Alora POVSabrina leads me to a different wing of the castle. I didn't think it was possible for it to be more elaborate, but I was wrong. Giant statues of wolves line the hallways, and it feels like their eyes are watching me as I move.We stop in front of a large wooden door. It is covered in carvings and words in a language I have only seen once before."Regina castri," I read the words, running my fingers over the wood.I stare at Sabrina with wide eyes. "How many women have stayed in this room?""Just you," Sabrina responds bitterly. "You awoke before it was finished.""Why would this room be completed for me?" I ask."That is not a question for me," Sabrina whispers. She opens the door and ushers me inside. A massive bed is sitting in the center of the room. It is the largest bed I have ever seen and a fluffy navy blue quilt is on top.Several bookshelves line the room, and they are filled with books. I place my hand over my mouth to stop from squealing with excitement. I have
Leonidas POVI open the door that connects our rooms and the scent of vanilla swirls around me. I should have known she would be here. Strolling into the room, I walk past Sabrina and into my closet."Why are you here?" I growl.Sabrina steps into the closet. My eyes roam over her naked body, but I remain unaroused. While I look at her I try to remember why I brought her into my bed to begin with. She is conventionally attractive but not anything special. There is a tiny pout on her lips and she dangles her silver cuffs from the tips of her fingers."Your Highness," she whispers seductively. "It is Friday night. I always come to you on Friday nights.""Not anymore," I grunt.Her eyes fill with fake tears. "Have I done something to displease you?""You have lost your appeal," I respond harshly. It is how I have dismissed all of the other she-wolves before her, but apparently Sabrina is here to fight for her position as my mistress. She drops the silver cuffs to the ground and sto
Alora POVThere is a heavy weight on my chest making it difficult to breathe. Panic fills my veins. This is a new symptom. Perhaps my lungs are becoming paralyzed like the rest of me. Why isn’t the potion Anila gave me wearing off?As I spiral inside my mind, a snore makes my eyes fly open. Squinting against the morning light shining into the room, I see a massive head lying on my chest. I choke back the scream building in my throat, and the arm that is wrapped around me tightens. Whoever is sleeping on my chest groans loudly and lifts their head. Leonidas yawns loudly and smiles at me. “Good morning.” I can no longer hold back the scream. It belts from my lips, and Leonidas jumps from the bed. My eyes shamelessly travel down his body, and another scream builds, but I am stunned into silence. The man is naked. There is not a scrap of clothing on him. When I come to my senses, I open my mouth to scream, but Leonidas straddles me on the bed and covers my mouth with his ha
Alora POVThe man ruffles his hair in an attempt to hide his ears, but it is too late. I have seen what he is. He turns from me and tries to leave the stables, but I chase after him. “Wait,” I beg. “I am not supposed to talk to you,” he mutters under his breath. “Why not?” I plead. “Does the Lycan King not know what you are?” “It is because of what I am that I cannot talk to you,” he whispers. He races up the hill to the castle, but I refuse to accept his departure. “Please,” I beg. He spins around so quickly that he almost knocks me over. His hand wraps around my forearm and stops me from tumbling to the ground. His grasp is firm, but he does not hurt me, and his eyes are laced with concern.“What is your name?” I ask curiously. Waiting until I am steady, he lets go and exhales an uneasy breath. “My name is Elric.” “Elric,” I repeat his name. “I am Alora.” “I know who you are,” he groans. “I need to go.”“Wait,” I call after him again. “How did you get through th
Leonidas POVOne Hundred Years AgoThe sound of skin slapping together fills my dark room. The lycan woman bent over the edge of my bed has her face buried in the pillow to muffle her screams. I have spent years trying to woo this one into my bed. She was hard to catch, but now that I have her, it is kind of disappointing. As hard as I try, I can’t even remember her name. She is utterly forgettable. With my cock deeply inside her, I still find my mind wandering. I can already tell there is no release for me on the horizon, and I grow tired of fucking her. As I pull out, she whimpers at the loss of my touch, but if I touch her for one more moment, I might be sick to my stomach.She looks back with a frown on her face. “Are you okay, Sire?”“Leave,” I hiss through my teeth. She looks hurt. Her large brown eyes brim with tears, but to her credit, she doesn’t let them fall. She steps in my direction, but I step back. I don’t want to give her hope.Suddenly, the door to my bedr
