#Chapter 148: Family Ties

Alyx

“I’m not sure I like her,” Jeremy said the moment the door closed. He was giving it a bright-eyed look that made even Alyx a little uneasy. Anyone who thought Jeremy was the nicer brother didn’t know him very well.

Alyx saw what happened in there. Celeste was trying to appeal to his humanity, but Jeremy didn’t have much to begin with, and it had dwindled in the years since they’d seen each other. That was partly why they got along so well. They were cut from the same cloth.

“Not what you expected?” Alyx asked, falling into step be

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• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 149: Confinement

  I couldn’t tell how much time passed, but eventually the door opened, and Jeremy appeared with a plate of food in hand. He gave me a warning look, and I was smart enough to cower in the corner as he closed the door. There was something about him that made me uneasy, even if I much preferred his presence over Alyx’s.He set the plate down in front of me, then took the chair for himself. He turned it around and sat with his arms propped on the backrest. A slightly curious expression crossed his face as I pulled the plate slowly toward me.I was starving, but I didn’t know if I should trust the food.

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 150: Finding Celeste

  MattThe panic was so bad, I almost couldn’t breathe.She was gone.I searched for her in the woods, running with my nose pressed to the ground. I’d searched for her on foot at first, yelling her name. Jack went in the opposite direction, a desperate, panicked gleam in his eyes. That was an hour ago.I’d shifted at some point, backtracking to the house to start there. Her scent lay embedded in the grass until it disappeared into the woods, where it suddenly ended. I pawed at the grou

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 151: Meeting the Alpha

  Alyx reappeared later that evening, a bundle of clothes in his arms. “Get dressed,” he said, dropping them on the bed.I crossed my arms. “No.”He frowned. “Get dressed or I will dress you myself.” A sudden, cruel gleam lit up his eyes. “I’ve been dying to get my hands on you.”“Turn around,” I snapped.“Like hell,” he answered. “Get dressed.”

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 152: The Chase

  MattIt took a few hours to get to the first location by car, and we spent most of it in tense silence. Jack drummed his fingers against his knee, and I stared hard at the road. The trees passed by in a blur, and the further we traveled, the less we saw other cars. Eventually, it was just us, twisting along a dirt road between the towering trees.“Are we close?” Jack asked, breaking the silence for the first time in hours.I cleared my throat. “Yes. We’ll have to hike the last bit.”He scowled. “Obviously.”I rolled my eyes but didn’t respond. I couldn’t exactly blame him for being angry with me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t be pissed, too. If he’d just been honest with us, none of this would be happening. Now they had Celeste, and I had no idea what they were doing to her, or if she was even safe.My grip tightened on the steering wheel, and Jack gave me a sideways look.“Your eyes are gold,” he said, sounding the most cautious I’d ever heard him.I forced myself to take a few dee

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 153: History Lessons

  I spent the night staring at the concrete walls around me. Every muscle in my body ached, and my eyes burned, but even so, I couldn’t sleep. Now and then, I fell into a fitful slumber, tossing and turning until I was shocked back awake. At one point, I gave up completely and traced patterns on the wall with my finger to pass the time.When Jeremy appeared with my breakfast, I could hardly stomach the thought of eating. He just watched me, not speaking, as I spooned porridge into my mouth. A few times, I had to resist the urge to gag. He didn’t say a word when he left, either, but I jumped when the door slammed shut behind him.Despondency folded around me, and I curled up in bed. I couldn’t even bring myself to plan some sort of escape–to even hope for one. Whatever they wanted with me, they were going to get. I’d never felt so helpless before. A few tears rolled down my cheeks, but I didn’t even have the energy to cry.I should have listened to Jack. I never should have run off with

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 154: Surveillance

  MattI settled deeper into the dirt and propped myself up by the elbows. Through my binoculars, I could see the looming gray wall and the cast iron gate that served as the only entrance. No movement occurred on either side, but I knew they were in there. They were being careful about it, but the building wasn’t as abandoned as they were trying to make it seem.“How do we get in there?” Jack mumbled. He had a matching pair of binoculars to his eyes, the hood of his camo jacket pulled up over his head.“Not easily.”

