Elenas POVThe loud cawing of the birds, as they scattered in the distance was the first thing I heard when I came to.The sky had darkened to a black void with only the fire sticks that were screwed into the walls casting their dull yellow halo on the surrounding.“W-what are you going to do with me?” I stammered with fear lacing my voice as my gaze widened on the large cell gate up ahead that led into what looked to be a cave.Panic surged in my chest now as I ground to a halt, yelping when one of the guards dun his elbow in my back painfully and I jolted forward.Tears stung in my eyes and I struggled to swallow the bitter feeling in my chest. I had been absentmindedly putting one foot in front of the other as the unfriendly guards carried me along in utter silence, expecting one of the twin Alphas to come to my aid…it was obvious now that it wasn't going to happen.“Inside please, we don't exactly have all the time in the world!” One of the rougher guards barked suddenly, motionin
Anthony’s POVIt was the third time in a row that Carla had sent a letter to my quarters, and the third time that I crumpled the manilla envelope in my palm and threw it out.One night, one fucking night of attention I had given the redhead and now she thought we were bloody mates or something!It had been careless too. A mistake I wasn't keen on repeating.Not when I still couldn't get the woman in my head out of my mind. Fucking Elena!I tried not to think of her alone in the dark cells. I had made sure the handmaids and servants still gave her everything she needed.“You're finished, Anthony. Fucking finished.” I swore at my reflection in the large mirror. I was in an all-black shirt fitted into tailored leather pants that emphasized my muscles.The brooding curve on my forehead remained, making me look like a spitting image of the late Alpha, my father. I had one thing in common with the son-of-a-bitch at least.The dark-haired woman’s porcelain face hadn't left my head since I st
ELENA’S POVThere were people everywhere. It was the first thing I realized before I looked down to see that I was back in that godawful ball gown I had worn to the dinner party, only now it was stained with blood.“H-Hello? Can you help me? I don't…” I wheezed, clutching at one of the manservants with wine trays and feeling the moisture dry from my mouth when the uniformed Wolf shrugged off my hold without even looking at me.What the hell was going on? The faces of the guests became a blur of smiles and grimaces as I stumbled through the crowd and the gnawing in my gut grew when I realized something was very wrong.The bright wash of the yellow lights had been turned up to the full beam. It made me want to claw my eyes out, almost bringing me to my knees as I struggled to rake enough air into my lungs.“Sophie! I have to find Sophie!” I gasped, for a split second before my gaze locked on the woman’s slender back, her long blonde hair billowing slightly in the breeze from the wide d
MICHAEL’S POVThe pain in my temples felt like I had been hit in the side of the head with a goddamned sledgehammer.“She's fainted Your Highness, her strength is low at this time.” One of the white-haired nurses was whispering to my brother when I staggered into the room, wishing I could take a swig of the wine chalice on the side table.I’d tried to hide the rawness in my throat at the image of the dark-haired beauty passed out in my brother’s arms. I could tell from the way he gazed longingly at her that he harbored stronger feelings for her.Tony fucking loved the woman, didn't he? A stab of possessiveness clutched at my heart before I shook my head to clear the haze.Now wasn't the time for it! Focus, Michael!“Tony? Brother-” I called, starting toward the six-foot-eight-inch tower of a man who was junked over our mate’s sick bed, his tight, chiseled face a mask of desperation as he brushed his hands over her face and body restlessly.“Anthony? We need to talk,” I rasped under m
ELENA’s POVIt was the soft beeping of the old heart monitor that reached my ears first when I opened my eyes.I groaned, trying to sit up and falling back into the comforter with a distressed hiss when white hot pain exploded in my temples.“Shit! She's awake! Get the nursemaids, FAST.” A man’s deep baritone boomed somewhere around me followed by the frantic shuffling of feet as I struggled to open my eyes.“Hey, you're okay, thank fuck, you're okay,” It was Anthony’s stern face that blurred into view when I managed to screw my eyes open, feeling my skin heat up when his fingers traced the lines on my forehead.“Anthony? Where’s Michael?” I murmured, glancing around the dimly lit room as discomfort and desire intertwined in my belly.I could smell his heady earth and forest scent on his breath and it took my mind to places I would rather not go…to the memory of his big, strong hands cupping around my breasts and the hard length of his cock pressing insistently on my sex.I watched a
Anthony’s POVThe pounding in my chest almost seemed like it was coming from all around me as I followed the blonde werewolf into the night, pausing when he whirled around to face me.“You alright buddy? You seem like you're wound up too tight these days,” I observed, puffing out a thick ring of smoke and watching my brother’s smoldering blue eyes through the nicotine mist.I had noticed his shifty gaze when he had stumbled in on me making out with Elena. Fucking hell! she was our mate…MY MATE, and yet I couldn’t help the guilt that bored its way into my heart.What the heck was I thinking kissing her? I had enjoyed it much too well I had to admit…I didn't know what would have happened if my brother hadn't walked in when he did.The thought that I would have taken her on her sick bed filled my head…it was like I was a bloody animal!“Am I alright? DID YOU JUST FUCKING ASK ME THAT ANTHONY? Christ on a fucking cross it's like you've lost your bloody mind!” Michael roared and I struggle
Anthony’s POVI knew the moment the door closed with a soft clap behind me that I wasn't alone.The sharp tang of Carla’s jasmine scent hung in the air like poison and I tried not to hack out the phlegm building in the back of my throat.“You shouldn't be here,” I growled in a low brooding voice, ignoring the woman who sat stiffly in the shadowed space of my study to snag a wine bottle instead.It was looking more and more like one of those nights where I would lose myself in bloody alcohol.I could tell that the woman was surprised at my indifference, a mask I kept tightly woven around my body, fighting the irritation that built steadily inside me.“That's the first thing you're going to say to me? What did I ever do to you to deserve this Anthony?” Carla cried, her voice hoarse from disuse, and I watched her grip the leather edges of my table until her knuckles turned white.“Get out. Now. Before I do something you would dislike very much.” I barked back, taking a swig of the sweet
Michael’s POVUseless. The whole goddamned Palace was useless!How hard was it to find one goddamned mole when I had over five thousand wolves in my command?I felt like I was going to go mad just thinking about it!“Fuck’s sake,” I hissed, digging my hands into the wool linen of my pockets as I barreled toward the Royal morgue.The night’s air had grown thick and the noise of the soldiers and groundsmen milling about did nothing to soothe the anxious thoughts in my mind.“Mother? What are you doing here?” I rasped when I entered the cold room.The faint buzz of the overhead fluorescent hummed slightly as if in answer to my question as I regarded the woman’s bent back.Something heavy lodged in the back of my throat. Nancy Gotham looked different. I could tell from her disheveled mass of black hair and the crow's feet at the edge of her sunken blue eyes that my sister’s death had taken something from her.Something I feared could never be replaced.“Michael! Y-Youre here! Oh, it's dr