Alora POVThe room is silent, and I know I have touched on a subject that Leonidas does not want to speak about. I hold my breath while waiting for Leonidas to answer. At first, I don’t think he is going to answer me, but then he opens his mouth to speak. “Do you know about the Moon Goddess?” He begins. “I do,” I respond. “She is your creator.” Leonidas gives me a genuine smile, something I have yet to see from him. The sight of it makes my heart flutter. I have thought he was attractive, but when he smiles, he is devastatingly beautiful. Right now, he looks like the prince in every book I have read, instead of the villain he has turned out to be. “That’s right. She loved us so much she gave us each a partner called a mate. Our mate is supposed to complete us. They are everything we are not and everything we need. With our mates by our side, we are stronger and happier.” I pause to think about his words. It is not the archaic situation I had expected, and that gives m
Leonidas POVI am helpless as I watch Alora leave my room. I should go after her, but Anila is blocking my way. The light around us flickers, and the hag before me transforms into the young woman I knew so many years ago. Her blonde hair and freckles have been restored and there is not a wrinkle to be found on her skin. I had forgotten how beautiful she was.Her trick almost works. I almost melt under her smile and forgive her, but I am not as naïve as I was a century ago. “Move,” I warn her. “You could have chosen me,” she growls. “That night at the ball. You could have chosen me.” “Is that what this is about?” I scoff. “I was never going to choose you. Even if I wanted to, my father would have never allowed it.”“I killed him for you,” she snaps. “Apparently, you killed him for you,” I scoff. “I tried to take matters into my own hands,” she sneers. “But you found me too quickly. The spell was meant to kill her, but I made a mistake. I let her turn eighteen. It is
Alora POVWarm water splashes me in the face as Leonidas joins me in the bathtub. At first, I am too stunned to speak. He is sitting fully clothed in the water with me and doesn’t seem phased at all. “Your Highness,” I whisper in shock. “Don’t call me that,” he growls playfully. “King Leonidas,” I correct myself. He inches closer to me. “Don’t call me that either.” “Leonidas,” I chance calling him by his name. He cups my face with his hand and stares into my eyes. The electricity between us is almost unbearable as it lights up my skin. My body is urging me to push him away but pull him close to me at the same time. As the war within me rages, Leonidas continues to get closer. “Sire,” I whisper. “You have on your clothes.” His lips are so close his breath fans my face. “Would you prefer I was naked?” “Yes,” My words betray me. “Wait…” But the damage has been done. He stands in the water and begins stripping off his clothes. He peels each item from his body an
Alora POVThe only sound in the dining room is the clinking of silverware against the plates. Leonidas is tearing apart his meat with his hands, glaring at Naridah from across the table. Ivy is refusing to sit beside Elric, and he is mumbling curse words under his breath. Vesper is blissfully unaware of what is happening around him. He is just happy to have his mate by his side. Naridah begins humming a song as she chews. Leonidas tenses beside me. I could sift through her memories for hours, but there will never be enough evidence for him to trust her. “Naridah,” I gain her attention. She looks up from her plate and smiles. “Please call me Nari.” “Nari,” I continue. “I think your humming makes my mate uncomfortable.” She cuts her eyes at Leonidas and presses her lips together in a hard line. “Fine.” The room is silent once again. This is possibly the most awkward family dinner since the creation of the Two Realms. Ivy is desperate to fill the silence. “Are mates com
Alora POV“It has never been done before,” Ivy snaps at me. “Your place is here among the Fae.” I shake my head. “My place is with all the creatures. I think that is why Morgan chose me. So I would unite the Two Realms.” Ivy turns to Elric. “Will you talk some sense into them?” Elric flushes bright red and looks down at the massive table between us. I can tell he has never told Ivy “no” a day in her life, and I don’t think he is about to start now. But he doesn’t say anything. All of the lycans have gone back to the Lycan Realm, and we are waiting for Vesper to return. It feels like it is Leonidas and I against the world. Ivy and a few Fae council members are being so stubborn. They won’t listen to reason. When Elric doesn’t speak up, water begins to drip from Ivy’s fingertips. She is about two minutes from losing her temper and drowning us all. “You can’t take up residence in the Lycan Realm. We need a Queen.” “I know you do,” I say gently. “I am planning on stayi
Alora POVLeonidas pauses, looking down on me. There is an eagerness in his gaze, but also concern. My magic reaches for his feelings without my permission. It latches onto his emotions, and it is suffocating. They are intense, and tears sting my eyes. I force my magic away and reach for him. “I am not made of glass,” I assure him. “You won’t break me.” He joins me on the bed, carefully positioning himself between my legs. His fingers swipe my hair out of my eyes, and he sighs. “You look so fragile.”“I am not,” I say. Wrapping my leg around him, I force him to roll onto his back. His hands rest lightly on my hips as I straddle him. Moving my body slowly, I run my core over the length of his harden cock, and he tightens his grip. I moan in satisfaction and continue to tease us both. A growl rumbles in his chest, and he flexes his fingers on my hips. I chuckle, and he glares at me. “What is so funny?”“Do you want to be inside me?” I smile. He nods with a silly grin
