LOGIN"Get up, Prince Mitchell, before I dump a bucket of well water over your royal head."
Novalee’s voice rasps right above me.
I blink hard. My vision blurs, then snaps into focus. The stone floor beneath my cheek is freezing. My head throbs with a heavy, rhythmic pulse that makes my teeth ache. I was knocked out cold. Five minutes? An hour?
I push myself up on one elbow. Novalee, Audrey’s aunt - the woman the poor girl st
Betty POVThe bathroom tiles were freezing against my bare feet, but my blood was pure fire."I am not locking April away," I rasped, my throat raw. "Never."Adriel did not argue. He just moved. His massive arms hooked under my knees and scooped me off the floor in one smooth, sweeping motion. I buried my face into the crook of his neck, inhaling the sharp, metallic scent of his skin mixed with the damp heat of the shower.He carried me out of the steam and into the adjoining bedroom. It was a massive, sterile guest suite. The kind with heavy drapes and expensive, uninviting furniture. He laid me down on the centre of the mattress. The moment my head hit the pillow, a wave of exhaustion crashed over me. My eyelids felt like lead.Adriel pulled back, his hand sliding away from my waist.I reached out instantly, my fingers catching the hem of his shirt. "Don't go.""I am just taking off these wet trouser
Betty POV“April?”I do not speak the name aloud. The word stays locked inside my skull, bouncing against the walls of my mind.Yes, Betty. I am your wolf, and my name is April.The voice is smooth, echoing in the quiet spaces of my brain. My fingers twitch against my thighs. My skin feels too tight, like it belongs to someone else.“How long have you been in there?” I think the words this time, forcing the thought hard against the back of my eyes.Since you woke up. I am Tola’ daughter. Tola was your lycan, but when she died, I took over instead.A cold shudder ripples down my spine. A lycan first. Then death. Now a wolf. The information hits like a physical blow, making my knees wobble.“Can we shift?” I think back, my mental voice rising with a sudden, sharp spike of excitement. “Can we actually do it?”A soft laugh echoes in my head, followed by
Betty POV"Stop," Adriel snarled, his fingers digging into my hips before he threw me off his lap.My skin burned exactly where his hands had been. The rejection tasted like hot copper in the back of my throat. I staggered back against the cold stone wall of the corridor, my chest heaving as I pulled my torn shirt together."Why did you let it go that far?" I demanded, my voice cracking in the empty hallway. "You wanted it. Don't lie to me.""It is neither the time nor the place," he said. His voice was too flat. Too calm. He didn't even look at me as he tucked his shirt back into his trousers. "Move. The library is this way.""You are infuriating," I spat, but I forced my feet to move, trailing two steps behind his massive frame.The heavy oak doors of the royal library loomed ahead. I stopped dead on the Persian rug. My eyes fixed on the intricate carvings on the left panel."She moved," I whispered, the skin on my arms turning to g
Adriel POV“Either?” I ask, keeping my voice dead level.I don’t move from the edge of the bed. My eyes lock onto hers, watching the tiny flicker of panic in her pupils.“I don’t know why I said that.” Betty shifts back an inch. Her knuckles whiten against the sheets.“That is okay.” I force a smooth, slow smile.I lean forward, closing the distance between us before she can pull away. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her chest against mine in a tight grip. My heart thumps hard against her ribs. I need her to feel the weight of my body. I need her to stay still.“I know it’s your fault that I don’t have any memories.”The whisper hits my ear like cold water.I snap my spine straight and push her backward. Her shoulders hit the headboard with a dull thud.“How?” The word cuts through my teeth.“Elia.” Betty does not blink. She stares right through me. “I met her yesterday. It was like looki
Adriel POV"I love you," I say, the words cutting through the heavy silence of the bedroom.Betty freezes instantly.Her eyes widen, tracking my face as if searching for a trap."So why have you been avoiding me?" she asks, her voice dropping into a sharp, accusatory whisper.It is the single hardest question she could throw at me right now."I wanted to give you space," I say, forcing my eyes to lock onto hers without flinching. "I did not want to overwhelm you."She does not answer with words.Instead, she leans forward, her movement sudden and aggressive as she presses her lips against mine.I do not pull back this time.The restraint I built up over the past weeks snaps instantly.I kiss her back, my hands moving to grip her waist, pulling her flush against my chest because the need for her is a physical ache in my ribs.Her fingers scramble at the buttons of my shirt, tugging the fabric apart wi
Adriel POV"Get out of my way," I growled, my shoulder slamming hard into the massive oak door of my quarters.The wood rattled against the stone frame, but the heavy iron latch stayed down. I did not turn the handle. I just pressed my forehead against the cold, polished surface and let my breath fog the dark stain. Three days. It had been exactly three days since Betty opened her eyes in the infirmary, and I had spent every single second running like a beaten pup.My chest burned. The hollow ache right behind my ribs was a physical weight, pulling me down toward the stone floor. I could tell myself a hundred different lies to make the cowardice taste better. I could tell the pack that she needed space to heal. I could tell my father that the shock of seeing my face would shatter her fragile mind. I could even pretend I was protecting her from the raw, jagged edges of my own desperation.But the truth was a foul thing rotting in my throat.I was as
Adriel POV"Wake up, you useless old bastard," I growled, slamming my palm against the iron grate of the cell.My uncle didn’t move. His breathing was a shallow, pathetic rattle in the damp dark of the subterranean bunker. For a century, he had been nothing but a feral shell, lost to the Lycan madn
Betty POV"Stay in the car and do not move!" Adriel roared.He did not wait for my answer. His hand flew out, grabbing the shredded edge of the roof where a rogue had just punched through the metal. The rogue still had his claws tangled in my hair. Adriel did not flinch. He grabbed the beast by the
Betty POV“Madeline?”The name tastes like copper in my mouth.“How is that possible? She was Ian’s mate.”Alpha Aldo doesn’t blink. His pupils are blown, turning his irises into rings of black obsidian. “I am her second-chance mate. And I will take every drop of blood you owe her.”“Then come and
Betty POV"Your mother is a liar, Betty."Adriel didn't yell. He didn't have to. The sheer weight of his voice cut through the heavy heat of the training arena, freezing the blood in my veins.My mother flinched beside him, her fingers curling into the fabric of her faded tunic. "Adriel, please. Th







