*Isla*“Good morning, dear,” Poppy says, pulling the curtains in front of the window open. I squint at the bright light and try to wake myself up. It took me forever to fall asleep last night, and now that I am awake, I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus. My head is throbbing, and all I can think about is the dirty dreams I had about the king last night.I mutter, “Good morning,” and manage to get my eyes to open as I sit up.“Your breakfast is on the way. Would you like to take a shower while we are waiting? I will get your outfit ready for the day. I’m not sure what the king’s plans are, but we have permission to go outside. I can show you the gardens.” Poppy smiles at me in an encouraging manner, and I find myself growing a little excited to get outside of this room.“I think that would be lovely,” I tell her.“Good,” she says. “I’ll go warm the shower.”Before I can protest, she is off and in the other room turning on the water. I can manage. I’ve never had anyone do anything like t
*Maddox*Sitting across the small table on the balcony near the dining room from Zabrina, I try to be polite, but it’s difficult. She will not stop talking, and I couldn’t care less about what she has to say.“So then, I told Daddy that I really wanted the shoes in silver and gold. Because you never know what color will look best, you know?”I nod. No, I don’t know. And I don’t care. I really, really don’t give a flying f*ck.“So he bought them, even though they cost ten thousand dollars for each pair. But then… it’s just money.” She giggles and takes a drink of her champagne. “You know what I mean, of course?”I smile. I do know what she means, but then, I also try not to waste money. I have an entire kingdom to think of, not just myself.Picking up my knife, I slice through my steak, watching the pink juice spill all over my plate. For a moment, I contemplate what it would look like to run the knife across her jugular, watching a different kind of juice, a dark crimson juice, pour o
*Isla*Alpha King Maddox is on top of me, and even though I’m terrified, the more he touches me, the more I want to be touched.His warm mouth latches on to mine, his tongue probing deeper and deeper. The taste of wine and something else, something bitter, glides over my tongue as his twirls around mine. I am afraid to touch him, so my fingers intertwine with the bedsheets as I try to stabilize myself. He’s kissing me so deeply, I’m growing dizzy and breathless.Finally, he releases my mouth, and his lips slide over my neck. I find myself arching my back, leaning into him, the ache between my legs growing with every touch of his fingers against the thing fabric of my nightdress as he continues to thumb my erect nipple.I can feel his erection against my belly, and the urge to spread my legs for him is undeniable, but I can’t at the moment because of the way he is lying on top of me. He is a mass of muscle, heavy and solid, and I couldn’t free myself if I tried.Not that I want to try.
*Isla*I am sitting at my table in my room, eating lunch, trying to get what happened the night before out of my head while Poppy talks about life at the castle and hangs up new clothes she’s gotten for me in my closet. I try to pay attention to her, but mostly I am lost in thought as I eat my salad.At least I have enough to eat while I am here. I don’t know how long I’ll be at the castle, but that’s something.“Really, though, Mrs. W. was the worst. You know, she wasn’t ever even married? They always call the heads of house staffs missus even if they’ve never been touched by a man. Really, what man would want to touch her? I mean other than to knock the shit out of her like Beta Seth did.” She laughs, and I laugh, too, even though I wasn’t really listening to what she said.Once her words catch up to me, I stop laughing. I didn’t like it when the Beta had that woman beaten in front of me, even if it was on my behalf.She continues on, and I try to listen, but I am thinking about Kin
*Isla*The days pass slowly, and for a few, I don’t see King Maddox at all. I am beginning to think he has forgotten about my existence. I wonder how long it might take for him to realize he has a guest in his castle—or am I a prisoner—sitting in a room, withering away?Of course, Poppy brings me food and keeps me company quite often. Sometimes I am alone. I have books and the window. I like to look outside at the gardens. Sometimes, a gardener will be out there working, making the plants beautiful.Some might think it is boring, and to some extent it is, but it’s nice not to have to work all the time.I miss my family so terribly, though. I wish I could call them or otherwise receive word of how they are doing. I have no way of knowing what Alpha Earnest told them. For all I know, my parents might think I am dead.Thinking of my mother missing me, of her assuming the worst, makes my heart heavy.I sleep a lot, too. I find myself nodding off in the chair by the window with a book or I
*Maddox* This is a mistake…. I can’t help but think perhaps I should not have arranged to take Isla out on a date. After all, I haven’t dated anyone in… years. Not since Rebecca and I were first introduced. That was almost ten years ago. At the time, we’d just discovered we were fated mates, and I was so excited to get to know her. She was gorgeous, and I wanted so very much to touch her in every way possible. But Rebecca was a lady, and she had a reputation to maintain. I had to bide my time with her, waiting until we were engaged before we ever even kissed. We married a few months after we established our mated bond. After that… everything changed. Rebecca was a wild woman in the bedroom, completely inhibited in every way. The woman I had been dating and the creature I encountered in the bedroom seemed like polar opposites, and I was shocked with all of the positions and kinky toys she wanted to try. Personally, I preferred two or three positions that Rebecca thought were bori
