Sadie’s POV
“NO!” I cried out. Luna Emma clutched the vile of wolfsbane tightly in her hand.
“Oh yes,” she said joyfully. “Now come here, you little bitch. Take your medicine like a good girl.”
I stumbled backwards. I looked at Karter.
“Please,” I begged. “Don’t let them do this to me.”
For a brief moment, I thought I saw a flash of sympathy. But then he averted his eyes.
“Don’t make this difficult,” he said dryly.
Luna Emma and Delphine charged at me.
“Open your fucking mouth,” Luna Emma snapped. They forced my mouth open. Then Luna Emma shoved the vile between my lips.
The wolfbane burned my throat as it slid down. They released me and laughed. I coughed, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
The effect was instant. A weakness spread through my muscles. My body felt heavy, fatigued. The potion pulsed through me.
“There now,” Delphine said smugly. “You can’t compete with me in the Luna Selection.”
I felt pins and needles in my fingertips. I needed to lie down. I felt like I’d just run a marathon. Every muscle in my body ached.
“If you want to be Prince Griffin’s Luna so badly,” I said weakly, “then why are you with Karter?”
Delphine leaned in and whispered, so that only she and I could hear.
“To make. You. Suffer.”
My stomach turned.
“Who knows?” she continued, her breath hot on my ear. “Maybe I’ll give him back to you. Once I become the Prince’s Luna. How about that? You can have my pathetic, sloppy seconds.”
She stood back and smiled slyly.
Her words were so cruel. This girl standing in front of me was nothing like the sister I’d grown up with. I was shocked. I didn’t even respond. What was the point?
Delphine laughed. Then she crossed the room and hooked her arm in Karter’s. But before Delphine left, she glanced over her shoulder and tossed me one last triumphant smile.
That left only Luna Emma and I in the room. I searched her face for any sign of the loving, kind step-mother I once knew.
But her face was cold.
“I’m locking you in here,” she said, her voice dry. “Until I figure out what to do with you.”
The door shut and the lock clicked.
I stumbled over to the bed. I was weak and dizzy, both from the rejection and from the wolfsbane.
I curled myself into a fetal position. I was drenched in sweat and yet I was freezing. I shook so badly my teeth chattered. My body ached.
I tried to sleep but the pain kept me awake.
The sun set outside the window. The minutes crept by. The moon rose. The stars came out. I’d never felt so miserable in all my life. I tossed and turned. I prayed to the Moon Goddess to let me sleep. But instead, I laid awake all night, alone, hurting, in pain.
Eventually, dawn broke.
When the door creaked open a few hours later, I assumed it was a maid bringing me food. So I was surprised to see my father’s Beta.
“Beta Jay?” I asked. Hope rose within me. Beta Jay had been my father’s trusted friend. He was loyal and strong. Surely he’d come to rescue me.
He walked straight across the room and sat on the edge of my bed.
“You look like hell,” he said.
“I feel even worse,” I replied, offering him a half-smile.
But instead of helping me off the bed to rescue me, he fixed me with a hard look.
“I need you to tell everything you know about Madeline,” he said.
“Madeline?” I asked, confused. Madeline was my mother, Luna of Night Shadow Pack before she died and Emma took over.
“What pack did she come from?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know,” I told him.
“Nonsense.” He narrowed his eyes. “Answer my questions truthfully. Why did she come here?”
His voice was firm. He fired off several questions about my mom. But I cut him off.
“She died when I was very young. I don’t have very many memories of her,” I explained. “And my father, well, he didn’t talk about her very much. I would answer your questions if I could, but I’m afraid I simply don’t know.”
He pressed his lips together and locked his eyes on mine.
“You’re lying,” he said.
“I’m not,” I gasped. “Honestly, I don’t know…”
“What are you hiding?” He had a dangerous look in his eyes. I suddenly realized that he wasn’t here to save me after all.
He was here to interrogate me about my mother.
But why?
“You better start talking,” he threatened. “Or I’ll make you talk.”
I recoiled. Beta Jay had never spoken to me like this. He was scaring me.
“I can’t answer your questions,” I told him again.
He lunged at me then, grabbing my jaw. He squeezed it hard. I looked at him with wide eyes.
“Ow. Stop. You’re hurting me,” I pleaded, through my clenched teeth.
“You think that hurts?” There was violence in his tone. “If you don’t answer my questions, I’ll show you what real pain is.”
My heart pounded against my ribs. He was going to hurt me. I struggled to escape his grip.
