ANMELDENMira's POVCaden was already at the training ground when I arrived. He stood in the center with his back to me, head raised, gazing at the grey morning sky.I watched him for a moment, taking his relaxed posture and broad shoulder. A smile stretched my lips as I looked at him. This handsome hunk was really my mate.I sneaked up to him and hugged him from behind, resting my head on his back. His body stayed relaxed. He knew it was me."Thank goodness, you're early today," he said without looking back."I've only been late once before.""Is that true?" He turned around.Before I could respond, he pulled me closer and kissed my forehead. A shiver ran down my spine as his lips brushed my skin. Everything about this relationship felt dreamy."I missed training you," Caden confessed."Me too."He held my gaze, staring into my eyes like he wanted to see into my soul. His hand rested on my shoulder, rubbing gently.I swallowed. I wasn't used to this level of attention. To have someone look at
Tyrell's POVMy notepad had been blank for twenty minutes.I sat at my desk with my pen in my hand and stared at the patient log I was supposed to be filling out. Outside I could hear the distant sounds of the camp starting its day. An instructor yelled orders across the training yard.It was the early hours of the morning and the moon hadn't yet vanished from the sky.I set the pen down and leaned back in my chair. A frustrated sigh escaped my lips. In all my years as a doctor in training, this was the first time I was getting entangled in such an emotional mess.I knew the rules. I'd read them in the first week of my placement here. Maintain professional boundaries. Do not form personal attachments to patients. Distinguish between clinical empathy and personal involvement.I understood that perfectly. That was before Mira Larsen came through my door with her injury. I'd treated the wound and reduced the fever. That was what the job required.What wasn't in the job description wa
Mira's POVI lay on my back in the hostel, staring at the ceiling, listening to the chirping birds outside and voices of girls chatting after dinner. Sleep wasn't coming. It hadn't come easily in days, but tonight it was something else keeping me up. Not the pain in my ribs, not the bruises still yellowing along my arm.It was him.~Caden is mine. He chose me.~I still couldn't quite believe it. Caden Crest, the heir to a royal bloodline that went back centuries. The same guy all the girls in this camp were crushing on. Now he was mine. Fated to me. Bonded with me.He chose me. He could have decided to reject the bond, but he chose to be with me.I pressed a hand against my chest and felt my my heartbeat, it was faster than it should be for someone lying perfectly still. I was thrilled at the whole idea of being Caden's mate. His lover.My heart thumped hard and my pulse throbbed.Something else was responsible for this throbbing pulse. Something low and warm, curled tight at the bas
Grimshaw's POVI left Lord Veron's office right after he assigned me that mission. An alley just behind the archivist's house was the perfect spot to shift without attracting too much attention. The alley was dark, narrow, choked with overflowing dumpsters.Good. No one could see me here.Not that there were many people around. This was a deserted part of the city, hidden from public knowledge. It was a settlement set aside for gifted elderly people. This would probably be the easiest break-in of my life. I took in a deep breath and loosened my body, letting the shift take me.My spine cracked and lengthened. I felt my skin stretch and thicken at the same time. By the time the shift was complete, I stood at eight feet tall, shoulders almost too wide for the alley. My knuckles brushed concrete on either side. I'd shifted into my giant troll form. . .It was time to get the records my master wanted. I moved through the back gardens, laying low, keeping to the shadows. My steps were qu
Veron's POVI walked deep into the woods beyond the camp, seeking privacy. What I was about to do was top secret. No one at the Inter-School Shifter Warrior Competition must know what I wanted to do. Not the council. Not the contestants. Twigs creaked under my feet as I sought the perfect spot to do my thing. I soon found a Douglas fir tree with a trunk wide enough to suit my purpose. I pointed my palm at the tree and narrowed my eyes. I muttered the sacred words that very few in this realm knew. . . The darkness took form slowly, spiraling from the center outward. A hum buzzed from the black hole in the trunk. Moments later, two figures became visible in the darkness. Each one stood at least five feets taller than me. They were tall and wide in a way that made me feel like a dwarf next to them, their skins were plated in dark overlapping scales. I sighed as I observed the massive claws attached to their fingers. Their eyes were black all the way through, no iris, no white, and w
Vessa's POVI stepped into the training yard at the earliest light of dawn. Everywhere smelled of sweat and blood. I oddly liked the smell. It reminded me of my determination to win my next fight.I stepped closer to the dummy and shifted. My muscle stretched and I settled into my jaguar frame.My paws bounced against the ground as I ran toward the dummy. I struck it hard. Hard enough to crack the wood frame. In my mind, I pictured Caden's face watching from the sidelines. I knew he admired how strong I was. I remembered the look on his face when I stood next to him when we were both crowned champions of our divisions. . .Soon enough he'd see past whatever spell that beastless girl had cast on him. There was nothing spectacular about that Mira girl.She had no beast. She wasn't even beautiful. A girl like that shouldn't be seen next to someone like Caden. He deserved someone strong, whose lineage was bonded to great people going back centuries. Someone like me.Caden was wasting him
Chapter 14 Mira's POVThe second round began right after the first one ended. Caden and I still didn't get the chance to talk. Well, there was a chance to talk but he preferred to stand on the other side of the ring.I went into the ring again and won my next match on pure determination.My oppone
Caden's POVI sat on my bed and raised a mug of tea to my lips. Riven was in the bed opposite mine. He had one leg thrown over the bunk, flipping a knife and catching it by the handle. His brown hair had fallen into his eyes again. He hadn't pushed it back. Yesterday had been eventful. I had gott
Mira's POVI was still enjoying my sleep when something landed on my bed. I jolted awake, heart lurching. My hand already reached for the blade I kept under my pillow. Then I saw what was on my bed. A black attire packed in a cellophane wrap.What's this?I rubbed up eyes and grabbed the package. T
Mira's POVThe leopard guy stepped closer. His three friends fanned out, blocking every direction I could run.My ribs throbbed. My shoulder was wrecked. My ankle still burned from the fight with Caden hours ago. I had nothing left in the tank."I beat you fair," I said. "What more do you want?""Y







