Nina The warm summer breeze caressed my face, gently tousling loose strands of hair, but I felt utterly numb to its soft touch. My gaze remained fixated on the freshly upturned earth in front of me, the simple granite headstone bearing my father’s name and legacy in stark, uncompromising letters.
My mother’s features softened as she regarded me, cupping my tear-stained cheek with her palm. “Nina, you were meant for this,” she said softly, stroking a strand of hair out of my eyes. “Your father chose you as his heir because he saw that spark, that unwavering strength in you that your people wi
Nina The letter crinkled in Enzo’s hands as he held it out for me. I took it, my hand already shaking even though I didn’t know what was inside. “More bad news?” I murmured, slowly lifting my gaze to meet Enzo’s. “I can’t handle any more bad news.” Enzo shook his head. “No. Just read it.” Ca
Enzo sighed and walked up to me. “I think you look beautiful.” “I look like a porcelain doll. This is ridiculous. I’m not a queen.” “Hey. None of that.” Enzo’s voice was tender but insistent as his arms circled around me from behind, his chin propped on top of my head as he studied my reflection
Nina I blinked in surprise as the first Alpha rose from his chair and bowed deeply, his hand over his heart. “My Queen.” The others followed suit shortly after, standing one by one until I was faced with a room full of towering men all bowing their heads respectfully to me. I felt my cheeks flus
“I know so.” Enzo grinned, pulling me into a quick embrace. “That’s my queen.” I melted into his arms for a moment before the clearing of a throat made us pull apart. We both looked over to see Ezra standing there, watching us with hard eyes. “A word, your majesty?” His tone was clipped, borderl
Nina A couple of months had passed in a whirlwind since that first council meeting. True to my word, I had begun splitting my time between the werewolf realm and Mountainview, where I was finishing up my final year of medical school. It was a delicate balance, but one I was slowly getting the ha
Enzo “I was thinking we should have a scout set up at all times, just to make sure that we’re on constant surveillance of the warehouse. Then, we can plan the entry strategy from there.” Matt leaned over the large round table, pointing at the hand-drawn map of the Schreiber warehouse and the sur
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied