Adrian placed a bottle of wine on the table then grabbed the glasses Lyndra handed her. Being careful so they didn't slip out of her fingers. Reed was probably going to strangle her for taking out his most expensive wine but, oh well, what could she have done? The king had decided to visit them without notice. She had to improvise. Unlike most of the pack, she wasn't in awe of his presence. Reed had taken her to the parties held at the palace as his plus one. Not because he wanted her to get acquainted with other Alphas or have fun but just to avoid going with Robin. She didn't go with him because she wanted to either. She was on a mission to find her mate therefore it was a scratch my back I scratch yours kind of thing.
There she'd seen the king a few times and even exchanged pleasantries with him. So his position didn't really wow her. Her problem was his sudden visit. She knew it wasn't planned bec
Okay, What is this old fart up to now? Thoughts?
Clarisse opened her eyes to find Opal staring down at her "You're creeping me out" since yesterday, every time she looked up, she'd find the woman's eyes boring into her. At first she understood that maybe they were curious about her but now she was wondering if it was right to trust them. How long had they been watching her sleep? Because Aria was standing at the window looking at her too. It felt as if she was bouncing from one revelation to another. Her world expanding at an extremely alarming rate. Finding out she was a werewolf, then a princess, that creep Indrik and now the witches. Oh, she refused to think about Reed's ultimatum. He wasn't going to bully her into accepting or rejecting him."I can't help it. You look so much like Ursula""I do? Do you maybe have any photos of her?"She grinned "No. But I have my memories. Do you want to see them?""Your mem
*Smut ahead. You've been warned* "I'm not going to stop" he murmured against her mouth, expecting her to push him away or tell him she wasn't ready but instead she nodded. Reed jerked his head back in surprise. Had she given him the go-ahead? Or was he too wound up to understand the signals?"What? Why did you stop?""That was your cue to push me away""Why? I don't want you to stop" he pushed back his wolf. Knowing any moment now he'd try to come out and mark her. For now, she had agreed to be with him, which was surprising considering she'd told him she needed time. Seeing her in his bedroom had made him lose his train of thought. If she came back so soon, it meant she was there to pack her things. Angry as it made him, Reed thought he'd give her a bit of a hard time before letting her go. Have her believe he was pissed so she wouldn't take long to come back. He surely
"I couldn't help myself. You looked so mouthwatering and I have photos to prove it" she snuggled into his body, relishing in the heat emanating from his skin, warming her. Who needed sheets when they had a human heater? It was amazing how they'd gone from arguing to making love. She wanted more of him. To feel him moving inside her the way he'd done earlier. To have his talented mouth and hands on her. He was addictive and she understood why other women threw themselves at him."Think you can go again big boy?" Clarisse teased running a nail down his chest to his stomach. She felt his member coming alive and smiled. How many times could he do it? Werewolve's stamina had to be higher than that of humans. If they had supernatural senses then their libido had to be the same. She wanted to see how many rounds he could go before he got tired."Liar. You're greedy for him" her wolf said.
She was clean, fed, probably sated -he wasn't sure about that so he would have to confirm later- and asleep. Reed watched her for a while longer, not believing how quickly the day had changed. When he woke up, he was angry, frustrated, and wanted to blow off steam. Since he wasn't in the mood for a run, he'd gone to the gym where he'd spent an hour doing a number on the sandbag. The king had made himself clear. His mind was made up about the heir. He wouldn't find another candidate. Reed should reject his mate and go to the palace to start his training. Emotional entanglements would only impair his judgment and he could end up losing the throne to rebels or rogues. A week. Claude had given him a week to do what needed to be done.As if rejecting someone was that easy. Why did he have to give up his mate for a throne he hadn't asked for? Not once had he thought about being the king. Even when he found out Clar
It was the fear in her talking. She'd tasted what it was like to be pampered and she didn't want to let go so the only solution she'd come up with was to tie him down forever. In her head, it had sounded like a good idea but out loud she realized how absurd it actually was. Up until a few hours ago, she had decided she needed time and space from him. The idea was to put a distance between them so she'd figure out whether the bond was messing with her or not. Being kidnapped by witches, meeting a crazy uncle and finding out about the wolves who died because of her must have broken her. Clarisse didn't know who she was or what she was doing. Sleeping with Reed as a distraction wasn't her best idea but since he was her mate, she'd thought it would have eventually happened. Nothing wrong there. But blurting out that she had no problem 'being married' to him was her newest low. Becaus
