*Maddy*I need to run now. I can feel Reginald's fury starting to suffocate the room. He’s still arguing with one of the well-dressed men who is now shouting in his face. I understand nothing.A few of the women dressed in fine gowns start to walk out of the ballroom, their faces drawn in disappointment. I glance around quickly, trying to keep my battered face shielded from the Prince–no, the Alpha King. He’s the Alpha King now. I hadn’t realized until I saw him, but the crest he wears on his lapel confirms it.He hasn’t recognized me. I didn’t expect him to. It’s been three years, after all. And I look nothing like the rosy cheeked teenager I’d been when he’d asked me to dance at his birthday ball. He’s as handsome as ever with the same dark hair as his father and his mother’s bright blue eyes. I remember them well from the ball. The scent of bergamot and leather waft off of him, making my lower abdomen tighten, but I’m not here to throw myself at the king. It seems clear we’re not
*Isaac*Lorena sits in a wing-backed armchair in the formal sitting room off the front garden. Her golden hair falls over her shoulders in soft curls. Her eyes haven’t left mine for the past hour, and to be honest, I find myself growing more and more uncomfortable in her presence. This isn’t good. She’s my top contender at this point, a week after out initial meeting. Her father, an Alpha, is a great man. Kind, loyal, intelligent. An ally I am lucky to have. I know that his loyalty to the crown isn’t contingent on whether or not I choose Lorena as my wife and Luna based on a prior conversation I had with the man. Thank the Goddess. It’s not that I’m not attracted to her. It’s not that I can’t see her potential. It’s her voice–and the words that leave her lips when her guard is down. I can sense a bit of a mean streak, and the way her eyes narrow on the female maids that work at my home make me wonder if she’d rule this house like a dictator, her intentions cruel and that cruelt
*Maddy*I can’t understand a word these people are saying. I sit in on a bench in a large kitchen, a cup of hot tea with milk and honey in my trembling hands. King Isaac is arguing with the copper haired man, a shade a few lighter than my own. I recognize him from the day Reginald dragged me here. They must be roughly the same age. The man looks over at me quizzically before turning back to Isaac and continuing the animated conversation. I wish they’d slow down so I could have a moment to pick through their words for anything that sounds remotely familiar. Anything I learned from Reginald’s sadistic tutor has been replaced by nothing but the feeling of my knuckles being swatted over, and over again. I’m dead. The second they lead me out of this castle, I’m dead. Two women walk into the room, and I immediately hang my head so my hair falls forward to shield my face. One of them looks a lot like Isaac. Her hair is much darker, a deep brown that’s nearly black. I can’t see the other
*Isaac*I don’t believe her name is actually Jenny. The uncertainty in her eyes gives it away. This man, whom she says is her uncle, has motives that are unclear. I had Cassian send for the man shortly after I hauled the girl into the kitchen with the intent of questioning her. Both intentions fell flat, of course. She doesn’t understand much of what I’m saying, and Alester Martin, if that’s really his name, is incredibly hard to track down. But now he’s here, and I intend to get the truth out of him. Short and lean, he walks into the sitting room with a look of elation on his face that falls the second he sees his niece sitting in a chair dressed in sweatpants instead of the fine gown she arrived in. Contempt flashes behind his beady eyes as he looks her up and down before turning to me with a deep bow. “My King–”“Would you care to explain why your niece is here at my home, uninvited? I made it very clear that she wasn’t part of the chosen few I’d invited back for interviews.”
*Maddy*Reginald hasn’t spoken to me since he brought me back to his townhouse last night. Fresh bruises pepper my skin from the beating he gave me last night on the way home last night. I used my forearms to shield my face from the blows before he finally turned around and left me alone. Today, he seems in good spirits, but I have no idea why.I failed. But then nothing else happened to me last night. I wasn’t dragged from my room and given to his wolves. I was simply left to my own devices, which meant I spent the entire night picking through the brief conversation he had with King Isaac. I found a few words I recognized, but I still can’t make sense of why Reginald is so adamant I catch the king’s attention. I can’t possibly be considered as his Luna. A consort, maybe? Someone to warm his bed? Morning sunlight whispers through the windows in my room. No breakfast has been laid out, and neither Glenda or Clare have come in to ready me for whatever I’m supposed to be doing today.
*Maddy*I expected the blows to my body, the rough knuckles raking over my skin until bruises bloomed yellow and purple on my arms and stomach. I expected the bitter words in a language I didn’t understand, and the tight grip on my wrists as I was dragged through wet snow back into the house I’d just escaped. I wasted so much time. I couldn’t help but beat myself up over it. Had I not run into Princess Ella, I’d be on a train right now traveling far, far away. Cool night air was replaced by dry, fiery heat, and then it all went black. For a moment, at least. I wake to someone shouting, and suddenly, I’m lifted and thrown against the wall, my head banging against the weathered floorboards with a violent smack. Stars fill my vision before faces blur into view. Reginald is standing over me, the toe of his boot pressing into my chin. “How the fuck did she get out?” he sneers to a large man standing beside him. “The kitchen window, I think.”I wince as Reginald’s boot clips me hard,
The night before… *Isaac*I press my phone to my ear as I walk through the castle. It’s early evening, and Cassian is insistent on shifting with me tonight. It’s a perfect night for it, a full moon. The whole city is lit up with lanterns and every temple is decorated for the monthly celebrations that take place during the full moons. “Mom,” I breathe, my mouth curving into a smile. “I missed your call earlier.”“How are you, honey? I haven’t heard from you in ages!”“Busy,” I admit, wincing. “I’m sure Dad and Antony have made you well aware of the situation here.”“They have.” Her voice is suddenly stern and uneasy. “Antony and your dad are growing concerned. It’s all the talk around Crescent Falls, but it takes so long for news to reach Maatua. Is everything all right?”“Everything is fine. The threat is far south so far, and I have it handled.” For now. I keep her chatting for a moment, trying to gauge whether Ella made good on her threat to tell our parents what I’m up to, but M
*Maddy*Reginald's hold on me is tight as he leads me up the wide steps leading to the front door of King Isaac’s home. I feel like I’m about to be sick, but I swallow past the painful lump in my throat and force myself to put on a brave face. There are only two reasons why I’m here. Either Ella told him what happened, and in that case, I have no idea why the king would involve himself, or Reginald and the king have made a deal. In any case, my fate is no longer in my hands. But then, it really never has been. I should have known from the very beginning that I wouldn’t be able to escape. In the best of circumstances, I’m simply being passed from one man to another, and I have no guarantees King Isaac is better than Reginald in any way. The door opens with a whoosh that sends a wave of warm, dry air over my face. My hair flies over my shoulders, left loose and falling down my back in thick waves that coil into curls at the ends. I’m not in a gown this time, thankfully. Brown slacks