Chapter 14SERAPHINAIt wasn't a question. I could see the answer in the careful way my family was watching me, in the pity that passed through Lucas's face before he could hide it."It's not finalized," Lionel said quickly, as if trying to soften the blow as he stepped forward a bit, his hands out as he continued speaking."It's just an arrangement, this is a political alliance that would benefit both territories and show everyone just how powerful they are.""Who?" I asked, sounding small and fragile despite the font that I was trying to keep up, in their presence."Miranda Ashworth," my father said, and I felt the world tilt sideways, hearing that name as I felt anger bubbling inside me.Miranda fucking Ashworth. That was the daughter of our family's oldest rivals, she was also the woman who'd spent our teenage years trying to prove she was better than me at everything that we were trained in—combat training, academics, manipulation, seduction. I hate to say it but she was beautif
Chapter 13SERAPHINA The first thing I noticed when I finally woke up from my sleep was the scent. It wasn't the artificial vanilla scent of Marcus's house or the disgusting Elena's perfume, but this was different and more familiar.Taking a deep breath, I recognized it. It was sandalwood and old books, leather and the faint trace of my mother's signature jasmine perfume. This scent resembled home. I was home.My eyelids felt heavy, as it was weighed down by exhaustion and also the lingering effects of whatever they'd injected into my system. Silver. I remembered the burning sensation as it moved through my veins, and I remembered Elena's vicious satisfaction as she'd watched me writhe in agony. The memory made me want to curl into myself and hide.But as awareness returned fully, I realized I wasn't alone."She's waking up," a familiar voice said softly, and I turned my head to see Lucas sitting in a chair beside what appeared to be a hospital bed. His face was filled with fury but
Chapter 12KIERANSeraphina lay unconscious on the bed, her clothes half-removed, her skin too pale. A man I recognized as Marcus Sullivan was positioned over her, his canines extended, clearly preparing to mark her against her will. A blonde woman sat in a chair beside the bed, watching with obvious anticipation.I saw red.The sound that came out of my throat wasn't human. It was the roar of a king whose mate was under threat, the howl of a wolf whose territory had been violated. Marcus looked up just in time to see me coming, his eyes widening with terror as he finally understood exactly who he'd been threatening.I hit him with the force of a freight train, sending him flying across the room to crash into the far wall. Plaster cracked and rained down as he slumped to the floor, but I wasn't done. Not even close."You dare," I snarled, hauling him up by his throat. "You dare touch what's mine?"He tried to speak, tried to explain or plead or something, but I squeezed harder. His fa
Chapter 11KIERANI stormed out of my room, my wolf was literally clawing at the edge of my consciousness with the kind of desperation I hadn't felt since the night Seraphina ran. Something was wrong and I knew it. Every instinct I possessed was screaming danger, and the mate bond, that I shared with Seraphina, who had been actively blocking it for years and it has gone dormant for five years was suddenly alive with distress signals I couldn't ignore.The hotel corridor seemed like a blur to me as I made my way towards Lucas's room that were three doors down. I had come to Millbrook with Seraphina's older brother as a favor to him, though the favor had been disguised as one to me. Lucas had been convinced that seeing his sister happy with another man would finally allow me to move on, to accept a different mate and secure the succession of my kingdom.He'd been wrong about a lot of things.I didn't bother knocking at all. The door gave way under my fist, breaking from its hinges as
Chapter 10: Desperate Times, Desperate ActsSERAPHINA The scream that tore from my throat sounded like something that didn't come out from a person. This wasn't just mere poison, it was hell. Every cell in my body felt like it was being burned from the inside out. Wolves when they touch silver gets burned very well but this time around it was liquid silver that was being poured into my system.My wolf, who had been so close to the surface since Kieran's call, retreated deep inside me, whimpering in agony."Well, well," Elena said, her voice filled with gleeful satisfaction that shows that she was happy with what she just discovered. She giggled and clapped her hands together as she continued. "Looks like our little human has been keeping secrets."Through the pain, I could see her face looming over my face as it was twisted with cruel delight. The silver was working its way through my body burning all my resistance away and making everything fuzzy and distant. I couldn't focus, cou
Chapter 9: Taking A StandSERAPHINAThe silence that followed Kieran's declaration felt like a rubber band that has been pulled to the limits and was ready to snap. I could feel Marcus and Elena staring at me, their minds probably racing, trying to process what they'd just heard. The Lycan King—the most powerful werewolf in North America—had called me by name, spoken to me like I was someone precious to him, someone he'd been waiting for, all his life. And that was something that clearly unsettled them more than they let on.I ended the call with trembling fingers, a bit scared that I had indeed talked to Keiran and tried to remain cool in front of him like I was not scared that he might have denied me in front of everyone. I have after all left him and took in another mate. Him rejecting me would be the right thing to do.I was still trying to maintain the calm facade that had served me so well this morning. But inside, my wolf was howling with a mixture of joy and terror. Kieran wa