He was my lighthouse, guiding me back to the shore, safe through tumultuous waters. I stepped into him and fell into his chest. His arms wrapped around me on instinct. Gently, he eased me back into the room I’d left, and away from the hallway where anyone could have happened upon us. “Oh, sh
“I told you not to,” Nicholas said. “I gave you reasons.” “You don’t understand,” I said. “What is there to understand? You are endangering yourself –” “Her sister is involved,” Julian cut in. He was coming closer to us. Nicholas’s mouth snapped closed. He furrowed his brow like he d
“She’s smart,” Julian said. “She knows how to fade into the background. I’ve seen her do it.” “Even so…” “I’ll keep an eye on her. One of us should head back to the party anyway,” Julian said with a wink. “The ladies are probably missing me, the most handsome of us anyway.” Nicholas gave
The next morning, all of the candidates were called down into the parlor. I checked with Mark and the guards before I left the room. With my twin potentially lurking around, we’d taken to a password system to confirm my identity. The password would be changed every day and given only once in the mor
I had more or less the same footwear as her, curtesy of the royal family, so her insult to me was at its base incorrect. But, knowing we would likely be walking through the gardens, I had chosen leather ankle boots rather than frilly and frail pumps or sandals. “Not all ladies’ footwear is so de
Nicholas shook his head. “I’m protective of you and Elva. Those instincts have nothing to do with whether or not I trust you.” I wanted to believe that, but if it was true, then why did he hesitate? “I’ve been alone a long time, and I’ve gotten by just fine.” The words emerge from a place of
“Everyone knows you are capable, especially Prince Nicholas. But wanting and needing are different,” Susie said. “You are allowed to want things, Piper, even if you don’t need them. You are allowed to want to be taken care of once in a while. No one should have to stand alone all the time.” “I d
“Nicholas? What are you doing here?” Crossing his arms, he tilted his head to the side. “Mark told me you asked him to teach you self-defense, but his duties are too essential to allow for the time to teach you. But, I do think it’s valuable for you to learn. So I’ve decided to step in instead.”
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