The next day, the best tailors in the kingdom are brought in to help design new dresses for the entirety of the harem. With the Alpha of every pack arriving soon, the advisors thought it best that the harem wow and stun even more so than usual. A beautiful, dazzling harem means a strong King and a
Bethany stays near the door, watchful but silent. The tailor clucks his tongue in disapproval. “Well, no wonder you are last. You are the plainest of the bunch, aren’t you? Entirely average.” “I beg your pardon?” I say, a touch of anger sliding into my voice. “The King has his choice of all th
I try to put Caleb’s cold shoulder to the back of my mind so I can focus on the matter at hand. Still wearing this giant tarp of a dress, I turn to Bethany. “I can’t possibly wear this to the gala,” I say. Bethany gives me a once over. “We can fix it, I’m sure. Somehow.” She touches the side of
The morning of the gala, Bethany is ready to make the final finishing touches to the dress. Outside, presumably, the various pack Alphas and their mates are beginning to arrive. The harem has been forbidden from stepping outside of their private wing, to maintain the mystery of the harem’s beauty un
“I still think it’s a bad idea,” Bethany says. “If the King catches you speaking with another man…” “He’s not another man. He’s the man. The one I love.” “The one married to your sister.” It’s a low blow and strikes me hard. Inside, I know she’s right. Despite the promises he made to me in tha
I stand at the back of the line of harem consorts, awkwardly avoiding eye contact with Gwen as she keeps looking back to glower at me. Blessedly, after a time, the line starts to move forward and I am saved from continued awkwardness. Yet, as I move closer and closer to the front of the Hall, I am
Well, that’s a concern for a later time. Right now, I only need to concentrate on surviving the night. The other consorts are mingling, so I attempt to as well. As far as I can tell, Caleb has yet to enter the room. I use this newfound freedom to weave through some of the Hall, mingling, but also
My irritation at my sister forces words from my throat that would have otherwise stayed lodged there, mostly from my shock at seeing Samuel again. “I wasn’t chosen for the King’s harem by some pitying fool, but by the King himself,” I say. Leah’s good humor immediately sours and she glares at me
Holding the note, I moved toward the bed and sat down on the edge. Caleb, finished with his shower, comes out of the shower looking relaxed as can be. The moment he sees me perched on the bed, he tenses again.“What happened? What’s going on?” he asks, his voice all business.I hold up the small not
The stare-off continues for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Around us, I see Gladys’s servants take notice, and my own worry sets in. If this continues, will they attack Caleb? Is Caleb willing to go to war to keep me safe and by his side?I fear I already know the answer to that.Yet, before
Even so, with the drama, I worry about the food getting cold. It does look good and a cook took the time to make it. I quickly cut a bite of the fish and eat it.Though my stomach is in knots, the fish is delicious so I force it down.“Careful, stepmother,” Caleb says, giving weight to the word I’ve
Of all the awkward, uncomfortable diners I have sat through over the years, this one has to be the worst. And that includes the ones right after my public disgrace, when I went from being the pride of my parents to their servant instead, with my sister taking my place.Gladys, Caleb, and I are in th
Caleb releases his hold from around my waist. Instead he takes my hands in his, then brings them both to his lips to kiss the backs of them, one after the other.Still holding my hands, he leads me toward the bed. There, releases my hand to grab one of the lamps from the nightstand. Carefully, he li
“Come with me,” Gladys says, her eyes flitting between Caleb and me. “I’d be happy to give you a tour of my home.”“That would be very kind, thank you,” Caleb says, his voice dripping with false diplomacy. It matches Gladys’s own.“Thank you,” I say, softer.Gladys turns and slowly leads the way out
Looking out the window, I watch as the car follows the winding tunnel road up and out of the underground.Caleb and I sit in the back seat while a driver sits up front, hidden from us, and us from him behind a partition.The view sends me back to the last time Caleb and I left the capital behind, wh
Staying by Caleb’s side is not the only rule he has in place for me. In fact, for three hours after the messenger with Caleb’s agreement, I sat sitting in the Hall, hearing many rules now placed upon me for this trip.“You cannot let anyone get you alone,” the advisor said. “Gladys herself will try
The messenger is dressed in a simple tunic with a sash bearing the colors of Gladys’s pack lands. He waltzes confidently through the Hall, seemingly uncaring that everyone in the room is looking at him. Or perhaps he thrives on that.Regardless, he walks the walk to the base of the throne, then bows