Novels by Vic Joe

POV: Briar"Keep your head bowed down until the King passes our table," my father whispered harshly. He did not move his lips at all. "Do not draw any attention to us tonight, Briar. You have done enough damage.""I am doing exactly what you asked," I whispered back."Then lower your eyes," he ordered. "Show some respect.""I am looking at my plate," I said."Look lower," he snapped.I stayed bent. The Alpha King walked past our table. Heavy footsteps followed right behind him. The entire hall remained completely silent. Nobody dared to breathe too loudly. When the King finally reached the front stage, the announcer told us to rise."You can stand up now," my father instructed.I straightened my back and lifted my head. I looked across the large room toward the high stage.My breath completely stopped in my throat.A man stood right next to the Alpha King. He looked very calm. He looked completely unbothered by the hundreds of people staring at his face. But he was not looking at th

POV: Briar"Last night was my best." I read the words written on the small white paper out loud to the empty room.The other side of the large bed was completely cold. It felt empty. He was already gone. I read the note three more times before I allowed a small smile to touch my lips. For just one single second, I felt normal. Then the memory of his unmasked face crashed straight into my skull, and my smile vanished completely."It could not be Kaius," I whispered to myself, dropping the paper onto the pillow. "He was with Calla."He was probably still asleep beside my sister in the palace right at this exact moment. But the face I saw under that black mask would not leave my mind. I saw his sharp jaw on my long walk back home. I saw his cruel eyes while I changed out of last night's wrinkled dress. I saw him while I sat at the kitchen table, staring blankly at my own shaking hands."Are you just going to sit there all day?" my father asked.I jumped in my chair. He walked into the kit

POV: Briar"Are you going to drink that glass of whiskey or just cry into it until it overflows?" a woman asked.I wiped my wet cheeks and stared at the stranger sitting on the barstool next to me. I was two towns away from my pack territory. Nobody knew me here. I could not sit in my house and let my father look at me with pity."Leave me alone," I said, my voice thick."A bad breakup?" the woman asked. She signaled the bartender for another round of drinks. "Or did your man pick someone prettier?""He rejected me in front of everyone," I blurted out. "He picked my own sister.""Ah, betrayal," the woman laughed softly. "The worst kind of pain. But crying in a dirty pub will not fix it. Do you know what actually fixes it?""Nothing fixes it," I muttered, staring at my drink. "I am a joke.""Being wanted fixes it," she said, leaning closer to me. "Feeling like you are the center of the universe for one single night fixes it. I run a private service. It is very exclusive. It is com

POV: Briar“Next in line, the wolfless daughter of the councilor!”The diviner's voice echoed over the roaring fire, sharp enough to cut through the heavy beat of the pack drums. The whole pack had gathered in the palace garden that night, the flames rising high into the dark sky. Every wolf who turned nineteen that year stood in a line, waiting to be bound to the one the Moon Goddess chose. I stood among them, my heart slamming against my ribs so hard I thought the people beside me could hear it. I had prayed for this night since I was a child. I did not just want any mate. Deep down, I hoped and prayed the goddess would give me Kaius, the Alpha heir.I loved him quietly for years. I watched him from a distance and remembered every sweet thing he ever said to me. I told myself that if fate wanted us together, maybe my size would not matter to him anymore.When my name left the diviner's lips, I stepped forward. My breath caught in my throat as Kaius stood up from his seat beside his f