Isla felt the blood, which had been fueling her temper and flushed face, drain away. All that was left was a cold, clammy feeling that crawled over her skin. Even her wolf was unnerved by the response."M-my lord," she stuttered. To her dismay, her voice was weak and filled with trepidation."I've suspected for a while now, what you are, but now it's been confirmed," he sighed happily. "You're a monster.""I beg your pardon.""Don't lie to me, beast. You've done a wonderful job at hiding amongst the humans who don't know any better, but I can't be fooled. Not any longer. See, it has always troubled me why two wolves would have kept a human child alive. Why didn't they kill you? Where did they get you? But now I understand. They were your parents," he shook his head in disbelief."I don't understand," Isla admitted."What don't you understand?" he asked with the slightest roll of his eyes. He had the fall to be exasperated with her."My parents are the king and queen," she insiste
"Dammit," Derulo muttered, lifting up his shirt and sticking his dark hand through the torn seam in the arm, where it had caught on a branch during their journey.Kelly chuckled and stuck another chuck of bread into his waiting mouth. His stomach had been growling angrily since dusk, and it was well towards midnight at this point. He chewed and swallowed before responding to his Beta. "Maybe you should learn to control that beast." He nodded over at the chestnut mare that was nibbling on the undergrowth near his own silver mount.Derulo sneered at his friend and pulled the torn shirt over his head. The white fabric stood out easily in the dark, especially with their enhanced eyesight. He ran a hand through the course, curly black hair that covered his head and lifted his plate of cold beans into his lap. "Not my fault the horse is nervous.""Really? You don't think your pissy wolf had anything to do with it?" Kelly tossed Derulo a loaf of bread from the saddlebag next to him whi
They both knew the two wolves they were searching for and would have immediately recognized their scents; this wolf was not one of them. But she needed their help. She was not there of her own free will, and likely wasn't going to be released anytime soon.Derulo kept his gaze focused on the carriage, which was beginning to move forward again. "What should we do?""Help her, obviously.""Kill them?""No, we don't need the suspicion of four dead bodies. Knock them out, grab her, and go."Derulo nodded once and without another word, the pair exploded from their cover and were on the guards in less than a second. They'd been fighting together for as long as Kelly could remember, it was second nature to them now.The mounted horses screamed in terror as their riders were dragged off their back. Kelly wrapped a strong arm around a man's throat and squeezed until he felt the man go slack. He began to chase down the man who was running down the road away from the fight when the carriage
Chapter 1Alpha Casper footsteps thundered down the cave. The wolf within him fought for freedom; his only coherent thought, protect the pack. His vision blurred as the wolf fought for control over his body. The wolf saw only the immediate threat; the man saw the consequences of each course of action. And right now, he needed to make sure that his immediate family was out of harm's way. He needed to reach Evelyn, his son, and daughter. Needed to reach them, needed to warn them, needed to save them. He pushed his legs to run faster. The mountain shook as the canons beat against it. He had to get them out of the mountain; that was his first priority. The growls of wolves echoed through the chambers, bouncing through the walls, driving home the fact that Casper's family was in danger. The park was being attacked, and the members were rising to action. Hopefully, he could get everyone evacuated before there was too much loss. He skidded around the corner into his bedchambers t
Chapter 2Casper knew that if he was going to survive the long flight they were about to take, at the cold temperatures they would encounter outside, he needed to be a wolf."Please, pumpkin" Casper begged, "I need you to do this so you can keep your sister and Mommy safe, okay?"The boy looked over at Evelyn who gave him an encouraging smile. She knelt down next to him and pulled the blanket down so that he could see his sister pudgy face. The baby was only a few weeks old, but her eyes were already a startling sky blue, just a few shades lighter than Evelyn's. "Will you help us protect your sister, sweetie?" Evelyn asked softly. "We need you to be brave right now, okay?" The boy stared down at his little sister and gently touched his finger to her round cheek. The baby stirred and focused her eyes on his face. Casper knew that was when his son came to his decision.The boy nodded, pulling his hand away from his sister. The little boy squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating ver
Chapter 3Casper released another growl, one loud enough to be heard above the deafening noise of battle. At once, he felt the pack's mental connection click into one thought:Alpha.Their collective relief and newfound determination to destroy the threat that was influenced by the appearance of their leader caused warmth to bloom in Casper's chest. A warmth that wasn't simply the wolf stored inside of him. He ran over his pack and the humans, honing in on a particularly loud group of humans surrounding three cannons. One man spotted the diving wolf and screamed. That was the last noise he made before he was engulfed in the mouth of Casper . The smell of flesh permeated the immediate area as he walk through the scattered body and it gave him petty satisfaction that humans smelled like nothing other than food when they were eaten alive. He wasn't sure if they had lost any pack lives, but he wasn't willing to take that chance by lingering. So what if the humans would win by driv
