EstrellaThe morning after the Haze in Dun’s Crossing, my body aches deliciously. The scent of my mate fills the tent–cool mint and that brown liquor they served at dinner here. After months of running out into the Haze back home, panting and wanting and finding no one, I am finally sated. I can fee
“Don’t speak about him like that.” Anwen takes a step forward, mere inches from me. “In fact, don’t speak about him at all.”My hurt and confusion starts to fade, and the pride my parents taught me surges in its place. I am the crown princess of Sundrop Gem. Our pack cares nothing for gender in our
AnwenAfter Estrella leaves, I abandon the morning-after clothes and shift. If the bell’s already ringing, I’m fucked for time, so I’ll be better off seeming like I stayed out all night and asking the gate guards for something to wear. I take a breath and start running. Today, even my wolf can’t sto
I force my gaze to Prince Castor next. He wears a broad-shouldered tunic like his father but in more sedate colors, jewel tones instead of brights. No crown, no obvious marker of status beyond his ramrod-straight bearing. But his bow is awkward. He’s not used to being paraded around. Least-loved sec
EstrellaBreakfast feels like a dance I don’t know the steps to. My wolf sings inside of me, begging for the touch of my mate again. Only a table separates us. And she won’t listen to me when I remind her how he treated us. So we compromise. When he looks at his plate, I look at him. The way the tow
“I think it will be.” She laughs again. “Goddess, this is going to be great. I’m taking you under my wing, okay? And I’m going to make sure you have the best time here.” She leans close and drops her voice. “Or at least, as good of a time as you can in a place like Dun’s Crossing.”We exchange secre
AnwenAfter breakfast, I give Kieran my notes. Floyd was nosy, as usual. The king and queen of Sundrop Gem seem to lead together. Prince Castor seems sulky. Nessa isn’t trouble.Kieran hums thoughtfully. “And Princess Estrella? She seems smart, involved.”“Yes,” I say through gritted teeth.“You don
I burst out of the palace, into the midmorning sun. When I reach the walls, the guards open the gate without asking. I may have white fur like so many of our pack, but I lost the end of my tail in the first scuffle Father allowed me out on, so they know my profile from a distance. I pound out the ba
My quill flows across the page, writing down every word of the story. Mother’s voice rings in my ears, soft over familiar phrases. When I’m done, I don’t read it over. I’ll just crumple it up if I do. But I scribble one last thing at the end.Even if the tower never falls….Seconds tick away as I st
HollisI’m a moron. Worse than that, I’m insane. That’s what Mother said when she found out I’d stuck my tongue to the frozen pole outside of the kitchen three times in a week and basically skinned the damn thing every time. But every time, I thought it would be like in a story Eva and I read, where
“I want something more active,” I say. “Like you. I want to… I don’t know… make something?”“Easy.” Ingrid claps her hands together. “Have you ever done any fine arts? Drawing, painting, sculpting?”I shake my head. Yet another class Mother thought was filling my head up with nonsense.“Okay. I know
CandaceI’m sitting at the dressing table, fixing my hair for the first time in days, when a bird starts singing right outside my tent. An ash warbler. For the third time since sunset yesterday. I almost smile.When it first happened, I made Ingrid go check. We were way outside of where the warbler
‘Catch me if you can!’ she calls through the mind-link.In wolf form, I can’t give her the necklace if I want to. I stuff her clothes and mine in her sewing bag, then shift and give chase.Escuro flies by. I barely notice it. My attention remains locked on Eva’s bright-red tail disappearing between
HollisMy plan to act like I actually believe Eva is going to be my wife is going great—except for the fact that I basically haven’t slept since I started it because my mark hurts so Goddess-damned bad. That’ll fade. I know it will. Because I do believe Eva’s going to be my wife. It’s what everyone
Outside the tent, someone makes the tiniest whimper I’ve ever heard. My heart squeezes.“They can come in, but no lights.” I sit up. “And don’t ask, please.”Ingrid nods and starts to turn away, but her gaze locks on mine. She’s noticed. Of course. Every muscle in my body tenses.She turns back for
CandaceFor the third morning in a row, I pull my covers over my head as lunch approaches and rub eyes gritty from crying.Well, not exactly the third morning in a row. The very next day, I tried. I got up, made myself beautiful even as Ingrid fluttered around me, saying I didn’t have to go out if I
Not that I’m keeping track. I, in fact, am doing the exact opposite. I’ve been so caught up in her that I’ve been neglecting my responsibilities. Even if she’s not the person I’m going to spend my life with, I still believe in her dream. There’s just no reason for her to lie, or to seem so scared if