XavierFor the most part, the slave girl had been entirely emotionless. From the moment I spotted her in the shop, she wore only one look on her face—a calm, submissive expression, which sometimes shifted with fear. But otherwise, remained still and unmoving.Now, for the first time, something else shown on her face.It wasn’t quite a smile, but a semblance of something close. A flutter of excitement, or perhaps surprise.Hope. That was the look she wore. A look of hope. How refreshing.“I-I’m sorry. What did you say?” she asked.She was skittish. A stray, seeking help, but too timid to approach all the way. I wanted to reach for her, but I couldn’t allow myself to scare her off.She stammered. “I—You said I…”“You’ll be free,” I assured her.The unsure expression on her face pulled a chuckle out of me. This one was different. She was smart and in control of her emotions. But somewhere beneath her calm was a raging storm. She had a temper; I could smell it. And I could smell the grief
ValerieFor breakfast, we sat at the long dining table. Once again. Lucas sat on one side while I sat beside the Alpha on the other. The only difference now was that Lucas’s pet hadn’t shown up.I wondered where she was. Had she left last night?Her presence, from what I had noticed, had entirely vanished.For dinner the night before, the Alpha and I had sat at a completely different table to eat. It was a much smaller room, with much more comfortable chairs. I wondered why we didn’t eat there again. Was it Lucas’s presence that brought us to this table?I liked the other room much better.I could hear my own thoughts there.Breakfast, however, was just as marvelous as always. Smells wafted from the table and roused a hunger in me I didn’t know I had. Not just savory meats and side dishes this time, but desserts as well—fresh baked bread and cookies and cakes.I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had cake.And then, goodness, the fruits! Fresh fruit littered about, sliced elegantly i
ValerieI was escorted back to the Alpha’s room once he’d left. The servant who accompanied me was aloof and cold. He sat not a word as he led me to the room, and not a word as he left me there at the door.I was beginning to feel like none of the servants really liked me. I could understand why, what with all the special treatment I’d been given, but it wasn’t as if I’d asked for any of it. It wasn’t my fault that I’d been selected by the Alpha for whatever this insane undercover mission was. If anything, I had hoped to make friends with some of these people. Why did it feel as if I was so below them?I did my best to greet them when they came to clean the room or to bring me water or tea from the kitchen. I waved when I passed them in the halls, and I made sure to thank them every time I needed their assistance with something. But still, they loathed me. Probably due to all of the privileges I’d been granted. I was allowed to use any facility I wanted in the castle. I was treated m
ValerieHer pack?No way. Samantha was a wolf?She wasn’t like any werewolf I had ever met before. She wasn’t tall and muscular, she wasn’t physically imposing or dangerous-looking. She was…tiny.Samantha laughed at the expression on my face. I must have been making an obvious one.“If you’re wondering, no. I’m not human. I’m a werewolf, just like our Alpha.”“But you don’t…” I didn’t know how to say this without coming across the wrong way. I swallowed. “You don’t look like…”“I look like a human, right?” she asked. “I’m an Omega. We’re much…smaller. I’m sure it’s easy to mistake me for a human, so don’t worry about it.”An Omega. I stifled a gasp. It hadn’t been polite to ask, but I couldn’t help it. I knew the wolf society had a very strict pecking order when it came to their hierarchy. I knew Omegas were at the bottom of that hierarchy, but I had no idea they looked so…human.“I’m guessing you want to know why I’m here,” Samantha said. She wore a warm smile that made me feel a lit
ValerieMy heart ached for Samantha. Even I—as a slave—had been given the opportunity for freedom. The life of a slave was not an easy one, but I had been torn from my family, not banished by them. That was entirely different. Even if Samantha had been given the opportunity, any chance at actually living her life free and in peace would be squelched the moment she approached another wolf.I wanted to ask if she’d ever thought about escaping to the North. But I worried it was another stupid question that would simply put a damper on an already-dark conversation.And anyway, who was I to talk? I wanted freedom so badly, but what were my chances of surviving in the wild, too? I was even more of a target as a human than Samantha was as a rogue. The only difference was that I would be scooped up off the streets and stuck back in a slave shop if anyone spotted me.That sounded even worse than being imprisoned or killed.I felt a grim and uneasy thought sweep over me. Would it even be possib
ValerieI regretted my snooping the moment I had to seat myself in front of Lucas for lunch. I hadn’t meant to spy on him anyway, I was just curious. And then…confused. Why had he kissed a statue?But I couldn’t bring myself to ask, nor could I explain myself. Why had I been watching from the window, anyway? What kind of intention did he think I had?I had done everything I could to avoid him—even asking the servants if I could eat at the other dining room. The servants claimed the other rooms were currently occupied, though I doubted it. Lucas and I were the only ones here, and I had just dined in the other room nights before. I had a feeling they only wanted to make my stay here as excruciating as possible.It was understandable. I didn’t blame them.They had watched their master haul a new servant home, only to find out I would be sitting at their large tables eating their fancy food and bathing in their luxurious tubs and sleeping in the Alpha’s bed.I would probably hate me, too
