It was still dark out when Ferrin woke me a few hours later. The clock said it was just past three in the morning. He was already dressed and ready to go. He told me to go ahead and get dressed while he went to make sure everyone was ready. I said not to worry about packing. Miranda had already taken care of everything.I pushed the covers off, wondering if that woman ever slept. I pulled on a pair of leggings and a T-shirt and tied my hair back out of my face. I didn’t have to wait long before Ferrin returned with Damen.“You ready?”I nodded. “Yep.”“Okay, Damen is going to go ahead of us to make sure the coast stays clear. We’re going to take you through the servants’ passages and out a back exit. Once we’re out of the castle, we’ll have to walk for a while. You up for that?”I laughed. “I’ve been trapped in a tower for over a week. What do you think?”He smiled and shook his head. “Alright then, let’s go.”He grabbed my hand and led me out the door. I don’t know why I was so nervo
We made it to the cabin as the sun was beginning to rise. I could tell why Ferrin thought it would be a safe place for us to stay. It was well off of any main roads, tucked back into the woods with a small lake out the back and no evidence of any other structures nearby.It was also gorgeous.This wasn’t just some cabin like I had pictured. I was thinking of a small, seldom-used cabin that hunters or hikers would take shelter in. Not really belonging to anyone but was kept up by those who passed through on occasion to keep it usable.This was not that.This was clearly well-maintained. It was a stunning two-story, three-bedroom log cabin with all the amenities, including a hot tub on the back porch that led down to a firepit near the shoreline. I had a feeling it also belonged to his family. Or, at the very least, he knew the owner very well.I stood on the balcony off the upstairs master bedroom, wondering if I would ever get used to this. I was content with the minimalistic lifestyl
My chest was swollen with pride in my mate. All I wanted to do was get her behind closed doors and show her how damn perfect she was. I was annoyed that Desiree had the audacity to speak to her Luna the way she had. By all rights, I should have been pissed. And I was at first. But after watching Willa eviscerate her in such a concise, effective, and tactful way, I couldn’t bring myself to care that much anymore.I thought back to that night I had imagined what would happen when the two of them met. I was in no way disappointed. And now, knowing Willa’s skill in a fight, Desiree would learn quickly not to disrespect my mate again.We finally made it to our private quarters, but we still had an entourage that I only felt a little guilty about wanting to get rid of as soon as possible. But I really did want Rebekah to take a look at Willa’s leg. And Damen, Miranda, and I had to discuss what was going to happen next so Willa could get an idea of what to expect over the next few days.My q
I looked at him skeptically. “A rogue werewolf from Avilvale? Even keeping my alpha nature from them, I don’t see them being too happy about that.”“There will be those who will have an opinion,” Ferrin said casually. “But not all of them will hold it against you once they meet you. The council isn’t full of old lycans who are stuck in their ways. We have several that are around my age or have always been on the more progressive side, like my father and me.”“Like Lady Boucher?” I asked, not entirely successful in hiding the bitterness in my voice. I don’t know why she kept popping into my head since I had met her in the hallway. She just made me feel off.“No, the Boucher family tends to lean toward the old ways where lycans’ status was definitively superior.”“I’m surprised the council isn’t insisting you mate with her,” I said.Ferrin made a face. “They know any chance of that ever happening died a long time ago.”“What do you mean?” I pulled away, jealousy spiking through me. “Fer
I picked Willa’s dress off the couch and helped her slip it up her arms. She went to start buttoning it up, but we both quickly realized there were several buttons missing. I chuckled as her shoulders fell with a sigh, giving me a disappointed look.“Oops,” I said with a shrug, not even about to hide my grin.“If you keep this up, I’m going to run out of things to wear real quick,” she said, shoving my arm playfully.“That’s not exactly an incentive to be more careful,” I replied.“Ha ha,” she said. “But I don’t have any…”I stopped her with a look.“Miranda.” She caught on quickly, shaking her head with a grin.“I told her to put everything in your room for now. We’ll move it whenever you want.”“She really does deserve a raise, you know?” Willa said as she started towards the bedroom.“Already taken care of,” I called after her. “Plus an extra week of paid vacation.”She turned around, backing into the room without skipping a step. “That’s my man,” she said with a wink before closin
Arlo was still waiting outside when I left our quarters, but his expression was a bit less jovial than it was a few moments ago.“What did you do to get Damen’s knickers in such a bunch?”“What makes you think I did anything?” I asked as he followed me. Obviously, Damen had mind-linked him as well.“He told me I better get my arse to your office to make sure you haven’ done somethin’ royally stupid,” Arlo replied.Honestly, I didn’t know what I could have done. Unless this was about last night, but all my thoughts of sending Willa away had completely passed now. Everything had been going smoothly since we returned, so I had no idea what was going on. And it was pissing me off as well.I stormed into my office to find Damen and Austin waiting, both looking particularly displeased about something.“What the hell is all this about?” I asked angrily.“You tell us,” Damen said, dropping an accordion folder on my desk dramatically.It only took an instant to recognize it, and I cursed under
