Tears were staining her cheeks. The moment I saw that dampness on her skin, I stepped inside without thinking. I should have walked away, should have let her be, but the sight of her trembling in her sleep made something tighten in my chest. She was dreaming. A nightmare, maybe. Quietly, I cro
Kayla The room smelled like him. That was one of the first things I noticed when I opened my eyes to the soft glow of the early morning light filtering through the sheer curtains. I stayed there for a moment, still buried under the thick blankets, trying and failing to shake off the lingering ha
It was the woman from the picture. The one I had seen through Nicholas’s memories. “Nicholas—so nice to see you again. I placed an order for those desserts you liked, by the way,” she said, approaching us with a grin and extending her hand to me. “And you must be Kayla. I’m your wedding planner.
Kayla I stiffened in my seat, glancing toward Nicholas, unsure of what to do. His arm was resting on the back of my chair, his fingers drumming lazily against the wood. If he was irritated by the photographer’s intrusion, he didn’t show it. In fact, he looked completely unbothered. Calm and coll
Seeing him like this just left me even more confused. Was it just the mate bond that had triggered his jealousy? Was he just concerned about our arrangement being jeopardized if I became involved with another man? Or maybe… maybe he was pretending now, just like he had been last night. Drinking wi
Kayla The bright lights of the news station felt far too harsh for this early in the morning. Honestly, I wanted to be literally anywhere else—I’d even take Grace’s cold cell over this. But I couldn’t. It had to be done, and I had no say in the matter. So I sat in the leather chair with my legs
My chest tightened instantly, and Nicholas’s arm stiffened into iron around me. “Liam Reynolds, your ex-fiancé and Nicholas’s younger half-brother. It’s quite the scandal, isn’t it? How was it that you and Nicholas ended up together so soon after the, er… incident?” I froze, my mind scrambling t
Kayla The door clicked shut behind us, and for the first time all day, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. The house was quiet, the kind of stillness that felt like a huge relief after the chaos of the news station. I slipped off my heels by the front door, stretching out my
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
NicholasI never would have admitted it, not to anyone or even myself, but I spent three days straight thinking of nothing but Kayla.The moment she walked into the forest, wearing nothing but some practical training gear with only a flint and steel kit in her pocket, her head held high despite the
The next morning, I woke up early, the cold air biting at my skin and my legs aching from yesterday’s exertion. I broke down my makeshift camp once more and set off into the woods, once again searching for the stag.I moved quickly, my eyes scanning the trees for any sign of the stag. I heard a scuf