Eventually, once the shooting and the screaming ends, Bethany crawls out from under her bed. There are so many safe rooms in the capital but each one she tried was taken with people of higher rank than her, unwilling to share their space with her. In the end, with nowhere else to go, she retreated b
Bethany keeps her head down, completing her work scrubbing the blood from the balcony while trying to not to panic about the very clearly bear soldiers still in the capital, posing as King’s guards. All the while, she waits for her chance to come forward and warn the Gamma about what she’s seeing.
Tristan and Caleb, talking lightly. I also notice that the clothes I left on the coffee table for Caleb are gone. Standing from the couch, I cross the room, closer to the door. “You can’t just go back storming through the gates,” Tristan says. “We don’t know the state of anything right now. Geor
My main worry is for Tristan and his safety on his dangerous mission. My second worry, however, is for myself, as I’m now alone with him in this farmhouse. There are no other slaves, or servants. No cooks. No cleaners. No other harem women to sate his needs – although that makes me more pleased than
For a brief moment, Caleb’s entire face goes slack with shock. In that instant, I feel vindicated, like maybe he’ll learn something now. However, in the next second, his face hardens instead. His words like ice, he says, “What did you just say to me?” Any other day, maybe I would have backed dow
That’s… odd. I was expecting more fight from him. At the very least, I thought he might just storm off and leave me alone. But now he wants to… help? Maybe my words got through to him. Does he now see how important it is for us to work together to survive? Containing my pride, I return to my wor
Caleb’s wounds are healing nicely. That’s the first thing I think looking at Caleb’s chest. The second is much less innocent. As much as I want to hate Caleb, and as many viable reasons as I have to do so, his body always manages to provide an excellent counterpoint. He may only be an alpha werewo
“Stand like this, with your feel slightly further apart. You don’t want to stumble when you are forced to move quickly,” he says. Disappointment flushes through me, and I hate myself for it. Caleb showing me what to do is what should be happening. Sex was never the intention here, no matter how ho
Caleb reads the threat before I can think to hide it. As he does, a red hue begins to swirl in his eyes swallowing all other color there.“Caleb,” I whisper, hoping the softness in my voice might help calm him, when he seems so very much like he might shift at any moment.The fingers of his free ha
The next morning, though I wake without Caleb, I still feel as though I am in some kind of beautiful dream. The evidence of Caleb’s being here the night before remains all around me, and on me.In the mirror, I spy several live bites running up and down the column of my throat. They continue over my
In the early morning hours, Caleb holds Harper tightly against him. They’ve made love several times throughout the afternoon and evening before Harper finally passed out from exhaustion. She’s so strong, so passionate, that Caleb sometimes forgets she’s only human.He pushed her too hard, but even i
At once, I card my fingers through his hair. Back bowing, I try to give him more room.One of his hands slides under my ass, pulling me up against his body, lifting my feet from the floor. I wrap my legs around him.He laps and suckles my nipple, then pops off to kiss his way to the other breast. He
“You…” I’m certain I’m hallucinating now. After all my pleading, all my hoping, it doesn’t seem real that my wishes could all come true now in the final hour – the final minute. I try again to question it. “You…?” Once more, my voice falls flat.“I made it the entire way to the vows,” Caleb says. “I
“Very well,” Caleb replies.“Please, repeat after me. I take you, Annabelle…”Caleb opens his mouth, but the words do not come.Whispers begin in the gathered crowd.Caleb wishes he could bring himself to care. About them. About Annabelle. About any of this.The chaplain clears his throat. “I take y
Caleb goes through the motions of the ceremony. There’s a lot of talking. The chaplain does a lot of talking, and then members of the court get to all say their peace.Caleb blocks most of it out, focusing instead on this unfamiliar, unsettled feeling inside of him. Yes, he wants Harper to be here i
Looking at her, Caleb tries to stir up some feelings. If he could just feel something. It doesn’t have to be as strong as how he feels for Harper, but something in the same vein. He can admit she’s beautiful. He can admit she will likely be a good Luna.But that’s where his affections for her end.
I run all the way back to my room, trembling with shock and upset. Bethany turns to me the moment I come rushing through the door.“There you are! Where did you go?” she says. She seems angry for a moment, until she fully takes in the state of me. “What happened?”Shakily, I tell her what I can, abo