“You’re wrong,” I hissed, taking a step back. “I don’t want you, Nicholas. You’re a self-serving prick, and I—” He moved then, cutting off my words as he stepped in front of me, blocking my path. His eyes raked over me, unapologetically lingering on the curve of my waist, the slope of my neck. “
Kayla That night, I trudged toward Nicholas’s room with my pillow tucked under one arm and a scowl plastered across my face. I was sharing a bedroom. A bed. With Nicholas. If someone had told me a year ago that this would be my life, I would have laughed them out of the room. But here I was, a
For a few moments, Nicholas didn’t say anything, and I could feel his gaze on me as I stared at the ceiling, my mind replaying those long, harrowing days. Everything had been so shaky right after my father went into his coma. It was like the entire pack was plotting to take his place, even if it mea
Kayla We began making our way to the guild hall after dark that night. Nicholas drove us on his motorcycle, parking it amongst some trees a little ways down the road where it was unlikely to be spotted. After that, we walked toward the guild hall in silence. Nicholas strode a couple paces ahead,
“Grace,” he said, low and even. “You know why we’re here.” Grace didn’t respond. Her hands trembled slightly, but she remained silent. With a sigh, Nicholas turned and nodded to me. I stepped forward, pulling out the other chair and sitting down across from her. I offered a small, reassuring smi
Kayla I pulled the chair closer to the table and sat down across from Grace, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. She looked even more fragile up close, her hollow cheeks and sunken eyes making her seem far older than she probably was. Her wrists were still bound, resting limply on the
Fair enough. With that, I turned on my heel and carried everything back to Grace. When I re-entered the room, Grace’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of all the items in my arms. I set them down on the table in front of her. Then, I walked over to her and held up the key to her handcuffs. “May
Kayla Grace stared down at the table, her hands clasped tightly together in front of her. She almost seemed to tremble a little as she tried to gather her courage. I remained silent, giving her the opportunity to speak when she was ready. In the corridor outside, Noah and Nicholas were eerily si
I nodded, suddenly feeling my legs go weak. Three days walking nonstop in the forest, living on berries and squirrels, finally seemed to be catching up to me. I sank down into a nearby chair, slumping slightly.Nicholas glanced at me, then walked out of the room without a word, leaving me and Jade a
KaylaI didn’t hesitate. “Take me there,” I said, turning abruptly toward Nicholas.Nicholas furrowed his brow slightly, as did Emma. I knew they were both surprised at my sudden interest in Nora, who had been nothing but a thorn in my side since we’d met. And frankly, I didn’t blame them. Maybe a f
At that, Nicholas released me, taking a step back. He furrowed his brow. “You look surprised.”“Because I thought you had no intention of going on a honeymoon,” I blurted out, smoothing down the front of my jacket. “I thought…”My voice trailed off, and I couldn’t find it in me to say it out loud. I
KaylaI looked up to see Nicholas approaching, his face pale. “Are you alright?” he asked, stopping a little ways away from where I was standing.I quickly turned away, hoping he couldn’t see the tears welling up in my eyes. “I’m fine.”“Kayla.” Nicholas stepped in my way. “Talk to me. Did something
Was it true that Nicholas had laughed in her face when she confessed her feelings? Was he truly that heartless, even back then? Was it true that Nora thought she was doing me a favor by trying to break us up, by showing me that audio clip?I didn’t think Nora could ever be my friend, not by a long s
KaylaI stared at the deer turning on the spit, its skin turned red and glistening with fat as the fire cooked it from beneath. The air smelled like roasting meat, mingling with the scent of fresh bread and mulled cider.I was starving and surrounded by food that looked utterly delicious, and yet my
Before I could protest further, Nicholas whisked me off my feet, gathering me in his arms like I was as light as a feather. He strode quickly toward the edge of the forest—I was surprised to find that we weren’t nearly as far as I thought we were this whole time—and then veered toward the house.“I’
KaylaI stared wide-eyed down at Nora’s unmoving body, at the pool of blood forming around her abdomen. She coughed and sputtered, eyes glazed over, already worlds away from this place by the time I found her.The warrior said that he had accidentally pushed her too hard during a spar, and she fell
And although it was bitterly cold out today, with the feast being held outside no less, all of the torches and fire pits scattered around the gathering area kept me warm enough that I’d even removed my jacket some time ago.Jade shook her head and took a seat next to me, perching on the edge of the