The next morning, I awoke early and shuffled down with the rest of the candidates and their personal guards into the foyer for announcements. Nathan was already on the stage, rummaging through his phone. I spotted Susie and stood in the open spot between her and Tiffany. Veronica was there too, bu
The producer giggled. “What about when he takes your hand?” “No,” cut in the second producer. “Tell us what it feels like when he kisses you?” I worried my bottom lip between my teeth. Somethings were private, but I could share some others. For the good of the Kingdom. For Nicholas’s sake. “I
Joyce regarded me with a cool expression. His gaze trailed over me with disinterest. I felt suddenly exposed in my thin nightgown and robe. I wrapped my arms around myself. “Joyce? You were the one who wanted to see me?” I asked in disbelief. He nodded curtly. “I wanted to see if you were reckle
Looking around, I searched for another exit. There was another door further down, but it was more barred than the first, not just latched but also wedged with a piece of wood. Okay. So the doors were out. Giving up on the doors, I looked along the banister instead. There. An old oak stood near
Nicholas A late night knock rattled my door, rousing me from my sleep. I groaned, threw my arm over my eyes, and turned over, ready to ignore it. But then it came again, louder. Sighing, I lowered my arm and checked my clock. Midnight. Who could be trying to reach me now? My heart immediat
Julian and I ran all the way to Nicholas’s room. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. “Maybe he’s asleep,” I said. “See if it’s locked,” Julian said. I tried the handle. The door opened at once, pushing inward. Together, Julian and I stumbled into the room. Then, I gasped. Furnitu
My wolf stepped another inch closer to me, and then, inexplicably, it stopped. I peeked open my eyes. It had entirely frozen, eyes on mine. It panted its breath. Its muscles tensed like it was holding itself back. I didn’t dare hope but… “Do you… remember me?” I asked. It stepped back and
Despite what Nicholas had said, by the time Julian came rushing back with an onslaught of guards, Nicholas and I were back in his rooms. Nicholas had gone into the bathroom to shower and change. I sat just outside, a towel in my hands, wiping the blood off of my face. Julian stayed with me while t
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