A lovely stone cottage stands at the end of a lane. Brown river stones cover the outside of the cottage with spots of lime green moss poking through in between each rock. Large, dark green vines that I have never seen before climb the outer walls and hang from the beams that hold the roof together. The roof itself looks like it is made of moss alone. Standing in the center of the lane I stare at the cottage in wonder. I have never seen the house of a Fae before. It looks warm and inviting and my feet travel along the cobblestone walkway up to the cottage without hesitation. As if in a trance I walk towards the cottage not noticing the circles of purple flowers that are growing among the stones. Before my foot steps inside one of them Victor pulls me backwards and I thump against his chest as I fall. "Be careful where you step," he says with a bit of a frown on his face. "Esau is not fond of visitors." Looking down at my feet I finally see the circles that are spread throu
ALEXANDER POVI wake up in a cold sweat. The memory of my mate being murdered plagues my dreams at night. Every night I watch the light fade from her golden eyes as she laid mangled and dying in the middle of the Kingdom's main square. It is almost like it is my punishment for planning the rogue attack against her. But once if found out that she was not the Moon Goddess's chosen Luna for the Kingdom what choice did I have. Remaining on the throne is more important than true love. I can get a lifetime of happiness from sitting on the throne. I do not need a fated mated to fill that void. Laying in the bed I breathe in deeply trying to calm my racing heart. But today there is something missing. Something about the way my room smells is wrong. The scent of chocolate that usually wafts through the cracks around the door every morning is missing. Getting up from my bed I pull on a pair of pants and casually knock on the door that separates my room from Natalia's. There is no
NATALIA POVVictor and I walk back to his cottage in silence. I grasp my arm around Victor's trying to keep my balance. The words of the prophecy keep running through my head making me feel dizzy. I run through the lines of the prophecy one by one in my head as we walk slowly back to Victor’s. ‘The true Queen shall ascend to the throne when the blood moon rises on the fifth day of the ninth month.’ This one is easy to figure out. The blood moon will arise in three months. ‘Not a Queen of privilege born, but a white wolf born to an Omega.’ This one should be obvious as well, but I refuse to believe that I am the true Queen. Why would the Moon Goddess choose me? I was born from nothing and I will never be anything special. ‘Fated to one brother, forced to mate with the other.’ Once again obvious. Fated to Victor but forced to mate with Alexander. ‘With time cannot all wounds be healed but with time rewritten a Kingdom can be saved.’ This line is the one that confuses m
As soon as Violet says Margaret's name I am on my feet standing beside her. "Where is she?" My words come out cold and demanding. "Where is Margaret?" Victor and Violet share a look between them and Violet shakes her head back and forth in protest. "We can't tell you where she is," Victor says as he tries to hold me in his arms. But I refuse to let him try and coddle me with the tingles of the mate bond. Wrestling my way out of his arms I let out a fearsome growl and both Victor and Violet back away from me. I have to admit that I am shocked by the sound that just came from me as well. Never have I ever sounded so fearsome. "She was beaten within an edge of her life because of me," I say angrily. "I need to know that she is okay." "The less you know the better," Victor says with a small Violet cowering in fear behind him. "It is for your safety." Letting out a little humph I plop myself down on Victor's bed and cross my arms across my chest. I turn my head away from t
I step out onto the steps of Victor's cottage and stare across the road to the blue cottage with red shutters. I look back at the stone cottage that belongs to Victor and I close my eyes as I grip the prophecy in my hands. With my eyes squeezed tightly shut I think about the life that I could have shared with Victor in this cottage. I picture myself heavily pregnant, barefoot on the hard floor, cooking my mate a delicious dinner after he comes home from a hard day's work. I picture myself chasing my pup around the backyard of the cottage and scooping him up in a fit of laughter. Most of all I picture myself falling asleep every night and waking up every morning in the comfort of my mate's arms. Opening up my eyes I shield them from the bright sunlight that beats down on the village. I can picture all of those things that I desperately want in my mind but I know that is not the life that the Moon Goddess has chosen for me. The words of my prophecy echo through my mind as I slo
The candles in the hallways are starting to grow dim as the moon grows higher in the sky. It is late but it is not too late for Alexander to still be in his office. My muddy, bare feet pad gently along the hallways as I make my way to Alexander's office. As I walk I grasp the piece of paper in my dress pocket tightly. I never opened the paper to read what it said. In a way I did not want to know. I do not want to know what will befall my mate because I know whatever he will suffer, it will be at my hands. Before I know it I am standing in front of Alexander's office door. I stare at the dark wood door that towers over me and I hesitate. Once I knock on this door there is no turning back. Victor's voice echoes in my brain as I stand there staring at the door. "This is the beginning," and while I don't exactly know what that means, I know that he would not want me to turn back now. Raising my hand I knock hard on the dark wooden door in front of me. The sound of papers shu
