The bumping stops and the back of my hands clutch the edge of the seat hard. I am not leaving this carriage.Caspian releases a ragged sigh and slips out. The door creaks shut behind him and soft footsteps approach my door. It is pried open and Darrock peeks inside. “You can walk in like a lady or risk embarrassment while I carry you in, and I promise, it won’t be anything pretty.”“Fuck off,” I let my eyes say. Darrock sighs. “You refuse everything I offer, Violet. It hurts my pride.” His wrists snap without warning, and the gag is suddenly off my mouth, the ropes that bind my wrists loosened. Huge hands grab me, hurling me out of the carriage, and firm lips crush against mine.I snap my teeth together, biting hard on his bottom lip, but he only groans, holding me in place as he assaults my mouth with a tongue that is smooth like velvet. When the Goddess created his mouth, it was to seduce women. His kisses aren’t wild like Kier’s, neither do they raze me with desire and need. Darro
Jessamine"Out," the King says in one silent breath, and I've never seen a hall empty out so fast. Only Darrock and I remain in the next minute and I stop laughing.With terrifying grace, the king rises from his throne, and in a heartbeat, he is leaning over Darrock, crushing his hand around his windpipe. "Fool," he spits with distaste and I hear the wall behind me explode as he throws Darrock into it.Pale blue eyes lock onto mine and holds. He moves with that eerie speed again and the next second, he crouched low in front of me, his fingers brushing my cheeks gently as he tilts my head left, right, up, down—I jerk back, my heart thundering in my chest. There’s something horribly wrong here. He’s looking at me like a father would his child after they’ve spent the better part of their day playing in the wild.He’s checking for injuries. He’s touching me like he knows me and his hands are so damn familiar. Movement behind me seems to jar him, and his feet hits the tile several feet aw
Jessamine"My feet pound against the grass, a sob breaking from my lips. I'm fleeing because if I don't, it'll kill me. I glance over my shoulder—a mistake. I see it. Violet eyes, slitted with silver. Razor sharp canines that call for blood. They are white and stained with my blood.My heart hammers in my chest as I trip over the roots of a tree, and my hands hit the mud. Screaming in frustration, I try pulling out of it, but the harder I struggle, the deeper my hands sink.A guttural snarl rips the air behind me and I close my eyes, sobbing as I struggle against the sinking mud.Paws hit the ground before me, and I look up into deathly still eyes. The wolf angles her head left and stares down at me. Her aura is...golden. She is white. There are no purely white wolves. It is why I know she is different. Lethal. Beautiful. Majestic. Dark lips draw back, giving me a glimpse teeth and I hear words in my head. They sound... beautiful. Wrong. Right. They claw at my brain, trying to..
Jessamine"I would like to return home."The King's gaze remains fixated on his desk, his fingers moving with a practiced dexterity as he scrawls across the letterhead. “This is your home now.” He pauses in his writing, his sharp eyes lifting to meet mine. "Darrock tells me you were banished by your King. Why is that?"I fumble with the folds of my dress, disregarding the disapproving gaze of the raven-haired beauty at the king's right—the Queen, whose disdain for me is as plain as the sneer fixed on her red lips. She attempts to mask it with an air of nonchalance, but the hostility in her eyes is unmistakable. "It was…" I shake my head, unwilling to share the details. "Actually, it's none of your business."“Mind your tone, girl,” the Queen says.I arch a brow in response before turning my attention away. I don’t have the patience for her. I take a step forward and a guard moves in tandem, hand on the hilt of his sword. Right, because fragile, old me can murder a king.I halt abruptl
Kier"You looked more jovial at your father's funeral," Randale says, handing me a brimming wine glass. "Here."I bring the glass to my lips, watching the maidens dancing at the centre of the room, their white sleeves floating about them with fluid grace. Younger unmated males watch with wide gazes, entranced."Mother outdid herself," I murmur and toss back the liquor. It burns as it settles down my throat. Mother’s hazel eyes catch mine and she subtly inclines her head towards the entrance. I look away, ignoring the silent request. I’m no sooner interested in this union as I am in its consummation, but yes. I should walk to the entrance and await my bride with utmost anticipation. And when she finally graces the hall, I should take her hand, lower my head and kiss it, declaring to all that I will only bow before one being—my Luna.I take Randale’s glass and empty it out, shutting my eyes as I feel the liquor work its effect. Maybe I’ll kiss her feet too, if I’m drunk enough."It has
Jessamine“If you listen with more than your ears, you can feel it. It is made from the same source. The Sun Goddess’s light flows through each of us, filling us with life, love and strength. Feel the center of it. Ground yourself. Drown out the world and reach within you. It’s right there, at the core of your being—”I throw the dumbbell aside. “This clearly isn’t working, Glenda.”The woman’s wide nose flares and she snatches her robe from the bench. “Maybe it would if you even tried to concentrate. Even children can feel the well of strength in which their wolves reside. You’re an anomaly. Worse than an infant!”I straighten my legs and pull on my tunic. “We’re done here.”“Princess—”“Don’t fucking call me that!” I yell and something stirs in the air. Glenda’s teal eyes widen and she pales. “Oh, for goodness sake,” I mutter under my breath as I storm out of the gallery. We’ve tried every room in the castle. Every hall that could help make me comfortable enough. Still, I can’t seem