Chapter 4"Drop the child, beast!" the leader of the men demanded of Morgana. Ten of the soldiers charged Casper's little sister, who limped back up against the trees, dragging her crumpled leg. His daughter was clutched desperately in her right paw while she used her left to swipe out at the soldiers. One of the humans threw their spear in a deadly line, and before Casper could react it was embedded in morgana's already-injured side, right between two ribs. Her roar rang through the night and she collapsed, nearly crushing his daughter underneath her large body. The humans' leader stepped forward, swinging his sword in an arch that would slice right through Morgana's neck. This time, Casper's brain was quick enough to react. He leaped forward, right between Morgana and the sword.When he hit the ground, it took a moment for his brain to register what had happened. His paw hurt in a way that he had never experienced, but when he blinked his eyes open to look at his leg, his pa
Chapter 5King Gaius p.o.vI was gone for two weeks.But, in those two weeks, I accomplished quite a bit. It started with my visit to a neighboring kingdom. My relations with King Harry were tense, but Harry owed me. I had gone on that journey with only a handful of my most trusted knights. We needed to move quickly and efficiently to be back before anything drastic was done in the wake of my daughter's death.I and my men were ushered into the large, dreary throne room in Harry's castle. The throne room was nothing like my own, which was full of light and windows with a welcoming atmosphere. No, Harry's gave the impression that he wanted his guests out of there as quickly as humanly possible. Dark drapes closed part way over the windows, allowing only minimal light in, and the dark stone made everyone in the room feel as though we were trapped there. Naturally, that made people anxious to leave and therefore out of Harry's hair."Harry, old friend," I greeted him politely, qu
They both knew the two wolves they were searching for and would have immediately recognized their scents; this wolf was not one of them. But she needed their help. She was not there of her own free will, and likely wasn't going to be released anytime soon.Derulo kept his gaze focused on the carriage, which was beginning to move forward again. "What should we do?""Help her, obviously.""Kill them?""No, we don't need the suspicion of four dead bodies. Knock them out, grab her, and go."Derulo nodded once and without another word, the pair exploded from their cover and were on the guards in less than a second. They'd been fighting together for as long as Kelly could remember, it was second nature to them now.The mounted horses screamed in terror as their riders were dragged off their back. Kelly wrapped a strong arm around a man's throat and squeezed until he felt the man go slack. He began to chase down the man who was running down the road away from the fight when the carriage
"Dammit," Derulo muttered, lifting up his shirt and sticking his dark hand through the torn seam in the arm, where it had caught on a branch during their journey.Kelly chuckled and stuck another chuck of bread into his waiting mouth. His stomach had been growling angrily since dusk, and it was well towards midnight at this point. He chewed and swallowed before responding to his Beta. "Maybe you should learn to control that beast." He nodded over at the chestnut mare that was nibbling on the undergrowth near his own silver mount.Derulo sneered at his friend and pulled the torn shirt over his head. The white fabric stood out easily in the dark, especially with their enhanced eyesight. He ran a hand through the course, curly black hair that covered his head and lifted his plate of cold beans into his lap. "Not my fault the horse is nervous.""Really? You don't think your pissy wolf had anything to do with it?" Kelly tossed Derulo a loaf of bread from the saddlebag next to him whi
Isla felt the blood, which had been fueling her temper and flushed face, drain away. All that was left was a cold, clammy feeling that crawled over her skin. Even her wolf was unnerved by the response."M-my lord," she stuttered. To her dismay, her voice was weak and filled with trepidation."I've suspected for a while now, what you are, but now it's been confirmed," he sighed happily. "You're a monster.""I beg your pardon.""Don't lie to me, beast. You've done a wonderful job at hiding amongst the humans who don't know any better, but I can't be fooled. Not any longer. See, it has always troubled me why two wolves would have kept a human child alive. Why didn't they kill you? Where did they get you? But now I understand. They were your parents," he shook his head in disbelief."I don't understand," Isla admitted."What don't you understand?" he asked with the slightest roll of his eyes. He had the fall to be exasperated with her."My parents are the king and queen," she insiste