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 155: Bad Blood

  AlyxHe ran beside his brother, his eyes trained on the trees in front of him. He knew this territory like the back of his hand, but something about it felt different. Something didn’t belong. Beside him, Rocky ran with his nose pressed close to the ground. It was rare for him to be separated from his twin, and Alyx could tell he was uneasy.They stopped for a moment to sniff around, and Alyx nudged his flank with his nose. It had been so long since he’d run with one of his brothers, and he was thrumming with excitement. Rocky picked up on his energy and gave him a playful snap.

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 156: Nightmares

  The woods were dark and eerily silent.I stepped into a small clearing, grass crunching beneath my paws.“Celeste?” a familiar voice said. Standing across the wide expanse in the trees was Matt. He was still human, and he took a tentative step out of the dense cover. “Celeste?” he called in a low voice. A shiver ran through me, and I moved closer.He took a few more steps, his blue eyes bright. He reached out his hand, a pleading look on his face. “Celeste!”A momen

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• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 200: The Mask

  EpilogueThe sounds of plates clinking together, and the low hum of chit-chat, merged into the background as I listened to Fiona describe her latest assignment. She was stuck in a geography class that she needed for distribution, and it was driving her nuts. Her professor was a mean, curmudgeonly old man, and a notoriously difficult marker.“He gave me a C–. A C–! That was not a C worthy paper.”Jack nodded. “I read it. It was pretty good.”She rounded on him. “Pretty good?”He put his hands up, a small smile on his lips. “Really pretty good?”She huffed but turned back to me. “Your brother is a pain in the ass.”I smiled. “You’re telling me.” They’d only been together for a few years, but they already bickered like an old married couple. Matt and I were actually married, but we didn’t even bicker like that. It was as endearing as it was exhausting.Matt sank into his seat beside me and slid me a cup of coffee. I threw him a grateful look. Our peacekeeping duties had kept us late the

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 199: Ever After

  MattThe nerves made me jittery, and I bounced my knee so hard it rattled the bench. Seth gave me a knowing look before bending over to finish tying his skates. I focused on taping my stick, letting muscle memory take over. All the guys knew what I planned to do tonight, and they kept throwing me knowing looks as I tried to stay calm.It was the last home game before playoffs started. A part of me kept thinking that I should wait, but an even greater part of me didn’t want to wait one more second. If life had taught me anything, it was that we didn’t know how much time we might have. I didn’t want to waste another second of it. I especially didn’t want to waste time just because I was afraid.“Dude, stop vibrating the bench,” our goalie James called. “I’m trying to focus.”“Sorry,” I answered. If there was one rule in hockey, it was to not mess with the goalie, especially right before a game. If he needed to focus, then I just needed to find a way to chill the fuck out.Enzo gave me a

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 198: The Score

  The arena was buzzing with energy as Matt got the puck and darted forward to take advantage of the breakaway. He sent the puck into the corner of the net, and I jumped to my feet. Beside me Fiona screamed so loud, heads turned in our direction. Jack cringed slightly, throwing her a bemused look.It was the first home game of the year, and Matt was giving everything he had to make sure the team got a win. Around us, the school cheered as he skated by, knocking fists with his teammates. It was his second goal of the night, his first a tricky tip in after Seth’s initial shot rebounded. It was 3-1 with only four minutes left in the third period.“He’s playing great,” Nina said from my other side as the cheering died down, and we took our seats again.“He is.” Over on the bench, Enzo stood in a dark suit, his head bent as he talked to one of his players.He and Nina were staying one more year. Even though Nina graduated in the spring, her father was giving her the year to clean up the town

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 197: Family Reunion

  “Are you ready for this?” Jack asked, his eyes trailing over my face, looking for any signs of fear or hesitation. I schooled my features into a blank mask. Sure, I was nervous, but he didn’t need to see that. He already hated that he’d gotten me involved. Too bad I was the only one that could do this, and I’d do anything to get the Schreibers out of our town.I took a deep breath and gazed up at the towering mansion. It was on the outskirts of town, far enough away that I’d never seen it, but still close enough for the Schreibers to cause havoc. The house seemed quiet, but I knew our grandfather lurked inside. Him and whoever survived the fight.“I’m ready,” I said, keeping my voice steady. Matt and the rest of the Peacekeepers had already surrounded the house. They were keeping their distance but staying close enough just in case we needed them. It made me feel better knowing he was out there. I knew, without a doubt, that Matt would do anything to keep me safe. Just like I’d do any