Alexander POVI watch in shock as Natalia storms out of my office. Her words echo in my head. "I will do her job but you will not use me for your pleasure," there was so much venom in her voice and I knew that she was serious. She runs from my office and the door swiftly closes behind her. No one has ever spoken to me in such a way before and I am left in a stunned silence. It can only mean one thing, she is the true Queen that my prophecy speaks of. I shuffle through the pieces of paper on my desk until I find the one that I am looking for. The paper glows brightly in my hands as I watch the Fae symbols transform into a language that I can understand. I read my prophecy in silence before crumpling the paper angrily in my hands. The flicker of the candle on my desk catches my eyes and I know what needs to be done. Lifting the prophecy to the flame my eyes glow brightly as I watch the paper become engulfed in orange flames. I toss the burning prophecy into the cold firepla
**Indicates a dream**Alexander leaves me speechless on Margaret's bed after I read him the prophecy. It is the first time that I have said the words of my prophecy out loud and it was shocking to say the least. I have been repeating the words in my head since the beautiful voice sang them to me when I took Esau's hand. But it was different hearing it out loud. It made it more real. Laying back on Margaret's bed I huddle myself into a little ball and cry myself to sleep. ** "Have the plans been set?" Alexander's voice rings through my mind as my eyes flutter open. I see Raphael standing in Alexander's office. Once again, it is as if I am just a bystander in the situation. Just like in the dream with Alexander and Esau. Alexander is tapping his pen impatiently on his desk while he waits for Raphael to respond. Raphael shuffles uncomfortably where he stands. "Yes Alpha," he says with little emotion in his voice. Alexander claps his hands together excitedly. "When will i
Victor POV Three years later I can hear giggles coming from the kitchen and I just know that the boys are up to no good. "Ezra and Titus," I yell as I make my way into the kitchen. I look around the room and I don't see any sign of the boys. But Crystal and Margaret are unsuccessfully trying to hide the smirks that are on their lips. Standing in the middle of the kitchen with my hands on my hips I glare at my mate's two friends knowing that they are hiding the boys from me. "Where are they?" I ask Crystal and Margaret. "Who are you looking for?" Margaret says with a glint of humor twinkling in her eyes. "You know who," I say as I try to pretend to be angry. "The boys are supposed to be tidying their room." Suddenly a little blonde head pops up from behind the kitchen island and his blue eyes sparkle brightly as he looks at me. "Why do we have to tidy our room," Ezra says with a pout on his lips. Then a little brown head pops up from beside him. Every time I see h
Natalia POVI slowly make my way back to our bedroom after the Blood Moon Ball. It was a glorious event and I was so happy to see how many members of our Kingdom found their mates. I spent most of the evening sitting on my throne with my feet propped up to minimize the swelling. Members of the Kingdom can up to me throughout the night to offer their congratulations and tell me how much happier everyone is in the Kingdom now that Alexander is gone. I have found that many of them are weary of Victor as well simply because he was Alexander's brother. But I assured them all that even though they may look the same they are definitely not the same. Just as Victor and I make it back to our bedroom room a pain shoots through my belly causing me to need to stop and take a breath. Victor is at my side in second. "What's wrong," he asks as he lays his hand on my stomach causing the twins to twist and turn crazily in my stomach.Just as suddenly as the pain came it went away. Standing i
Natalia POVTrying to be as graceful as possible, I waddle my way through the castle to the great throne room. Nicole stays by my side as I walk slowly offering me support whenever I get overly winded from hauling around this large belly. Once we get to the large double doors that lead to the throne room, Nicole gives me a swift kiss on the cheek before she runs off to take her place among the crowd. Even though I have dreamed of this moment ever since the day that I found out about the prophecy, nothing can compare to how I feel right now. The trumpets that surround the room blast loudly, announcing my arrival. Everyone in the crowd turns to look at me. A large lump forms in my throat as I look into all of their anxious eyes. Swallowing down the lump I force my feet to move one foot in front of the other down the aisle. Members of the crowd are reaching through the barriers that are holding them back for my safety. I cannot help but reach out and touch the tips of their fin