Moira"Alpha Kier."The wind lifted her raven black hair, wiping it back from her face as she watched him. His hazel eyes were fixated on the bonfire in the yard, and the figures dancing around it, an illusion of peace and happiness that Moira knew wouldn't last very long.His shoulders tensed and she knew he'd heard her, but chose instead to ignore her. Something violent twisted in her chest and she bit on her fingernail nervously, until a metallic tang filled her mouth. She sucked on the blood, wiping her thumb on the hem of her dress and took a step forward. "Kier, please--"He rubbed his face with his palm, exhaustion lining his features. "We've talked about this, Moira. There will be no consummation. A united front is all we will ever be. Do not expect anymore than I can give to you."Moira recalled the agreement, but she had given it no importance. Kier had sought her out hours before the duel at Aldenwood. He knew Jessamine Everhart would die by her hand that night, and he'd m
Resting my head against my knee, I close my eyes and force in deep breaths. No tears. Not for Kier. Never again.Kier makes no move towards me and I remain seated, rocking back and forth, holding onto my anger, lest I break down. Fuck it, I hate all of this. We remain like that for a while, and the only sound that fills the air is that of our breaths. "Does he treat you well?" he asks after a while, slumping down to sit on the floor, his head buried in his hands.I don't respond."I'm sorry," he whispers.No answer. I have a flaw. I hardly forgive and I do not forget. His apology only serves to vex me further, an ugly emotion twisting inside me, rising further to enrage me. He's sorry? That'll never cut it. An image flashes in my mind. Bleeding out in that field, watching him give another woman what belonged to me. I'll never forgive that, and I'll never let it go.The humiliation. The coldness. His choices and disregard. His nonchalance. I fought for him, even if I knew how slim th
Az rubbed his eyes tiredly. It’d been days since he last had a peaceful night’s rest. Lord of Grimstone. He often found himself laughing at the title. He wasn’t lord of anything—at least not yet. His people didn’t seem to think so with their constant rebellion of him and stealing from him, no matter that he tried his best to ensure even the darkest parts of Grimstone got ridded of their poverty.They didn’t warm up to him. They called him a freak. It was pathetic and he should have known Jessamine was lying the moment she started batting those long lashes of hers and speaking to him sweetly.He left Dawn after the wedding and he’d been at Grimstone for a total of seven months now. And in that time she’d come to see him thrice, with her twin boys, Wren and Alder. They both had their mother's eyes, but that was where the resemblance ended. The rest was all Kier. From their red hair down to their angry growls whenever Az didn't give them what they wanted.Of course, Jessamine had come to
Jessamine If you’ve ever been away from home for too long, you’d understand the feeling of your stomach plummeting at the most familiar scents, the urge to breathe in deeply, feel everything, reacquaint yourself with every single detail—details that suddenly seem more vivid and…and intense. That is all I can call this—coming home. Somehow, between punching Kier and telling him I hate him and I’ll return to my father’s castle and find me a man who isn’t quite as infuriating as he is, he’d kissed me. Concussion be damned, Kier’s lips heal me in more ways than any physician could. I walk Kier back into the throne room, pushing off the remains of his shirt. His fingers tangle in my hair as his lips on mine reminds me of the first time…the first time I saw him. His eyes looked like a tear from an ocean of peridots. His hair was shorter, not long enough to run my fingers through, but I was fascinated by the rich hue of it. He rarely smiled then, but when he did, it was bright as starlight
My fingers shake and I hide them behind my back as I round the corner. Slowly, I approach, the large oak door standing ominously in the distance. I wipe the sweat from my wrist against my light skirts and grip tightly as my chest thumps. Once. Twice. The closer I draw, the heavier the dagger under my skirt weighs. The maids behind me chatter, but I barely hear the words they say. I try to hide it behind a show of boredom but the fear creeps up my spine and it is all I can do to keep going. It takes an eternity, but I reach the door eventually. “He’s not in,” the guard tells me when I start to open the door. There usually aren’t any, but after this morning, I understand why he has his chambers guarded. My fingers still by the door. Not in? This is when we have dinner. Every night. I didn’t factor his possible absence into my plans. Gods above. “Where is he?”“Throne room. The reports from the prisoners came back. He’s off attending to it and said to tell you to wait for him.”Oh no.
