I stood very still, confused and surprised both by the very presence of Julian’s lips on my cheek as well as the tenderness of the affection he was showing me. Julian had always struck me as something of a playboy, and while I understood that much of how he acted was an act, he never seemed to c
I was exhausted but I complied, changing into a simple dress and then heading downstairs. When I saw Susie standing in the back of the room, I immediately went to her side. Most of the girls assumed Nathan was soon to announce the next event for the competition, and so there was much speculation
“I’ve told the guards everything I know,” Lilliana said. “They’ll be watching you. Joseph himself just assured me of it.” I shook my head. I had no idea what she was up to this time, but I was tired of the schemes and lies. How many manipulative games would I have to endure during this competition
Julian and I were on a couch in a sitting room, looking at each other. Julian had made himself comfortable, bringing on knee up onto the cushion so he could more easily face me. I was sitting very still with my hands in my lap. I was still embarrassed about what had earlier happened with Nicholas.
I tried to get into the moment, imagining Terry saying something like that to me. The softness in Julian’s eyes kept me from falling to far into the fantasy. I cleared my throat. “Don’t you find the trends of modern fashion tiresome? Not to mention wasteful. Why should I throw away a perfectly goo
At the banquet that night, I sat beside Julian same as always, but other than the most basic of greetings, we had not spoken to each other. “Hello, Piper.” “Hello, Prince Julian.” Fortunately, Veronica and Tiffany seemed fine with talking with Julian in my stead, and Julian himself made no att
“I can see you worrying,” Julian whispered to me. “You shouldn’t. You’d be stunning in anything.” A light blush filled my cheeks. I glanced away, embarrassed. Farther down the table, Nicholas watched us, his mouth pressed into a hard line. After the banquet, Julian led me to Nicholas’s rooms,
We made it five steps out into the hallway before Nicholas started asking questions. “Did something happen?” he asked. I didn’t want to lie to him, so I shrugged. “Nothing big.” “Nothing big is still something.” With my hand on his arm, Nicholas dictated how fast and slow we walked. He slowe
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