Nerezza's Point of View
I 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
Nerezza's Point of ViewAfter seeing Reginald, I knew what I had to do. I had to find Alastair and Amadeus somehow. Phaedra was right. One day soon, the king would pass on and I would be alone again. Left to rule over the werewolves on my own. Yes, Farren and Phaedra would help. At the end of the day, they would always remain my biggest support.But one day, they will find their own mates. Become less and less involved in daily affairs. I needed people who would remain with me for the rest of my reign. For the rest of Conan's reign. It was just that simple.As my mates, Alastair and Amadeus would be the perfect candidates. They had been serving beneath heir Bellamy for years. They knew the power dynamics of running a large group of people. Which was vital. They were vital. And I needed to find them before they left. Because that was what we had settled on.One night. That was all I had granted them. Until I realized how val
Alastair's point of ViewI had assured Amadeus last night that she would find us once she was ready. But I had no idea that it would happen so soon. Seeing her standing at our door, her eyes wide and that smirk of hers, I nearly grabbed for her. Twitched my hands in restraint before I did something that might scare her off completely.Her dress fell just above her knee. Floated in the cool breeze coming from the open windows behind me. Her hair was a tossed mess of black curls and attitude. Somehow, she looked vulnerable. Near desperate. It made my heart race. My pulse quickened.From the adjacent dining room, I heard Amadeus take in a breath. Steadying himself. I scanned her again. Drank in her plump hips and large chest. Memories of the other night faded into me as she passed. As her vanilla and magnolia scent trailed after her.I shut the door. Lingered by it for a few seconds longer to gather all my bearings. As if she
Nerezza's Point of ViewI took them to the house I had on the west side of the city. The one furthest away from the palace but still in the best neighborhood. Amadeus and Alastair had rented a car to get around. Some Volkswagen that I had never driven in before. They were skeptical when I told them of this place. Explained why I had bought it in the first place.To get away from the daily life of living in the palace. A sanctuary that only Phaedra and Farren knew about. Somewhere to rest and reset my life and my goals. Neither of them believed me. Thought that I had bought it so that I could bone behind the king's back.I hadn't told them yet how much I loved Reginald. Wouldn't. That was an affair between Reginald and me. No one else had to be part of that relationship. That deep love and understanding. The pain that would come from losing him one day.Houses swirled by in streaks. City blocks turned into manicured lawns. Robots
Nerezza's Point of View "You can't just cut their wages again! It is inhumane to do this! I raised it for a reason!" I exclaimed from across the table. Reggie scrunched his face up in disgust. Looked towards Reginald for support. But the king just placed his hands beneath his chin. Stared at the prince as if he wasn't going to fight this battle for his son. "We are running extremely high costs at the moment. Cutting their wages is the logical thing to do." Reggie argued back. Phaedra grit her teeth beside me. I felt her leg bounce up and down. A sign that she was irritated with him. Getting angrier by the second. I understood. Wanted nothing more than to rip out his throat myself. The arrogant bastard. Our workers needed their pay more than we needed luxury. They depended on the money to feed their families. Provide for their children. I had raised the wages by more than 25% after one of the maids had stolen from me. Cried that she c
Nerezza's Point of View They had been following me ever since I left the palace. I could feel their gazes settling on me. Feel them strip the layers of fine clothes from my body. As if fighting with Reginald hadn’t been degrading enough, I now had to deal with men who couldn’t mind their own business. Most likely, they were sent by Reggie. To follow and assess. Or to kill. Whichever he had decided today in that fuck up of a meeting. The odds were leaning in favor of killing me. Whatever way he had decided, I couldn't have them trace my steps all the way back to my house. It would not just expose my resting place but my mates within. If Reggie got hold of the fact that I had two mates in Makatza, I was sure he would use it against me. Contort them to follow his whims. Would Bellamy jump in to save his friends?
Lysander’s Point of ViewShe was a storm made flesh. Fury coursing through her veins. Flames licked up the edges of her eyes. I could see her fierce determination.But telling me she had two other mates where she was headed? Not a snowball’s chance in hell. It was just another way of getting rid of me for some reason. From the horrified look on her face when she realized I was her mate, I knew she would go to extreme lengths to keep me away. No one has ever had more than one mate. Much less three.The goddess wouldn’t damn me in such a cruel way.We walked for what felt like ages. Winded through buildings. Streets. Alleys. Until we reached the edge of the west side of town. The good side. The one my parents had refused to live in, even with all of their money. Money doesn’t bring happiness, that’s what my mother had always said.Looking at the large houses now, with their manicured lawns
Nerezza’s Point of ViewHe had seen right through me. Noticed the flash of pain in my eyes and dug in his heels. Slammed into me like a ton of bricks. No remorse. Just curiosity. I had wanted nothing more than to run and hide. The girl I used to be screamed at me to no longer be in his presence. To move away. Distance myself.I had given in to that girl. Fled faster than I thought my two legs would be able to. Threw the spoon down and locked my door the moment I got inside. Alastair and Amadeus looked shocked at my revelation. Surprised that I felt something as stupid as fear. Because to them, I had been nothing but cold and calculated since they showed up on my door just two days ago.Now, they would look at me differently. Notice the cracks in my armor. The flaws in my design. I hated it. Hated knowing that just with a few words, Lysander could press me over the edge. And we had just met. Had just noticed the air being sucked fr
Nerezza's Point of ViewI woke up to several missed calls from Farren. Texts from Phaedra all but screaming at me where I was. Rolling onto my stomach, I let the phone drop into the pillows. Groaned when the cool pillow beside me touched my face.They were worried. Didn't elaborate further on the matter. But from all the messages, I knew that they were searching for me. Knew that I was somewhere but hadn't come to look at the house I had told them about nearly three years ago.Rolling back, I unlocked my phone. Dialed Farren. She answered immediately. Her voice high pitched and strained. "Where the fuck are you?" She asked in a harsh whisper. I groaned again. Bit my lip before telling her off. Telling her that she wasn't my mother. But I was close to being hers."I am at the house. Shit went sideways-" I took away the phone to look at the time. Noticed it was five in the morning. "yesterday. So I slept here with Amadeus, Alastair