Mag-log inTobias's POVRather than endure another excruciating interaction with Lincoln, I pull the cord beside the toilet to call for a nurse.A moment later, I hear the bathroom door open outside, followed by the low murmur of Henry’s and Lincoln’s voices. Then there is a knock at the bathroom door.“Is everything okay in there?” a female voice calls.“I need some help, please,” I answer.The door opens a crack, and a middle-aged brunette nurse peers around it.“I’m too weak to stand on my own, and I need some help to wash and dress.”Her expression softens immediately into a warm smile. “Of course, Your Highness. Just wait there while I get everything we’ll need. I’ll be right back.”Then she disappears again, pulling the door closed behind her.The embarrassment makes the wait feel much longer than it probably is.“Want me to help you back to bed?” Lincoln asks quietly through the door.“No, I’m good, thanks. I’ve asked her to help me shower. Could you go and ask Aiden if there are any spar
Tobias's POVThe scent of bacon greets me first, with awareness following slowly behind it.My body feels less raw than it did before I fell asleep, but it is still far too sensitive, and I wince as I shift beneath the sheet. The fabric against my bare legs feels rough enough to scrape skin. When I try to open my eyes, my eyelids feel stiff and gritty, almost welded shut, and it takes more effort than it should to force them apart.I breathe in again, deeper this time, and the smell of bacon and eggs reaches me properly. Coffee too, rich and bitter beneath the salt and grease, and orange juice, sharp and sweet. My stomach growls so loudly it almost startles me, but thirst is worse. My throat feels dry and scratched raw, like I have been breathing dust for days, and my tongue sticks unpleasantly to the roof of my mouth.I blink into the dim room, squinting against the low light even though it is not bright. A soft strip of illumination runs around the cornice at the top of the walls, a
Aiden's POVAs I sit back down, Jasmine hands me my plate, her fingers briefly tightening around my wrist, grounding.I glance at her, and she holds my gaze for a second before letting go.I gratefully tuck back in.I’ve just finished my food, and Emily has started collecting everyone’s plates, when there’s another ding from the lift.We all turn as a shrill shriek cuts through the corridor.“Oh my Goddess, Sophie, have you been here all night? You poor thing, you should really go and rest.” Kirsten’s voice shatters the tense quiet. “Perhaps you can rest before we go for my dress appointment. You have a couple of hours?”Sophie closes her eyes for half a second, and I watch her jaw tighten before she smooths it away and turns to face Kirsten.“We’ll have to rearrange, I’m afraid, Kirsten. I’m a little busy here.”Kirsten looks around, and I know what’s going to come out of her mouth before she opens it. Her face scrunches with confusion.“Busy? You’re all just sitting around? Is this
Aiden's POVJasmine’s hand is small but warm in mine as we sit in the hospital corridor. Grey dawn light spills through the window at the far end, thin and cold, and I realise we’ve been here all night.Jasper had to run off a couple of hours ago when we remembered we’d left Felix and Kirsten in the panic room. That went down about as well as a ton of shit, apparently Kirsten was apoplectic at being in there so long, but no one really cares about that now.Tobias is back.He’s asleep, but he’s back.Relief sits heavy in my chest, tangled up with something sharper. Because he’s here, breathing, alive… but none of us know what that actually means yet. Whether he’s really come back to us, or if we’ve only got half of him. Whether Thor will return. Whether he’ll still be our Alpha in the ways that matter.And yeah… buried under all of that is the thought none of us want to touch.What this means for the throne.I shove it down hard. That’s not what matters. Not right now.Jasmine’s thumb
Aiden's POVWe skid to a halt at the bottom of the castle steps and kick off our shoes and trousers. Dad and Greyson are there already. Baxter’s still not here, but I assume he’s on his way, or already wherever we’re heading.“Patrols identified rogues at the northern border, close to the last breach location. The Task Force have sent their Alpha unit to secure Thor’s cabin. Beta unit are heading to secure the castle.”Interesting. They’re sending their best to keep Thor safe, which is technically breaking protocol when the Crown Prince and the King are inside the castle, but I’m not going to point it out. Not when I’d do exactly the same.“We’re to go and hold the front line.”Dad looks us all in the eye, then turns and shifts into Neo. We all launch after him, skin ripping into fur, bones snapping, the last of our clothing shredding.Ajax races through the trees, Jace and Milo on our flank. To our left, Neo is flanked by Gus. We run hard, heading up the slope through the trees and s
Aiden's POVI try really hard to keep my sigh and eye roll internal, but I’m not sure I’m successful. Ajax sniggers in the back of my mind as we watch Kirsten damn near coerce Felix into giving her own way again.Felix wanted to keep the whole ceremony low-key, sophisticated, and elegant, fitting with his mother’s style. The understated opulence of old money and… well, taste. Kirsten, it seems, wouldn’t know tasteful if it smacked her in the fucking ass.She wants gaudy, flashy, and in your face. Queen Sophie abandoned helping before she screamed in her new daughter-in-law’s face, so Kirsten and her mother have been left with free rein, and it’s terrifying. Apart from anything else, no one seems to be reminding them of the budget. They seem to think the crown’s pockets are limitless, never mind that we’re in the middle of a kingdom-wide war with the rogues and dealing with riots and unrest breaking out left, right, and centre.No, Kirsten wants a grand ball with every Alpha and unit f
Zahra's POVOnce everyone has been scanned and their info input into Wentworth’s tablet, he strides to the front again.“We’re going to warm up with some cardio. I want 5km as fast as you’re individually able. It’s not a race. You’re testing yourself against your own stats. But bear in mind we’re a
Zahra's POVWe’re up next, and we step into the sparring circle together.I watch the group observing turn away from us and over to the other two rings, where the men are sparring. Of course, they do. Like we’re background noise.Morgan chuckles. “Ignorant bastards don’t know what’s about to hit th
Lincoln's POVI try very hard to keep my mouth closed as the royal butler leads me through the castle. I’ve been here before, but never to the private residences upstairs. The opulence is staggering. The luxurious rug I’m walking on is so plush, and exquisitely embroidered. The tapestries on the wal
Lincoln's POVWe chatter some more, keeping things light, drinking more beer. The tension in my chest eases bit by bit. The warmth isn’t just the alcohol. It’s being here. With him. The quiet. The lack of expectation.There’s a knock on the door I entered through, and Tobias calls for them to come







