Then she moves along. From her, that is wonderful praise and I’m absolutely beaming. “Good job, Harper,” Ted says, along with a few others. “Thanks, guys,” I say as I stop to join them. Despite everything, Ted and the trainees have been becoming my friends. Ted hasn’t really changed all that m
The next day, I am once again summoned to Caleb’s side. This is the first time that it’s happened since our moment of passion in the gardener’s shed, so hope fills my heart. Since I care as much as I do about Caleb, I want to be near him, no matter what. From what I can tell, from the time of day,
In the bathroom, I splash water over my face. My hope is that Caleb will be too busy or too annoyed to wait around for me to leave the bathroom and I won’t have to face him. I really don’t want to face him. Watching him flirt with another woman cut me deeply, down to my bones. I always knew that i
Caleb thought that his blissful torture of Harper would facilitate a few answers, but as he walks away, he remains as confused as before. Withholding her pleasure, while enjoyable, had only managed to further prove just how stubborn she is. He hates how much he likes that about her. It would be s
In the night, within my mind, I travel back in time to a night when I joined my sister Leah at a club on the edge of our pack’s lands. It was the night of my disgrace, my birthday. Samuel and I had making plans to solidify our mating bond, but Leah, furious, was not speaking to me, except in front o
Caleb is only half-listening to Annabelle. Rather, his full attention is on Harper and the way she sways as if she might faint. He will not let her head hit the ground if her legs give out, which they seem about to at any moment. “My King?” Annabelle says, likely trying to reclaim Caleb’s focus, w
I know Caleb’s idea of interrogation involves torture. I’ve seen it happen. Hells, it even happened to me once. And I don’t totally trust Caleb’s promise not to kill Leah, either. When he gets in those overly-aggressive moods sometimes, it’s hard for him to hold back even when he wants to. So I te
Well, if Caleb has authorized this, then I have no choice really but to honor this summons, even if I’d rather run screaming, naked into a forest filled with bees. “Very well,” I say. The handmaiden leads me out to the courtyard, to a small rod-iron table in the shadow of a great oak tree, where
“Annabelle is a fine woman and would make a good queen,” Caleb says. “Of course,” Tristan says. Annoyance swells within Caleb. Even with as many times as Caleb scolds him, Tristan ever speaks his mind with Caleb. But he’s clearly holding back now. Not that it matters. Caleb has made his decisi
Caleb follows Tristan to an empty gym. The guards already sparred in here earlier and now it sits empty. If Caleb didn’t know Tristan as well as he did, he might suspect that Tristan led him back here so they can continue their fight. But Caleb does know Tristan, so he knows Tristan only brought h
Then, like whispering a breath, he says aloud his realization. “You think you don’t mean anything to me.” It wasn’t a question, more a statement. There’s nothing I can say against it, because it is one hundred percent the truth. His brow furrows slightly, giving him an annoyed expression. He ste
“Why the hell would you want to mate with some inferior male?” Caleb demands, his rage flaring like the red flashing through his eyes. “He wouldn’t be inferior to me,” I snap back. “He would be my husband and mate.” “Stop saying that!” Caleb roars. He’s trying to intimidate me. Well, it won’t
I return to my room absolutely humiliated. In a way it was flattering, that Caleb’s parents misunderstood and thought that Caleb cared enough about me to want to break traditions and marry me, a member of his harem. Their expressions, however, a mix of horror and rage, left me feeling nothing but
I can’t speak against Annabelle. I might be in the King’s harem, but she is an honored member of a powerful pack and favored to be the Queen. What would I say, even if I could? No? Caleb needs to keep his harem? That’s not what I want. If I could have my way, Caleb would free all members of the
Well, if Caleb has authorized this, then I have no choice really but to honor this summons, even if I’d rather run screaming, naked into a forest filled with bees. “Very well,” I say. The handmaiden leads me out to the courtyard, to a small rod-iron table in the shadow of a great oak tree, where
I know Caleb’s idea of interrogation involves torture. I’ve seen it happen. Hells, it even happened to me once. And I don’t totally trust Caleb’s promise not to kill Leah, either. When he gets in those overly-aggressive moods sometimes, it’s hard for him to hold back even when he wants to. So I te
Caleb is only half-listening to Annabelle. Rather, his full attention is on Harper and the way she sways as if she might faint. He will not let her head hit the ground if her legs give out, which they seem about to at any moment. “My King?” Annabelle says, likely trying to reclaim Caleb’s focus, w