ALPHA TOPHThe throne room was quiet when I ignored the straight-faced guards outside to throw open the huge double doors and watched as the click of the overhead lights turning on until the whole stretch of glass ceiling was illuminated.“Playing hide and seek are we?” I tutted, pleased to hear my voice carrying loudly in the table-strewn space.Nothing. Silence.I felt a scowl deepen the grooves in my forehead as I sneered, my heart suddenly hammering against, my ribs as I stormed into the space, letting my eyes roam over the jutting pieces of furniture and round tables on the sides before I looked up to my skull throne, the bones jutting from the silver and catching the light of the moon so that it almost looked like the padded metal seat was on fire.“Come on now, Gobar, aren't you too old for games like this?” I raved, the tingle in the back of my neck buzzing harder as I began to wrench the white sheets violently from the seats, peeking under the tables and chairs like a madman
NIKOLAIThe stone of the castle battlement seemed to give under my feet as I sat hunched, unmoving in the night, allowing the bright yellow beams of my wolf’s eyes to roam over the quiet silhouette of trees.“Where the hell are you Igor?” I growled under my breath, feeling my heart fluttering wildly in my chest as the case of a distant owl grated in my ears.The man should have been back from his scout to the Burning City by now. What the hell was taking so long?I could feel the whirl of the castle sleeping behind me, the loud snores of the Keep guards rising like train whistles in the night so that I ground my teeth uselessly against each other.Had he been caught? The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth so I inhaled sharply, knowing Alpha Toph would no doubt call for a public beheading of the intruder.“Shit,” I grunted, leaping back down into the castle and feeling more irritated that I couldn't leave. I was trapped here, with an army of residents that saw me as a god, and a w
RAYA BANKS“Come on! Quickly!” The dirt-faced girl from the other cell screamed, breaking me out of the limbo and I whipped my head back up to the stretch of hallway ahead, dizzy with the adrenaline that was pounding hotly in my ear.I tugged on the cell gates dumbly, fisting the large gold padlock that glimmered in the dark with sweat-slick palms before scurrying back to my cell.Hagrid’s set of keys? Where had I dropped it? I widened my eyes in the sepia blackness, the stone floor of the castle dungeon appearing slick as I rounded the grates to my old cell, my breath hitching in my throat when I found the giant skinhead slumped on the floor in the corner, his massive legs stretched out in from of him with his hands hanging uselessly by his sides.“Hagrid?” I croaked, not trusting myself to approach the man when his head sagged when farther into his chest, almost as though the life had gone out of him.”Are you okay?” I whispered shakily, scanning the cell for the shine of the keys a
ALPHA TOPHI ground my boot first into the man’s mouth, watching with my wolf’s sharp eyes as his lips tore against the tough leather and the porcelain of one white tooth flew out and clattered noisily to the stone floor.”How dare you Hagrid? After all, I've done for you!” I rasped breathlessly, feeling the ragged breaths burn in my chest and nostrils as I wheezed through the anger that was bubbling inside me, unwinding the chain whips that had been hanging in the corner slowly and stalking back toward the assassin.I gritted my teeth, lashing out the thorny whip and watching it crack and tear into the skin of the man’s arm, the flesh of his wrists sizzling with smoke so that my eyebrows flew upwards before i barked out a bitter laugh.The little shit was trying to shift into his wolf, to beat me! I couldn't believe the nerve he had! It was a good thing I invested in the silver chains that had been wrought with wolfsbane.“Where is my mate Hagrid? This doesn't have to be any harder t
RAYA BANKSI sagged against the tree, knocking a hand against my chest and feeling like I was about to pass out before I heard Mary stop some ways ahead of me.I sagged against the tree, knocking a hand against my chest and feeling like I was about to pass out before I heard Mary stop some ways ahead of me.“I can't stop, I can't go any further,” I wheezed, panting as I leaned against the rough bark of the tree, relieving the hot aching in my thighs and the tension in the back of my legs.I watched the pixie-haired woman glance around the boulder of the trees suspiciously, rubbing her hand over her jean shorts that had greasy streaks of brown on them, her pale white legs seeming to stretch for ages that a brief bite of jealousy twisted in my heart.I remembered the way she had been quick to ditch Sheila and the other women, gulping reflexively when we locked gazes and I wondered just how much I could trust her.“We can't stay here Raya, what if they're after us?” She queried testily,
NIKOLAI“There’s something you should know about Raya Banks, something that could destroy the Stone City if it falls into the wrong hands...Your Highness,” The woman whispered fiercely, and I watched her eyes glaze over, her bare oval face and the cracked line of her pink lips quivering with the effort that it took to hold the tears back.I inhaled sharply, leaning back on my haunches and swirling the glass that had been sweating on the table before downing the whisky, feeling tears spring to my eyes when the alcohol burned my throat.”Goddamn Raya,” I whispered, gulping reflexively through the lump that had formed in my throat, my hands shaking on the slim shaft of the cigarette I held between my fingers.“What are you going to do Nikolai? If Raya is your half-mate, and she has this...this curse, or power, or whatever! Do you still think it’s safe to bring her to the Stone City?” Igor whispered, cocking his head to stare me in the eye before I sighed heavily again, The woman’s words