*Isla*“Would you like to dance?” the king had asked me.I’d looked from his intoxicating eyes to his outstretched hand, and my first thoughts had been of my two left feed.Even back home, when I was dancing at school dances with boys of little consequence, I was the most ungraceful person in the building.He is a king and has likely danced with all sorts of beautiful, graceful women over the years.I would make a fool of myself!So I said, “No.”I see his face falter slightly and inhale deeply, wishing I had the words to explain.“I, uh… don’t know how,” I stammer.“Oh,” he says, grinning at me. “I see. Well, that’s no problem, Isla.”I love the way my name sounds when it rings from his lips. Like I am an unexplored territory in paradise….“It isn’t a problem?” I ask him, feeling my cheeks redden.He shakes his head and reaches for my hand, gently guiding me from my chair. “I can lead you.”“Oh, but I….”He cuts me off. “Don’t worry. It’s just the two of us.”I don’t tell him that is
*Maddox*“Zabrina, why are you all covered in blood?” I ask again as I stare at Alpha Jordan’s daughter. Her yellow dress is covered in the red, sticky substance, as are her hands. It’s smeared all the way up her arms and even on her chin. “Are you injured?”She shakes her head, “No, King Maddox. It’s not me… it’s… the maid!”I let out a sigh of relief that it’s not Zabrina who is bleeding profusely, not because I care so much about her but because I don’t want to have to explain to Alpha Jordan or any of his friends that his daughter was grievously injured while she was in my home.I’ve already sent for help using the mind-link, and as I hear footsteps approaching from behind me, I know that it’s Seth.Reluctantly, I turn to Isla. She is even more pale than usual, and her bottom lip is trembling as he sapphire eyes stare in abject horror at the bloody monster in front of us.I really f*cking hate Zabrina right now. “Isla, dear, I’m going to have to let Beta Seth walk you back to your
MistyCole groans against my neck as I reach between, running my hand down his chest to the deep V of the muscles of his waist. He kisses me again, hungerly this time, his tongue sweeping over mine in a slow dance that has sparkles of pleasure rippling over my skin. I sigh against his mouth as he grinds his hips against mine, rocking us back and forth, his hands drifting down my sides and settling on my ass with a squeeze. He slides his hand beneath my shirt, revealing how naked I already am. “I didn’t bring any pajamas,” I admit, my voice pitched with excitement as he smiles against my lips. There’s no panties in his way tonight. A dull, throbbing ache radiates through my lower belly. My inner folds are already slick as he drags his fingers through them, lowering his head against my shoulder and trembling with anticipation. “Fuck, Misty, you’re soaking wet.”I close my eyes and arch when he presses two fingers inside of me, his thumb stroking slow, teasing circles over my clit. I
Misty“Aviva, stop!” I shout as she begins to turn toward the woods, her bow raised and arrow primed and ready. My powers ignite, stronger than they’ve ever been, and explode through the clearing in bright, blue light that sizzles into the ground. I swear, somewhere deep in the swirling, blue ether, I hear what sounds like a lock clicking–like I’ve just jammed a key into a padlock and wrenched on it until it turned–and then the ground shakes violently, a crushing, grinding sound beginning to echo through the clearing. Red eyes appear near the tree line–three sets–barreling toward us. Aviva roars as she pulls back on her arrow again, but then she… disappears with a surprised scream. “Aviva?!” I shout, then choke on her name as the ground beneath me falls away. My powers burn out. I’m falling through the darkness, reaching blindly for anything to grab onto. Something beneath me hits the ground with a crunch, and then I’m landing on top of the object, which turns out to be Aviva. We
MistyLogan is quite gaunt. That’s the first thing I notice as I linger in the doorway of the healer’s cottage, watching Cole check Logan’s ears. Cole is amazing with kids, and it shows, because Logan cracks a smile at something Cole says and Aviva interprets. But Cole’s eyes are heavy with concern when he turns away from the boy, his eyes scanning his notes before closing his notebook and setting it on the counter. Aviva, wearing Lexa on her back, takes Logan’s hand and leads him out of the healer’s cottage, closing the door behind her. I watch through the window as they walk away, into the rolling, morning fog. It’s a chilly late summer morning–the first truly cold morning since we arrived last week. It’s been four days since almost everyone fell ill, but thankfully that’s over. And, Kyra isn’t here right now. She’s off doing something in Endova, according to Cole and Ryan. I feel immediately more relaxed in her absence. “So? Is he going to live?” I try to tease to break the t
