LOGINKATHERINE I stood in front of the full-length mirror inside our bedroom, and I yanked tightly at the stiff collar of the formal royal battle dress, and I was completely annoyed by how restrictive the entire outfit felt on my skin. The thick material was embedded with heavy steel plates across the shoulders and the chest, and I found the gear incredibly heavy, and I was cursing out loud under my breath about the stupid designer who had made it.Stephen was standing right by my side as I wore the difficult armor, and he reached out to help me buckle the heavy side straps, and he looked at my angry expression while laughing softly at my frustration."You really do not have to wear this specific battle dress today if it makes you this uncomfortable, Katherine," Stephen said, and he adjusted one of the steel plates while his shoulders shook with amusement. "We are only going to a formal meeting in the lower town, and you can just wear a regular linen dress instead."I turned my head quick
KATHERINE I was almost completely out of breath, and my lungs burned as I tried to pull the air back into my chest. I stared at Stephen in absolute shock while my heart pounded so hard that I could feel the pulse in my throat, and his hands still gripped my waist tightly, keeping me close against his chest. He looked down into my eyes, his own breathing rough and uneven from the intensity of the moment, and he made no move to loosen his hold on me."Did you like it, Katherine?" Stephen asked, his deep voice low and rough.I nodded before I could even stop myself, and a fierce warmth spread through my entire body like a sudden flame. My skin tingled everywhere his fingers touched me, and I realized exactly where this moment between us was leading. Yet, for the first time, I wasn't trying to avoid him or push him away like I once had. I had spent months fighting my feelings for this man, doubting his every action and questioning his intentions, but all of that bitterness had disappeare
KATHERINE It was night now, and the whole chaotic situation with the trial and the elders had finally been settled by the guards and the council members, and at last, quietness had returned to the palace grounds. I stood outside alone on the royal palace's balcony, which connected directly to our shared bedroom on the upper floor of the west wing. I gripped the cold railing with both hands as I overlooked the entire pack territory from above, or at least the main lawns and the front gates that were visible in the dim lamps.I finally had a short moment of peace to myself because Stephen had gone out to the front courtyard a little while ago to send the human king from Oslo and his followers off on their long journey back home.As I stared out at the dark trees, my mind drifted back to the very first time I had came to this pack as a prisoner, and I tried to remember the details of that day. Had it been night or day when the carriage first rolled through those giant gates? I thought a
KATHERINE At the exact same time that I tried to stand up, the elders on the formal panel all stood up from their seats together, and they raised their longnstaffs high to make the loud crowd go completely quiet before addressing me directly. The chanting and shouting from the pack members stopped instantly, and the vast field became completely silent as the grand elder stepped forward to the platform and cleared his throat. He looked at me with a serious expression before raising his voice so everyone could hear his words clearly."We stand before you today to formally acknowledge you as the true Luna of this pack, Lady Katherine," the grand elder said, bowing his head slightly toward my chair.He then went on to give a very long-winded speech about how they had all maligned me over the past months, and he talked about how the council had behaved badly toward me without any proper respect for my official role as the rightful Luna of the entire clan. He blamed all of their behavior e
KATHERINE I stepped down from the royal carriage, and my formal dress rustled loudly on the grass as I walked carefully to Stephen's side on the raised platform. The platform was built right at the front of the field, and as I reached the top step, I noticed that the human king from Oslo and some of his close aides were already present and seated in the formal guest chairs. The human king stood up immediately when he saw me approach, smiling warmly as he bowed his head in a very flattering way before reaching out to shake my hand."It is an absolute honor to see you again, Lady Katherine, and it is clear to everyone now that you are the true queen of this pack," the human king said.I was completely surprised by his greeting because this kind of respect definitely hadn't happened the last time we met, as far as I could remember, and back then, he had barely even looked at me or acknowledged my existence. I could see that Stephen seemed a bit proud of the recognition as I sat down, an
KATHERINE His hand tangled firmly into the hair at the back of my neck, and he pulled me forward so suddenly that my breath hitched, and his lips smashed against mine with a frantic intensity that caught me completely off guard. The touch was hot and demanding, and the sheer desperation behind the movement made my entire mind go completely blank in an instant. I didn't push him away, and I didn't even try to fight the sudden embrace, and instead, my fingers buried themselves into the front of his shirt as I leaned my weight on the edge of his mattress to get closer to him.He groaned deeply into my mouth, and the sound vibrated straight through my chest, and his lips parted mine with a slow, pressure that made my knees feel entirely weak even though I was sitting down. The kiss grew deeper and hotter, and he tilted his head to change the angle, and his mouth moved on mine with a fierce hunger that seemed to erase months of bitterness and pain between us. I met his touch with my own u
STEPHENI sat alone in my office long after she left.The room was quiet, but my head wasn’t. I kept replaying her face when I scolded her, the way her jaw tightened, the way she tried not to react, and it had affected my wolf more than I wanted to admit. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like the dista
KATHERINEMy heart was pounding so hard I thought it would explode. I could hear it in my ears, like thump-thump-thump, and I kept taking deep breaths, but it wasn’t helping. Rowan was standing there, fist raised, ready to hit Alex. I froze for a second. My brain didn’t work. I didn’t know what to
KATHERINE He wrapped his habds tightly around my waist, refusing to let go. Heat radiated through my body snd for some reason, I was loving hid touch on me. I almost gagged at thr thought of warming up to him, and tried to remove his hands but he remained headstrong. “What were you two talking ab
KATHERINE My mind felt clouded, different thoughts going through and fro that I barely concentrated. We embarked on the journey and were to attend Lord Liam's ball. My heart raced at the thought of what I had envisioned coming to place finally.It felt so surreal.My mind circulated around Stephen