ALPHA TOPHThe man groaned, writhing on the floor like a crazed wolf with a bout of the shaking sickness.I felt my lips curl up into a sneer, as I wove my fingers through my hair, feeling the gold rings on my hands catch and tear small strands of the yellow bush that filled my head.“Get him out of here,” I sneered, curling my lips at the guards who were still watching me before they jerked into action, heating the large man who had not stopped wailing and bundling him out of the dank cell.I felt something deep and black surge from the pits of my belly and shoot through my lips to echo bitterly in the cell before I realized that I had been laughing.“That fucking bitch!” I wheezed almost breathlessly, delirious.It was the third time the woman was escaping my death grip and that was one time too many in my book.How dare she? Did the woman know how lucky she had been? Being the object of my attention? There were maids and princesses in the Burning City who would have thrown themselv
“Don’t make a sound,” Mary whispered through the wide spaces in her small boxy teeth, the whites of her eyes flashing in the sepia blackness as we knelt, hunched behind the wide stem of a tree.I nodded disjointedly, feeling my heart twist and squeeze almost painfully n my chest I struggled to breathe past the panic that had formed an ice-cold tower in my lungs as the snarls we had heard got closer and closer.The tension made me feel dizzy so that the skewered form of the trees around us whirled and distorted in my vision and I felt myself slipping, falling, before the pixie-haired girl’s hot hands slapped against my shoulders.“Snap out of it goddammit! Stay with me! Don't move a muscle, you're going to get us fucking killed Raya!” Mary hissed, sucking her lips so that they curled around her teeth dangerously and I stabbed my fingernails into my palms to battle the wave of nausea.I couldn't die here, not like this, at the hands of Alpha Toph’s hound dogs. I had openly defied the cr
Raya BanksI hadn't stopped glancing anxiously through the wide carriage windows after we left until my breath caught in my throat when I saw the looming buildings of the castle up ahead and leaned back in my seat, suddenly feeling my pulse jump.“It's okay Raya, I'm here...I won't let anyone hurt you.” Nikolai growled and I felt something warm unravel inside me at the possessive tone of his voice.I nodded, searching his stormy gray eyes once more before looking out the window again at the wet plains of the fields off to the sides.And Olivia? I wanted to ask, but something stopped me and I shook the thought out of my head, resting on his shoulder instead as the giant gate of the castle creaked open and I marveled at the cheers that boomed and erupted.“Holy shit,” I whispered and my cheeks warmed to hear Nikolai laugh beside me. Gosh, I never wanted him to stop laughing! There were rows and rows of ruddy-faced wolves holding large bouquets that they threw like confetti at the carri
NikolaiThe voices, by Jove! The rush of shadows and voices crowded into my head as I wove the moonstone around my neck must have made me mad!I roared, feeling my rage amplify and baring my teeth with bloodlust as I turned my body to see Alpha Toph charging toward me like a bat straight from hell.“You bloody prick! I'm going to annihilate you once and for all!” He bellowed, his lumpy muscled frame flying into the air before I surged forward to meet him halfway, almost stumbling when Raya’s soft whisper carried to my ears.I love you, I love you, I love you. I inhaled sharply, throwing everything I had into the fight as our bodies slammed meatily together before we landed heavily on the floor and I pushed against the bracket of his arms. His disfigured eyes stared at me from behind the barricade with such hate and venom that I threw away all the guilt I had swirling inside me.“Not if I kill you first.” I sneered, jamming my knee into his sides and watching him crumple in on himself
158Raya Banks“Nikolai! Watch out!” I shrieked loudly, feeling my gut wrench with fear as I saw the king get knocked down by Alpha Toph’s hulking frame.“You let a woman be your weakness again Nikolai, it's almost as if you never LEARN! Wasn't Olivia’s betrayal all those years ago enough for you?” Alpha Toph gurgled in a voice that sounded like rushing water and I felt chills wash over me as I tried to struggle to my feet before one of the shadowlings slammed their heavy foot flat on my back, knocking the breath out of me.“No!” I cried out, winded, and stretched a hand to the huge gray wolf that was being mauled ferociously by Alpha Toph’s half-human, half-beast frame. A trap! The beast had set a trap for the king and now he was cut in between. I knew almost immediately what he had planned to do but there was almost no way to warn Alpha Nikolai as he crossed the field to rescue me.Had I been his weakness? How did he find me? It couldn't have been that long since I was kidnapped an
