Reggie's Point of View
Nerezza had crossed a line. From concubine to the next prospective queen. The little whore was climbing up the ranks faster than I could get rid of her. A peasant roaming around in the halls of a palace. How pathetic. To make matters worse, everyone now thought the royal family was sponsoring a low-life girl from a broken background. The sister-in-law of a cheap slut.
Our reputation was tarnished. Trashed. There was no coming back from this. Not whilst they still paraded around inside these halls.
Taking my mother's place beside my father wasn't an option for the bitch. Not when I had something to do about it. Her little views of how a kingdom should be run were warped. Too expansive. A kingdom needed a strong and ruthless leader. Not some backward system concerning rights. For decades, the rich became richer whilst the poor dissolved into nothingness. It was just the way things ran. It was a perfect system
Nerezza's Point of ViewThe party had gone better than I had first thought. After our little affectionate display, the crowd had dispersed with one glare from Reginald. None of them spoke of the incident for the rest of the night. Only smiled and laughed when appropriate.But even with the public display, no one treated me differently. Hell, not even Reginald. We kept a respectable distance from each other. Exchanged heated glances. And that was the end of it. There was still a standard to uphold. Even if the entire ballroom could hear him say how much he loved me. How I was his secret to be loved in the dark.His revelation had brought goosebumps to my arms. So much for not stealing Farren's light for the evening. Not that the girl seemed to mind. She had a gorgeous dark-skinned girl on her arm. Both looked happy with the other's company. They often danced together when the music grew more upbeat. Giggled at some ladies when they threw
Nerezza's Point of ViewAs promised, when I woke up I dove into what I could find on Reggie. Phaedra had sparked a flame in my heart I had missed for a long time. A love for her people that I couldn't describe. She had left her home to try and find a better life for her people. Left the ones she loved behind in pursuit of a better alternative than what she already had. It was admirable. Thing of honor. Another foreign word in a place like this.I dug deep into everything Reggie had done over the last couple of years. Especially the year his mother had passed and the king was at his lowest. From all the property he owned to all the land under his control. Which should have been none, according to my current knowledge. All power was supposed to be handed back to Reginald once he was fit to rule again.But there were several discrepancies in the books. Several entries didn't make sense or fit in anywhere.The day wore on and I
Nerezza's Point of View Five Years Later Reginald never got better. Instead, with time he had gotten worse. Became frail beyond comparison. We all knew he was on his death bed. Taking his last breaths. To say my heart was broken would be an understatement. Shattered into oblivion. The reality of losing him set in now. Clattered inside my hollow frame. Prince Reginald was now ruling over all of us. More like a cunt was hiding behind a sweet façade. I was adrift in the ocean with sharks trailing my blood. There was no place for a harem of a dead king. We would be cast to the side. Left to bleed out and have others feast on our flesh. He had made his disdain for me clearer over the last years. Even shunned Farren and Phaedra openly. Once his father was gone, we would no doubt soon follow. Be left on the street like beggars after he took us for everything. Unless I clawed myself to power once mor
Nerezza's Point of ViewFarren was at the dining room table when I got back to our chambers. A massive selection was splayed out in front of her. Mostly sweet. That hasn't changed since the day I met her. Everything containing sugar was open to consumption. Although, her petite body had never changed. I gave credit to her strong werewolf genes for that.Sadly, I had pulled on the shorter stick when it came to that. Plump and curvacious, I had never known any other body besides this one.Her head bobbed up from the paper in her hand. Her soft smile spread across her lips at me. Until she noticed what I was wearing. Brows furrowed together. "You look like you have seen your mate at the gate." She joked, referencing Priamos. I blanched even more and set down the small clutch I had taken with me.The ladies could be damned for the day. My absence wouldn't even be noticed. Not until they wanted to insult me later on. At least now they
Alastair's Point of ViewNerezza was a vision in that coat of hers. In that silky soft emerald dress she wore. From the curve of her hips to the way her eyebrows cocked up, showing her irritation. To us, she was an open book, even if she wanted to remain closed. Her head kept looking in every direction. Making sure that no one was around. At this hour, no one would be. This ruined the fun slightly. Having an audience always meant for a better performance.Amadeus fidgetted beside me, unable to control his urge to have her. Tried desperately to coral himself in. I kept smiling at her. Kept waiting for her to come closer. For her to let us ravage her. She was at Ciaran's party that night so there was no doubt in my mind that she was more fire than water. It hadn't occurred to her yet but with our guidance, it would. Stiffly, she would lean her weight from foot to foot. Nervously, her fingers coiled around each other. Those green eyes took in eve
Nerezza's Point of ViewSneaking back into the palace was more difficult than I had previously thought. Somehow the guards had doubled. Closed in almost every corner of the grounds. Being on the outside, it was even more difficult to predict where they might be. Where I should enter. If they caught me, they would certainly report it to Reggie. And I wasn't in the mood for his bullshit tonight. Nor did I want him to ever use my mates against me when the time came to take his throne.The revelation of what I had just done didn't help my cause much either. My mind was a frazzled mess. From how hard I came to having to leave them behind. I hadn't thought that I would actually be upset when I left them. But something in my heart tugged and pulled and groaned. Maybe it was my wolf or maybe it was just the happy memories of Priamos and I together haunting me.Either way, I wouldn't let another of my mates interfere with my life. Disrupt it. I
Lysander's Point of ViewMother was in the kitchen again. Cooked all of my dad's favorite meals. Along with my own. Pastries and bread. Singing a lullaby she had sung to me since the day I was born. Her head bobbed up and down as she mixed what I could only assume was soda bread. Every inch of the counter space was filled. Flour was strewn everywhere.She always did this when something bothered her. Like the weather or how G. R. R. Martin hasn't released the rest of some series she loved. Food had always been a comfort to her. But to the rest of our household, it only spelled disaster for the rest of the day.I tried my best to stay as quiet as possible when I entered the kitchen. Stole one of the already baked loaves off of her counter. But this woman had always had a sixth sense. Knew exactly when I was causing shit.Ma whirled on me, eyes wide and a wooden spoon raised. I backed up slightly. Caught red-handed with the lo
Nerezza's Point of ViewI woke up to the sound of shouting. Not the kind that indicated a fight. More like two girls screaming about a dress. Or shoes. It followed with giggling. And music. Loud and unbothered by the fact that there were still people sleeping in the palace.Sighing, I ripped the sheets off of me. Let my legs fall to the floor. Cold tiles sent shocks up my feet. Made me groan and rethink my choice to get up. Last night was still fresh in my mind and I hadn't had any inclination to wake up today. Much less to this amount of noise.I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and pulled my robe over my shoulders. The air was brisk for summer. Autumn wasn't to start in another month. Slipping on my slippers, I padded into the main room.Only to find Farren and Phaedra cooking. They were covered in flour. Screeching from joy as they put eggs into a bowl. There was a speaker on the counter, blaring music. Both swayed their hips a