“Help!” I cried out, panicked.
“Be quiet,” he hissed at me. But I cried out again. I had no idea what Beta Jay was going to do to me, but I was terrified.
My screams must have attracted the attention of a few nearby maids. They burst into the room.
“What’s going on here?” one of them asked. Beta Jay was still holding my face.
I opened my mouth to holler for help, but Beta Jay slapped me hard.
“You shameless bitch,” he snapped. “Stop trying to seduce me.”
He climbed off of me and made a show of straightening his clothes.
“I came in here to help her,” he told the maids. “And she was all over me. She’s a whore!” He glared at me.
“What?” I asked. “No, that’s not what happened,” I said to the maids. They stood, frozen in spot, unsure of what to do.
“I’ll get Luna,” one of them whispered, scurrying away.
“Why are you doing this?” I pleaded with Beta Jay.
“Don’t talk to me, you disgusting harlot.” He turned away from me.
Luna Emma and Delphine rushed in.
“She tried to Seduce me,” Beta Jay, pointing at me. “I’m disgusted.”
“It’s not true,” I tried to defend myself. I blinked back tears.
This was all too much. Why had everyone turned on me? What had I done to deserve this?
“Of course it’s true,” Luna Emma said. “Beta Jay wouldn’t lie. He’s an honest man. I tried to give you a chance. But you leave me with no choice, Sadie,” Luna Emma said sternly. “As Luna, I publicly denounce you, Sadie Ambrose, as a harlot. You are hereby disqualified from the Lycan Prince’s Luna selection.”
I couldn’t hold back the tears. They spilled from my eyes. I clutched my chest. I felt like her words had knocked the wind right out of me.
But the worst was yet to come.
“I am stripping you of your royal title and demoting you to a maid.”
And just like that – poof - everything I’d ever loved…
was gone.
Sadie’s POVThe next day, excited whispers rippled through the maid’s quarters. Immediately after Luna Emma demoted me, I was brought down to the maid’s quarters. It had only been a day, but I was trying to adjust to my new life as a maid. I’d been put to work right away scrubbing toilets. It was hard work, much harder than anything I was used to.We were given the morning off though because the Lycan Prince was due to arrive any moment. The maids gushed to one another, starry-eyed, hopeful that maybe, just maybe, one of them would be selected.I wanted no part of it though. So I sat on my tiny bed and tried to ignore all the excitement. Just then, a maid burst through the doors.“The Lycan Prince has arrived!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly.The room exploded into a wave of giggles. And then they all rushed out of the room like little school girls.I stayed behind.“Come on,” Celeste said, standing at the door. “You have to come.”Celeste was the only maid who h
Sadie’s POVThe crows cawed loudly, a screechy sound that reverberated through the air. Their black bodies continued to circle around in the sky. People nodded, agreeing.Yes. This was a sign.It had to be.All eyes turned back to Delphine. She looked as convinced as everyone else. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Everyone talked in hushed whispers.“I knew it was her.”“No one’s more worthy.”“Just imagine, she’ll be Prince Griffin’s Luna now!”I looked from the crowd to Delphine. Then I looked up at the crows. I didn’t want it to be her. But even I started to believe the crows were a sign.Just then, though, as quickly as they’d come, the crows began to fly away. Their caws faded into the distance.Delphine watched them go, a puzzled look on her face.“Where are they going?” people whispered. The square fell silent again.Delphine still had her hand placed firmly on the slab. She looked uncertainly at the Beta, a fake smile plastered on her face. A few moments passed.Nothing
Sadie’s POV“Impossible!”Luna Emma and Delphine immediately stepped forward.“She’s not fit to be Luna!” Delphine objected. “She has no wolf! And she’s a harlot! She tried to seduce her father’s Beta!”“Is this true?” Prince Griffin asked with furrowed brows.“I don’t have a wolf,” I said sadly. “That is true. But I didn’t seduce my father’s Beta.”“You most certainly did!” Delphine hissed. “We have witnesses. Some of our maids saw you!”Delphine nodded to a few maids. They stepped forward. They were the maids that had come into the room when I was struggling with Beta Jay. Their contempt for me was written all over their faces.“We can testify,” one of them said smugly.“We saw her. She had her hands all over Beta Jay,” another one chimed in.“It’s true. She was seducing him,” the third one confirmed.My heart sank. Prince Griffin looked at me with a concerned expression. He was clearly taken aback by this.His Beta touched him on the arm and said in a low voice:“Your Highness, the