Leonidas POVMy warriors scatter, and several Fae do the same. I refuse to leave Alfred alive, but I can't bring myself to leave Alora's side. I didn't realize being away from her would be so painful. I don't understand how my father could betray the mate bond. Alora is all I will ever want.Her shoulders slump over, and a stray tear leaves a track through the blood on her face. In one night, she has lost and gained so much."Let's find a place to get you cleaned up," I whisper."Aren't you going to look for Alfred?" She asks."There is no need." I pull her close. "My men have it covered.""I just want to go home," she cries as she collapses into my chest."This is your home," the Fae woman that killed Estes interrupts us.Alora straightens her shoulders and sucks in a sharp breath. "This realm has never been my home.""You are our Queen," the woman pleads. "You can't leave us without a ruler.""Ivy," Alora groans. "I don't know anything about this realm. Just let me leave.""This is
Alora POVEstes puts up a fight even though his powers are no match for mine. It is wind against wind. Gusts of powerful air move across the room, whipping angrily against my skin. I do my best to retaliate, but these powers are new to me.I am desperate to keep the rest of the party safe from our battle. My concentration is split. One hand controls the vortex surrounding Estes and me, and the other is blasting air at him.My arms are growing tired, and Estes's attacks are cutting into my flesh. I can only hope that mine are doing the same to him. Sweat is beginning to form on his brow, and he looks tired. This might be my chance to end this. But I am not paying attention, and I don't see the silver glint of the knife in his latest attack until it is too late.The blade sticks in my arm, and I scream in frustration. I can't risk pulling it at and losing the vortex. My arm hangs limply at my side, and I fear he has won.He lifts his hand to deal the final blow, but only whisps come fro
Leonidas POVThis is possibly the biggest mistake I have ever made as king. The Fae Queen is dead in my castle, the future Fae King is hiding in one of my guest rooms, the full moon has disappeared from the Fae Realm, and it is likely we won’t be able to shift. Still, I am marching into the Fae castle with my army.Lobo is at my side. There is a feral look in his eyes. It seems as if he has been waiting for this fight."What's the game plan?" He asks."Honestly," I laugh." Find Alora.""No diplomacy?" He cracks his knuckles."Not this time," I snarl. "Not after what I learned from Queen Fauna, but let’s not kill everyone in our path."A smile spreads across his lips. "But those who resist?” “Fair game,” I reply. Somehow, we have managed to make it into the forest surrounding the Fae Castle. Either they are so confident in their abilities that they do not feel the need to protect themselves, or this is a trap. I am leaning toward the latter.I peer through the trees, looking for a
Alora POVElric is chasing me down the hallways of the castle, quietly pleading for me to stop and return to my room. He is trying to tell me how Leonidas will kill him if anything happens to me, but I ignore everything coming out of his mouth. My mother did not bestow her powers to me so I could hide in a dark room of the Fae castle and let men do all the work. She gave me her powers so I could restore the natural order of things. I hate to admit it, but I might need his help. Spinning around, I look him in the eyes. “Where can I find Estes?” He looks away and shuffles his feet. “There is another party in the castle tonight. He is probably there with Ivy.” I look him up and down. There is a sneer on his lips. He cares for my aunt, but why? Then I realize how blind I am. “She is your mate.” His teeth grind together, and his jaw locks. “Yes.” “Interesting,” I mutter. Then I step closer to him, studying his features carefully.Suddenly, it feels like I am transported i
I want to offer an apology for the delay in updates. One of my children has an illness she will be dealing with for the rest of her life. Just know that I am doing my best to try to keep up with updates. Until things calm down a little, I am going to aim for 3-4 updates a week. Hopefully, when the smoke clears, I will be able to finish up this story. I know some will view this as an excuse, but I have to put my family first. I do hope you will stick around for the end of this story. Solange Daye
Alora POVI am back in the flowery field where I met Morgan, only this time I am alone. The grass is taller than it was, and the trees have changed shape. It is like many years have passed since the last time I was here. Wading through the tall grass, I let my fingers graze over the tips of the blades. It is a strange feeling. I know it is one I haven’t felt before, but it doesn’t feel foreign. There is a small river just ahead of me. I sit down, dip my feet into the water, and am surprised at how warm it is. Little minnows come nibble at my toes, and I giggle out loud. I know this is a dream, but it all feels so real. “This is the life I wanted for you,” a soft voice makes me jump. Spinning around, I see myself. No. That can’t be right. “Are you my mother?” It is the same question I asked Ivy. Only this time, I am more sure of the answer. She smiles sadly and sits beside me. “I wish I had been a better mother to you.” “What happened?” I blurt out. “Because