Nicholas I woke up in the morning with a looming sense of dread. Today was the day of the first elimination ceremony. The past few days, I had quietly hated every second of the ticking clock while knowing there was nothing I could do to stop it. Even now, as I dressed and prepared to meet my fam
“That does create a dilemma, doesn’t it?” Julian picked up where I left off. The disappointed look had vanished now, replaced with an almost… pride? Impossible. He most likely just wanted more mischief. “If we let Piper go now, wouldn’t the public have questions?” “What do we care for their qu
“We’d like to thank everyone for joining us tonight for the First Elimination Ceremony. Tonight, as you have all been previously informed, we will be sending home 9 Luna candidates, leaving our remaining count at 15.” Nathan, microphone in hand, spoke mainly for the cameras, and not the three line
The Luna audibly gasped. Some of the girls around me started screaming. Guards quickly moved in to usher them from the room. I was urged forward. “End the program,” the King shouted. “Now.” The cameras immediately shut off. Before I could reach the staircase and earn my favor from the prince o
“I hope you can understand and respect Nicholas’s need to move on from the train wreck you once shared together,” the King continued. I swallowed thickly, fear mixing with anger. What Nicholas and I had was special, not anything like a terrible accident. We’d cared deeply for each other. I’d had t
“You would deny the direct command of your prince?” he asked, voice firm. It was an act, I knew him enough to be able to tell. But he was giving me the reason I needed comply with his wishes if I so chose. And I desperately wanted to. “Okay,” I said at last. He utilized his servants to draw atte
Nicholas had never met my twin, but I had definitely talked about her when he and I had been dating. I was constantly worried about her, and she would sneak out into my conversations without even meaning to. Ever since we were kids, she was getting in trouble. Maybe she was too free-spirited. Mayb
No visits. No phone calls. No birthday or Christmas cards for Elva. It wasn’t the first time she had gone dark on me, but this time the circumstances were much different. I was caring for her child, the one she had been so desperate to rescue when she’d called me. Whether the underground organiz
Instead, the Queen pulled me into a hug. It was uncomfortable and brief, but a hug none the less. From the Queen, this was a tremendous breach of decorum, and I froze, unsure how to react. Even Nathan, standing dutifully as his King’s side seemed shocked.“I have misjudged you dearly,” the Queen sai
I wasn’t sure what to expect when our car delivered us from the train station to the palace, but even in my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t have guessed what actually awaited us.Cheering crowds lined the outer walls of the palace. Balloons and streamers of various colors were abundant. A stage had been
At once, my heart leapt up into my throat, while simultaneously crashing down into my stomach.I pulled away from Nicholas enough to push myself up onto my hands and stare down at him.The thought of breaking the engagement had never crossed my mind! Nicholas proposing had been one of the best momen
In a war between the wolves and the bears, only the lost bear princess will be able to stop this fighting. Else, the bears will continue to fight themselves to exhaustion or to death.“It’s up to you,” Nicholas said. “I believe in you. You can do this.”I closed my eyes. Miracle was still exhausted,
Slowly, my grief subsided for now, enough for me to look up at Nicholas and feel the relief of being reunited with my fiancé.My… mate.“I love you,” Nicholas said. “I’m sorry it took so long for me to reach you.”“How are you even here? It’s impossible for you to have found me this quickly?”Nichol
Joyce, despite his best efforts, was not a fighter. He was not bred for war and battle like Hawke was, so even calling on the power of his Alpha wolf, Hawk tossed Joyce aside like he was a sack of potatoes.However, Joyce did show amazing tenacity, and stood back up time and time again. Roaring, he
Nicholas was here. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know why. But he was here, and that gave me the strength I needed to act.I ripped my arm away from Joyce’s hold and rushed into the room where Hawk was choking my sister on the ground. Using all of my strength, I plowed into Hawk.My surprise more than
We slipped into the hallway easily enough. The lights were off, so we stuck to the shadows. We didn’t go far when we started to hear raised voices.“I want to know if Piper was telling the truth.” It was Jane.“You cannot mean to trust her more than me,” that was Hawk. His cold voice sent shivers ru
A mating bond…?Yes. Even though Nicholas and I had never talked about the love between us, I had still felt it grow over these months together. Nicholas had never made a bonding bite on my neck, yet inside of me, that bond had cultivated. Our hearts were bound together, mating bite or now.There wa