“I don’t understand,” I said. My thoughts were entirely addled. How could Nicholas’s parents not only forgive Bridget for all that she had done but also continue to want her to be Queen? Hasn’t she proven herself unsuitable? Unstable? At least, disrespectful?They had to have known that she slapped
Nicholas, meanwhile, looked down and to the side. He wouldn’t meet my gaze even as I walked nearer to him.“Nick?” I prompted, fear weighing heavy on my heart.“Unfortunately, that isn’t all of the bad news I have to share,” he said.I braced myself. “What else?”“Joyce has somehow escaped.”I gaspe
At first, Nicholas simply pressed his lips to mine, non-demanding. It was sweet, and I cherished it. But it wasn’t enough.With all the bad news now weighing heavily upon us, threatening to drag us down, we both needed the affirmation of the other’s presence and affections. My devotion to Nicholas w
It was difficult while he was touching me like this, but I forced all of my thoughts away from my own pleasure and toward getting Nicholas as naked as me.I dragged my hands up the front of his torso, appreciating every curve and dip of his hard muscles along my way to the base of his throat, where
That night, despite the worries and the fears and the dark murmurs all around us, I was able to sleep soundly, feeling well and thoroughly loved.I was also likely happy to be back in a familiar bed, surrounded by familiar faces.And not everything was so dire. Elva was healthy for the first time in
“The King and Queen decided that, in a matter of fairness for those that did not have a chance to attend the island getaway, one more event will be held before the next elimination ceremony. This will ensure that all candidates will have a chance to showcase their merits before we must send more can
The servant led Nicholas and I to a sitting room where the King stood behind the chair his wife was sitting on. A table had been arranged in front of her, with two teacups and an extravagant silver teapot.The Queen stirred a sugar cube into her tea. The gentle chime of the spoon hitting porcelain w
“For the sake of providing a united front,” the King said, “I am making a request of you. It is not a command, because I believe you to be a good person. You must be for my sons to both think so fondly of you. I trust you will do the right thing.”Oh, I really didn’t like where this was going. I 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