NIKOLAI“Is that you Raya?” I rasped breathlessly, moving a hand from where I had jammed it in my suit pants to run it through my ruffled jet-black hair.I couldn't put my finger on it, but the maiden looked different, besides the layer of exquisite makeup and shiny glamour on her face, and the dress that I had to stop myself from ripping off.How could she have worn such tight clothes? She was giving everyone in the hall a bloody hard-on! The Raya I knew would have never dressed like this, and yet, I couldn't help being drawn to her like a moth to a fucking flame.“Your Highness, congratulations on your reign, may you...live long,” The olive-skinned woman whispered to me over her shoulder before turning around to give me a small courtesy, making me tear my eyes from the plunging bare-back dress that showed her toned, tight body.“I didn't think you would come,” I coughed, unable to tear my eyes away from her chest, the delicious-looking mounds of flesh that she had exposed.Christ, h
Judith The MaidThe missus had been acting strange long before His Highnesses coronation as King of the three cities. It had started with her strange friendship with that Anya character and then progressed to erratic behavior, like a woman possessed. It felt like walking on eggshells just being around her.I watched her now out of the corner of my eye as she threw open the bedside drawers, pulling the wood from its casket and flinging it to the floor.“Saints,” I sighed in my mind, cringing and folding yet another of the mistress's lingerie that she had scattered about the room so that the wide nicely decorated plush space looked more like a rabid raccoon’s nest than a space fit for the Alpha’s mistress.“Where is it? Where did you keep it you bloody, conniving bitch!” Miss Olivia roared like a lion, making me cringe away as she stormed toward me, flying at me with foam seeping out the sides of her mouth like a bat out of hell.“W-where is what Miss Burns? What are you searching for?”
RAYA BANKS“Do you think it worked?” I breathed, feeling a wave of dizziness that made me lean heavily on the wall to catch my breath as I grinned back at Mary.“Can’t tell for sure, but we'll know this night if he comes looking for you,” The pixie-haired woman whispered before she closed the door behind her, wiggling her eyebrows at me.“Wait!” I called suddenly, feeling a little ashamed when she turned to me slowly with her eyebrows raised, not missing the spark of irritation that flashed in her eyes.“What do I do now?” I wheezed breathlessly, feeling like a wolf pup that had gotten lost in a park with everything whooshing by fast enough that it made my eyes water.“A bath Raya, with roses and wild lilies, and then the sexiest night dress you can find, nothing like those cotton monstrosities you have filled in your closet.” She whispered, gentling her tone as my eyebrows furrowed in the offense.My cotton night gowns were vintage! It was the only thing I had left from my mother sav
NIKOLAI“Shit,” I whispered to myself, raking my hands through my hair and pacing the length of my room as Olivia’s words rang in my ear.“You're acting crazy Nikolai, what's going on? What did she say?” Igor whispered frantically, pacing after me, the harsh lines of his square-cut face cast in the pale yellow light of the room made him appear more brutish, and I realized as though for the first time just how tall he was. How...big.“She’s pregnant, with child for me,” I whispered icily through clenched teeth, unable to wrap my head around the words as they passed my lips and thinking back to what had happened at the banquet hall.I remembered forcing myself to breathe when Olivia said the damning words, staggering back as the walls in my head morphed and bent. It was the first time in a long time that my wolf fell silent, staying quietly in the dark cage I had trapped all my rage inside.“What did you just say?” I wheezed, feeling like the ground had been snatched from underneath my
RAYAI ran through the stone corridors with my feet scarcely touching the floor, the frantic sounds of Mary’s breathing in my ear as she ran behind me making me even more breathless.“This way Miss, to the drawing-room!” Judith panted, her head which was tucked into her ivory-colored milkmaid hat bobbing like a lizard in front of me as we ran through the corridors out into the open field.Olivia Burns was convulsing? I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread looming in the back of my mind, as though this were yet another attention-seeking stunt she was pulling, and dammit if it wasn't working. There were wolves waiting in the foyer as we ran between the towering stone wings, with some of the residents staring wide-eyed out of their windows down at us, slamming the shutters closed when I glanced up.We stumbled through the wide open door of the drawing room in what felt like minutes, and I took a moment to admire the gold linings of the walls surrounding the large room.There were pa
Raya“You should have her hanged Nikolai! She's a danger to your child! Your crowned heir!” Olivia Burns bellowed in a guttural voice that seemed to shake the gold chandelier hanging above us and I cringed, feeling my breaths come faster and faster.“I didn't, I didn't do anything! Please, Nikolai! You’ve got to believe me!” I gushed, feeling tears pool under my eyes as I stared up at the King’s handsome face. I could see the emotions behind his glassy gray eyes as he stared down at me, before Olivia’s stern voice rose again, like some shit-ugly prima donna.Nikolai was struggling to believe me, and I could tell it was because things had been weird between us, but was it enough that he would hang me at Olivia’s behest? I gulped reflexively, stumbling back a step as the man skulked towards me, his eyes blazing with an unreadable expression.“Then who did Raya? Who did this?” He rasped, and I felt a shiver run down my back as his cool breath brushed my cheeks before something snapped i
Olivia BurnsMy heart was beating faster than normal as I watched the olive-skinned woman being led away in cuffs.“I can't believe she'd even do this! This is what happens when you let scum from the Burning City into the Stone Castle!” One of the residents hummed glumly, a woman with cheeks that were much too rounded for her twig-thin neck.I had seen her parading the castle grounds before with her Tomboys and johns, thinking that no one would see her. She was a right slut too, the only difference was that Raya had been caught, or framed.I felt my lips tear into a grin when I met Anya’s widened eyes, before quickly arranging my face into a mask of pain, much to her disbelief. I could feel it now, that the woman was scared of me, of what I could do. Anya the Barbie girl from the slums was not going to be playing any more of her hide-and-seek games with me, no siree.I was Alpha Nikolai’s chosen woman, with the power to send her to Hades, or wherever the fuck Raya bitch was going.“C
Raya Banks“Saints,” I sighed, releasing my iron grip on the steel cell bars and shuffling back to the bunk bed to sit with my back against the cold wall.I wrapped my hands around myself, feeling a shiver creep up my spine as the heavy clod of footfalls echoed outside the dark cell, so I turned to look at the silvery hallway just as the towering hulk of the cell wolf guard darkened the gateway.“Food for the prisoner,” He growled gruffly, pushing the silver food tray under the grates so that it clattered to a stop at the foot of the bed and I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat.“How much longer do I have to stay here?” I called as the scary guard turned to leave and watched as the hunch in his shoulders jerked back before he strutted off without responding. Assholes! The lot of them!Ugh, I couldn't believe Olivia had me framed for her poisoning. That was the only thing that made sense the more I thought about it! I have to convince Nikolai of my innocence, I had seen the dar
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