Natalia POVEverything hurts. My back. My feet. Everything. Laying on my back on Victor and I's bed I stare up at the ceiling trying to will myself to get out of the bed. I hear the door to our bedroom open but I do not have the energy to look over and see who is standing in the room, but the scent of citrus and pine fills the air and I know that it is my mate. "I cannot believe you are still in this bed," Victor says with a bit of humor in his voice. I try to look at him over my ever growing belly but instead I just flop my head back on my pillow. "You try carrying these pups," I mutter under my breath. I feel the edge of the bed dip down beside me. Victor places his huge hand on my belly causing the tingles from the mate bond to spread over my skin and the pups in my belly to go wild. One of the pups kicks my bladder and I suddenly have to pee. "Ugh," I groan as I try to right myself in the bed. "Now I have to use the bathroom." Victor chuckles to himself as I attem
Natalia POVI look at King Lignum’s outstretched hand and hesitate a moment. “I am not making a deal with you,” I make myself clear. “I will find a way to prove myself to the Werewolf Council without your aid.” “I have already told you,” he says sweetly. “This is not a deal. This is a favor with no strings attached.” “No strings attached,” I repeat after him and lay my hand in his. Without even realizing what is happening I am being pulled through what feels like a vacuum. Images are rushing past me at the speed of light. Closing my eyes tightly, I try not to vomit as we move quickly between the Realms. As suddenly as it started it stops and the sounds of growls fill the air around me.My eyes fly open and I can see that we have landed in the center of the Council’s chambers. Holding onto King Lignum’s hand for support I try to steady myself after the journey that I just had. My eyes dart around the large conference room and I can see that all of the elders are looking
Natalia POVI can hear the sound of someone banging on Esau's door as I step through the portal to the Fae Realm. I look back over my shoulder and see Victor barreling through Esau's front door as the portal closes quickly behind me. Esau is chuckling loudly beside me as he watches Victor try and get to the portal in time and fail. "He's going to be so pissed," Esau laughs hardily. My lips pucker in confusion as I look at Esau, "why would he be pissed?" "Because this is the second time that I have slipped you into the Fae Realm right under his nose," Esau says with a bright smile spread across his mossy face. Rolling my eyes at him and I smack him in the shoulder, but I cannot help but smirk. "He did look pretty angry." "He will find a way to pay me back," Esau sighs a little as he grabs my hand. I let him pull me along as we follow the trail back towards the Castle Flos. We walk together in a comfortable silence as we head towards the castle. I keep the book clutched
Natalia POVThe huge metal double doors that lead to the royal balcony open up with a creak. The sight of the balcony causes panic to rise in my chest. The last time I was out here I killed a man and started a war. My breathing becomes erratic as Victor tries to lead me out onto the balcony. Pulling on my arm Victor tries to guide me outside but my feet don't move. "I can't," I whisper to Victor with fear in my eyes. Pausing for a moment, Victor studies my eyes for a moment and then places a gentle kiss on my forehead. "You can do anything," he whispers to me sweetly. "You are the one true Queen." He looks at me with such confidence that I cannot help but take a deep breath and take a few steps forward. Victor tightens his arm around my waist and slowly guides me out onto the balcony. The night air is chilly as it nips at my bare arms causing me to shiver in Victor's arms. Victor guides me to the railing of the balcony and I hear thunderous cheers from the crowd down bel
Natalia POV"How long have you known?" Victor growls and looks at me with intensity in his eyes. Swinging my legs over the other side of the bed. I walk away from him. Refusing to meet his lingering gaze. Walking over to my wardrobe I finger through the dresses one by one, pretending like I am considering what to wear. Victor walks up behind me, placing his nose in the crook of my neck, he inhales deeply. Before I realize what is happening he has dropped to his knees and is sniffing my stomach, holding me in place by my hips. "Victor," I say as I try to fight him off. "Stop. This is embarrassing." "Is it mine?" He asks as he fearfully looks up into my eyes. Scoffing at his question, I rip his hands from my waist. "How dare you ask me that?" Adeline is pushing forward in anger and I know that my eyes are swirling from green to silver. Grabbing one of the dresses from the wardrobe I storm off into the bathroom that adjoins my room and slam the door. Once I am alone, I b
Natalia POVLocked in my room. LOCKED IN MY ROOM. Victor had me locked in my room for killing his brother. A plan that I thought he and I devised together, but I guess I was wrong. I killed a man that tormented me through not one lifetime but two and I am being punished. He stopped by my room earlier today to tell me it is only until the Council of Elders decides whether or not I am a risk to the Kingdom or not. I did not react so kindly and slapped him across his face. The only peace that I have is knowing that I carry the heir to the throne. Laying on my back in just my opened robe, I look at my stomach in wonder. My once flat stomach now has a tiny bulge just below my belly button. Placing my hand on my lower abdomen I can feel the little flutters of movement coming from within. Even though I am stuck in this room I am not alone, I think to myself. A knock on my door drags me from my thoughts. Closing the robe around my body I don't bother to get up from the position