Not long after Ferrin left, Miranda came in with a load of groceries to stock our little kitchen. She also gave me my phone. Apparently, one of the border guards found it in the woods where Ferrin “saved” me from the attack because it was ringing non-stop. Austin swung by and picked it up before heading back to the castle behind us.It was dead by now, so I popped it on the charger before helping Miranda make some sandwiches. I convinced her to stay and eat with me, knowing she probably hadn’t taken a break all day.“So, what are you going to do with your extra week of paid vacation,” I asked, moving on to my second sandwich after inhaling the first. I definitely must have been healing faster because I was starving.Miranda laughed. “Ferrin said you insisted he gave me a raise. Although it was entirely unnecessary.”“It was absolutely necessary. You have done so much for me since I got here,” I said bluntly, “and I can’t imagine this place would run a fraction as smoothly without you,
I was really getting tired of having to hide in rooms whenever Ferrin was acting like a jerk. I didn’t regret my decision to stay with him, but all this was becoming a bit suffocating. I couldn’t handle it if Ferrin suddenly started keeping things from me.I paced around the room for a while before I changed into my pajamas and tried to go to sleep. But I only ended up tossing and turning for a couple of hours. Finally, I let out a frustrated huff and threw the blankets off of me. I was still frustrated with Ferrin, and I was mad that I missed him, but I was also worried. It was the kind of worry that just sat in the peripheral. You know it’s there, but you just don’t know why.But then again, we both had a lot to worry about right now. So, I was probably just overreacting.I climbed out of bed and made my way through the joining bathroom and through to Ferrin’s bedroom. I paused a moment to breathe in his scent, which was all over the place. I quickly started to relax. I crawled unde
I was beyond ready to get this day over with. Willa had definitely given me an effective reminder to ensure everything went smoothly this evening. Not that she needed to, but I was going to do anything but complain.But it wasn’t just our sexual encounter that had me determined to make sure everything went according to plan tonight. It was her attitude. She had taken the disruptions in stride, even making light of the situation. But I hated that she was already getting used to them and that she was already feeling like I wasn’t around enough.As king of the lycans, there would be times when there would be no avoiding those circumstances. But for her to have to accept them so early in our relationship was unacceptable. She deserved my full attention and as much of it as I could possibly give. The only reason I hadn’t blocked everyone this morning was because of the event. We had too many nobles and council members still arriving, and those already here would be milling around the castl
Ferrin wasn’t kidding when he said he was tired. As soon as we were under the covers and curled up against each other, he was dead asleep. I lay awake for a little while, just listening to him breathe while I contemplated the next couple of days. I tried to run through any of the names and faces that I remembered from my morning with Rebekah, but lying there next to Ferrin kept my mind wondering what would happen after the dinner.We thought these few days would have been a bit easier on us both. There were fewer secrets and less sneaking around. Ferrin, Rebekah, and Shawn all confirmed that everyone seemed to buy our ruse. There were no hints of rumors that we had met any other way. And for the most part, they had not heard of any direct disapproval of a rogue werewolf being the king’s mate. That didn’t mean they would accept me, but at least there wasn’t open discontent.However, with all of that, the other obstacles we faced seemed to pile on tenfold. With the added stress, Ferrin
Something was really bothering her. And it wasn’t the same anger or disappointment I had felt from her the night before.No, she seemed… nervous around me. Almost scared.I had never seen Willa be timid. I didn’t think she even had it in her.But whatever was causing these feelings, they were only directed at me. She had acted normally toward Rebekah and warmly toward Henry and the kids. She was a picture of sweetness and belonging.My gut clenched, imagining what could possibly have her acting so distant from me. I hated this. I needed to be close to her more than ever right now, and this is when she decided to avoid me. Frustration and even a little anger started to creep up on me. I went to the office there in my apartment and found the carafe of bourbon. I poured a glass and took a few minutes to drink it before I went back to Willa’s room.I gently turned the knob. Opening it, I found Willa standing in front of the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. I could see her fac
