*Isla*Rain pounds my back as I follow Alpha Ernest up the wide marble steps to a home I never expect to see in real life. I look around quickly, but he is walking fast, and I don’t have much time to see the outside of the mansion. I only know it resembles a castle. The dreary sky seems fitting, considering my bleak outlook.Likewise, this castle is fitting for an Alpha King.Under the wide porch, there is a bit of shelter from the wind. I pull my thin cloak around my shoulders. When Alpha Ernest’s fist pounds on the door, I jumped. Everything about this day is unexpected and has me on edge.The door opens a bit and a man with a thin, long nose gapes out at us. He is wearing a butler’s suit, and I relax only slightly.Not that I expected the cruel king to open his own door, but I am thankful not to be faced with him right away.“Greetings! Greetings!” Alpha Ernest says in his jovial, exceedingly loud voice. He laughs in the back of his throat, his gruff tone as raspy as the thunder in
*Maddox*I hear the word come out of Alpha Ernest’s mouth, watch his gums flap as his fat cheeks shift into a smile, his greasy mustache dancing as he tips his head up and blinks at me.He’s like a shoddy used car salesman, trying to convince me to take something I don’t want or need.Something that’s broken and doesn’t even work correctly—something that will never serve its intended purpose.What he doesn’t know is that I’ve already been considering finding a breeder for the last few months. I just haven’t had the time to try to find a woman who would fit the requirements.Everything he’s said is true. I certainly don’t ever want to marry again, no matter what. Even thinking about my wife makes my heart tighten up and my eyes begin to water. I have to immediately push her beautiful face from my mind. No, I will not ever take another bride.That means, in order to have an heir, I have to find a woman who’d be willing to carry my child knowing that there are no strings attached.That s
*Isla* The head maid lets go of me when we hear a male voice demanding to know what she is doing. She turns to address him as I cover my face, pain radiating through my cheeks and nose. “Beta Seth,” she begins, “this girl was being careless with the king’s belongings and disrespectful to me. I was simply teaching her a lesson, the same way I would teach any new servant a lesson, sir.” I wipe a bit of blood from my upper lip with the back of my hand and turn to see a handsome man walk into the room. He is tall with dark blond hair and white shoulders. His green eyes are focused on the other woman in the room, and his intense stare has her rigid stance wavering. “How dare you?” he demands. “You were asked to show Miss Isla to her room, Mrs. Worsthingshorethinshire. No one asked you to teach her anything. I can’t imagine she did anything careless. What could she have possibly done? I didn’t see anything broken between here and the king’s offices.” I watch as the woman’s throat moves
*Isla*I sit on the bed in my new room, not sure what to do, grasping my bag. I look around, but I’m not sure what to do.Why am I here?If I touch anything else, will someone come flying out of the closet and slap me again?Beta Seth has assured me that this is my room, and I can do whatever I want, but I am still hesitant. I can’t help but think that this is all a huge mistake.Mrs. Worchestshire or whatever her name was had mentioned that she thought I was meant to go to the maids’ quarters, and while Beta Seth said that wasn’t right, I can’t help but think maybe someone will come and take me there soon.If I get too comfortable in here, I will just have to go.And this is the nicest room I’ve ever seen.I haven’t been sitting here too long when there is a knock at the door.I look up, and a girl with brown hair and wide hazel eyes is staring at me, just her head sticking in the door. “Hello, Miss,” she says. “May I come in?” “Yes, of course,” I say, starting to get up.“Oh, no, d
*Isla*I sit on the edge of the bed for a few minutes after Poppy leaves, contemplating what to do. She’s turned the bathtub on, so I know I have to go into the bathroom eventually or else the tub will overflow.I want to take a bath. It sounds luxurious. I can’t remember the last time I did anything like that for myself. For the last few years, everything I’ve done has been for my family.But… the idea of taking my clothes off and soaking in the tub in this amazing room seems frightening and foolish.All of this has to be a mistake, and when they find out about it, shouldn’t I at least be dressed?Still, if I take a quick bath, maybe I can be in and out before Poppy returns. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this castle it’s that it is huge.Setting my bag down on the chest at the end of the bed, I head into the bathroom and take my clothes off, hanging my wet, dirty clothes on a hook on the door, embarrassed by my old underwear and bra that doesn’t really fit me correctly. I d
*Isla*“Miss Isla? Miss Isla, are you all right?”The sound of Poppy’s voice has my eyes flying open, and I realize I haven’t quite blacked out, but I have come close. I blink a few times and note she has her arms around me, and I have one arm on the bed. “I’m fine,” I tell her, blinking my eyes as I try to clear my head. “I’m fine.” I try to push myself up onto the mattress but find myself floundering, unable to get my limbs to cooperate.“Here, lie down for a moment. I’ll get you some water.” She begins to lift me up onto the bed, which is so tall, it’s nearly waist-high on me.“I can manage,” I assure her, and she lets me go. Somehow, I manage to climb up onto the bed, and Poppy heads into the bathroom, muttering under her breath that it’s taking far too long for them to bring my food.I sit there for a moment, staring at the door that King Maddox has just left through. My cheeks heat just thinking about him.That was the king!I feel like such a fool. I should’ve known that it was
