Julian and I stayed out in the woods until just before dawn, when we finally made our way back toward the palace. Just as we broke the tree lines and came into the field on the outside of the gardens, Julian stilled. I stopped beside him and looked at him curiously. His gaze seemed to be fixed on
Julian and Nicholas continued to barrage each other with different attacks. Fur flew. Teeth chomped. Claws slashed, drawing blood. At each overly-vicious blow, delivered by each of the two brothers, I flinched forward, wanting to stop the fighting. But Mark’s extended arm kept me from impulsively
Not long after I parted with Julian and returned to my room to change, I was alerted that the candidates were to report to the foyer to receive the results of the theater event. I had expected the results to come quickly, but this seemed extra fast. Though with Bridget the professional actress amo
“I didn’t sleep with Julian,” I said quickly, before Nathan could talk over me again. It felt imperative to say so now, knowing that even the Luna was out here believing the gossip. “That was a rumor that –” “Do not lie to my face, Piper,” Nathan snapped. “I am a respected Beta of the King of this
After receiving Bridget’s warning, I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t risk running into Nicholas, which meant avoiding the places we usually went together. Instead, I ended up in the library with Veronica. Veronica didn’t seem surprised to see me when I joined her. She didn’t even really greet m
“I’m sorry…” I began. She shook her head minutely, wordlessly telling me that my reasons didn’t bother her. “This is your chance to vent before I return to my studies.” I wouldn’t let this opportunity pass me by. “I assume you have heard the rumors about Julian and me…” “That you had sex in th
That evening, after preparing for dinner, I stopped to chat with the guards at my door. By now, they had all become friendly, familiar faces, and though I wouldn’t consider us friends exactly, it was always a pleasure to stop and say hello. It was also a relief knowing the people in charge of mine
I tried to smile as well, at least when the cameras were facing me. Constantly being filmed was beginning to be exhausting. “I recently announced the results of the theater event,” Nathan said. “Well, today, I am excited to announce the rewards.” Suddenly, everyone perked up, like our coffee had
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