“Did you love your brother?” I ask before I can stop myself. “Yes,” he answers immediately, with no hesitation. I want to know more, but for him to admit to even this much feels like he is showing a trust and vulnerability that I haven’t earned. In time, if he wants to tell me more, he can, and
Caleb can say whatever bossy things he wants to, but the chances of me letting him face a potential enemy alone are exactly zero. So while he turns to confront the intruder head on through the front door, I slip around out the back door in the kitchen and sneakily make my way around the side of the
Caleb stiffens. “Terrible stuff,” Mr. Harvey continues without prompting. “The King’s Beta is missing too. The Gamma, George has stepped up as Steward in their absence, but –” A low growl permeates the air. Mr. Harvey and I both look at Caleb. He wears his anger openly on his face. When he notic
Caleb wants to go back to the capital now? As in, right now? “That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard in my life,” I tell him. “What do you know?” he growls, fury crumpling his features. “That traitor is sitting on my throne like he belongs there, emboldened by the lie that I am dead. I will retur
Caleb returns then and peers over my shoulder. “What are you doing?” “Getting ready to make some grilled veggies,” I tell him. When he lingers, I glance back at him. “Do you… want to help?” It feels strange, asking a King for help chopping the vegetables – even after I had yelled at him to contr
In the capital, Tristan moves stealthily through the upper hallways of the capital. He’d disguised himself as a guard to sneak past the capital walls, aligning himself with a troop as they entered. Quickly after, before he could be recognized, he broke away. He maintained a few connections in the
“I’ve heard him give commands to allow specific vendors to pass through the walls,” Bethany says. “Good,” Tristan says. “I can use that information.” “Then you should also know, that all of the soldiers inside the palace have been replaced with bear-shifters or wolves easily bought. The ones in
Rolling away from me, Caleb wakes up a while later. He stretches as he pulls himself out of bed. Since he’s naked, all of his bare skin is on tantalizing display. As hot as he is, though, right now, I’m not as turned on as I am disheartened. Caleb’s wounds are almost all the way healed, so much so
“One of my scouts has returned with news of a rebellion,” Caleb says. He gestures to the scout. “Give them your report.” The scout steps forward. With every eye in the room on him, he talks about how a new rebel group is organizing and gaining traction. He says that while the packs along the north
Caleb leads the way back to the Hall, with Tristan and me following along behind him. There, a few of Caleb’s advisors I recognize are crowded around a man I don’t. The unknown man is in his twenties or so, wearing dark clothing. His hair is a mess, and with those dark bags under his eyes, he look
Never before have I seen Caleb act this animalistic without reason. It’s as if he’s totally lost himself in the frenzy of the wolf. Even half-shifted, he seems out of his mind, with neither man nor wolf fully in charge. Only the paranoia drives him now, like a parasite that’s fully taken over his bo
Tristan leads me to the door of Caleb’s chambers, where even the guards seem nervous. From within, I hear the sounds of porcelain being shattered, of tables and chairs being thrown, and Caleb’s loud voice, booming from within. “I need answers, doctor! Solutions! Not more of your useless doctor-spe
I want to continue my research into the woman in the picture with Evan, but Hector likely has the library watched now. After what happened last time, I’m not in any kind of mood to see him again, or be tossed around in another confrontation. Without those old newspaper resources, investigating is
“Caleb…” I begin, speaking softly. He hums, acknowledging he is listening. I’m nervous but determined. While I don’t wish to leave Caleb, I can’t stay here, pretending like everything is okay while he proceeds with his engagement. “You promised you would grant my request…” “Don’t ask again,”
“Perhaps you have forgotten, father, but I am the king of this kingdom now,” Caleb growls. “As such, I am the only one who can command or punish the members of my harem. Harper is not just a member, but my favored.” “She was looking up information about Evan, Caleb,” Hector replies, just as furiou
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