Elva and I dressed in our frumpiest clothes. Elva wore a hat with covers that went down over the ears. I tied my hair up and wore one of Anna’s wigs. It was darker than my own hair color, with bangs that hid most of my face.I barely recognized myself in the mirror. I doubted anyone else would be ab
Anna’s words stayed with me all through the night. I was haunted by them, even as I eventually drifted off to sleep on the air mattress.Was I truly considering the King’s demand because I wanted what was best for the country? Or was I simply hiding, pushing off responsibility to return to a life of
Nicholas’s lips were soft. His touch light, a barely-there caress, as he held my face so near to his own.I didn’t register the sound of a door opening at first, so fully engrossed as I was with the man in front of me. It wasn’t until I fluttered my eyes open and saw a figure walking past, that I st
On the ride back, my thoughts were buzzing. Everything I learned this trip, combined with the things Susie told me before I left, mixed with my own wants and desires, filled my heart with hopes and worries both.I needed time to sit with these thoughts, sort through them all, and determine what I sh
“Mark,” Nicholas said in his cool, authoritative tone. Mark lowered his head, deferring at once, even as his jaw stayed clenched. “What exactly is your plan?”“I don’t have one,” Mark said. “Not beyond throwing myself at her parents’ feet. But I will spirit her away if I must. If…” For the first tim
That evening, after dinner, I met Nicholas and Mark near the front door of the palace. Then, we walked to the waiting car and a driver took us to Susie’s family estate.As pulled through the gate, I was amazed by the sheer size of the building. It wasn’t the size of the palace, but the palace was th
The butler showed me to Susie’s room, and then quickly excused himself outside of her door. When he was gone, I knocked.“Go away!” Susie called in a watery voice. She was crying.I knocked more insistently as I pushed open the door.“I said –” she started, cutting herself off she say me. “Piper?”“
Not long after, Nicholas and I excused ourselves. We left Mark there with Susie and her parents to celebrate and help solidify the engagement. Nicholas and my presence was no longer necessary.The driver was outside, leaning against the parked car. When he spotted us, he flicked away his cigarette a
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