Novels by Penny

MARGE Ryan didn’t stop apologizing for whatever it was that happened out there. He kept trying to explain to me the reasons why people do certain things, yet as he spoke, my mind kept reeling through the words of the woman. Why exactly would she call me someone else? And what happened in the fire? I stopped walking to give Ryan ears for the first time. “What did she mean by the fire? What fire?” His expression shifted almost immediately. I caught it before he hid it away. “You’re gonna keep things from me now?” “No. No,” he muttered, scratching his head. “It’s just…certain things have happened in our pack. And most of us…aren’t allowed to speak about it,”“Even you?”“Not even me,” he answered, continuing our walk. “Speaking about them feels like inviting a curse in. And once bad things start to happen, one way or the other, the curse finds its bringer, and attaches itself on it,” “Ohh,” I exhaled. “I’m not saying it’s a curse entirely. I’m just saying…” he stopped, looked aro

MARGEI changed my dress three times the next morning.The first was too tight. The second was too bright. The third was the one Fren held up with a small smile."This one," she said. "Trust me."It was deep emerald, soft as water. It skimmed my waist and fell loose around my hips. The sleeves ended at my elbows. No tight corners. No hiding.I stood before the mirror and waited for the old voice. Large Marge.It came. But it was quieter."You look like a queen," Fren said."Don't say that word.""Why?""Because last night, a king nearly made me one in front of thirty people."She laughed and pinned my hair back. Her fingers were gentle. Almost too gentle. "Then let them wonder."A knock came at the door.Ryan stood in the hallway in a plain dark coat, no crown, no guards. His eyes dropped to my dress, then lifted fast to my face."You look…" He cleared his throat. "Good. You look good."Heat crawled up my neck. "Thank you.""I thought we could leave the palace," he said. "Walk the tow

MARGEFren led me down a quiet corridor on the east side of the palace. The air smelled of old paper and candle wax."Where are we going?" I asked."Somewhere you'll like." She smiled over her shoulder. "Trust me."I had stopped trusting people a long time ago. But her voice was soft, and I followed anyway.She pushed open a tall oak door. Inside was a library. Shelves climbed all the way to the ceiling. Ladders leaned against them. Dust floated in the golden light from the windows."The king's mother built it," Fren said. "Almost nobody comes here anymore."I ran my fingers along the spines. Some were cracked. Some were so old the titles had faded. As a child, I used to hide in my father's study just to read. After the fire, nobody let me near a book. Zach said they were a waste of my time."You can come here whenever you like," Fren said. "No one will stop you.""Won't the king mind?""The king minds a lot of things." She laughed lightly. "But he doesn't mind you."I turned to her.

MARGE Every part of the castle felt new and had a strange feeling lingering around it. It was a sensation that came easily due to how silent we were as we walked through corridors and aisles. Fren didn’t stop until we had taken several turns away from our starting point. When the air began to feel thicker, I stopped walking. She didn’t notice until she’d moved a few inches away from me. Then she stopped. “What’s wrong?” “Where are we going?” I asked. She raised the lamp to her face. A small smile creeped through her cheeks. “Are you scared?” “Shouldn’t I be?” “You’re in the Lycan realm. You live under the protection of the Lycan king and his son. Who would dare touch you? You’re a treasure now,” “Yeah…” I breathed as I stole a glance behind. “That’s not convincing enough. I think we should head back,”“But we are…”“No,” I cut her short. “We’re heading back. Please,” “Fine,” her smile widened a little. “No pressure. Perhaps…some other time,”She led the way back to where we

GARRET’S POVThe moment my door shut, I let the weight fall off my shoulders.I knelt by the bed, hands trembling as I reached beneath it, past the wooden panel I’d built myself so no servant would ever stumble on it by mistake. My fingers found the frame. I pulled it out slowly, like it might crumble if I moved too fast.Selene.Her portrait stared back at me the way it always did. Soft brown eyes. That stubborn tilt of her chin she wore even when she was afraid. I used to tell her she smiled like she was daring the world to disagree with her.I hadn’t looked at this painting in months. I told myself I didn’t need to. That the years had finally dulled the ache enough to let it rest.Then Margaret walked through my doors last night, and every wall I’d built came crashing down in the space of a single breath.How possible could it be? I’d always heard of my step son's wife whom he treats with ridicule. Her name was popular across borders and realms. I’d never seen her because Zach didn

MARGEI didn’t hear anything else. The voices dropped too low, and my feet had gone cold on the marble by the time I remembered I was standing in a hallway that wasn’t mine, listening to a conversation that wasn’t mine either.I slipped back into my room and shut the door as quietly as I’d opened it.Sleep didn’t come easy after that. I kept turning his words over. She cannot stay here. Not that girl. Not in this house.I told myself it didn’t matter. I had nowhere else to go anyway.Morning came with sunlight I wasn’t used to. No servants banging on doors, no Zach summoning me before I’d even opened my eyes. Just birds outside the window and a silence so foreign it almost scared me.I dressed slowly, in something Ryan’s staff had left folded on the chair, soft green fabric, nothing like the drab things Zach used to hand down to me. I stared at myself in the mirror longer than I meant to.I still saw Large Marge. But for the first time in years, the mirror didn’t feel like an enemy.A