HECTOR BAYES”What is this that you have done Kalden?” I whispered hoarsely, watching as the man’s jaw ticked and the line of his lips scrunched up as though he was holding himself back from speaking.My best friend was nursing a soul tie with my mate! The notion was impossible, I could scarcely believe what the village man had said, were it not for the way the imp was clinging to him, as though I were the problem.Like she was scared of ME!I swallowed strenuously, biting down on the bile that rose in my throat as the rage spurning inside me threatened to escape.‘Stay calm Hector, not like this.’ I pleaded inwardly before the maiden spoke up again and I looked down to see that she had snatched up the trench coat, and was now wearing it.“Please Hec-I- I mean, your highness, He didn't know okay? Kalden was damn near passed away beside me!” Nola begged, tilting her head to meet the hard squint of my eyes briefly before she snapped her gaze away, the reddish tint still visible on her c
NOLA REYNOLDS‘You could die here, Nola farthing child,’ Uncle Ben’s scratchy warning bounced around in my head making me feel as though I’d shot crack straight up my asshole as I stood with shaky legs, in the foyer of the Lycan’s stone castle.My mind raced as the man’s gray eyes fixed on me almost desperately, his hand still gripping the hilt of the long silver sword tightly.I swallowed a ball of saliva so large it got stuck in my throat and I floundered for a moment, before licking my lips and hardening the wobbly line of my jaw.“If you want someone to punish, punish me! Execute me instead! Killing the man when HE was unconscious your highness,” I started, pausing to look back at the scowling man as the salt of tears stung at my eyes.“Would be nothing short of bias.” I finished breathlessly, my chest rising and falling with frantic breaths as I locked eyes with the Lycan beast.The rumble of whispers going through the crowd was overshadowed by the thoughts in my head as I met th
Chapter 90Hector BayesSix words, it was all I needed to hear, all it had taken for the mountain city people to shudder a deep exhale and for the knots in my shoulders to fizzle out.The clatter of the sword that had been in my hand hitting the floor hadn’t registered in my head until after the metallic clang resounded in the space.I cupped the woman’s cheeks gently in my hands, the breath of her promise hanging between us, stretching and growing until it was almost solid. Like a leash around her neck and waist that bound her to me.“I accept your pledge, Nola of the mountain city,” I whispered, watching the way her eyes grew large and darted vulnerably around mine as I leaned in, before catching her lips in mine.The crowd of werewolves gasped around us when I felt her rise on her tiptoes to push her small tongue into mine and I moaned warily, feeling my wolf slam into the cages I'd erected inside me as the heat of her body pressed flush into mine sent a sharp hardening to my shaf
NOLA REYNOLDSThe changelings in the stone castle were herded out by a line of tin-armored soldiers flexing their swords and showing off for the local village maidens until the messy blonde-haired chief guard showed up to chase them.I could still feel the King’s energy nearby, but I had lost sight of him in the crowd, whipping my head back and forth before I realized I looked like a fucking cub and snapped my head forward, heading for the castle mouth.The nerve of that man! Flirting with those pesky little bitches right in my fucking face! I mean it wasn't like we had physically mated yet or anything! “Fucking asshole Lycans and their batty-eyed maids, out of my way!” I grumbled, screaming at the gray-frocked girl that had decided to occupy the busy hallway with her large derriere. She jolted, her fruit basket flying out of her grip as she jerked away and I stormed past, only feeling a twinge of guilt that disappeared immediately.I felt like a fucking fool, what did he take me for
Nola ReynoldsThe king’s lips pressed into mine a split second before I realized and snapped my eyes shut, feeling the soft line of his lips press into mine as his tongue darted into my mouth.”Nola,” The Lycan called softly, and I moaned at the lilt of my name as his deep baritone rumbled in my ear.I felt the width of his palm lace through my hair gently before he deepened the kiss, pulling me lushly against him so that his shaft pressed heavily into me, the thick girth of his length rubbing against my midriff so that I humped back in return, unable to control the pull of his musk.“Nola,” Hector growled again, my name a command in his mouth that sent shudders through me as he wrenched my head back, my eyes latching on to his gray orbs for a split second before he dipped his head to kiss the space under my ear.I felt the cold cotton of the white-colored bedspread graze my back as the Lycan settled me on the high canopy of my princess bed and I looked up at the man hulking over my p
Hector BayesThe air around me felt wrong when I came to, and it wasn't just the weight that had pressed itself into my chest, wrapping itself securely in the crook of my arm.”Fuck,” I groaned, cracking my eyes open a notch to see that the sky had gone yellow again, the previous day’s events rushing to my head with all the force of a bloody tornado.Nola was still asleep beside me on the white canvass of the bed beside her, having managed to kick the duvet so far off the dias that it lay in a begrudging heap in the corner of the room.I chuckled with amusement, watching the rise and fall of her chest until I grazed the bud of her pink nipples lightly, unable to help the pull of my wolf until her dark brown eyelashes fluttered lightly, breaking her soft snore.My balls were already heavy with the promise of seeds as I felt the familiar urge harden my shaft until it tented obscenely between my legs that were still sprawled in a loose bow from the other day’s lovemaking.We had been goi