*Isla*“I’m… what?”I need to sit down. I find a way to sit on the bed, struggling to catch my breath, the pajamas I was getting ready to put on forgotten on the bed next to me since I’ve heard Poppy’s words.Poppy is looking at me from across the bedroom, a puzzled expression on her face.“You… didn’t know?” she asks me. “How is it that you didn’t know? How did you get here?”“I…” I feel my face flush as I lean back against the pillows, trying to process everything.How is this possible?That’s what Alpha Ernest sold me to Alpha Maddox to do?To be his breeder?“I’m so sorry,” Poppy says, coming over and resting her hand on my leg. “I just assumed that you either had done this before or had taken it upon yourself to make this into your career. I had no idea you had no idea, dear. And don’t think that I was judging you because of it! I mean… who wouldn’t want to be a breeder for Alpha Maddox?” She smiles at me and waggles her eyebrows, and I know that she’s trying to make me laugh, bu
*Isla*I lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, pondering what it is that Poppy has told me about the Alpha King. It’s hard to believe it could possibly be true.Yet, how can I doubt it?Back home, I never knew much about him. I had too much to worry about to ever spend much time thinking about the Alpha King. Whenever anyone mentioned King Maddox, it was always in one of two contexts—how unbelievably good looking he was.Or how unbelievably cruel he was.Now… Poppy has revealed to me that everyone in the castle believes he is responsible for the death of his mate, Luna Rebecca, the woman everyone says is the sweetest, kindest, gentlest soul any of them had ever met.How is that possible?I don’t know, but as I lay here on my back, staring at the ceiling, I have to wonder… will a similar fate befall me?I’m to be his breeder.What will that entail exactly?A shudder begins at the top of my neck and travels down my spine. I know the gist of it. I understand that it will be my job
RyanThere’s a river that runs through the Deadlands. The same river that splits Eastonia in two. On the other side, mountains hug the horizon, blurring the view of Tarsian beyond. In the Deadlands, the river is… wide, but still. A large, lumbering stretch of clear water that weaves through the plains. Here, in the Roguelands, in what used to be a city called Twin Rivers, now nothing but a husk of what it was twenty or so years ago when Ryatt and Ella were young, that same river is angry and narrow, full of rapids and rock. Sydney stands beside me as I watch the water–the shattered ruins of bridges running across it at several points. And the rowboat fighting the rapids. Sydney straightens, narrowing his eyes at the group of warriors shouting at the few men inside the boat who are shouting back for help as the rapids send the boat lurching in a circle. The women on board scream–shrill and terrified. “There’s a child on that boat,” Sydney growls under his breath, gripping my arm fo
MistyI fell asleep curled around Cole in the late hours of the night. He’d laid me in bed, and I’d immediately pulled him back to me, not ready to give him up just yet.I can’t tell myself this doesn’t mean anything anymore. This feeling–this overwhelming ache–isn’t growing weaker, and I’m desperate for a way to keep him.I drew lines over his chest and stomach as we fell asleep in each other’s arms, the sheets tangled and pushed to the edge of the bed, listening to the rain pour over Oasia.But I wake up to Cole sitting straight up in bed.I rub my eyes, blinking into the darkness. “What’s wrong?”He shushes me, his body rigid as he scans the room.Fear creeps through my body. My heart skips a beat as he slowly, silently, slides out of bed and pulls on his discarded pants, fastening his belt. Still, he looks around, his eyes
ColeMisty slides out of bed, uneasy on her feet. She paces a few steps, stretching her arms over her head with a sigh.I watch, and wait, for her answer. I’m not totally sure why I asked if she wanted to try to shift. Maybe it’s because I’m actively plotting a way to get her out, and if my plan fails, she’s going to need to run.“I’m not ready,” she says, matter-of-factly.“That’s fine.”She looks down at her hands. “I don’t feel any changes yet. Nothing. Is that normal?”I sit on the edge of the bed. “Yeah, that’s perfectly normal. Most wolves don’t come into their shifter powers until the day of their twenty-first birthday, sometimes a few days before, or a few days after,” I remind her.She sighs, picking at the fabric of her pale cream nightgown. It hugs her body in a way that has my mouth going dr
