike. A cloaked man walks beside her, making cryptic remarks about Blake collecting “broken birds”—including Arran, Elsie, Jack, and the princess herself. At the summit, they find a stone circle where Lochlan’s clan awaits with whisky and bagpipes.

The cloaked man reveals himself as Lochlan. He postpones political discussions until after the festivities. Aurora spots the Moon Priestess, a blonde woman in a white dress who will conduct the ceremony. The priestess publicly shames Elsie and Alfie, calling them “tainted” by the God of Night. Outraged, Aurora defends them. Blake intervenes with threats until the priestess apologizes. Upset, Elsie leaves to return to the castle. Blake explains to Callum that Elsie is not an acolyte, but her abusive father was. Lochlan brings them whisky and proposes a toast.

The ritual proceeds after tensions ease. The priestess recounts how the Moon Goddess tricked Night into imprisoning himself and his monsters in exchange for her eternal captivity. As the lunar eclipse darkens the sky, the wolves light candles and sing.

Afterward, James and his armed men emerge from the shadows. James demands Aurora, citing Wolf Law. He threatens bloodshed if Callum refuses and attempts to turn Lochlan’s clan against them. Callum refuses. Aurora decides to go with James to prevent a massacre. Before she can act, Blake grabs her, apologizes, and bites her shoulder. He publicly claims Aurora as part of his Lowfell clan, sealing the claim with his bite before the priestess as witness, thereby overriding James’s claim.

James, amused by the decision, announces he will respect Wolf Law and depart peacefully. Before leaving, he reveals to Ian, one of Lochlan’s men, that Ian’s captured brother could be traded for Aurora, attempting to sow further division. James offers Callum a final ultimatum to surrender; Callum refuses.

After James leaves, Aurora slaps Blake, and Callum chokes him. However, the bond causes Aurora to choke as well. He releases Blake while promising to kill him later. Callum carries Aurora down the mountain to their chambers.

He cleans the bite wound and says it may scar. She thinks of the scars on her back from a priest’s childhood whippings and the bite from James, enraging her. Overwhelmed by the night, Callum and Aurora have sex. Callum murmurs that she is his, but a voice in Aurora’s head insists she belongs to no one.