ValerieI followed Lucas out into the garden, where the air carried the smell of fresh roses and fertile soil. I hadn’t seen a flower in ages—not a real one, at least. Werewolves were not typically fans of flowers, or any plant with an overwhelming smell, really. Their noses were far too sensitive.Occasionally, the aunts would bring in fake flowers for certain sales events, to give the shop a bit of a homier feeling. They said the sight of them would evoke thoughts and feelings from the patrons—thoughts and feelings that would eventually end in a purchase. But it never felt quite the same, and the only thoughts they ever evoked from me were the ones of my mother’s garden. How desperately I wished I was standing in it. Smelling the sweet, floral aroma.But here, the smells circled around us anew with every breeze of air. The sweet, heavy scent of roses wrapped me like a warm blanket. It brought me right back to that lovely garden, and the flowers she used to growing in it when we were
Valerie It wasn’t until a cool breeze swept by, that the spell my memories had on me was broken. I was no longer in the study with Mathilda. Instead, I was awake again, staring into Chelsea’s eyes. “What do you know of Cearysal?” Lucas asked. I had almost forgotten he was there. I flushed a little and took me hand away from the statue. I shouldn’t have touched her. That wasn’t becoming of a slave. “Not very much, Lord Lane,” I admitted. It wasn’t as if I wasn’t interested—just that the tome did not hold much information about the empire. “There isn’t a lot of information out there for us…humans,” I explained. “I know only that the empire collapsed in just half a century. But I don’t know why. No one knows why. And no one knows what happened to the king and the princess.” Lucas smirked, looking somewhat satisfied by my answer. “I suppose you’re right,” he said. “Your history stories seem to be so selective. As if the fine details were plucked out and replaced with fairy tales. The
VALERIE Xavier led us to the sentry post before the sun had fully risen in the sky. The horizon was a brilliant lavender, the air crisp and chilly. There were no guards around, and carnage spilled upon the grass. Blood, fur, weapons and signs of struggle in the dirt. I supposed there would be a lot of violence from this moment forward. That this would not be the last puddle of blood I saw. I just hoped, with all my heart, that none of it would belong to Xavier. Distantly, Lucas stood beside the cab of a black sedan, patiently staring down the sunrise. We had but a moment to say our goodbyes, and I was afraid to start. The sooner I began, the sooner it would be over with. And I might never see Xavier again. When the time came, when I heard his voice whisper my name, “Valerie.” I did not hesitate. I threw my arms around Xavier and clutched onto him with all the strength in me. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to leave him here, but I knew I would only be a liability. Besides, h
XAVIERI watched Valerie’s sleeping face, her cheeks peppered pink from the warmth of the bed. My body was still on fire, long after the crisp of night swept into the old house and flushed out all the heat.The mark on Valerie’s neck glowed, red and angry in the dim light of an impending dawn. One single bite, not deep enough to break flesh, but deep enough to bruise it. Deep enough to leave the impression of every tooth. Beneath it, the soft red petals of kiss-marks peppered down her body, vanishing beneath the blankets. I shouldn’t have given in to my desires; she needed her rest, and I needed my focus. But I did not expect the way my body would react once I was biting down on her elegant neck.And I did not expect the way her body reacted to my bite. How potent her pheromones became once she was marked.I was not strong enough to deny her after that.I had kissed every inch of her until she begged me to take her, and I could not remember much else beyond the sound of her cry in the
VALERIE “What do you mean?” The fear and anger clenched so tightly in my chest, it felt like a rib would break. Stay? He was all I had and now we were being separated? I had just lost Ava. I was going to lose Xavier, too? “You can’t stay! I don’t want to leave you!” Tears pricked at my eyes—tears of rage this time. Not anger, not pain. Rage. Because it was just so unfair. After everything, it was just so unfair to lose them both. “No! I just lost Ava, I won’t lose you too!” Again, he kissed me, and again I could do nothing but kiss him back. It was the feeling of air in your lungs after a long time under water, and I loved breathing Xavier in. I loved the sweet warmth of his kiss, the softness of his lips. But I hated the way it quenched the fire in me. The way I felt…a little less angry. “Lucas will protect you,” he said as we broke apart, gently leaning his forehead against mine. I could hardly breathe. The tears burned like acid on my cheeks. I shook my head, pulling away f