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 196: Looking Forward

  Jack“Hey!” Jack called, running to catch up with Fiona. She stopped walking and turned to give him a curious look. “I’ll walk you home,” he said when he reached her side.She gave him a bemused look. Technically, her place was only five minutes from campus, but that didn’t mean she should walk alone at night. Plus, he hadn’t seen her since she moved back in with her roommate, and he wanted a moment alone with her.“Alright,” she said with a shrug. “If you insist.”He smiled. “Better safe than sorry.”“Bye,” Celeste called, waving at them. She gave him a knowing smile, and he glowered at her. She clearly knew something was going on, but it wasn’t her business. They needed to figure this out for themselves.She and Matt were headed in the opposite direction, back toward the house. Matt was still haunting the halls. Everywhere Jack went, there he was. In the bathroom, when he needed to piss. In the kitchen, when he was hungry. Even in the living room at night, making out with his sister

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 195: The Oath

  “I promise to protect this town,” Jack said, his hand over his heart. “I promise to fight for peace, and to not rest until it is achieved. I promise to treat all life as equal. I devote myself to this cause from now until my last breath.”Nina dipped her head in acknowledgement, and Jack let his hand drop to his side. I stepped forward next and repeated the oath. It was the same words every person in this room had recited when they agreed to become a Peacekeeper. It wasn’t something to take lightly, and I didn’t plan to.“I devote myself to this cause from now until my last breath,” I said, stepping back beside my brother. Fiona stood at his other side. She took the oath first, saying the words with the utmost confidence.I locked eyes with Matt, and he gave me a proud smile, his eyes gleaming. Our friends sat around the room, and, as if given some invisible cue, they all began to hoot and clap. They stood up and slapped the three of us on the back. I got pulled into hugs, one after t

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 194: Lovers

  Matt closed my bedroom door behind us and leaned his crutches against the wall. He hobbled over to the bed and sank down onto the mattress with a soft groan. “Just as I remember it,” he said, jumping a little. “So soft.”Downstairs, Fiona, and Jack were rifling around in the kitchen. They offered to make us something, but neither of us were very hungry.Matt lay back and stretched his arms over his head, his shirt riding up just enough to reveal the smooth skin along his waistline. His hip bones dipped down into his cargo pants and I bit my lip, desperate to get my hands on him, but still worried about his wounds. Sure, he was up and moving around, but that didn’t mean he should be doing physical activity. I didn’t know a lot about werewolf healing, but I wasn’t willing to risk him.“I missed this room,” he continued, turning to look at me through hooded eyes.The purple bedspread brought back a flood of memories. I’d spent so much of my life in this room. I had so many memories, and

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 193: Home

  MattI held onto Celeste’s hand, leaning heavily on the two crutches I had propped under my opposite arm. A feeling of intense déjà vu swept through me as I watched Seth step forward and light the pyre. Around us, others did the same until dark smoke rose into the blue spring sky. I hoped this was the last funeral I ever had to go to, at least for a long while.Celeste had a blank expression on her face that worried me more than anything. Beside her, Jack and Fiona stood holding hands. Fiona was crying, and Jack had a stricken look on his face. As one, he and Celeste let go of our hands and stepped forward. They lit the last pyre.“Goodbye dad,” Celeste said, just loud enough for me to hear. My heart squeezed.Jack didn’t speak, he just lowered his gaze and stepped back beside Fiona. She immediately took his hand, but he didn’t look up from his shoes. I understood the warring emotions he was feeling. He hated his father for abandoning him, and he felt guilty that he got killed right i

• His Secret Princess   #Chapter 192: Shell Shock

  Those of us still on our feet spent the rest of the day tending to the wounded. God, there were so many of them. Every wound I saw, every cry of pain I heard, felt like a knife to the gut. Everywhere I went, I saw pain, death, and gore.It was all too much.“Hey,” Jack said, giving me a concerned look. “Take a break if you need to.”He was still covered in blood, and I could barely stand to look at him. He’d taken a few minutes to wipe most of it off his face, but he hadn’t stopped to change his clothes. None of us had. There hadn’t been time.“I can’t.”I couldn’t get my father’s face out of my mind. Jack took me to his body shortly after the fight ended, tears in his eyes. I allowed myself to cry only for a minute before I helped him move the body to the small grassy area behind the church. That was where we were laying out the dead before we’d give them all proper funerals.There were already too many bodies out there. Seth had collapsed beside Jenna’s bloody form and hadn’t moved