Jessamine“I didn’t do it,” Killian growls for the umpteenth time. His gaze darts to me. “She did. This is her attempt at trying to get rid of me. Tell me what motive I would have to set the freak free. I’d gain nothing from it. I wasn’t even in the castle!”His argument would seem solid enough to Atticus if he wasn’t also accusing me of framing him. Darrock got out last night. Kier didn’t. When I heard the news, I bawled for hours in the bathroom, keeping the water running to drown out the sound. Why didn’t he leave? Because he’s mad at me? He claimed that I destroyed him last night. His eyes were hurt and broken. Why didn’t he just fucking leave?Atticus’s head tilts left. “Where were you last night?”Killian hesitates, his jaw grinding. I ponder on his reluctance to tell Atticus where he’d run off to. The bonfire. His gaze cuts to Raya and his fists clench. “The queen informed me of Raya’s plans to leave. I had to go bring her back.”Raya gives me a look that is equal parts be
JessamineHe’s drunk. I should have known serving him glass after glass would lead here. My hands trapped in his, held above my head, and his body a cage above mine. His long lashes flutter as he breathes in deeply. “Say it again.”The lie comes as easy as breathing. “I’m yours.”His canines gleam as he gives me a smile no one else has seen. “Youknowwhat intriguesme themostaboutyou?” His words tumble out together and it takes only a second to pull them apart as he leans in, his hot breath tickling my nose. “That I can’t tell your lies apart from your truths.”“Now, that is a terrible lie,” I whisper, reaching up to brush my lips against his chin. He shudders, a strangled noise building in his throat. “You like that you never know what I’m thinking. You love the danger I present. It excites you. It is why you keep me close, despite knowing I have a dagger strapped to my thigh, especially made to kill you. You romanticize with death, and death I will be, for you.”His response is a hea
JessamineKier might have been in chains and covered in dirt and blood, but there will never be any man as beautiful as him. He hasn’t noticed me yet, his teeth bared at the guards fighting to put him on his knees. The humans gasp, the smell of their fear filling the room when his bound arms ram into the side of a guard’s head, knocking him out.That earns him a growl from Killian who doesn’t hesitate to draw his sword and ram it into the back of Kier’s head. My mate stumbles, his blood spilling down his torn brown shirt, and he falls on one knee. I start to stand from Atticus’s lap, a growl traveling up my throat, when Atticus breathes against my neck, “Does his discomfort trouble you? You forget that he abandoned you, left you to rot here while he chose them again over you.”Kier would never, but I don’t say that. My mind is whirling in so many directions. How could he surrender? How could he let them…take him? How…my eyes widen when Lloyd walks in next and bows low, to the hip as h
JessamineI’ve been involved in an unhealthy number of ceremonies, and each time, it’s even less eventful. That isn’t to say that our wedding wasn’t a large affair. I’m fairly certain nearly all of Ashbourne was in attendance, all eager to see the werewolf princess with eyes like precious stones. Yes, someone said that as she delivered gifts to me, wishing me a long, happy marriage—a duchess, maybe. If only she knew.The castle couldn’t contain all of the guests and the guards around me were triple the normal size, like Atticus half expected someone to disrupt the ceremony. Someone who I can bet is Kier. Nervous, the entire time, I’d waited, staring at the door, hoping for a commotion that would bring a special redhead to me.But Kier never showed up and the ceremony was sealed. I was the puppet queen of Ashbourne. I was Atticus’s dove, his pet. I was thankful that nothing else was expected of me, other than sitting still and looking pretty. Unlike Kier, Atticus didn’t entertain the
JessamineI get a visitor a few minutes to my…wedding. My gaze lands on Darrock’s and nothing could have held me back. I launch myself at him with whatever little strength I have garnered in the past hour—which is close to nothing and he snatches my wrist before I can impale him with the butterknife I’d stolen from my dinner tray earlier.“Violet, please,” he rasps. “Listen to me—”Reaching up, I slam my head into his. He groans, retreating a step back and I see that I have caused no damage except the ache spreading through my head. I stumble in the bid to attack him again and he steadies me before I can fall. “Take your hands off me—” A firm hand clamps down on my mouth, silencing my scream of outrage before it can escape. “I’m trying to help,” he whispers. “We’re leaving. Now.”I let him see the response to that in my gaze; Over my dead body will I follow him anywhere.Darrock glances over his shoulder and when his eyes return to me, they’re troubled. “I know you have questions, an
Kier“It can’t be breached,” Lloyd explains and a disgruntled sound from the man seated beside me, whose aura rivals against mine greatly seems to set us all over the edge again. “Do not speak in absolutes,” King Hunter murmurs, his grimace turning darker. “He doesn’t have enough of us to guard his foothold. Surely, an army of humans can’t be that lethal.”Lloyd laughs, and it is nothing charming. He’d been the first I’d gone to for help after Randale convinced me that I’d get myself and Jessamine killed if I headed first into Ashbourne without a plan, and it had taken a lot of convincing to get him in here—the council room. “They have weapons and banes that’d render you useless in the twinkle of an eye. If you wish to bring him down, you must do it from within. An outright attack will if anything, help him kill your daughter quicker—and believe me, there is no level of relevance that would prevent him from doing that once he decides he has no use for her.”Pain flickers behind Lloyd