VALERIE I woke in a faint mist. There was nothing around me but white. And in the distance, four shapes were coming closer, breaking through the tiffany clouds. Somehow, I knew I was meant to be with them. I trudged through the fog, my feet taking into a run as the shapes of them began to appear in the mist. My parents. Mathilda. Ava. They smiled, their arms extended, waiting for me to walk right into them. But I could not reach. It seemed no matter how far I ran, I could not get any closer to them. They grew further and further away, and then they disappeared entirely. They disappeared into the fog, like shapes erased from paper. “Wait!” I cried out. “Wait for me!” But they were gone. And I was alone, in that white, empty world. I crumbled to my knees and cried. “I don’t want to be alone. Don’t leave me alone.” Then I felt something with in me. A warmth. You are not alone, that familiar voice said. I ignored her, sobbing into my knees instead. I had been so close to them
VALERIE The room was suddenly electric. The look Caeser had given me did not settle. Rather, it curdled in my stomach like bad food. Suddenly, I was no longer hungry. The music had stopped playing, and the crowd had gone quiet, confused by the confrontation between son and father. But Xavier looked as composed as always. “If you would not mind taking a seat, father,” Xavier began. “I have more details to—“ Suddenly, a sound like thunder rolled through the entrance of the banquet hall. The tables turned their attention to the entrance door, where a guard stumbled inside. Something was terribly wrong with him, by the look of it. His eyes were glazed and distant, his lips turning blue. He stumbled in on weak legs and collapsed to the floor, veins scrawling up the side of his neck. Several guests leapt from their seats in fear. “What is going on?” a woman exclaimed. The man beside her stepped closer, crouching as if preparing to shift. Others joined him, taking a defensive stance am
VALERIE It was late into the evening when the guests began to make their way to the palace in hordes. I had been watching out the window when a gentle rapping came at my door. A guard stepped inside and bowed. “I have been instructed by Princess Alyssa to retrieve you for the banquet. Might you dress in something…a little more appropriate for the occasion?” I felt something light inside of me at the invitation. It wasn’t that I was necessarily excited for the banquet, but it gave me an opportunity to see Alyssa. And Xavier. I had been locked in my chamber for days now, waiting for Ava to recover from her…recent events. But I did not want to leave her be. Especially after what had occurred with the guards. I turned to look at her. She seemed…relatively normal today. Perhaps it wasn’t hurting anyone if I escaped for an hour or two. “Go ahead,” Ava said with a smile. “I’ll be here waiting for you.” I nodded to her and dressed quickly in the finest thing I owned—a gown gifted to m
XAVIER After my conversation with Lucas, I sat in silence for a long while. I was in an agonizing pull of pressure—one side mulling over the idea of telling Valerie the truth, the other considering a world where I ran away with her. Of course, this couldn’t happen. But it did bring me a moment of ease to imagine. No more chaos. No more responsibility. Just the two of us, running from this face as fast as our legs would take us. But that was a dream. Not the reality that spilled out in front of me. The truth was, I was casting her out of Orheroad, whether she liked it or not. I had no other option. And she would not be happy about this. But she would be okay. And that was enough. Eventually, my silent thinking came to an end when a knock rapped on the door. Before I would rise to answer it, Ralph entered with the injured guard from yesterday. As most wolves do, he had recovered quickly. “Sir,” the guard said, drawing down in a slight, pained bow. I waved a hand to ward off the f
XAVIER I stared at the phone for much too long. The small device—one of only a few left in the entire world—sitting in inanimate silence, and somehow still mocking me. It took all I had to reach for it, and even once I’d done that, I could not bring myself to pick it up. After several beats of hesitation, I lifted it in my hands and dialed the number to Saelmere Castle. It rang once. Twice. Three times. Then he answered. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the long lost prince. What is it? Did you miss me too terribly?” At first, Lucas sounded joyful—maybe even a little humorous. And then suddenly, his tone dropped. All the smile fell from his voice and he grumbled lowly into the line, “I must say, It is about damned time.” I frowned at the sound of Lucas’s droll, irritable tone. After the security over the city was reinforced, no one had been able to call in or out. I wasn’t sure how many times Lucas had made the attempt, but by the sound of his hard-edged voice, he was angry. Whic
VALERIE The longer I stayed with Ava, the more obvious it became that she wasn’t the same as she used to be. Every time we spoke, she was becoming more of a stranger. Less of Ava. She seemed to have forgotten most of the time we’d spent together in the shop. Vague things came back to her now and then—the day her master purchased her. The view of the market district from the pane glass windows. But not much else. And though she remembered who I was, she didn’t remember Aunt Louise and Aunt Rita. She couldn’t name a single girl from the shop, and she didn’t seem to recall the talks we used to have, either. I didn’t sleep well that night. I dreamed instead…the strangest dreams. I dreamed of wild, vivid forests and the air billowing against my skin. I dreamed of running and running until my feet lost all feeling. I did not know why I dreamed such strange things, but I didn’t mind it either. I could taste the earthy scent of the forest around me. I could feel my heart thundering in my ch