“He’s saving your bacon, Piper. Elva’s too. By publicly decrying this theory, he’s giving you a shield. The King can’t touch Elva now without public uproar.” Oh. I looked back at Nicholas in awe. I had suggested the public statement before, but for him to continue that idea, to protect us… My ches
“It wasn’t what it looked like,” I said on reflex. “You said before what you felt for Julian wasn’t serious,” he said. “It’s not.” Nicholas crossed his arms. His jaw tightened and he didn’t say anything else. I didn’t know what else to say, how to ease his worries, than to tell him the truth
It was much more difficult than I’d been expecting. I’d already gotten stuck twice. Susie was a patient teacher though, and kept a level head. She only giggled a bit when I’d fallen onto my backside, and not laughed outright. Plus, she helped me up right after. Nearby, the wolves Night and Silve
For a moment, I sat there in shock, looking at Elva and her wide, earnest eyes. Nicholas wasn’t exactly the last person I thought she’d say. He had been visiting her a lot lately; he always seemed to make time for her. But I would have thought Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny would have taken highe
One of the girls came close to me, peering at my selection. “Huh. I feel like you could have done better, Piper.” She was mocking me, which I would not dignify. “I’m quite proud of this actually.” “My friendly advice?” she said, smirking at me. I was fully prepared to ignore her, until I saw the
Nicholas’s mouth was so close. As I looked at it, he licked his lips. I licked mine in reply. We leaned closer, closer, dangerously close…Then the oven timer dinged.We immediately straightened, snapping away from each other. Nicholas turned, coughing into his hand.I reached for the oven mitts and
We continued to work throughout the day. When we finally finished, it was time for me to attend a banquet.Elva, who had been patient all day, complained loudly that she wouldn’t get to attend.“You’d hate it,” I told her, hoisting her up into my arms. “A bunch of stuffy people insulting each other
Whispers sounded around me, speculation on who was copying who. Lilliana and my dresses were similar enough that the rumor mill was working overtime. Especially with the addition of the children.The kids were now seated in their own private little table set up in the back of the room. They glanced
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