MistyI’m dreaming. I know this is a vision–a glimpse into life happening far, far away. I think I love this power the most. I think I’m somewhere on the far northern coast of Crescent Falls, near the border with Celestoria. It’s definitely one of the fog-soaked islands–an obscure, rural pack territory. I stand on a hill overlooking a cottage. Yellow, winter grass hugs the little house, smoke rising from its chimney. A young woman with mousy-brown hair steps outside, bundled in a coat, hiking a messenger bag over her shoulder as she turns back to the door and smiles, saying something to the woman standing just out of view within. Then, I’m following the young woman as she walks toward the village. She smiles at a few people and wolves she passes. Her eyes are a soft gray–Cole’s eyes. This is his sister, Annabel. This is where she lives now. I watch as she steps into the yard of a single story stone building. Children dart in the brisk, cool winter air, chasing a ball around. Othe
ColeMisty shivers in my arms as I stare at Lavender. “What did you just say?”“The Umbra Mortis just arrived,” she says slowly, her eyes wide with panic. “He’s coming here–to the castle. Any minute now.”My life flashes before my eyes. He can’t see Misty like this. He can’t find out Misty just broke the curse in Lacey, either. “Fuck. Fuck, fuck–” It takes all of my strength to lay Misty in the bed gently instead of tossing her like a rag doll. Lavender quickly takes over redressing her in a nightgown while I run around the room, opening closets and pulling drawers from the dresser, searching for anything to throw over her nearly frozen body. I rush into the bathroom and swiftly change into dry clothes.“What happened?” Lavender hisses as we hurriedly tuck several blankets around Misty. Misty shivers uncontrollably, her teeth chattering so loud I’m worried they’ll break. I fish in the blankets for her arm and take a deep breath before going completely still, my fingers locked on her
MistyThe room is dark but clean. In fact, the curtains are drawn against the sun, and Orion has to turn on a lamp, which barely floods the room in muted light. There’s a single bed in the corner, the blankets bunched around a… woman. Chains rustle as she sits up, turning sightless green eyes in my direction, and I…I turn away, bracing my hands on the wall as nausea drags me under. Cole’s behind me, leaning down as his hand rests on my lower belly, splayed wide. “You don’t have to do this.”“Why is she wearing a muzzle?” I bite out, my eyes watering from the effort of trying to stop myself from throwing up out of rage. The chains rattle as the woman begins to keen. “Lacey, it’s all right. I’ve brought a friend to see you. She might make you feel better.” Orion’s footsteps sound somewhere behind us. Lacey cries out in a mutated voice that sounds like talons being dragged across a chalkboard. My body lurches with nausea again, my healing powers already buzzing over my skin, sensin
ColeOrion paces across the row of windows overlooking the city. Sun bathes the blue roofs, but in the distance, storm clouds gather on the horizon. Storms aren’t uncommon this time of year. They’re vicious, though. Flooding is common–something we need to count on. So on top of… on top of pretending to be a war lord while simultaneously trying to force the Alphas in my kingdom to get their people out, and to the border, before I start a real war with Richard… I have to deal with the people who won’t leave and ensure they’re safe when the rain starts. “I want warriors in the city center ready to rescue those who’re ignoring the warnings to evacuate to higher ground tonight,” I murmur, running my hand down my face. Orion watches the storm, sighing, “It might not be as bad as we’re anticipating.”“It always is,” Commander Abernathy, Luke’s father, says from his perch on a couch nearby. “Maybe the flood will wash away Richard’s forces lingering in the city. You know none of those men h
MistyA freakin’ week has passed in my confinement. To say I’m losing my mind is the least of it. On the first day in Oasia, I lost my mind and body to Cole, spending the night beside him–learning the secrets of his body until the sheets smelled like us, and we slumped into a dead kind of sleep. But that was a week ago. In between, I’ve been pacing the apartment, slowly fading into the wallpaper, watching wolves dart around the courtyard a few stories below. Everyday is the same. I wake up–alone. I eat breakfast by myself. Lavender–a pretty, middle-aged woman–comes to dress me in beautiful dresses that cover nearly every inch of my skin–not that I’m going anywhere, though. She hasn’t spoken a word to me, and she barely looks me in the eye. Yesterday, Georgia finally came to see me. Apparently, she’s been hoarded away as well, but Declan keeps her company. Luke is in the same boat. Alone, well fed and well dressed, but otherwise occupied with a special project Cole bestowed upon him,
MistyCole backs me against the doorframe, his body curling over mine to chase my mouth as I lower my feet to the floor. The memory of our kiss from the party weeks ago clogs my brain for several delicious seconds. He tastes the same. Warm and minty. His lips are soft but demanding as his tongue slides over my lower lip, beckoning for me to open for him. The towel covering my body is holding on by a thread as I wrap my arms around his neck. He lifts me up, pinning me against the doorframe and pressing his body to mine. My hand drags down his back, leaving a trail of my healing powers. He trembles, and the kiss turns to something hungry and… wild. “Stop healing me,” he breathlessly commands. “No,” I counter, but his mouth steals the word from my lips. It doesn’t strike me that we should stop. There’s no reason for this. This attraction, this bone-shattering need I’ve felt since we slept together for the first time–as quick and cold as that was. Maybe it’s morbid curiosity. Maybe i