"Aurora?"I might see Evander. He could be here right now…"Aurora, I asked you a question."What will it even be like to see him? Do I want to see him? Does he want to see me? What if I start crying?A hand falls upon my shoulder, and I flinch, caught completely unaware. My heart racing from the overload of adrenaline, my eyes follow the length of that arm to find Prince Mykal at the end of it."Aurora, are you all right? You're very pale. Do you need to sit down?" His eyes go suddenly wide and he leans in closer. "Is it the baby?"He's so earnest in his regard, that I feel a little bad lying to him. "The baby, yes," I say, latching onto that excuse. "I…" You what? Think! "I felt a flutter.""A good flutter?" he asks, still concerned.I force a smile onto my face. "A very good flutter."He looks me over, then nods to himself, seemingly satisfied with what he sees. "Let me show you around," he says with a dazzling smile. "Out tents won't be ready for a while and there is much to see."
Aurora's POV"Evander." His name falls out of my mouth with a sigh. Of all the ways I thought I'd feel upon seeing him, this heart-wrenching tenderness wasn't one.And despite all the pain he caused, my heart still races for him. I can feel the magnetism radiating off him, the power of a true Werewolf Alpha. Arrogant, confident, dominating – his aura is so different from the prince's, so much more primal and real.Evander holds up his hands to me, ten fingers spread out wide. When I make no move, he takes a step closer to the water line.For the first time since I noticed him, he dropped his gaze, breaking our eye contact. His eyes roam down my body like a caress, and I freeze there, naked and powerless under the intensity of his regard.I can feel his hunger and it awakens the last, lingering whips of our mate bond within me. I want that connection again. I've missed it so much. All I have to do is…"This is too much," I pant, gasping for air. I take a step back, putting more distanc
Josephine and I return to our encampment, lost in our own thoughts."We should begin preparing for tonight," she says once we enter the tent.I have to agree. Tonight's ceremony is a formal affair. Evening gowns are required. It will take some time to get them put on properly.As he promised before we left, Mykal had a seamstress come to see me. Together we designed a dress made of spun silk and moonstones. Its empire waist completely hides my belly.Josephine chatters while we dress, but my mind is elsewhere – lost in thoughts of Evander.I could murder him.I want to hug him so badly."Aurora," Josephine says, obviously tired of being ignored. "Stop thinking about your ex."I let out a long sigh. "I can't.""You can," she says, taking hold of my arms. "You must. The purpose of having the ceremony here at the lake was to celebrate a tentative peace between our people. If either of those men decide they want to lose their minds over you, there is going to be trouble.""I understand,"
"Aurora," Evander says softly. "I've missed you."I look at him, my mouth agape. My emotions are a wreck, a tumultuous cyclone trapped within my chest.I meet his gaze and read a mixture of longing and regret deep in his eyes."Not one day has gone by that I have not thought of you," he says, taking a step closer to me. His voice is tender, sincere. "That is what I wanted to tell you by the lakeside. When you left, you took a piece of me with you.""When I 'left?'" I ask incredulously. "Is that what we're calling rejection and banishment now? Leaving?"His audacity irks me. I miss you, he says. I think of you, he says. I, I, I – every sentence revolves around him.And never once has he even attempted to say that he's sorry."I need to go," I say before he can whisper more sweet nothingness in my ear."Stay," he says. It's both a command and an invitation, cajoling and authoritative, and my body responds.Just like he knew it would."I feel it too," he tells me, even coming closer. "Ev
"Postpone the engagement?" Mykal asks, obviously devastated by the news. "Father, why?""We'll discuss it later," the king says, giving his son the stink eye.Lucky for him, Mykal sees it and drops the discussion for now."Come everyone," the King of the Lycans says. "It's time for the royal banquet to begin!"We all leave the lake and the altar behind and make our way back to the main encampment. It seems that while the ceremony was going on, the servants were hard at work. There is food and drink and musicians and bards."May I have this dance?" Mykal asks cheerfully.I'm not really in the mood to dance, my mind still full of all that happened during the ritual, but nevertheless, I take Mykal's hand and allow him to lead me to the dance floor.After the way his father crushed his moment, I feel like I owe him at least one dance.The music changes to a lively waltz and we glide gracefully across the floor. Mykal's movements are smooth and confident, but I can feel the tension in his
I rejoin the party so as not to arouse any suspicions. I allow Mykal another dance while I steal glances at Evander.To my disappointment, his eyes remain on Nalani.I tell myself this is for the best, because it is, but… I enjoyed his gaze."Let's mingle for a bit," I suggest to Mykal. If I can get him caught up in a conversation, I should be able to slip away unnoticed.It doesn't take long before another Lycan, a general from I can gather, approaches us and proceeds to dominate the prince's time. I quietly excuse myself while the man complains about supply lines. The prince absently acknowledges me – just as I hoped. Whoever this man is, he is important, and the prince is obligated to listen to him.I duck out of the encampment, and head off into the dark of night. I touch the folded paper in my bodice for courage and set off on the path outlined in the note. It's little more than a rabbit's trail, a faint line leading through the forest.Who will be waiting for me at the end of th
"Your questions are going to have to wait," Candra says. Her entire attention is focused on the outburst of mayhem coming from the direction of the main campground.Someone howls and roars of rage echo in response. Without another word, Candra takes off running toward the fray.I chase after her, no less urgently. Evander is in there somewhere. And the prince.Oh, merciful gods, I pray as I jog beside the priestess. Please don't let me find them at the center of this brouhaha.I burst through the trees and into the clearing at a dead run and almost stumble over a wounded Lycan guard."What happened?" I ask while examining him."Rouges!" he says, struggling for every breath. "Flee. Hide. Don't let them find you.""The lad is right," Candra says, taking hold of my arm.The three of us flinch as something explodes in the center of the camp. I smell blood, then fire."Evander!" I gasp, then swivel toward the mayhem. He's in there somewhere. One of those roars could have been his. He might
Teeth and claws. Snarls and fur. I can taste the copper from the blood of Evander's adversaries. He fights ferociously, viciously, tearing clothes and flesh, mindless of the howls.Chandra and I cling to one another while Evander fights for our lives. Thankfully, he is bigger, stronger, than these Rouges, but there are a lot of them. I worry for him even as I watch him defeat them one by one.Once the last of the Rogues is subdued, Evander shifts back into human form. He rushes over to Chandra and I, fire in his eyes."Are you all right?" he asks, walking straight up to me.He cups my face in his hands so gently I want to bury my cheek in his palm. He looks me over, checking for injuries."If they hurt you in any way, I will kill them.""I'm okay," I assure him, taking a step away from him and his touch. It makes me feel things for him that he doesn't deserve. If I stay too close to him, my resolve will falter.The second he's convinced himself that I'm not hurt, his expression change