Before I can even think to hide the knife, or have any reaction other than, oh, shit, Caleb walks through the door of my bedroom. He doesn’t even knock, simply opens the door and saunters right in.When he sees the knife, he abruptly halts straight in his tracks. “What the hell is that?”“I’m not su
Another day, another banquet, this time for lunch. I’m starting to realize that the noble elites require Caleb’s time as much as his people’s problems do, likely to make themselves feel important. Half an hour into this banquet, and I’m still unsure what the purpose even is.When I ask Tristan, he g
Yes, he must be thinking of that, because as his cheeks turn red, he stammers something, and then scurries away.Glancing at Caleb, I risk teasing him again. “You owe me one.”“I owe you nothing, wench,” he grumbles, yet even as he says it, he threats an arm around my waist and yanks me closer to hi
Walking into the closet, I collect all the spare pieces of fabric and lace that the thieves left behind. Then I carry it back into the other room.By now, Bethany has pulled herself together enough to stand. She meets me beside the bed, where I drop all the fabrics down.She saved me once before, se
Caleb follows me back to my room. I’m annoyed, frankly, because Bethany put a lot of effort into this dress only for me to be unable to truly show it off. But Caleb’s insistence has me moving my feet, booking it back to my room and then to my closet.Bethany is still in the rooms, cleaning up from t
It’s a strange moment, watching a man so powerful, so deadly even, hold something so fragile. He’s careful not to crush the flowers as he brings it over to me.He holds it out. “It smells like you.”My eyes go wide, and my heart races out of control.Sexual overtures, I expect from him. Gruff, angry
“You will tell me what I want to know,” Caleb growls, voice far colder than he’s ever used with me, even at his most angry. “You will die either way, but the speed of your death is what remains on the table. If you wish to spare yourself any more pain, you will speak quickly.”The bound man raises h
Plus, losing the support of a pack, even a lesser one, would weaken his kingdom. The other packs might consider rebellion, if they ever discovered he left many of their own to die.And then, there’s Harper… She shouldn’t be a consideration. She wasn’t really. An afterthought, at most… But it would d
In the library, I manage to narrow down the dates to find Caleb’s coronation. Then, moving backwards, I try to discover the exact moment the news stopped talking about Evan, by searching for the first time that he’s mentioned. I find Prince Evan’s obituary, which sounds very by the business and no
Caleb once more sits on his throne in front of the Alpha Council, staring down at them in judgement and distrust. His earlier meeting with Harper had only helped him somewhat, but now that they were separated, Caleb’s dark thoughts were returning with a vengeance, somehow even worse than before. W
“Actually,” the guard begins, glancing between the two of us. “King Caleb has already given Harper permission to enter his chambers as she desires.” Annabelle’s entire face flashes bright red. I very nearly smirk with satisfaction, but I bite it back at the last minute. It wouldn’t do to be smug
Tristan’s eyes widen slightly. “Did he truly say that?” “I heard it,” Caleb snaps. He knows what Tristan is thinking. This could be the paranoia again, creating whispers where there were none. Maybe he had right to worry. Perhaps Caleb had imagined it. But what if he hadn’t? “Your brother’s
Caleb hates the Alpha Council, now more than ever before. The last time they convened, the entire capital had been besieged by bears after the betrayal of Caleb’s Gamma. This already painted the council in a negative light for Caleb, even though it had no real fault in what happened. Now however,
“I can’t?” Caleb steps around Leah, ignoring her and her pale face entirely to focus primarily on me. He leans close, danger in his eyes, jaw clenched, teeth grit together. “Do not ever tell me what I can and cannot do, consort. Or have you forgotten yourself?” Maybe I have. With everything Caleb
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Leah spits at me. “I didn’t admit to anything.” “You don’t have to,” I tell her. “I can see the truth in your eyes. I know how much you despise me. I never thought you would go so low as to terrorize me like this. Even then, when I suspected and everyone told
There are two floors that I know Caleb would take someone to interrogate them. The first is the dungeon, where he frightens and tortures. The next is the floor up from the dungeon, where interrogation rooms are set up, cold tile rooms with one-way windows like in police stations. I can’t waste tim
Bethany dips her head while glancing sideways at me. “Of course, my King.” She cannot tell the King no, but she’s still looking to me for what she should do. I close my eyes and give her a stilted nod. Without his approval, I won’t be able to take one foot out of the palace without being dragged