Her wolf was so amazed at this act of affection that it didn't even get mad, it was simply confused.Isla was instantly addicted to the gentle way his lips moved against hers. She had never been kissed before, nor kissed anyone, but his lips guided hers in the intimate art. Her hands clasped his cheeks in a desperate attempt to keep his face near hers.Isla suddenly realized what was happening and how inappropriate it was. She jumped away, pushing him back and wiping her tear streaked cheeks frantically with the back of her hand. Her lips were tingling from his tenderness, and she wanted nothing more than to return to the strength of his arms, but she was the Princess, and her wants could not come first. "Sir Mikel, someone could see us." She smoothed her dress and took a deep breath through her nose. Her back straightened and she wiped a wavy tendril of hair back from her face.Mikel straightened up and nodded, bowing slightly. Sadness filled his eyes. "Of course, My lady. I'm
Chapter 15"I'm Isla," she offered. Though it was perhaps the most obvious thing she could have said, she couldn't stand the silent dancing.He glanced away from their feet and up at her face. His eyes were a plain brown, nothing to get excited about. "I know," he answered before looking back down at their feet. Isla refrained from rolling her eyes and tried to keep her irritation in check."And your name is...?" She left the question open ended.He looked up at her again, but this time his eyes were wide. He seemed surprised that she would even care what his name was."My father is Sir Anthony" he replied. And his eyes went back to watching their feet.Isla took a deep breath. Was the young man dense or what? At least she now knew that he was the son of one of her father's knights."I do believe I asked for your name," she reminded him in a sweet voice. Again, he seemed shocked that she cared."My name is also Anthony" he said meekly."You're named after your father?""After
Isla took a shaky breath as Greta pulled her into the hallway. The silk skirt of her gown flowed around her legs and dragged slightly on the floor, which made her look as though she were floating. Her three guards were waiting to escort her and they smiled at her appearance in appreciation. Greta had done a wonderful job making her look like a princess. Especially her hair. She had somehow tamed the unruly waves and coaxed them to flow around her in the most elegant of ways. The top layers of her hair were pinned back in a clip that matched both her gown and her necklace. Upon the piles of thick hair sat her tiara, silver and tantalizingly shiny. "My lady," A guard said as he bowed low. The other two guards followed his lead. Isla curtsied and smiled as her parents approached them.The queen adorned a deep purple gown with similar silver accents as Isla's. Her auburn hair was braided and wrapped around her head, with a few stray tendrils tickling her cheeks. The king wore his b
"How many guests have arrived?" Isla asked her nurse."A few, but only the ones who live far away. The rest will arrive later this evening. Everyone is looking forward to celebrating with you, dear."Isla made a noise of agreement but a knot of worry had settled in her stomach as her wolf reappeared in her mind. It wanted nothing to do with this evening and she would most likely have a headache for most of the night, which she was not looking forward to. They traveled throughout the castle, passing servants who were rushing to finish preparing for the party. No one paid them any mind simply for that reason. Greta ushered Isla into her chambers, shutting the door in the faces of the guards. Isla looked around her tidy room and saw that her dress had arrived."Oh, Greta," Isla breathed in admiration. The gown was made of blue silk the color of the sapphire around her neck and the sleeves were a thin, nearly transparent fabric that flowed down nearly as long as her skirt. A silver
"How many guests have arrived?" Isla asked her nurse."A few, but only the ones who live far away. The rest will arrive later this evening. Everyone is looking forward to celebrating with you, dear."Isla made a noise of agreement but a knot of worry had settled in her stomach as her wolf reappeared in her mind. It wanted nothing to do with this evening and she would most likely have a headache for most of the night, which she was not looking forward to. They traveled throughout the castle, passing servants who were rushing to finish preparing for the party. No one paid them any mind simply for that reason. Greta ushered Isla into her chambers, shutting the door in the faces of the guards. Isla looked around her tidy room and saw that her dress had arrived."Oh, Greta," Isla breathed in admiration. The gown was made of blue silk the color of the sapphire around her neck and the sleeves were a thin, nearly transparent fabric that flowed down nearly as long as her skirt. A silver
Isla sprinted down the empty hall, her skirts held tightly in her fists to avoid tripping over them. She chuckled softly as she hid behind a marble pillar. "Dammit, princess," the leader of her three guards, Gabriel, grumbled under his breath as he and the two others passed by her hiding place. She was quite adept at evading her guards, she'd had twenty-one years to hone in her skills, and her guards never seemed to catch on. She appreciated them, but they were suffocating. The large, blue clad men were never more than ten feet from her. "Sorry, Gabriel," she whispered and then took off in the direction from which she had come. Greta, her parents, and her guards chastised her on a nearly daily basis for evading their presence, but the wolf in her did not like being stalked. The wolf within her did not like much, but the one time they got along was when she was sneaking away from her supervisors. Although, even when she and her counterpart where on the best of terms, the wolf