"Congratulations. When's the wedding?" Clarisse asked sarcastically to which Reed rushed to say,"Never going to happen. Stop messing around Robin""Are you sure she understands that or do I have to drill it into her head?"He held back a grin while his wolf beamed with pride. Their mate was defending them. She loved them and didn't want them to be associated with another female "She's joking. Don't take it seriously""Of course. I can't even have fantasies with celebrities but she's allowed to joke about marrying you and I'm supposed to not take it seriously. Right?" She was sharp. He liked that about her. Already, she'd figured out her position was higher than his. All on her own. He'd thought it would take her at least a few months before she pulled rank on him. Things between them were progressing fast and he was realizing how outspoken she was. Her true character
Elliot knew something was wrong. The way the bodies kept showing up outside their border as if the killer's purpose was for them to discover the bodies. Or they were trying to send a message to someone. He wasn't sure. Normally when they killed rebels or rogues, they would leave their bodies in the forest for wild animals. Why was the killer dumping them outside their pack? The first two warriors he'd known without a doubt that Clarisse hadn't killed them. Even if she was a werewolf, she couldn't handle two trained wolves on her own unless she had shifted. Which she hadn't yet.When they found the bodies of the rebels whom Dane had claimed to have fought, he thought they had their answer. As a member, she'd know how to tackle warriors since she could have seen them train once or twice. They also wouldn't have guarded against her, which would make it easier for her to kill them. Her motive
"Ta-da" Clarisse opened her arms, gesturing to her little surprise. Reed raised his eyebrow in question. Another thing she'd noticed he liked doing. She found the way one eyebrow shot up whenever he was asking for an explanation was kind of sexy. But then again, of late everything about him was sexy. Must be the bond that was making her think that way. Aside from his temper, she couldn't find any flaws. How was that possible? Obviously this bond thingy was making her blind. Hiding his bad traits so she'd think he was the perfect man to ever exist. There and then she decided not to be brainwashed by it. Reed was handsome, had a banging bod and was every woman's wet dream but that didn't mean he was perfect. Hence the date she'd prepared. Little by little she was going to find out his imperfections. It was the only way to know if she was going to spend the rest of her life with him. "What is this?" 
They were only a few feet away when they heard a loud bang followed by two more. There was a tremor on the ground that felt like an earthquake as birds and other animals fled from the scene of the explosion. Stones, branches, and dirt flew in every direction while black smoke shot up. The building collapsed. The dungeon. She was still in the dungeon and probably... No. She couldn't be dead. Panic gripped his heart, making him rush forward. Toward the burning building. Golden flames and black smoke rose in the air. Someone grabbed his hand. Pulling him back. "No. Clarisse is in there. Clarisse, Clarisse, Clarisse..." Reed startled awake and turned his head to the side to make sure she was still there. "Why are you awake?" He asked rubbing his eyes "Another nightmare? You were calling my name in your sleep" "Alphas don't have nightmares" he grumbled pulling her into his arm
"You're awake" Pennington said touching his head. He slapped the hand away, sitting up "How are you feeling? I thought being surrounded by her scent might help you wake up faster" Reed stared at Pennington, his head fuzzy. It took him a moment to remember what had happened then he shot his eyes towards him "Where is she? Where's Clarisse?" "She left with her father" "No. That bastard is not her father. Where's Adrian? I'm going to strangle her for taking Clarisse there. Where is she?" Swinging his legs over the bed, he stood up only for a wave of dizziness to send his ass back down. "Take it easy. Whatever drug they gave you is pretty advanced. I've never seen anything like it" "How long have I been out?" "Two days" He eyes widened "Two days? Are you kidding me? Why didn't you wake me up?" "I would have done it if I knew how. Also, Adrian is out looking for the Luna. She h
"Darling princess, you're awake"Her eyes fluttered open, blinking a few times. The earthy scent mixed with chemicals and other scents she couldn't identify assaulted her nose. She crinkled her face, wondering where she was and why the king was so close to her face."Can you move back a little. You're making me uncomfortable""Interesting. I can see some resemblance between you and Ursula but none between us. How is that possible?" He asked straightening."Us?" She asked trying to remember what had happened. She'd saved Reed. He had offered to come with her but the king- no. Not the king. His brother who also happened to be her father. Yes. That's what he'd meant earlier. Maybe it was a good thing she didn't resemble him. Physically he was okay but other things like his personality, well. Clarisse was glad she hadn't inherited that. How did one go a