Saide’s POVI decided to seize my last chance. To leave the pack I had grown up in. My Alpha father was gone, and I couldn’t allow myself to live in this hell any longer.After I nodded, Arlo smiled slightly and promptly took me away. Emma didn’t dare to say a word in protest. Yeah, no werewolf would dare to defy a Lycan.The palace lights shone against the dark sky as we arrived. It was already late at night, but the entire palace was brightly lit. The palace was enormous and it sprawled out with different wings and quarters. I’d never seen anything with so much grandeur. The atmosphere was solemn, which only added to my nerves.I fidgeted with my hands as I followed closely behind Arlo and Prince Griffin.We approached the front door and a maid rushed out to meet us. I could tell by her demeanor that she was the head maid.“Prince Griffin, Arlo,” she said respectfully, bowing her head. I peeked out from behind Arlo and her eyes lit up when she saw me. She smiled and bowed her head a
Sadie’s POVWithout a word, Arlo removed his shirt and tossed it onto the smooth floor. I stared in disbelief.His chest was magnificent, chiseled and muscular. I swallowed hard.I’d never seen a man’s naked chest this clearly before. I’d never been this close to a half—naked man. A rush of emotions ripped through me: curiosity, shyness, fascination.“Why so shy?” he asked softly.“I’m not,” I snapped back. I didn’t want him to think I was some sort of innocent child. And I certainly didn’t want him to know I’d never seen a man’s chest like this before.He chuckled softly. His eyes flitted to the blanket that was practically wrapped up to my chin. “Let me see you,” he said in a sexy growl.I bit my lower lip. I was immobilized by fear of the unknown. I couldn’t just take off the blanket.He tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.Then he walked around to the side of the bed. He held out his hand.“I won’t bite. I promise,” he said, his voice like liquid. I gingerly placed
Sadie’s POVBefore I could even react, I felt a warm, wet sensation on my chest. It took me by surprise. It was an unfamiliar sensation. I didn’t really understand what was happening. I glanced down and saw Arlo’s head at my chest, his mouth on my breast.He was sucking my nipple!My face turned bright red. Of course I’d heard about this. I wasn’t completely naïve. It had just never happened to me and it made me feel a little embarrassed. But as he continued kissing my nipple, the sensation intensified. I watched and was overwhelmed by both the sight of his mouth on my breast and the feeling of his lips on my nipple.I felt something warm and wet flowing between my legs. I couldn’t help. It trickled down my legs.Oh my moon goddess! Would it soak the sheets?What was that wetness? Why was it coming from…from down there?What was happening? His hand reached up and kneaded my other breast. I didn’t fully understand. But this feeling washed over me. It was a longing.I longed for somethi
Sadie’s POVI changed into a beautiful gown given to me by a maid. Then I smoothed my hair and put a bit of makeup on. I was going to meet the Lycan King, after all, and I wanted to look presentable.A warrior was waiting for me at my door. He escorted me into a luxurious office. The walls were lined with books and documents. I ascertained that it was an important place – a place where the Royal Family conducted important business.There was a fireplace with a cozy fire blazing in the corner. There was a long mahogany table in the center. And to my surprise, the Lycan King, the Lycan Queen and the Lycan Prince were all present.The Lycan King looked at me with authority. The Queen’s face, however, was full of disdain as she eyed me up and down.I didn’t know what to do, so I just stood at the end of the table.“This is her?” the Queen scoffed.“It is,” Prince Griffin nodded. “This is Sadie Ambrose, daughter of the late Night Shadow Pack Alpha, Abram Ambrose.”“She’s the one who pass
Sadie’s POVThe King dismissed Prince Griffin and I. As we left, I felt the Queen’s glare on my back. She was not happy that the king had declared me Luna. But there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about it.Prince Griffin and I left the room together. I didn’t know where we were going, but I fell into step beside him. He said nothing as we traversed the long halls of the palace.I felt a bit awkward as we walked down the palace hallway. I was confused. When I’d first connected with the stone at the Luna Selection, the Prince had declared me as his Luna. For a brief moment, my heart had soared! But Luna Emma had stepped forward and told him that I didn’t have a wolf. Perplexed, he’d rescinded and rejected me on the spot.But now?I was apparently going to be his Luna again? Why though? Nothing has changed? The reason he’d rejected me in the first place was still there. I didn’t have a wolf.I glanced at him as we walked. His face had an easy-going look to it. I couldn’t help b