NOLA REYNOLDSThe gray-eyed man had been speaking too fast for me to understand, the ding of his baritone swirling dimly in my ears until he paused, his eyes searching mine to know if I had understood.If I was going to bolt the way I had always been.The pounding on the door reverberated in my head painfully as I tried to concentrate on the jumble of words that flew from his lips.It was something about the witch's curse that had stuck with him for generations. Something that was only starting to unfold now, after he had claimed me.Strike one for the hag, that insufferable woman! Something in me wanted to find her ashes, just so I could spit in it.“What are you going to do?” I whispered, feeling my heart hammer in my chest as the floor quaked loudly over his voice, almost as though it was threatening to give way under our feet any second.My breath caught in my throat when I looked up to see that the man was watching me sadly, the formerly straight line of his shoulders now slumped
HECTOR BAYESIt wasn't the overcast darkness of the gloomy, storm-clouded sky above that worried me as we marched away from the stone castle on horseback.Instead, it was the porcelain tusk of the imp’s drawn face as she pushed her petite form to the front line of the castle crowd just before I gave the match order.I remembered the way her eyebrows had creased slightly as though in confusion, and a lone stab of guilt uncurled in my belly after I realized I hadn't even been to see the other maidens since my unwanted exile as King of the mountain city.It would have to wait till the watch was over.“Forward soldiers! Remember what we stand to lose!” I thundered, plastering myself to the bodice of the horse as my wolf readied inside me, my heart beating fervently in my chest as we marched through the village center, upending carts and food stalls as the farmers darted out of our way, their hands pressed to their faces in horror.My heart broke for them, the residents, as I looked about
NOLA BAYESIt had been months since my bonded died, but for the first time since that sordid night, I was feeling confident, happy even.The mountain city troops had grown to staggering numbers in the past months, so I had dispensed a good number of guards to survey the old wolf village.My new city. The King and I hadn't decided on a name yet, but I knew it was going to be soon.We had freed the wolf village captives the next day, after the gruesome war. Alpha Theo’s rescue had been one I handled myself, with admittedly way too much joy than I could think to hide.“R-Reynolds? I-is that you dear girl?” He had rasped, the curved nails of his claws coming through the wrought-iron bars to lace over my hand before I snatched it away, incensed.“That’s Queen of the Highlands to you Alpha Theo, a shame to see you like this I must say, especially with the way you threw us maidens out on our behinds with nothing to our names.” I spouted, watching with a measure of satisfaction when he bent
HECTOR BAYESI didn't want to let her go, Nola, but I knew in my heart that I had to.And she did run, jerking away from my arms, to throw open the underground chamber grates with a strength I hadn't imagined her capable of.I followed on her heels as we ran down the stone slab of stairs at breakneck speed, into the crematorium where Kalden was lying, still as a statue, encased in the frosty insides of a glass coffin.I felt my breath catch in my throat and I paused at the doorway, my eyes widening when I saw the wreath of white and blood-red hydrangea flower bushes decked in small steps around the dias.“Kalden? Kalden, say something!” Nola gasped, slapping open the casing as a whoosh of frigid air swept up from the body, hitting me right in the nostrils.“Hector, you can't do this, I won't let you!” She screamed, turning to grip the lapel of my shirt with tears glistening on her cheeks.I nodded to the mourners huddled off to the side, darting tear-filled looks at us, and they bowed
HECTOR BAYESThe feeling of the dead man’s body as I writhed on top of him had not left my chest as we rode on horseback, into the gates of the mountain city.“Are you alright?” The green-eyed woman who had been watching me since we passed through the gates whispered, clumps of mud and twigs sticking out of her hair from where she’d brushed her face against mine.The porcelain of her high cheekbones was ashen with dust and grime, and the sight of the salt streak of tears dried and flaky sent a pang through my frame.I allowed myself a shallow breath, We had come a long way, the imp and me, and I was almost certain I couldn't have won the war if it weren't for her quick thinking with the sword.God-freaking dammit, Was I alright? I couldn't tell.The singed fur of my son’s corpse weighed heavy on my heart. Or It might have been the hole of my soul sword that refused to heal.I hadn't wanted to kill the boy, the monster, far from it. Saints! Lord knew Japhtar deserved worse for coming