Olivia BurnsIt was the silence that haunted me the most now. The empty hours from dawn to dusk and everything in between, just me and the shadows, and the shadows and me.“You rest up now Miss Burns, His Highness will be back to the Stone Castle in no time.” Meredith’s calming voice rang, making me snap my eyes to her pale oval face that had lifted into an encouraging smile.“Enough, I'm positive ill turn into one of the meadow fishes if you soak my stubs any longer.” I hissed impatiently, feeling my heart squeeze when the woman only smiled, snatching up a dry, white towel from the rack before wrapping my tender feet in it and toweling me off.I sneered at the unhealthy size of the swollen lumps as she massaged them into a reasonable size, and I stirred uneasily in the low plush stool that had been placed in the sunlit room.The King had ordered renovations for me, giant blue ceramic pots with fake gold flowers at the corners of the room that hid the shadowlings from my sight. The bi
NIKOLAIShe was RIGHT THERE, a few feet from me before he snatched her right out of the air. So close, and yet, so far away.“It doesn't have to be this way Tophas, my mate has no business in our rivalry, let her go.” I deadpanned, hearing the din of my voice as it caught in the wind whipping about us before my brother’s uneven face jerked into an excited smile.I could hear the thud of my heart beating and was aware how fast my breaths rushed out from my chest and yet, I could do nothing but stand and wait. No sudden movements.“But you lie, brother, Raya Banks is my mate too don't you reckon?” Tophas growled, slamming one thick paw that looked like the fingers had been snapped all the way back against Raya’s full cleavage.“Please!” Raya’s desperate wheezes twisted at my heart as I held out a hand, stopping Gallagher’s copper-colored wolf from morphing out and tearing forward. I could sense his agitation, because it was double in my gut, watching the woman I loved so much desperatel
Raya BanksI couldn't stop the shudders from running through my body before the sound of wolves laughing heartily in the distance reached my ears.“Oh God, oh God, help me,” I panted, squeezing my eyes shut and clamping my lips firmly to keep from whimpering when what felt like a tongue licked at the underside of my ass from the stone.The damned thing was alive! Like the stack of bodies in the corner of the room! Wolf zombies, immobile now, no doubt until the dark shadow king Gobar wanted to command them!“A feast! We shall have a feast!” Alpha Toph’s voice boomed in the distance and my body automatically stiffened, still as a rock.It had been some time since he left and the hearty yellow beam I could see beyond the cave opening flaps if I angled my head right had now turned a smokey gray. Dusk. I had to get out of here fast, I couldn't hope on the King any longer, he may as well have moved on with his betrothed and heir and here I was slaving away, holding out hope and waiting for
Alpha TophMy tongue pressed against the uneven ridges of my teeth as I fiddled with the lock of the shadow king’s secret compartment.I had caught a glimpse of the mammoth beast leaving the small shed, the spot on his neck where the blood moonstone hung bare. I knew then that Gobar had to have been hiding it here. He never wore it to hunt.“Come on!” I gritted through clenched teeth, feeling my eyeballs sting as the sweat rolled down from the cliff of my forehead.Everything had begun to feel weird, it was hard enough to feed without tasting the worms from the inside of my mouth in the blood.If I could just get my hands on the dark moonstone I could stop the transformation and have SOME chance of killing the shadow king.Yes! I had to kill him, there was no way in seven hells I would have gone through all the pains to settle for being his eternal stooge!The numbers I tried to spin on the lock didn't make any sense and it was beginning to get dark. I glanced around quickly, catchin
Meredith The Maid“MEREDITH!” My name, I answer it with pride when my mistress calls, but she does not call today. “MEREDIFFTH!” My name, whenever the mistress was in one of her moods and couldn't stand to get the words out nice and proper, her shrill tone seemed to shake me to my very core.She was in one of her moods again as I led her away from the King’s horses, holding the blubbering countess by the hand and helping her climb the stairs until we were behind the safe walls of the familiar quarters.“What time is it Meredith? I haven't had my afternoon tea and all that screaming has made me rather, famished!” Miss Olivia exclaimed and I caught my tongue between my teeth before I could tell her she had taken her lunch already. Thrice.“Of course, I'll send for it M’lady,” I cooed softly, lowering her onto the plush cushion of the high bed and propping her feet too before smothering her with the rich red duvets that had been layered on the foam.“My Merd, what would I do without y
NIKOLAITime seemed to stand still as I swung the silver sword in a neat arc, striking the stretched meat of my best friend’s neck and feeling the sword spasm in my death grip before cutting cleanly through the bone and clanging up to my shoulders against the hard rock of the dias.My heart pounded wildly in my chest as the brightly colored room blurred in my vision for a moment before I caught the lapse and blinked everything back into focus.The silence was so loud that my ears rang from the nothingness, not a breath, not a word, nothing but quiet. I watched Igor’s blood-spattered head roll quietly down each stone staircase until it toppled in a neat circle and stopped on the floor.I was breathing fast, and heavily, with my fingers shaking on the hilt of the executioner sword I still held tightly in my hand and yet I couldn't manage to shake it off.It was like a part of me had died the moment I held the blade. My fault! It was all my fault. I had let my best man turn into a trait