LOGINZahra's POVI push myself faster, my legs pounding, my breathing deepening, as the roar of my blood fills my ears. Iâm still not fast enough. My lungs burn too quickly, my muscles ache too soon, and the version of me who used to move like this without thinking feels painfully far away.The Task Force warriors they donât think I know about are keeping up far too easily. I scoff to myself. I still canât believe they think I donât know theyâre there. What sort of warrior would I be if I didnât notice men trailing me wherever I go?Or maybe itâs just after⌠everything.No. Not everything.After I was kidnapped and tortured for months.Dr Garland keeps telling me off for minimising the gravity of what happened. Apparently, that isnât healthy. Owning my experiences is necessary for healing, or some bullshit like that.Zanthe gives a sleepy, irritated grunt in the back of my mind, but she doesnât wake properly.I push harder, even though my thighs are starting to tremble and each breath scra
Aiden's POVWatching Kirsten rub herself all over her mates brother makes me feel a little nauseated and I frown. What the fuck does she think sheâs doing?Through our bond, I feel Jasmineâs sharp burst of disgust mirror my own.That is not normal.A properly mated wolf usually avoids unnecessary physical contact with wolves of the opposite sex entirely unless they are actively betraying their bond, but to deliberately press herself against her mateâs brother, directly in front of Felix?It is so wildly inappropriate I do not even know where to begin.Felix is frowning now.âItâs a pleasure to meet you, Kirsten. Iâve heard so much about you,â Tobias says as she steps back into Felixâs hold.âFunny, all Iâve heard about you is that you were away,â she chirps with a smile. âMummy, Daddy, come and meet Felixâs big brother. This is Prince Tobias. Prince Tobias, these are my parents, Michelle and Justin Breverton.âDad clears his throat beside us. âI think you mean Crown Prince Tobias.âKi
Aiden's POVJames, Dad and the others head out before us. If this is going to be believable, it needs to look as natural as possible. The guards are explainable, but all of us arriving en-masse is not.'Everything okay, darling? Your emotions are all over the place,' Jasmine asks through our link.'Iâll explain later. Where are you now?''Weâre down in the orangery having a drink. All us girls are. We were expecting you lot about ten minutes ago.''Weâre on our way. Some last-minute Council business came up, but weâre coming now.''Good, because the terrible threesome are out in force, and Iâm going to need you to stop me screaming in this womanâs face, or just ripping it off entirely.'I snort at her violent words.Goddess, I love this woman.'No face-ripping tonight, my love. See you in seconds.'Jasper, Marcus and I fall into formation around Tobias, with Lincoln at his side. Henry, Dustin and the other two guards flank us, but they hang back slightly so it looks like his normal pr
Lincoln's POVAt that last word, my eyebrows shoot upwards and I glance sharply at Tobias.But heâs not paying Alice any attention.Are they old lovers?Why the fuck did she just call him baby?Lex snaps through my mind, 'Focus. Thatâs not important right now.'Fuck.Heâs right.âWe need to tell our fathers,â Marcus says grimly, and I see his eyes glaze slightly as he mind-links.A few moments later, thereâs a knock at the door.The King walks in with his unit, several warriors Iâve seen before, and Henry close behind them.Aiden recounts Aliceâs story, and the room falls silent afterwards.âYou are one hundred percent sure you saw her pay an Omega and put something on the food?â Nicholas asks, his face grim.Alice nods immediately.âAlice, I am only going to ask this again because this is extremely serious,â Nicholas says carefully. âDid you, or did you not, witness Kirsten attempt to assassinate the Crown Prince with your own eyes?âThe room seems to tighten around us.Alice swallow
Lincoln's POVI find a pair of navy dress trousers, a white shirt, and a slightly lighter blue blazer. Theyâre nice. The quality is exquisite, and everything fits surprisingly well.I wonder if these are Tobiasâs old clothes.I pull on my brown Oxfords and head back into the living room.Tobias isnât out yet, though he moves slower these days.âSo,â I ask the others as Marcus tops up my glass, âhow much do I need to dread this thing?ââA lot,â Marcus replies. âShe and her family are a fuckingâŚâHeâs cut off by a loud bang as the front door is flung open and a shout echoes through the apartment.I drop my glass and spin immediately, instinct taking over as I fall into a defensive position beside Marcus and the others. Together we form a wall in front of the bedroom corridor. In front of Tobiasâs location.Then confusion hits me when I realise itâs Alice, Aidenâs sister.Her auburn curls bounce wildly as she nearly sprints into the room, her deep green satin dress hitched up to her knee
Lincoln's POVI come back to awareness slowly, bit by bit, to the sound of voices and badly suppressed laughter.âShould we wake them?ââHa, not yet. Let me get a photo first.ââNo, man, theyâll kill you.ââNot if they donât know about it.âI recognise those voices, but they are not Sam and the guys. They are...My eyes snap open, and I sit up quickly.I blink, disorientated, as Aiden, Jasper and Marcus stare back at me with varying expressions of sheepish amusement on their faces. I am half lying on one section of Tobiasâs L-shaped sofa in his apartment, having apparently made myself comfortable when I fell asleep. Tobias is sprawled out on the other section, on his back, one leg up on the sofa and the other resting on the floor, but his head is right beside where mine must have been.And fuck, their words come back to me.âHand over that photo,â I growl at Marcus.He only smirks. âAh, come on, Linc. You two looked adorable.âI snarl. That is the fucking problem.Marcus dances farthe
Zahra's POVI head into the dining hall and scan the tables. Liam isnât there, but Morgan and Jeb are, sitting in their usual spot. I guess Liamâs in the infirmary. I make a mental note to try and visit him later.Morgan spots me and waves me over, her smile huge.âMorning, Zar,â she says as I set
Zahra's POVItâs been a fucking laugh...NOT!!But Iâve managed to keep Zanthe from shifting all day, and the techniques weâve learned have helped me manage the pain, or at least stay functional through it.One of the other things we worked on today was a different kind of meld. Not the side-by-side
Xander's POVWe donât say much as we walk her back. Max keeps his arm around her shoulders, guiding her gently like heâs afraid she might fall apart if he lets go. As we move through the trees toward camp, some of the tension slowly drains out of her. The harsh edge of her sobbing is gone; whatâs l
Tobias's POVâIs your course going well?â I ask, trying to keep this awkward, stilted conversation alive for more than three seconds at a time.Thereâs a very slight tightening around her eyes when I mention the course, barely there if you do not know her, but I see it. She still nods. âYes, thank