I didn’t sleep much longer after Willa left. The unease and anxiety that had been growing through the night had quickly seeped back into my bones. They had lessened for those few short hours I was able to hold her. But when she left, it was like a premonition of what would happen if I screwed everything up — if I made the wrong decision.We had gone through every single detail in Billy’s file that night. Scouring over every piece of information. We had relied heavily on Dante’s expertise, hoping he could shed better light on what we were looking over. With each passing hour, his thoughts were following the same path as Willa’s father’s. And with each passing hour, my mood soured even more. By two in the morning, Dante was so suspicious of what was going on that Damen insisted I fill him in on everything.I had reluctantly complied at the time, but Dante said this information did fill in a lot of gaps in the information. He went over everything again once he knew more of what we were l
Rebekah was right about the gazebo being a good place to escape and get some privacy away from the castle. We spent a couple hours sitting there while she told me about the people I would be meeting at my introduction dinner. She pulled up pictures from her phone to help me recognize them. By the time we were done, she had gone through over forty people of various importance, and I was feeling a little overwhelmed. But I also felt more confident about the upcoming ordeal.We decided to move on so that she could show me around the grounds a little bit more before we had to meet her family when they arrived. We were walking along the hedges when she asked me what I planned to wear to the dinner. I froze up when she asked.“Crap,” I said. “I actually have to think about that, don’t I?”She laughed softly at my mortified expression. “It’s okay. I would love to help you get ready.”“Okay,” I said with a grateful sigh of relief.“Don’t worry,” she said. “You’ll do just fine. And I highly do
I was really getting tired of having to hide in rooms whenever Ferrin was acting like a jerk. I didn’t regret my decision to stay with him, but all this was becoming a bit suffocating. I couldn’t handle it if Ferrin suddenly started keeping things from me.I paced around the room for a while before I changed into my pajamas and tried to go to sleep. But I only ended up tossing and turning for a couple of hours. Finally, I let out a frustrated huff and threw the blankets off of me. I was still frustrated with Ferrin, and I was mad that I missed him, but I was also worried. It was the kind of worry that just sat in the peripheral. You know it’s there, but you just don’t know why.But then again, we both had a lot to worry about right now. So, I was probably just overreacting.I climbed out of bed and made my way through the joining bathroom and through to Ferrin’s bedroom. I paused a moment to breathe in his scent, which was all over the place. I quickly started to relax. I crawled unde
Not long after Ferrin left, Miranda came in with a load of groceries to stock our little kitchen. She also gave me my phone. Apparently, one of the border guards found it in the woods where Ferrin “saved” me from the attack because it was ringing non-stop. Austin swung by and picked it up before heading back to the castle behind us.It was dead by now, so I popped it on the charger before helping Miranda make some sandwiches. I convinced her to stay and eat with me, knowing she probably hadn’t taken a break all day.“So, what are you going to do with your extra week of paid vacation,” I asked, moving on to my second sandwich after inhaling the first. I definitely must have been healing faster because I was starving.Miranda laughed. “Ferrin said you insisted he gave me a raise. Although it was entirely unnecessary.”“It was absolutely necessary. You have done so much for me since I got here,” I said bluntly, “and I can’t imagine this place would run a fraction as smoothly without you,
Arlo was still waiting outside when I left our quarters, but his expression was a bit less jovial than it was a few moments ago.“What did you do to get Damen’s knickers in such a bunch?”“What makes you think I did anything?” I asked as he followed me. Obviously, Damen had mind-linked him as well.“He told me I better get my arse to your office to make sure you haven’ done somethin’ royally stupid,” Arlo replied.Honestly, I didn’t know what I could have done. Unless this was about last night, but all my thoughts of sending Willa away had completely passed now. Everything had been going smoothly since we returned, so I had no idea what was going on. And it was pissing me off as well.I stormed into my office to find Damen and Austin waiting, both looking particularly displeased about something.“What the hell is all this about?” I asked angrily.“You tell us,” Damen said, dropping an accordion folder on my desk dramatically.It only took an instant to recognize it, and I cursed under
I picked Willa’s dress off the couch and helped her slip it up her arms. She went to start buttoning it up, but we both quickly realized there were several buttons missing. I chuckled as her shoulders fell with a sigh, giving me a disappointed look.“Oops,” I said with a shrug, not even about to hide my grin.“If you keep this up, I’m going to run out of things to wear real quick,” she said, shoving my arm playfully.“That’s not exactly an incentive to be more careful,” I replied.“Ha ha,” she said. “But I don’t have any…”I stopped her with a look.“Miranda.” She caught on quickly, shaking her head with a grin.“I told her to put everything in your room for now. We’ll move it whenever you want.”“She really does deserve a raise, you know?” Willa said as she started towards the bedroom.“Already taken care of,” I called after her. “Plus an extra week of paid vacation.”She turned around, backing into the room without skipping a step. “That’s my man,” she said with a wink before closin