SorenSnow falls in heaps that stick to hanging neon signs coated in ice. Street lights flicker as I move through the shadows, keeping my head down and my eyes covered by a thin strip of black fabric. A group of drunk patrons stumble out of a bar in front of me, tumbling into the ice covered street, carrying music and the scent of beer in their wake, but no one looks in my direction. It’s easy to go unseen in a city this size. In the distance, between the gaps between old apartment buildings and shops, shadows rise over the icy river. There used to be a city there. Now it’s a wasteland, nothing but ash. Twin Rivers has a sordid history. I hate coming here. It’s noisy and dirty but constantly bustling. It reminds me of some of the bigger cities in Crescent Falls that fell out of the influence of the royal family. Crime runs rampant here, practically unchecked. I know this city is on Maeve’s radar. It’s the largest city in the Roguelands, with twelve packs claiming territory in the c
MaeveWaves beat against the pristine white sand of the private beach a short walk from the fabulous vacation house Maddy and Isaac now call home full time. I cross my arms over my chest, resting them against my belly as a warm breeze ripples through my flowy sundress and sigh. Well. I guess I deserved the shocked looks and whispers when I’d reached the house, stormed inside, changed, and let the family dissolve into chaos before racing toward the beach to gather my thoughts. It’s barely midmorning when I splash through the surf, watching the glittering, crystal clear water rush around my increasingly swollen ankles. The sun warms my skin, making it prickle with the promise of a tan, or sunburn, depending on how long I plan to spend hiding. “Maeve.”I hesitate before turning toward my dad’s voice. He’s walking beside Mom, who looks like she spent the last two days crying her eyes out, which makes me feel worse than being stabbed repeatedly in the heart. I hug my stomach and slowly
MaeveThree kings sit before me at a large circular table in a simple, but bright, room within the temple in Crescent Falls. Sweat prickles along my brow line, but my magic keeps my nerves under wraps as King Lucius of Lunaria smiles at me, pleased, I think, with how the summit went. King Evan of Celestoria, however, keeps his expression cool and collected, while Sydney sits somewhat smugly nearby, glancing at his watch. We’ve been here for hours, covering everything from trade to the relationships between the territories under our separate control. With so much migration and tourism between our four kingdoms these days, not to mention a massive boom in population that followed the War of Tarsian twenty years ago, the agenda was long and tightly managed, but long nonetheless. I’m tired, hungry, and ready to leave. I smooth the fabric of my neat, perfectly tailored black and gold suit jacket. My hair is tightly woven into a bun at the nape of my neck, and Brie did my makeup this mor
Maeve“Maeve–”“I can explain–”“You’re pregnant?” Brie’s voice cracks, her dark brown eyes wide with shock and then a sudden, choking grief. “What? How? When?”I raise my hands in surrender, trembling, wondering how to even begin, but Brie steps toward me, her brows furrowed in confusion. “Maeve, you’re massive!”“Uh, thanks,” I snarl, but tears begin to prickle along my eyelashes. “You’re–you have to be nearing the end of the pregnancy, aren’t you? Why haven’t you told anyone? I didn’t know. Mom doesn’t know–”“I wanted it that way.”“You didn’t tell the family? You’ve been pregnant this whole time, on the tour.” Her eyes widen as she thinks out loud. “You were pregnant during the coronation, weren’t you?”“I didn’t know yet, not at that point, but a few days later–”“You found out when the family was gathered, and you didn’t say anything?” Tears stain her cheeks like ribbons of silver. “You didn’t tell me?”“What the fuck was I supposed to say?” I bite out, the room around me blur
MaeveIt’s snowing in Crescent Falls. I watch the landscape rush by as I ride in the back of a blacked out SUV, resting my hands on the swell of my growing belly. I’m nearly eight months pregnant now. The reality of my situation hasn’t set in yet. I think back on that day when I’d sat on the bathroom floor with Jane, spilling my heart out, often. Everything since that moment has been a blur. Within days of confirming the pregnancy, I started my grand tour of Eastonia. First, I traveled through Moonrise and the towns and villages surrounding the main city, formally introducing myself as their queen. Then, I spent a few weeks in Veiled Valley with my family while navigating my royal duties and guarding my secret. I didn’t tell my mom I was pregnant. She still doesn’t know. I don’t know how to say it. I left Veiled Valley and traveled through the Roguelands, with many dozens of stops, meeting face to face with every Alpha, Beta, and Luna. I sat in on pack meetings, listening to the tr
SorenFive months have passed since the coronation. Time has been a blur, to say the least. I’ve been all over the place lately, working my fingers to the bone to move over fifty people into hiding, and now, I’m nearly done. The man standing in the corner of the foyer of a large, well-built stone house in the plains outside of Moorn stares at the file in his hands, his face gray and washed in confusion, then startles in understanding as I watch the column of his throat bob when he swallows, his eyes flicking to mine. “Are they in danger?”“Yes,” I reply steadily, but I don’t look in the direction of his mate, a woman of maybe thirty currently sitting in the other room with their three young children. This man, a commander in King Sydney’s royal forces, was the one I knew I’d have the most trouble with. Moving the Betas was easy. The Alpha, not so much, but he eventually folded. I don’t know what's in those files the Architect supplied, but it’s enough to change their minds, that’s