*Ember*The rest of the week passed without any sign of the hooded stranger. There were no more roses, no parcels of food, no chocolates.I was still afraid of what would happen if Lukas came for me, but I was also angry. Maybe the hooded stranger really had been Lukas or one of those Alphas from the party. After all, it seemed like a cruel trick to play–shower me with food and flowers, toy with my heart, and give me a little glow of hope, only to disappear into the shadows without a trace.Luckily, one of the kinder maids had noticed the shift in my mood and had taken pity on me. The night before, she had smuggled me a book from the library. I didn’t get to read often, as my father had forbidden me from entering the library. Even so, I snuck into the room often, pilfering books and returning them before they were missed. Once I had a tome, I would tuck it beneath my mattress until I was done with it. If the maids had ever found my secret stash, they had never mentioned it to me, or
*Ember* The Grim pack had only just arrived, but the party was already in full swing. Warriors laughed and talked with pretty females in colorful gowns. Goblets of ale and wine were passed around freely through the crowd, along with a variety of dishes popular with the packs from the north. I scanned the throng of people, but there was no sign of the hooded stranger. Was it possible that he was one of Lukas’ warriors, or even his Beta? I had never seen my savior’s face and realized with a sinking feeling that he could be right in front of me and I wouldn’t know unless he chose to reveal himself.As I walked deeper into the hall, I felt the others’ curious eyes on me. I did my best to ignore them as I approached the Alpha King, who was deep in conversation with a male that I guessed to be Lukas’ Beta.“Alpha King, your daughter has arrived,” the shifter said, nodding towards me.My father, with his back still turned to me, waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she
*Ember*“I want you,” I murmured again into the darkness as the hooded stranger slid the strap of my dress down my shoulder. His motions were agonizingly slow.Unable to hold back, I closed the distance between us and found his lips with my own, crushing myself against the strong breadth of his chest. A low chuckle rumbled from his throat at my impatience, and he deepened the kiss as his hands began to unlace the back of my dress.Cool night air licked the skin of my back as the dress fell open and began to slide down my arms, the front held up only by the closeness of our bodies as passion poured from our lips. The stranger slid a hand down between the fabric and my body, splaying his fingers at the small of my back and drawing me even closer to him. I moaned at the heat radiating from his palm.Excited by the noise, he dropped the hand lower and slid it under my ass, jerking me up quickly. Reflexively, I wrapped my legs around his hips and then gasped into our kiss as I felt his
*Alec*A rumble of thunder peeled through the sky, followed by a forked flash of lightning against the horizon. I looked up briefly, adjusting the hood of my bloodied cloak against the onslaught of rain, before I steadied my gaze back towards the mouth of the harbor, which led across the river to the plains and the capital of the Silver Crescent beyond.Behind me, the village of Estoria lay dark and silent before the looming dawn. Soon, lights would come on in windows, and the fishermen would head to their boats, but for now, the streets were quiet save for the gentle creaking of the ships in the river as they pulled against their moorings.We had been biding our time for days now, but the end was in sight. I couldn’t wait to get back to the southwestern shores of the Whitelark territory. I was the Alpha, and the pack would be waiting for me to return. I hated being away from them for so long. I knew, however, that this mission was important for my people, and for me. Revenge did
*Ember*I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. The last thing I remembered was lying in the strong arms of the hooded stranger, wishing that I could see his face while I traced the outline of the scar on his broad back with my fingers. But now, I found myself sitting up suddenly as somebody pounded on the barricaded door to my room, and I realized that I must have dozed off in the night.The guards must finally have come for me, and the last thing I wanted was for them to see that I had spent a lustful night with a strange shifter. Panicked, I turned to the other side of the bed, only to find the rumpled sheets and nobody else in sight.“Where are you?” I whispered desperately, my eyes raking over the room. There wasn’t anywhere for him to hide, other than the bathroom.Moving as quickly as I could, I darted into the bathroom, but there was no sign of the stranger there, either.He had left, and he hadn’t taken me with him.“No, no, no,” I chanted, tears springing to my eyes.Beh
*Ember*The world was in chaos.The side carriage had exploded into splinters of shrapnel, cutting my arms as I lifted them to protect my face. I opened my eyes in time to see the snapping jaws of a huge black wolf, its teeth razor sharp and its muzzle covered in blood.Beside me, Lukas let out a bloodcurdling scream of fear as the carriage lurched on its side. My hands tore away from the seat I was clutching as I slid down towards the far side of the vehicle, which was now pressed firmly against the ground, but it seemed safer than the jaws of the beast that waited for me above.I had to think fast. The whole carriage was made of wood, and the floor was far too thick to penetrate. The door on the side was pinned against the ground and utterly useless. The wolf was still snarling through the hole where the other door had been, which left only the roof.I banged my fists against the wood and was pleased to realize that it was far thinner than the planks of the floorboards. I s
*Alec*The shadows had lengthened into evening by the time the Whitelark warriors entered the outskirts of Estoria. The shifters, who had started the journey laughing and joking in the wake of their victory, had grown quiet and now trudged wearily towards the warm lights of the village ahead.I had spent the afternoon guarding my pack from behind, as my father had done before me. It also gave me a clear sightline to the princess as she limped along in front of me, occasionally throwing suspicious glares my way. Even in the simple traveling dress she wore, she was striking. Her strawberry blonde hair shone in the fading light and, though her leg slowed her down, she moved as gracefully as if she was striding through the castle instead of a muddy road.Rhys, who had rejoined me at the back of the pack as we neared our destination, followed my gaze and commented, “She’s not what I expected.”I raised an eyebrow at him. “How so?”“I know your spies said that the Alpha King mistre
*Ember*“Get up, Princess!”I groaned, blinking the sleep from my eyes. I had expected my gaze to be met with the gentle light of dawn, but it was still dark.“Come on, hurry up,” the voice urged. It took me a moment to realize who was speaking–the Alpha of Whitelark’s blond-haired Beta. What was his name? Rhys?I sat up in bed, drawing the thin blankets over me protectively. Rhys shot me a good-natured grin as he tossed a bundle of fabric onto the end of the bed. “We’ve got to get going,” he said. “Get dressed as quickly as you can.”I frowned at him. It seemed like a crime for somebody to be so energetic so early in the morning. A million questions zinged through me. Where were they taking me? What were they planning on doing with me… or to me? Before I could even utter a word, Rhys disappeared through the door to the hallway, leaving me alone.Huffing with the indignity of it all, I sped through my morning routine. I toyed with the idea of washing my face, but the water