"Let's see. Turn around" she twirled, giggling excitedly "Beautiful. Where did you get it from?" "Does it matter?" If she told him her friends had made it for her, he'd only nod and ask her to introduce them to him. But if he found out who they were, he'd definitely go ballistic. Ursula thought that it was best to keep her witch friends a secret for now. It wasn't as if they'd always hate them. She believed a day would come when wolves would put their prejudices about witches aside and accept them. "No. Let's go or we'll be late" "Are you really taking me to the palace? You always said it wasn't a place for young silly girls like me" "How old are you now?" "Fifteen" "You're old enough. Before you find your mate, you should learn how to run a pack" "And they're giving lessons on how to do that at the palace?" H
Silver chains dug into his wrist, irritating the already open skin. Pain shot through his hands, spreading down to other parts of his body. His wolf was angry but too week to do anything. Reed concentrated on not moving so as not to worsen the wounds but it was hard because his hands were supporting his dangling body. A body that was battered and in dire need of water. Food was a luxury he didn't dare think about. He attributed his weakness to the poison he'd accidentally injested. Even though it had been neutralized, he hadn't had time to recover before they were attacked again. Although the second time, the rebels had gone there for him. They were like parasites. Cut off a head and another one grew in its place. He couldn't blame anyone but himself for the predicament her was in. Why he'd trusted a madman was beyond him. Indrik had swooped in, saved them, only to flee during the second attack. His e
"Didn't he die along with my mother?"He shook his head "I don't know. No one saw the bodies or attended the funeral" Clarisse gaped at him, not believing what he was saying."Are you guys stupid or what? How could you believe he was dead without seeing any evidence or their bodies?""Why would the king lie about his brother's death?""Oh my God, are you kidding me? People lie all the time. If he wasn't the king, he could have lied so he could ascend the throne. There are so many reasons""You don't get it. The king's word is law. If he walks in here and asks us to merge with the imperial pack, we do it without a question. Because he's the leader of all wolves""So you guys just follow him blindly?""We don't have a choice. Even though there are packs who don't agree with the way he rules, there's nothing they can do. That's
A minor broken statue in a overcast morass marked the entrance to the dungeon. Beyond the broken statue lay a scanty, dark room covered in dead vermin, and small bones. The torch allowed them to see the remnants of a pillaged burial chamber, pillaged and consumed by time itself. Further ahead there were three paths, they took the middle. Its twisted trail led past collapsed rooms and pillaged treasuries and soon they entered a clammy area. There was a round stone in the center, around it a dozen skeletons in a circle. Opal swallowed, knowing who the remains belonged to. They advanced carefully onwards, deeper into the dungeon's shadows, passing a few more rooms and passages, most of which looked just like the other. Eventually they made it to what was likely the final room. A large granite door blocked their path. Dried blood splatters were all over it, somehow untouched by time a
"Where is the rebel's hideout?""No one knows""What do you mean no one knows? So where did Reed go?" She wanted to pull her hair out. How could he have left without a word? She wasn't just anyone. If anything happened to him, she would be hurt the most. Why didn't he at least tell her he was leaving? Some mate he was. Would anyone blame her if she walked away from him? Keeping her in the dark was the most selfish thing he had ever done. When she had decided to stay with the witches, hadn't she called him so he wouldn't worry?Even though she was thinking of leaving, she still called him. And they hadn't been in a relationship then. Now that they were, he couldn't tell her he was leaving? She regretted coming up with that plan. She should have realized something was fishy when he told her to sit out the meeting. When he came back, they would have to start all ove
"Your highness, you're back. How was the trip? Did you have fun? Where's Adrian?""Out of my way before I punch you""Let me carry that for you" Eilie glared at him, making him fold his hands behind his back "Or not""Where's Reed? He should have been waiting for me at the entrance""Your mate is a busy man""Busy with what?""Aside from being an Alpha, he's also the king's man. Before you arrived, he was rarely in the pack""Are you saying I was holding him back from his duties?""No. I mean that he probably reverted back to his workaholic self when you were gone. Are you guys hungry? There's food in the kitchen""This nice act is creeping me out Laurent. Don't you, as the Beta, have things to do?""I'm trying to be nice but you don't appreciate it" he huffed, leaving. Cl