Raven The throne room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, despite the fact that Lycans filled every available space. Buttery yellow sunlight spilled through the large stained glass windows, casting patterns of deep reds and golds across the stone floors. I had only been in this room during t
But as quickly as it had come, it was gone, and his gaze returned to the floor. I quickly realized I had been lingering longer than the other fiancées and everyone’s eyes had turned to me. My face heated, and I quickly scurried away, joining the other two women off to the side. The ceremony ended
Raven For the second time since I had met Hannah, she had a blade pressed to my throat. And if the infuriating curl to her lips was any indication, she was loving this little power imbalance. But I had learned from our last encounter, and I was prepared. “You seem to enjoy holding a knife to my
Hannah rolled her eyes and stepped back. I didn’t lower my knife. “And that’s exactly why you are weak,” she said. “A tragedy like that would make a strong queen, not weaken her. If you were worthy, you would have used that pain to grow stronger. Instead, all it has done is make you look pathetic.”
Raven The morning sun had barely crested over the castle walls when Ember and I made our way to the training yard. I’d hardly slept at all last night, tossing and turning after my little late night run-in with Hannah. Ember was still watching me out of the corners of her eyes, clearly waiting for
Ember remained silent, studying me with an amused glint in her eyes. “But at least here,” I muttered, swinging again and managing to force her to step back, “Lycan women are honest about their intentions. You don’t pretend to be best friends while plotting behind someone’s back.” As I took anoth
Raven The tavern was dimly lit and packed, the air smelling thickly of alcohol and smoke. It seemed the entire village was there tonight, celebrating the warriors returning safely. We made our way to a table in the corner, our cloaks up to shield our faces despite the crowded atmosphere. The gua
He gave a short nod, apparently satisfied. A few moments later, the guards returned with drinks. Castor and Eric were in the midst of recounting the battle, ale sloshing out of mugs as they gestured wildly. “And then Neil dove right into the heart of the fight,” Castor was saying. “One rogue after
Raven The heavy oak doors to the council chamber loomed ahead, and despite the many months of relentless preparation leading to this moment, my palms were still damp against Neil’s. I squeezed his hand tighter, grounding myself in the warmth of his touch. Six months ago, I wouldn’t have imagined
“Not today,” Neil said, the faintest hint of a smirk touching his lips. Serena was the last to approach, her steps slow and deliberate. Her eyes locked onto Neil, flicking between the knife in his hand and Edrick’s body sprawled lifeless behind us. I felt my stomach twist painfully. I moved to p
Raven When I had killed Hannah, I thought that there was too much blood. But now, as I watched Neil fall to the stone floor, as that guttural scream ripped from my throat, I knew that that was nothing compared to the blood pooling around him now. He was losing too much blood to survive. Befo
He raised his sword and easily parried an attack with one hand. “And what’s that?” “I may not be the full-blood prince, but I was chosen to take that place. Perhaps that is worth more than your blood ties to the crown.” I pressed forward, hammering him with a series of strikes, but Edrick met me
Neil The blade in my hand felt heavier than it usually did. Maybe it was just my exhaustion, or maybe it was the weight of the crown that I wasn’t wearing yet that was dragging me down. Or maybe it was the feeling of everyone’s eyes on me. The warmth of my father’s blood still coating my hands.
Castor exhaled, dragging his free hand through his hair. “Raven… I know you think you can help, but if they see you here, it’ll only make things worse. Edrick’s been feeding the court lies for weeks. They’ll kill you on sight.” Shaking my head, I reached into my cloak and pulled out the pendant th
Raven By the time I returned, the battle was over. But that didn’t mean that the chaos had subsided. As I cautiously wound my way through the village, careful not to be seen, I could hardly even see because the air was so thick with smoke and blood. I could smell the wreckage before I even saw t
And then it struck me. There were only two. “Eric,” I breathed. “Where is he?” Castor simply shook his head and stared at the floor. That was all the answer I needed. My fists tightened at my sides. My people—my friends—were dying while Caleb had been carrying out his devious little plan. Fo
Neil Serena was alive, kneeling in front of me, her face streaked with tears and dried blood. I didn’t know what my brother intended to do with her after this, but I knew it would not be good. Caleb knelt down slowly, gripping a handful of Serena’s hair as he did. The way he tugged her head upwa