CHARLOTTE Charlotte. Breathe. “Charlotte, you need to believe that I wasn’t just trying to favor Caeson. I wouldn’t do that to you. I didn’t try to keep you away from Taide for malicious reasons.” I pulled my hands out of hers before turning away and pressing a hand to my forehead. “Char, let
CHARLOTTEI guessed it was enough, because finally, her grip around my wrist loosened.It took everything in me not to meet anyone’s eyes as I followed after Reigh, studying the tense lines of his broad back as he led me to wherever it was he was taking me.I wondered what exactly I was about to hea
CHARLOTTE I sat up a little straighter, now wondering how deep this story ran. “Why would you be betraying Caeson’s trust?” “Because I know things that he doesn’t want me to. Things he wouldn’t tell you if he were the one sitting here right now.” I shook my head, not getting it. “Madeline s
Reigh turned to look at me, giving me all his attention. His eyes softened under the moonlight, his eyebrows pulling together as he said, “I can’t do that to him, Char.” My lips parted. Couldn’t do what? Was he dying? Did he… murder someone? I thought of a different route, fishing for mor
“First of all, we weren’t as close as the two of them. And also, we did realize it was Madeline’s fault. People fool around, you know, we’re not going to fault her for having sex. But you see, she didn’t even tell Sean. She took matters into her own hands. And I get it, I do. She was young and stupi
CHARLOTTE A strangled gasp tore its way through my chest. I pressed my hands against my mouth, desperate to control my reaction. It was the absolute last thing I expected to make its way out of his mouth. No part of me could have ever imagined one man to truly be so despicable. A heavy weight s
CHARLOTTE The human realm was a terrible place for wolves. They knew about us. Wanted to study us… tear us apart and figure out what went on inside our bodies. Put us on display and treat us like a caricature. I’d never been. I’d never known anyone who had been there either, who made their way
Could that be what he was talking about now? “There’s a reason he decided to stay.” Reigh nodded. “Do you know what it is?” “No.” “But because of… what you know about Caeson, you think he’s made some sort of arrangement with your dad?” He nodded again. “But that’s not why I brought you out her
His hair… was trimmed once again to a low buzz cut.But the expression on his face was so bitter that I froze in my tracks.Something was wrong.I looked back up to the podium, searching the stage for a particular face, and not finding it.King Auric wasn’t here.Reigh grated out in my ear, “I hated
CHARLOTTEMy feet were already retreating before my mind had even fully registered what I was seeing.My heart couldn’t take it. Not today. Not after everything. I felt it splinter open as I spun on my heel and bolted as fast as the crowd would let me, shoving my way past people back the way he came
CHARLOTTE My entire body trembled as I slammed the front door shut, pressing my hands against it like I was trying to push myself back in time. To before I opened the door. Before I saw the gruesome sight. I choked on oxygen, hunching over. Bile rises up my throat as I remember what I just saw.
GRADUATION DAY CHARLOTTE I didn’t get much sleep last night. Or any sleep. I looked around my room, taking in the space again. It didn’t look as bad as it was a couple of days ago. All the glass had been swept away, and all the damage left was broken doors and a non-functional shower. Not the m
CHARLOTTE I didn’t want another surprise. I just wanted them to stop acting so weird. “Reigh told me what happened at the palace wasn’t serious when I asked him,” I pointed out as the memory hit. “How could your dad finding out about Madeline not be important?” Taide sighed before parking both h
24 HOURS BEFORE JUNIOR YEAR GRADUATION CHARLOTTE The sound of Reigh’s door closing softly woke me up. I blinked into the darkness, looking for him. He didn’t come into the house with me yesterday. All he did was drop me off. Initially, I didn’t want to be alone with Caeson, knowing Taide w
He suddenly frowned at me before asking, “How can you be so stupid, Charlotte?” My head reared. “Excuse me?” “What exactly do you think is going to happen between you and these boys? Or you know what, I’ll do you one better. How could you even let things get this far?” I cut him a stern warn
CHARLOTTE Shopping wasn’t as fun or eventful as I’d hoped. I spent most of my time between clothes racks, barely fascinated by the colors or cuts of the dresses I picked. Instead, I kept wondering where Taide was and tried to understand what had happened with Caeson. Unaware, my hand lifted to
I reached up to loosen his grip, my vision growing watery, but he just pressed down harder. “I’ll never let you forget who you are, harlot,” he spat, venom dripping from his tone. The words hit me with such hatred that I was taken back to the moments when I was nothing more than a victim of his and