ログイン~Valeria~Zane's face went white. "Wait. I didn't mean…""You did though." My voice came out flat. I pulled away from Alerion. "You meant it.""Valeria, no.""We are weak because of you," the scarred woman called out, still watching us. "Four powerful wolves, brought to their knees by one girl. It's embarrassing, really.""Shut up," Alerion snarled at her."Make me." She grinned. "Oh wait, you can't. You're too busy having a meltdown over princess here. Tell me, which one of you is she going to pick? Or is she going to keep stringing all four of you along until you destroy each other?""Are you deaf? I said SHUT UP before I slit your throat!" Alerion moved to attack her but more enemies poured through the windows.The fight started for real then. Zane shifted fully, his wolf form massive and terrifying. He tore through three attackers like they were paper. Alerion moved like water, his sword flashing. Lysander was everywhere at once, too fast to track.But Caius stumbled. The poison w
~Valeria~The attack came at midnight.One second I was asleep, the next someone was screaming and the smell of smoke filled my room. I jumped out of bed, my heart racing as orange light flashed outside my window.Fire. The whole base was on fire.I ran to the door and yanked it open. The hallway was chaos. People running everywhere, yelling, the sound of fighting coming from downstairs."VALERIA!" Alerion's voice sent a wave of panic all over me. He appeared at the end of the hall, sword already drawn, blood on his face. "Get Dad and go."An explosion rocked the building. Part of the ceiling crashed down between us."ALERION!" I screamed."I'm fine! Just GO!"I ran toward Dad's room but Zane grabbed me, spinning me around. His eyes were wild. "Wrong way! The whole west wing's on fire!""Dad's in the west wing!""I'll get him! You need to move quickly.""She's not going anywhere without me!" Lysander appeared out of nowhere, grabbing my other arm. "I'm the fastest, I can get her out s
~Valeria~A vision hit me out of nowhere.Dad at an altar I'd never seen, looking serious. He held a fancy box that glowed with power. He put it in a crack in the stone, sealed it with his blood. He looked like he really didn't want to do it.Then it changed.Same altar. But now I was standing there. Older. More tired. And I was choosing something. I couldn't see what, but I felt how heavy it was.A voice said, "The princess's mate bond will decide the kingdom's fate. Choose wrong and everyone dies."I gasped and stumbled back as it ended. The golden light died. All four brothers reached for me at once, then stopped when their hands hit each other."What did you see?" Alerion demanded.I opened my mouth but nothing came out. How do I explain that my love life was going to decide if a whole kingdom lives or dies?"Valeria." Zane grabbed my shoulders, making me look at him. "What. Did. You. See.""I..." I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. We got past the guardian. That's what matters."
~Valeria~I covered my nose as we walked deeper inside the guardian beast cave, my boots crunching on bones. Actual human bones, probably.Totally not scary at all.Dad's voice echoed behind us. "The guardian will test your bond. Work together or it'll rip you apart so if you have any arguments scheduled for today, my best advice is to cancel it."Alerion walked to the front like he knew the place like the back of his palm, hand already on his sword for defense. "I'll lead. Zane, support. Caius, control. Lysander, flank."Zane laughed, but it sounded mean. "Lead? You? That's hilarious.""Excuse me?" Alerion's voice went all deadly."You heard me, Captain Bossy Pants." Zane stepped up until their faces were inches apart. "I'm stronger, I'm faster, and I actually know how to think instead of treating everything like we're in the army."Alerion's jaw twitched. "Being strong without a plan is just being dumb with muscles.""Oh, so now I'm dumb?""You said it, not me."I opened my mouth to
~Valeria~All four of them. Just standing there. Outside my tent. In the middle of the night.Staring at each other.What the actual hell."WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I hissed.
~Valeria~The words "we're going to the mountains for three days" should not fill me with the same dread as "we're going to war," but when you're talking about camping with four stepbrothers who can't go five minutes without fighting over you, it's basically the same thing.Dad casually informed me of it like it was a vacation trip to Bora Bora. "Tomorrow we leave for the royal s







