Chapter 4

Arianne

A sound caught high in my throat. Water ran from his white curls onto his shoulders, and my gaze dropped far enough to register that he hadn't brought a towel.

I spun toward my open doorway, snatched the blanket off my bed, and threw it at him.

“Cover yourself!”

He caught it against his chest. One pale eyebrow lifted while I fixed my eyes on the ceiling.

My blanket. The only one I'd brought. And now he was holding it against his naked body.

“Actually, give that—”

He wrapped it around his hips before I could finish. I shut my mouth rather than ask him to uncover himself.

“What are you doing in my dorm?”

“Check the names by the door.” He tucked the corner into place. “I live here too.”

“Why am I sharing with a man? Nobody told me about this.”

His wet feet left prints on the floor. “Everyone here came to become an alpha. Women don't get special treatment.”

“I asked about the rooms.”

“The dorms have always been mixed.” He folded his arms. “If you can't handle it, leave.”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. So this was what the woman at registration had meant by forgetting my sex.

I lowered my gaze to his face, which required more care than it should have. A drop of water slid down his stomach, and I lost track of the question I'd meant to ask.

Heat crept up my neck. I wished he'd stop being beautiful long enough for me to dislike him in peace.

“We need rules,” he said.

“You could start with clothes.”

“Leave my belongings alone, and I'll leave yours alone.”

I glanced at the blanket.

He hitched the blanket higher. “You threw it at me.”

“Keep it for now.” I leaned against my doorframe, keeping my eyes above his shoulders. “What else?”

“Your visitors stay outside.”

“I came here to train.”

“If the bathroom door is closed, knock before opening it.”

“Glad we agree that doors have a purpose.” I reached for the clean shirt I'd left inside my room. “Are we done?”

“No noise after ten.”

“Ten,” I repeated, but Ezra continued before I could say anything else.

“Clean the mud off your shoes before coming inside. Wash your training clothes the same day instead of dumping them on the floor.”

His gaze landed on the jacket spilling over the edge of my bed. I picked it up and hung it over the chair, resisting the urge to throw that at him too.

“Anything else? Should I ask permission before breathing?”

“The bathroom shelf needs room for my things too.”

“Goddess. With this many rules, you should apply to be the princess's housekeeper.”

His expression changed. Until then, he'd sounded bored; now he gave me his full attention.

“The princess wouldn't need these rules. She wouldn't be as rude as you.”

I gripped the clean shirt against my chest. “You seem very sure about someone who isn't here.”

“She isn't the subject.”

“Then stop comparing me to her.” I pushed away from the doorframe. “Maybe she's not as perfect as you think. Maybe the real princess is just useless.”

“Don't.”

The word stopped me. His arms dropped to his sides, and the easy annoyance vanished from his face.

“Don't insult her again,” he said. “This is your last warning.”

I stared at him. Before I found an answer, he turned and went into his room, closing the door behind him.

I stayed where I was. Apart from Father, nobody had ever defended me like that, and Ezra had done it while warning me to shut my mouth.

The scent of soap lingered on my skin as I pulled on my clean white shirt and sleep shorts. Even after scrubbing off the training dust, I could hear that warning each time I pictured his face.

From my bed, I could see the strip of light beneath his door. I tucked my bare feet together, leaving the sheet loose over my legs.

His footsteps sounded on the other side of the wall. I rolled away from them; he couldn't care about a girl he'd never met while treating me like something that shouldn't be here.

He wanted Father's prize. Flattering an absent princess cost him nothing.

I pulled the sheet over my shoulder and closed my eyes.

That night, I dreamed I could shift. Four small paws struck the forest floor, and silver fur flashed between the trees as I ran.

Ezra

I lay on my back in black pajama pants, still annoyed by the argument next door. A pipe ticked inside the wall.

Tomorrow mattered. I needed to sleep, not waste another hour thinking about a wolfless who couldn't keep her mouth shut.

Remember why you're here.

I closed my eyes, forcing my thoughts away from Ari and back to the girl who'd saved my life.

When I was six, I'd gone hunting with the servants. I was wearing a green hunting coat and boots that still rubbed my heels. Then the rogues attacked, and I'd run until I couldn't hear anyone calling for me.

Tree bark scraped my hands. My coat caught on the brush, and every sound behind me sent me stumbling forward again.

The silver wolf found me there.

She was small, but she put herself between me and the rogue coming through the trees. Silver flashed across its path, and her teeth drove it back from me.

I followed when she ran, keeping close enough to see her through the brush. Once we were safe, I crouched beside her, trying to understand what I was seeing.

“How can you shift already?”

She lifted her head. “I'm a princess.”

She sounded pleased that she'd settled that. I reached toward her, then stopped short of touching her fur.

“What's your—”

“I have to go. Daddy will be angry.”

She darted away before I could ask her name. I watched until the brush stopped moving.

The pipe ticked again. I turned my head on the pillow.

Only royals could shift into silver wolves, so I was certain I'd met the young princess.

I'd wanted her ever since. Every woman who approached me got the same refusal. Any man who insulted her got a warning.

My fingers tightened on the sheet. I had no interest in starting a pointless feud between packs, but what that man had said about the princess was more than I could stomach.

I adjusted the pillow beneath my head. I needed sleep before the next assessment.

Jax shoved a picture of Ari into my head. Deep red hair, sea-green eyes, a mole at the outer corner of one eye. Even in my head, she looked ready to argue.

I like Ari.

“We're not discussing her.”

She smells good.

I couldn't understand what he found so appealing about her. I rolled onto my side, facing away from the wall between our rooms.

“Quiet, Jax. I'm going to sleep.”

I shut my eyes. He pushed Ari's face at me again.

“Not her. We came here for the princess.”

I opened my eyes again. Jax hadn't let me stop him from going to her today.

“Tomorrow, you leave her alone.”

Jax whined like a pup. I still like Ari.