NOLA REYNOLDSThe sound of a woman screaming reached my ears, distorted in the quake that seemed to shake the earth all around us before I realized I was the one who had been screaming.The Lycan’s sword shook in my hands, the weight of the huge beast pressed against it towered over me, the sprain in my wrist threatening to explode through the net work of veins.“Oh, Dear God!” I screamed again, darting away and watching the impaled beast fall heavily to the dust with a rumbling groan, the Lycan following as I clapped cold hands to my mouth to stifle another scream.“What's happening?” They whispered,“By Joves!”“...Do you reckon he's dead?” The hushed voices of the werewolves gathered rose, seeming to come to a standstill with the skewered monsters as they huddled around the intertwined mass of the Lycan and his son, with the silver tip of his sword- MY sword, shooting up from the soaked due of his back.“Hector!” I shrieked, falling to my knees beside him as I watched the Lycan fal
HECTOR BAYESI am halfway across the field when I realize something is wrong.The man on the other end is grinning, the defined barrel of his chest rising and falling with excited breathing as I closed the distance between the two armies.“For the mountain city!” I bellowed, gripping the silver hilt of my sword as I sent the blade flying through the air in a neat arc, slashing the werewolves in my circle as the black goo of their blood sprayed into my eyes, stinging the liquid from them.Why the fuck did Japhtar keep smiling at me?I let my eyes roam over the lot, catching Nola’s tear-streaked face briefly, before the horde of werewolves fighting closed around her and I felt the rake of claws slice across my back.“Eyes in the heavens! Feast on their bones!” Japhtar’s deep voice boomed in the space as I felt the pound of my heart starting to hammer wildly in my ribcages.I snapped my head up to see that the same type of mist that hung over the city walls had climbed to cover the moon’
JAPHTAR“You’re sick Japhtar! That's what you are, a sick fucking bastard-” The maiden rasped hotly and I felt a bitter fork spike through me at her words, only seconds before I let the back of one giant hand rip across her cheek, sending her back into the hay with a loud thump.“Stupid, stupid girl,” I growled, stalking toward her and snatching the porcelain-faced dwarf by the lapel of her gown, raising her until she was suspended in the air, whimpering loudly.“Make no mistake wench,” I wheezed, shaking her roughly, as one would do to a dirty kitchen rag and watching the muscle in her tight little jaw tighten, no doubt holding back her pained screams.“I am not my father. I will not hesitate to snap your pert little neck, doesn't make a difference to me if you're alive or dead wench, pussy’s pussy.” I grinned, letting my eyes roam delightedly over the maiden’s body as I slammed my hairy paw into the crevice between her legs, her ear-splitting screams music to my ears.“And that's on
HECTOR BAYES“What did you just say?” I wheezed, my heart hammering wildly between the cages of my rib as heat rushed to my head and ears.“Y-your highness, I- they saw her, being carted away, over the north of the forest,” Gordon murmured in a mousey voice, and I felt my eyes grow until they were the size of fucking beach balls in my sockets.Japhtar had Nola? How did that happen? Saints! Why didn’t the imp ever listen to me? The irritation building inside me grew until it blotted out everything else as I clenched my fists until they shook lightly beside me.Taking my woman was the worst thing he could have done, and now, I was going to make him pay for it.“Assemble the royal troops, we're going to storm the outskirts.” I gritted, making a few of the werewolves present gasp as they cuddled around themselves before I strode out, Gordon running last me to assemble the troops before I got there and thoughts of the fair maiden swirling in my head.“Your highness?” Sarah whispered as I m
NOLA It was the whirl of the overhead ceiling fan I heard first as I came to, the ache in my temple searing through the balls of my eyes as I allowed my eyelids to flutter open, the memory of what had happened hit me like a freight train so that I let a loud gasp slip.What the fuck was that smell?I gagged, huffing frantically as I struggled against the wires that twisted into my skin painfully, the stench of male musk and excrement sticking to the hairs in my nose.“Oi! I reckon the princess’s awake, get a look at this eh?” A gravelly voice jeered as hushed whispers rose around me, the crooked claw of one werewolf poking the flesh of my hand hard enough thank screamed, tearing my eyes open to see the obelisk of their misshapen faces hovering over me.”Get the fuck away from me!” I screeched, aware that my chest was rising and falling frantically with suppressed pants as I watched the trio throw back their heads and laugh.Shit. How long had I been out? The man with pink eyes. I cou
HECTOR BAYESJaphtar Bayes was in the wild, He’d fled. The bastard.It was lucky that he had when he did, the moon goddess had hidden her silver bulb behind the iron-grey mist that kept as the fight died down around and wearied-looking soldiers from the royal army speared off the rogues that lingered.“After them!” I roared, struggling to my feet as the cobblestones of the ground rose to my vision again before I came down hard, my hand shooting out to strike the pavement, the tremors going through me.I’d been halfway up and on his heels, the ache from the gash in my midriff stinging enough that tears rose in the pools of my eyelids before I yelled for the soldiers to follow him, my heart sinking with each second that passed when I noticed he had run toward the castle.Nola! I couldn't let him make it to the gates even! Not when the stone city castle held the remainder of the survivors that had managed to escape the gruesome war.I straightened with a large inhale, feeling my muscles