Aviva“What’s your name?” I ask in the old tongue as I lead the boy through one of the pastures, shoving chest-height strands of wheat to the side to give us a path.He doesn’t speak for a while. I don’t press him for information, either. The fact that he’s following me is enough.“Logan,” he says after a moment, his voice calm and cool like the breeze coming off the rolling hills in the distance.“How old are you?”“Twelve.”“I thought so.” I look at him over my shoulder, smiling, but he doesn’t return the gesture. Dark circles line his eyes, and he’s incredibly thin, even for a boy his age, who all seem to be gangly and lanky. His dark, nearly black hair is pin straight and sticks up at all angles, rustling in the breeze, and he’s pale with freckles across the bridge of his nose.A scar wraps fr
AvivaI wake from a dead sleep that leaves me in an absolute panic. I roll off the bed with a crash, and then Ryan’s voice cuts through the air in alarm over the sound of him ripping the sheets from the mattress in his haste to follow me out of bed. “Aviva–Goddess–” he grumbles, scooping me up right by my armpits and tossing me back in bed just as a wail echoes through the house. “Where’s Lexa?” I croak, my throat throbbing painfully like I’ve swallowed glass. I clutch my neck in alarm, swallowing hard past a massive lump nearly blocking my airway. I’ve never felt so terrible in my life. Ryan disappears and returns a few moments later with an incredibly fussy Lexa and a giant glass of water for me. Then, he fusses over us, propping me up against the headboard with several pillows and whisking Lexa away when she’s done nursing, all while I sit there in a haze, my head pounding and my joints aching so badly it nearly brings me to tears. It’s early morning. I don’t even remember goi
MistyNight falls on Silverhide against a chorus of coughing and sneezing. I’m not sure how else to describe it, but I’ve also never been sick before, so seeing half of Ryan’s pack under the weather is absolutely alarming. Everyone seems to be doing okay, however. Aviva snapped out of what ended up being a very short-lived fever, and Lexa is back to her usual self, but they’re both exhausted. Freya, Andrew, and their son, Sam, were somehow spared by the worst of the illness and have taken over care of Aviva and Lexa tonight so Ryan can take me on a run. I stare at the sleeping forms of Cole and Addy before closing the bedroom door and slipping out of the cabin to meet my brother on the road leading out of Silverhide. The dress I borrowed from Aviva feels strange against my skin as the warm night air wafts over me, lifting my hair from my shoulders in a soft breeze. It’s one of those Endovian dresses designed for shifting, of course, which means I’m practically exposed, but when I ca
MistyIt’s early afternoon when I finally leave our cabin in search of Cole. Aviva–who stayed up all night hunting, and then the entire morning caring for Lexa–is asleep on the couch with both babies as the moment. The tension in the village is palpable as I walk through the village square, which is quiet… borderline empty. A few people mill around going about their chores, but the square isn’t filled with conversation, children playing, or food being cooked and shared. It’s a bright, sunny day, which is being wasted. I sigh heavily and hike the bag I packed with a few sandwiches and treats for Cole over my shoulder and lower my head as I pass a group of men then turn toward the healer’s cottage. In the few days we’ve been in Silverhide, I haven’t had a chance to meet the pack's healer–some witch sent down from Moonrise a few weeks ago to serve in his pack. That’s the norm across Eastonia. Witches trained in Moonrise spread out, taking up residence in packs from Veiled Valley, thro
AvivaHot water rolls over my skin as I press my forehead against the tile. The shower is a new addition to our house, built along with the second story and unused bedrooms in the upper level. For me, the shower is absolutely massive–unreasonably so. For Ryan, it was a much needed upgrade from our copper tub downstairs. He stretches his arms over his head and groans as the scent of lavender soap fills the air, mingling with the steam. The window cut into the tile fogs up, blocking our view of the woods, but the first inklings of morning sunlight are trying to stretch toward Silverhide. “So,” he says behind me, gently tugging twigs from my curls and tossing them out of the shower. “This hellhound you found… what did it look like?”“A wolf,” I say, closing my eyes as his large hands drift to my shoulders, working out the knots from being in my wolf form practically the entire night. My breasts begin to ache with fullness but it’s a sensation I’m eager to ignore, especially as his touc
AvivaThe packhouse is always full to the brim. Four impossibly long tables and benches rest in the center of the wide, wood-lined space in rows where not a single seat is unaccounted for. Children dart from group to group, finding friends to play with while their parents dine. I’m at my usual spot at the head of the left-most table, surrounded by the other young, mated, new mothers while our mates move from group to group of men, chatting over pints of home-brewed ale. I bounce Lexa in my lap as I fork another piece of meat into my mouth, glancing down the table where Misty and Cole are seated together, unaccustomed to the noisy, damn near riotess shared evening meal. Misty seems especially affected, which strikes me as odd, given that she spent two weeks here last year before she went back to school… but that was before everything happened. Her eyes are empty, which worries me. I thought I was the only one having an existential crisis, but apparently… I’m not. Freya leans over,