RowenaI could only stand there, frozen in place as Heather and Adrian were hauled away by the guards. Their hateful glares burned into me until the very last moment when they disappeared into the tunnels.And then they were gone. It was over… For now, at least.A sudden cacophony of sound slammed back into me all at once—the roaring of the crowd, shouts and exclamations from students and spectators alike. I flinched as hands grabbed at me from all sides, my parents’ frantic faces appearing like a lifeline through the throng of people.“Rowena! Oh god, are you alright?” My mother clutched at me desperately and drew me toward her, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked me over for injuries. “We were so worried, we thought… We thought…”She trailed off, unable to put her worst fears into words as she smoothed my hair back from my ears, checking me over as if I were made of glass. My father wasn’t much better, one large hand cupping the side of my face while his eyes bored into me
EricI tightened the cloth wraps around my fists, feeling the familiar ache in my knuckles as I stared across the sandy expanse at Darius. With Adrian and Heather gone, it was just the two of us left.Darius grinned at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Quite a show you and your girl put on back there,” he said, loud enough for just us to hear over the roaring crowd.I allowed myself a slight smirk, although my stomach still twisted painfully when I thought about how close I had just come to losing Rowena forever—all thanks to Adrian and some demented scheme to assassinate the Northern princess.“My girl?” I said, feigning ignorance.Darius smirked at me. “Oh, come on; everyone has suspected that she’s not actually a Griffith for months. And we both know what you two were doing the other day in her office.”The tips of my ears turned pink, but I couldn’t help but shake my head and laugh. Of course everyone had known. I hadn’t exactly put in the greatest effort to hide it since I
RowenaMy heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest as I watched Eric mouth those two simple words to me.“Kiss me.”His bright blue eyes bored endlessly into mine, and in those moments, time stopped. Kiss him? Kiss him? Now? In front of everyone?“C’mon, Ro,” Eric murmured, sensing my fear. “You promised.”I gulped, unsure of what to say; and at that second, I felt myself being thrust back to our childhood, back to one summer afternoon so many years ago when things were so much different…“Hey, Ro?” “Yeah?”“Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you were born in a different family?”I remembered that day clearly; Eric and I had been laying out in the grass beneath the big oak tree behind our house, watching as the leaves waved back and forth. I was nine, and he was going on twelve. Oddly enough, I remembered exactly what we were wearing: he had on a blue shirt, and I wore a pair of overalls. I think I remembered the shirt because it matched his eyes, and the color
RowenaI stood in the hallway just outside the parlor, my heart pounding in my ears. The voices behind the door were hushed, but I could still make out every word through the thick wood.“Your Majesty, we can’t thank you enough for making this journey,” my father’s voice echoed softly. “I can assure you that, had circumstances been different, we would have liked to have met you much sooner.”There was a pause, and then a deeper, richer voice responded—one I didn’t recognize yet. “Please, call me Stefan. And the honor is all mine—you protected my daughter despite everything. Although a part of me still can’t believe my little girl is actually alive after all these years.”My heart leapt into my throat. My father—King Stefan from the Northern kingdom. I knew he was coming to visit, but to finally hear his voice… It was unreal.A trembling hand came up to rest against the door as I tried to conjure up any memory of my father, of my past life. But there was nothing, of course; I had been
RowenaThe sun cast golden rays on the carpet as I stood in the middle of my bedroom, surveying the half-packed bag on my bed with a frown. Would this be enough for three months of training?Finally, after deciding that I wasn’t quite ready yet and stuffing in a few more shirts, I zipped it closed and slung the strap over my shoulder. A soft sniffle made me turn toward the doorway, and I felt my face drop slightly when I saw the sad faces staring back at me.My parents lingered there, my mom’s eyes red-rimmed and glistening with tears. She attempted a watery smile when she saw me looking, but I could see right through it. She didn’t want me to leave.“You’re really going, huh?” she murmured.Crossing the room with a sigh, I pulled my mom into a tight hug and shot my dad an apologetic look over her slender shoulder. “It’s only for a few months, Mom,” I reassured her. “I’ll be back before you know it.”“I know, I know.” She squeezed me tighter, her fingers digging into my back. “It’s ju
Rowena Alpha's daughter? I can vividly imagine them: powerful, beautiful, flawless. And as for me? I'm the outlier in the family, the odd one out. My father was a serious and upstanding alpha who ran the New Moon Pack; a pack that was revered as one of the most powerful ever known. My mother was a gentle and graceful luna, a woman who was as elegant and beautiful as she was intelligent and wise. And my brother, Eric Griffith? Well, he was a natural leader—a strong lion of the Griffith family. Among our peers, he was always considered to be the most likely person to become the Warrior King. Aside from their achievements, my entire family was utterly beautiful with dazzling platinum blonde hair, ocean blue eyes, tall and slender with the perfect muscles. Their wolves were unmatched beauties, fast and strong and perfect in every way. But not me. With a petite frame and dull brown hair, I stood from my family like a sore thumb. It wasn’t just my appearance, either; I was wolf
Rowena“I guess I should be considered the strongest warrior in the camp now, shouldn’t I?”Emma and I blinked up at the tall, handsome form as he sauntered down the stairs. He took each step slowly, his footsteps echoing through the quiet hallway.I couldn’t believe it; my brother, Eric, had returned after three long years.“Eric?” I murmured, taking a step forward. His hair was longer now, and he was more muscular, but it was certainly him. “What are you doing here?”Eric stepped down off the last stair and walked up to me with his hands in his pockets. There was a casual air about him as he approached me, and yet my heart was pounding in my chest.“Miss me?” he asked.I opened my mouth to respond, but before any words could come, Emma’s sharp voice sliced through the air.“Eric Griffith?” she called out. “As in… the Alpha’s son from New Moon?”“In the flesh,” Eric said, sweeping his blue-eyed gaze across the cheerleader. “Future warrior king, too. Don’t forget that part.”As Eric s
Rowena“She’s my most beloved one.”My brother’s hand was wide and warm; too warm, actually, and the feeling of it being wrapped around my waist almost felt as if I had been burned.While Eric was distracted, I took the opportunity to grab my glasses out of his hand. I shoved him away immediately and put my glasses back on, and that was when I saw who had bumped into me.Adrian Almond.His black hair seemed to shine in the sunlight that was streaming through the large windows, and his eyes were the most striking shade of emerald green. The sight of him made my face heat up like it was on fire.“Oh,” Adrian said, glancing at me with a surprised look on his face. “I didn’t know you were Eric Griffith’s girlfriend.”“I’m not.” I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and looked away with embarrassment. “I’m Eric’s sister. We’re brother and sister. He’s just messing around.”Adrian seemed a bit taken aback, just as everyone always was when I told them that Eric and I were brother and sister. He s