Celine POVWhen I wake up, I'm in bed with Sebastian. I push my body closer to his."We need to talk today," he looks at me, and I nod. I know he wants me to reject Dolton."I don't know if I can do it," I look at him. "Rejecting Dolton feels wrong. He never gave up." He has been searching and trying to find me for years."I won't even suggest that." Sebastian looks at me, and I become even more confused."You were jealous and arguing over me." Does he mean he won't suggest it because he's rejecting me? I feel myself panicking, and he pulls me closer."I am getting used to the idea of you having another mate. Helios, not so much, so he's on a tight leash. I don't know how it will work, but Dolton is your mate, just as much as mine, and you need us both."He smiles at me, but I'm unsure how this works. Dolton told me he took over the pack; he needs to be there. Sebastian needs to be in the Dragon Kingdom. How do we fix that issue? I'm also unsure if either of them is truly happy with t
Dolton POVI feel bad for considering running, but I felt like it was the right choice at that moment. Smiling at her, I pull her closer. "I apologise.""Don't apologise, Dolton, just decide and stick to it," she looks at me."I've decided I'll stay and try to figure out how to make this work." Leaning forward, my lips brush against hers. Our lips move together, and I groan. I can't do this, not yet, not this quick.Pushing her back, I smile. "Later, I need to go back to my pack and arrange things for me to leave." I'm not sure who I can have take over me. It needs to be someone I know won't release my family."We will come," she smiles at me, and I pause.She will come. Is she honestly comfortable going back there? "Are you sure you're comfortable with that?" I'm sure it will bring up bad memories for her."Yes, I'm sure it's north, which is the way to the Fae Kingdom, so we will go with you." She looks at me, and I nod."Why are we going to the Fae Kingdom?" It seems stupid to be go
CelineAs I step out of the car, I am met with a sea of shocked looks. Their gazes, like icy daggers, pierce through me, leaving me feeling isolated in this unwelcoming place. The whispers, growing louder, only add to the sense of being an outsider, as people start to follow behind us.Dolton shows us to a room and walks away; stepping in, we place down the bags."He's separated us," Sebastian mutters as he takes a seat at the table and looks through the papers."How do you mean?" I don't understand; we're both here together."He's put you in this room, away from his. This can't work if he can't be comfortable with me around," Sebastian explains, his eyes meeting mine, and suddenly, I understand.I also understand Dolton's actions, though. "How do you see this working Sebastian? Do we all share a room and sleep together?"He turns and faces me. "What is the alternative? Force you to choose who you sleep with at night, every night? How is that right?"He sees things so simple. He doesn
CelineI've walked around, and I'm unable to see Dolton anywhere. I stop one of the maids."Can you tell me where Dolton is, please?" I ask, and she smiles at me."I believe he was in the cells the last time I saw him." She smiles and walks away.Sighing, I walk through to the cells. Getting down the stairs, I look around. "Dolton?" I say his name and step closer."Celine?" I turn, hearing the voice. Alex gets up from the cot and rushes to the bars. "You look...Amazing," he smiles at me."I was looking for Dolton.""He left a while ago," Alex smiles at me; I nod and turn to leave. "Wait."I stop and look at him."I'm sorry for everything; I just wanted you to know." He smiles slightly, and I nod."God's sake Alex, stop being so fucking weak." The sound of Wes's voice has me turning, and I see him leaning against the bars. He grins at me, but it isn't a nice smile. It's sinister."How are you, little sis?""I'm great, thanks, bye," turning to leave, I see him move."Wait, why the rush?
