“I’m going to bed,” I say. “Good,” he snaps. “You should have done so already instead of making trouble for us both.” “You should have told me about the wedding,” I reply. Lifting the covers, I slide underneath them. “I don’t have to tell you anything,” he says. “You are my consort, not my wife.”
After two days, I’m beginning to feel stir-crazy. I’ve opened up more to Wade and Scott, talking to them more openly than before. But Caleb is the man I love. Sitting beside him in the backseat but not communicating with him at all is starting to upset me. Time is precious, and I don’t really want
Caleb’s words rustle up fear inside of me, but I push down on it, not letting it overwhelm me. If Tristan is still alive, he will find a way to survive. “We’ll rescue him then,” I say with confidence. Caleb, frowning, shakes his head. “If only it were that simple. Assuming he is still alive, we wo
Leaving the building, we search for Scott and find him some ways away, inspecting the pushed down grass by the wall. Caleb, with the half-burned photo of me tucked into his pocket, is still furious, but he seems to try to be calming himself as he speaks to Scott with a level tone. “Do you have any
Eventually the pack Alphas slowly start to exit the building, gathering for the meeting Caleb has required. Harper stays at Caleb’s side, unusually quiet. He wants to ask her what holds her tongue, but with their growing audience, the time is no longer appropriate. She’s probably just nervous, any
I’m not sure how I knew that I’d be able to stop Caleb from hurting anyone just with a simple touch, but in this moment, I suppose I’m not really thinking at all. I just don’t want Caleb to lose himself again. The Alpha Council is already on the brink of falling apart. If Caleb hurts someone, even
“I keep my commitments, Annabelle,” Caleb says. “You have nothing to worry about, and these tears are unnecessary.” I don’t wait around to hear anymore. My heart is already breaking. Turning on my heel, I dash back into the palace, not slowing until I reach my bedroom. I want to be alone as I star
The advisors badmouthing me haven’t seen me yet, hidden as I am behind the brush. Their words sting me, but they aren’t anything that I haven’t heard before. The advisors might have the king’s ear, but they’ve never been kind to me. So I’m not particularly alarmed by thing insults, more annoyed by
My heavy heart persists into the evening. I haven’t talked much since speaking with Kira, retreating to my room soon after. Not even Bethany could encourage me to speak. Kira’s words cut into me, straight down to the bone. I don’t want to believe that Caleb only wants me for sex, and that’s all he’
None of that matters now. Annabelle looks at me sharply. “What are you doing here?” I step into the room, Bethany following along, my silent support. Glancing away from her in my dream gown, I try to stoke my rage again. Remembering the letter, I retrieve it from my pocket. “I’m tired of being th
The next morning, as I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, dreading another day of doing nothing, I hear a swishing sound near my door. Sitting up, I look at the door and find a slip of paper laying near it on the ground. Did someone slide that underneath? Curious, I pull myself out of bed and walk
“I want to apologize to you for how I acted before,” Annabelle says. With her head down, she also droops her shoulders, seeming for all the world like she might drop to her knees at any moment. He really doesn’t need that kind of dramatics, so he’s relieved when she continues to stand. “I let my
She looks away. “While I cannot save those condemned to the coliseum, I can help prepare them to hone the best of their abilities. I give them the best possible fighting chance, so when they step into the ring, they might survive. Many do not, but some succeed.” Looking back at me, she continues, “
I awaken the next morning to a loud, confident knock on my door. Rising up from bed, I pull on my housecoat and walk to the door, opening it. I’m half-expecting Bethany, though she doesn’t usually knock quite that loudly. Instead, I find the Pitmaster there. Her expression is severe as always but d
Much, much later, after Caleb ravaged me on the stairs again and then twice more in my bedroom, once we are relatively cleaned up, though I still carry his scent all over me, Caleb sits on the edge of my bed, staring at me as I recline there, jelly-like and sated. We need to have a talk, and I know
Seeing Caleb rush towards me, fury in his gaze, I already know what’s happened here. Bethany. She might have seemed compliant when I told her to stay behind, but I should have known she wouldn’t just sit idly by while I placed myself in danger, even if I instructed her to do so. She is my friend b
“That is a terrible idea,” Bethany says, not holding back. “What could you even hope to gain by doing that? Best case scenario, Leah has no way of delivering the message. Worst case, Samuel lures you out somewhere and has you killed.” “He won’t kill me,” I say. Despite his threats, he cares for me,