KaylaSomething warm and heavy across my midsection pulled me from sleep.My eyes fluttered open, squinting against the bright sun streaming through the cabin windows. A light layer of frost had blossomed across the glass at some point during the night, casting tiny, colorful fractals onto the hardw
“Oh, thank the Goddess you’re home!” she cried. “We need to talk.”Nicholas hesitated, glancing at me, but led her inside after a moment. Once we were behind closed doors, Anna broke down and told us what had happened—why she had a bruise.“A crowd of people just… swarmed me while I was out,” she so
KaylaNora’s voice sliced through the quiet kitchen, causing me to turn. She was standing in the doorway, her hands clenched tightly into fists at her sides.I didn’t know what to say at first. I had hardly even seen Nora in the past few weeks, let alone spoken to her. And now here she was, starting
They must not have heard Nora inciting the argument. But they had certainly heard my threats.Nora got what she wanted, it seemed. Anna looked horrified, one hand rubbing across her swollen belly while the other tenderly touched the bruise on her neck.Nicholas cleared his throat. “Kayla, Anna is go
KaylaA few more days passed after that without much trouble. Nicholas and I did the interview, which was received relatively well by our supporters. We painted an image of a perfectly happy, in-love couple who were simply navigating an unexpected pregnancy with a past fling.Half of that was true,
Sighing, I shook my head. “It’s more complicated than that. If I boot her out, it’ll just put a pregnant woman in danger and sully my image even more.”“Your image?” Jade scoffed. “It’s not your baby. We don’t even know if it’s Nicholas’s baby yet, but if anything, it’s his image that should be sull
KaylaThe way that Nicholas basically repeated the command to eat that I had given him at the cabin wasn’t lost on me. In fact, if circumstances had been different, I might have even laughed—just as we had all laughed at the cabin.But something about the cold, no-nonsense authority in Nicholas’s vo
An hour later, I was dressed and pulling up to the event. I’d paired the black pants and crisp white button-down with some closed-toe pumps, pulling my hair into a neat bun. I kept my makeup simple, too, and opted for my only jewelry to be my Luna necklace and ring.And my mother’s charm bracelet, o
The sensation was indescribable—like finding a piece of myself I hadn’t known was missing, like coming home after a lifetime of wandering.I grinned up at Nicholas, feeling almost impish with the secret I’d kept for so long.His mouth hung open, shock written across his features. “You knew,” he said
Kayla“One more push!” the doctor’s voice barely registered through the haze of pain that had consumed me for the past sixteen hours. “I can see the head, Kayla. One more big push!”Nicholas gripped my hand, his other arm supporting my back as I leaned forward. I was beyond exhaustion, beyond pain,
There was Emma, fierce and loyal despite everything she’d been through, slowly healing from her injuries with her brother’s unwavering support. Marcus, who’d practically raised his sister from childhood and would do anything to protect those he cared about, including us.Noah, with his gentle demean
Kayla“She’s going to get what she deserves. Today,” Emma said, drumming her fingers against the armrest of her wheelchair. It was the third time she’d said it in the last half hour, but none of us called her on it. We were all tense.We stood outside the guild hall in a loose circle, our faces grim
“What did you do with her?”“She’s locked up in Nightshade’s prison for now,” Nicholas said grimly. “I’m going to speak to the guild to decide her fate.”I shivered. I couldn’t believe it, and yet… Somehow, I could. Because Isabella had done so much worse. This was just the cherry on top.My thought
KaylaLight filtered through my eyelids, hazy and blurred. Everything felt heavy. Sore. But alive.The first thing I saw was Nicholas hunched over me, clutching me so tightly I could barely breathe.“Kayla,” he murmured against my throat. “Kayla, please come back…”My shaky hand came up, my fingers
Across the room, Noah let out a roar of grief and anger, his fist punching through the wall with enough force to crack the plaster all the way to the ceiling. Marcus’s hands tore at his hair as he cursed violently. Emma shook in her wheelchair, silent tears streaming down her face. Grace simply star
Nicholas“Detain her!” I snarled at the nearest warriors, who were tangled with their new mates in various states of undress beneath the trees. They scrambled to their feet at my command, eyes widening as they took in Isabella writhing on the ground beneath me, her glamour spell completely faded now
“I’m here, Kayla,” she whispered. “I’ve always been here. It’s going to be okay…”Sobs tore from my throat. “I’m miscarrying, aren’t I?” I choked out, clutching her tighter. “I’m going to lose my baby.” I pulled back just enough to look into those luminous green eyes. “Please emerge before that happ