SebastianI walk out and see Alpha Ian with some of his pack. I know that he's expecting answers and things but there's not much I can give him. We're still gathering information."You just left." He walks to me."I visited the town and found the auction place. If Dale had sold her, that is where he would have sold her. We've not made any progress, Ian. The people there don't speak." I wish they had, as maybe we could have found his daughter, but this looks impossible."You said you would help!" He glares, and I nod."I am trying within the limitations I have. If the King knows I am looking into these things, and he is involved, he will stop me, and then you won't get answers." Sighing, I rub my face. I can't imagine how he feels about losing his daughter. "I'm travelling for a reason, Ian, something that is time-sensitive and will affect my Kingdom if it falls at the back and I don't make it in time.""So you're quitting." Luna Diane looks at me."I'm not quitting. I have things to d
SebastianDolton walks back in and drops a large box onto the table. What did we miss?"This is everything that Celine's mother brought. Plus, I gathered everything from going to every single auction. I took pictures, videos, everything."Pulling the box to me, I stare inside. That's a lot."Throughout the years, I went to search for Celine or someone who might have her, and I saw a lot. I saw every species you can think of being sold. None were excluded; if they had some sort of unique power, they were taken and sold." Dolton pulls out the pictures and places them down.The picture on top shocks me, and I grab it. "This can't be real." I hand it to Joseph."What? Did you think Dragons were immune to this?" Dolton laughs."This child here, his parents said he had died. They had a funeral and everything." Why would they lie? Why wouldn't they come to us and say their child was taken?"Maybe they had something they wanted, and they saw giving up their son as worth it?" Dolton asks, but
CelineI've noticed that Sebastian is worried and stressed. He has too much happening right now, and people are expecting too much from him, especially when it isn't his place to do things to help them."Sebastian needs to deal with his things first." I stand up. "I get everyone wants answers, revenge, I understand. Believe me, I can understand your need to want to push this and rush. What is the point in rushing if Sebastian isn't in a good mind space?" Everyone listens to me. "He will make mistakes, do something wrong. You want to get your daughter back, which I understand. But would you neglect the rest of your family to get her if you only had a few weeks to save someone else in your family?"I wait, and Alpha Ian seems to relent. He sighs and gives in. "I'm happy to wait, but I want to be there. When you go to the King, I am coming."His words are useless. "Even I know that isn't possible. The meeting will be between the Kingdoms; we won't be allowed in." We can't demand to be pr
DoltonI'm aware that I can't delay picking a new alpha. We need to leave soon, and I can't keep everyone here purely because I can't figure things out."I'm lost on who can be the Alpha when we leave." I look at Celine.She smiles and moves closer to me. "I know who."She does? "Who?" I don't even know."Alex." Her voice stays steady, and I stare at her."Is that some sort of joke?" It has to be; Alex helped my dad; he doesn't deserve it."Believe me, Dolton, and trust me. I can sense it. Alex isn't bad. He was just as bullied as you were. Wes, I agree; he's all in agreement with your father, but Alex? He's a victim of their abuse."My eyes widen at her words. "He can't be trusted.""Dolton, do you trust me?" She peers down at me, and I nod. I do trust her, but trusting her over my family is hard. I would trust anything she tells me, but I can't trust my family."I trust you, Celine; I don't trust Wes and my father. Alex may have the best intentions, but I don't trust that they won't
Celine POVI’m still pressed against Sebastian when the door creaks open, and Dolton steps in quietly.“The Fae's Royal Guard is here,” he whispers, his eyes darting to the door he’s just closed. The carefree Sebastian vanishes in an instant, replaced by the commanding presence of the King. Without hesitation, we moved to get dressed.“Did they say why?” Sebastian asks, his voice low and controlled.“For Celine,” Dolton replies, his voice barely above a whisper. “Queen Nymia has requested that she join her for supper and a discussion.” He glances at me with concern. Once we’re dressed, Sebastian opens the door, and the guards step inside, their expressions unreadable.“Queen Nymia has requested that Celine join her for supper,” one of the guards repeats, his tone formal.Sebastian forces a smile, though I can feel the tension radiating from him. “That’s fine. We’ll prepare and join you shortly.”“Alone,” the guard clarifies, his gaze steady.Sebastian’s expression hardens, and his hea
Sebastian's POVWe arrive back at the hotel, and I immediately notice that Dolton isn’t here. The guards at the door mentioned he went out for a walk, giving us some time alone. My eyes drift towards the stack of files on the desk, and the King in me feels the urge to dive back into work. But I resist. Not today, and not so soon. Today and tonight, I need to focus on something more important than the werewolf issue—I need to focus on Celine.I walk into the living area, where Celine is already curled up on the sofa, picking out a movie to watch. As I sit down beside her, she looks at me with a mix of surprise and curiosity. I can tell she’s not used to seeing me like this—choosing to relax instead of burying myself in work. I’ve spent so long building walls between us, prioritising my duties over her, and it’s time to change that. She should come first, always.Without a word, I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer, feeling her warmth against me. My fingers trace gentle pattern
Sebastian’s POVThere’s been a shift, and it worries me that Celine is drifting further from me and closer to Dolton. It feels like there shouldn’t be a reason for it, but deep down, I know there is.Lately, I’ve been completely consumed by the evidence we’ve gathered on the werewolf king, leaving Celine and Dolton to spend time together. Part of me knew she missed him—she’d spoken about him often before he arrived, and I could sense that longing in her. So, I stepped back, giving them space to reconnect. But now, I fear I’ve made myself an outsider. Sure, we’re together at night, but it’s not the same.We need to find the right balance, and right now, there isn’t any. Dolton is with her full-time, while I only get to be with her at night—when he’s there too. I wonder if the age difference is part of the problem. When she’s with Dolton, they laugh and enjoy themselves, but with me, everything feels so serious.I need to figure out how to step out of 'King mode.' I make everything so i
