When I returned to my room, I changed into my pajamas and slid into bed. Elva was already fast asleep. Yet no matter how long I laid there, or which way I tossed and turned, I could not find sleep. My mind was still with Nicholas in that hallway. I could only imagine the terrible things the King w
When I slept that night, it was only because pure exhaustion from staying up the entire night before had finally caught up to me, and sleep pulled me under against my will. Else I would have been shaking with anger and worry. For a few, brief hours, I had felt peace. But now, I was awake again. No
“It should be me,” Nicholas said, just as I told him once more, “I should be the one to do it.” We glared at each other. “Jane and I have the history,” I said, impassioned. “She is my sister. It is my not just my right to be the one to bring her down, but it is my obligation.” “That obligation
The next morning at breakfast, the candidates were gossiping as per usual. Topics were sparse, especially since we weren’t allowed to watch any television. But the girls amused themselves with who was feeling under the weather, and who was wearing what to the ball. I tried to participate more than
“It’s just strange,” Julian said, as he escorted me from our room for one of our dates. “I guess since pretty much the time the King saw you and Nicholas, he’s been locked up with his advisors. I’ve seen him many once in passing, but he didn’t stop to talk to me.” To me, that didn’t seem all that
“Then, what?” He glanced at me. Slowly, he stopped walking. We were alone in the hallway though there was talking up ahead. Around the corner was the dining room. Some of the girls must have gone down to lunch early. “Joyce called you out to that balcony,” Julian said. “He said it was because yo
For his date with Olivia, Nicholas had arranged a special two-person table in one of the sitting rooms, where they would share their lunch together. With Julian’s insistence we eat with them, that two person table was turned into a four person table by adding two chairs and two more table settings
Slowly, Julian moved his arm forward, placing his hand onto my shoulder instead. In my head, I commanded myself, Don’t go stiff. Don’t go stiff. Don’t go stiff. If I cared for Julian romantically, I would be pleased by this clear sign of ownership and affection. So I tried to play the part and s
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