Celine POVThe room was thick with tension, the air heavy with the unspoken fears of everyone present. Queen Nymia’s gaze lingered on me for a moment longer before she leaned back in her chair, her expression contemplative. King Thorne, too, seemed lost in thought, his eyes narrowing as he considered the implications of our request.“There is no doubt that the situation is dire,” Queen Nymia began, her voice measured. “But we cannot ignore the potential consequences of granting you the flower. The curse that plagues the family of this werewolf princess is one that carries the seeds of madness. Should you cure her and allow the bloodline to continue, what assurance do we have that this madness will not spread? What if the wolves, in their madness, turn on the innocent and slaughter them?”Her words hung in the air like a dark cloud, and a murmur of agreement rippled through the council. The fae were cautious by nature, their long lives making them wary of any action that could upset th
Celine POVAfter I finished practising my magic and shifting, we climbed back into the cars and continued our journey toward the Fae Kingdom. My muscles ached from the exertion, and the magical energy within me still buzzed, a reminder of the power I was only beginning to tap into. Yet, despite the fatigue settling into my bones, Sebastian insisted we press on. He explained that we couldn’t afford to stop, not even for a short break. There was a chance that Alpha Ian was following us, likely to demand our assistance. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I wasn’t ready to face the werewolf king for Ian, not if he was the one who had me taken and sold.Sebastian reassured me that Ian didn’t have the same resources we did. He would be forced to stop each night to rest, something we had the luxury of avoiding. This gave us a crucial advantage, though it was little comfort considering the weight of our mission. The tension in the car was palpable; everyone was lost in their thoughts as
Celine’s POVWe’ve been on the road for two days straight, covering miles of terrain without a single stop longer than a bathroom break. Normally, this kind of travel would wear anyone out, but Sebastian’s cars are far from ordinary. They’re designed to transform, and with the press of a button, the backseat turns into a bed. This setup has allowed me to rest during our journey, nestled between Dolton and Sebastian. It’s a strange comfort, though—Dolton, who used to be so hesitant to touch me, now seems to have overcome his fears. Sebastian either joins us or watches from a distance, which only adds to the complexity of our situation. The car’s confined space doesn’t exactly help either, making things even more intense.Every night, I make a point of doing something to ease Dolton’s anxiety. His nerves have been on edge ever since this journey began, and I’ve learned that quick, spontaneous moments help calm him. As soon as we’re done, we clear away the bedding, restoring the car to it
Celine POVI’m not sure what time it is when I wake up, but something must have stirred me. The room is dim, bathed in the soft shadows of early morning. I blink a few times and realise I’m sandwiched between Sebastian and Dolton. Sebastian is sleeping soundly beside me, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm, while I can feel Dolton’s warm presence behind me, his arm draped protectively over my waist.I don’t know when Sebastian came to bed, but I have a feeling his excuse to check on Joseph was more about giving Dolton and me some space. The thought is comforting, but there’s an undercurrent of restlessness in my body that I can’t shake. I feel too warm, almost feverish, and the heat is building in my stomach, spreading through me until it pools between my legs. I try to shrug off the blankets, but it’s difficult when they’re tucked around me, held down by the weight of the two men on either side of me.The heat is becoming unbearable, and a growing sense of discomfort urge
CelineI remain silent, letting the weight of the conversation settle on Dolton. I haven’t really thought about how our relationship would evolve, but I know it’s possible. My past before Sebastian, before he saved me, was filled with complexities—relationships with multiple men, sometimes all at once. It was a life I knew, a part of me that I had accepted long ago.Even before I was sold, Dolton and his brothers had shared me, often at the same time. So, the idea of being with them together wasn’t new or unsettling for me. But I can sense this will be different, especially for Sebastian and Dolton.Sebastian, though, seems almost eager or at least open to the idea. He speaks up first, his voice steady and confident.“You wanted to discuss how this would work, and here we are,” Sebastian says, then pauses, giving Dolton the space to respond.Dolton hesitates, rubbing his face as if trying to clear his thoughts. “I apologise, I... I’m just in shock. I never thought you would agree to s
Sebastian POVI take a deep breath and sit down, facing Dolton with a resolute expression. “We need to leave early, long before anyone has the chance to notice,” I begin, my voice low and firm. There’s no way I can trust that Alpha Ian won’t follow us or create some kind of disruption to force me to stay here and solve his problems.Dolton meets my gaze. Concern etched on his face. “How early are we talking?” he asks, his tone mirroring my seriousness.“Before sunrise,” I reply without hesitation. “We have to be gone before Alpha Ian or his men realise what’s happening. He’s growing increasingly desperate, and if he catches wind of our departure, I have no doubt he’ll do whatever it takes to stop us.” The unease within me is palpable, a knot tightening in my stomach at the thought of what might come if we’re not careful.Dolton considers my words. “And how long will it take to present the evidence to the King in exchange for his daughter? Could we do it early morning, and then Alpha I