Chapter 3

Esther’s POV

When I opened my eyes, I felt a rush of relief.

I wasn’t dead, after all. That dream about a wolf biting me had been nothing more.

It hadn’t been real.

Then I realized that I wasn’t in my bed at home. It felt far too comfortable compared to the thin pallet I usually slept on.

I sat up. Where was I?

There was a scent of cedar and fresh oranges, woodsy and citrusy, wafting past my nose. It was pleasant and somewhat soothing.

But where was it coming from?

Then I saw Nicholas sleeping beside me, the sheets bundling at his waist and revealing his taut, naked body. The sight of him made me want to drool.

But that couldn’t have been possible. Why was I in his bed?

And what had happened last night?

My stomach dropped, and I realized that what I had felt in my dream had actually been real. I had been bitten.

And Nicholas had been the wolf.

I couldn’t stay there. When he found out, he was going to kill me.

I tried to be as quiet as possible until I’d left the room, and then I just ran. I didn’t care if the housekeeper found me and punished me—I needed to get out of there.

Thankfully, it hadn’t taken long to get home, and I immediately went to the bathroom and locked myself in. Then I checked myself in the mirror.

There was blood dried on my neck, but I could clearly see the bite marks. They looked deep.

He had marked me? What had he been thinking by doing that?

I didn’t know what to do.

I heard my sister Amanda bang on the door, making the frame rattle.

“Esther? Are you in there?”

I couldn’t let her see me like this. Adjusting my shirt, I managed to cover it well enough with my collar.

As long as nobody grabbed at it and pulled my shirt apart, nobody was going to notice.

“Get out here! Why are you so slow?”

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and kept my head bowed as I tried to get past my sister. But then she grabbed my arm and pulled me back sharply.

“Where have you been?” she demanded.

“What?”

“You weren’t in your room last night, and you’re only just coming in now. Where were you fooling around last night?”

How could I respond to that? I couldn’t exactly tell her that Nicholas had bitten me when he was in his wolf form and had likely marked me.

But I didn’t need to say anything because I could tell from Amanda’s face that she didn’t care for my answer; she had already made up her mind about me. She sneered at me, looking me up and down.

“I can’t believe you thought you could mess around with guys as soon as you became an adult, Esther. That’s truly disgusting.”

“I…”

“I knew you were a promiscuous bitch, but couldn’t you have waited before you started opening your legs?”

That made anger flare bright and hot inside me, and I glared at her, my hands clenching into fists.

“I don’t fool around with men,” I said tightly. “I’ve never done that.”

Amanda’s eyes flashed and glowed yellow.

“Are you talking back to me?” she growled.

“I…”

She slapped me hard across the face, taking me by surprise. I swayed off-balance.

“You should know your place by now, you little whore.”

Amanda snarled, practically spitting in my face. “And you’d better not cause trouble at the choosing ceremony today. I won’t have you ruin that for me.”

I didn’t know where I got the confidence from, but I straightened up and faced her while my heart raced.

“You will never become Nicholas’s Luna,” I told her.

Amanda sniggered and took out a handkerchief, which she used to wipe her hands.

“Oh, but I will. I’m absolutely certain of it,” she tossed the handkerchief in my face, “And once I am, you can guarantee that I’m going to make sure you suffer.”

As she walked away, her hips swaying in her swagger, I knew she was telling me the truth. If she ever became Nicholas’s Luna, she would make me suffer.

And I was scared.

I had been punished for not completing my tasks the day before. I had expected that, so when I was told to wash all of the dishes, even though they had already been washed and dried, I hadn’t complained.

At least it got me out of witnessing Amanda doing what she could to make Nicholas choose her.

I felt sick at the thought. The idea of the pair of them together was terrifying—two of my biggest tormentors mated for life.

While I was sure that Nicholas wouldn’t choose someone like Amanda as his Luna, I couldn’t be completely certain. And Amanda was wily when she wanted to be.

If only I could have been elsewhere. I hadn’t wanted to be anywhere near the Luna choosing ceremony.

Especially after what had happened last night. I had managed to choose a shirt that had a high collar and covered the bite entirely, but I felt like people were staring at me.

What if someone discovered the bite?

“Esther!” Hailey, the palace’s housekeeper, suddenly appeared at my shoulder, scowling into the huge sink in front of me. “Be careful! You’re going to break the plates if you clash them like that!”

“Sorry, ma’am,” I muttered, forcing away my thoughts. Now was not the time to be thinking about my own problems.

“You’d better not cause any problems,” Hailey added. “We’re already having enough trouble in the Great Hall without you doing the same.”

“Why’s that, ma’am?”

“King Nicholas hasn’t arrived yet. He’s late.”

That got me curious, but I pushed it away. There was no point in asking about it; I had to get back to work.

But just as Hailey moved away, I felt a subtle shift in the air. Someone had entered the kitchens—someone who shouldn’t have been there.

I turned and saw Nicholas’s Beta, Dan, filling the doorway with his huge size. His shaven head brushed the doorframe as he ducked under it, stepping into the room.

Hailey hurried over.

“Beta Dan! To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence?”

“All of the female wolves need to come with me,” Dan said, his tone wooden.

Hailey looked confused.

“Why? What’s happened?”

That was when I saw a figure move behind him, and Nicholas entered the kitchens as well. My heart hammered in my chest as I looked him over.

He was dressed in a black suit that was immaculate, fitting him like a glove. He was shaven and had showered, and I could smell the aroma across the room.

Just like last night. He always smelled the same.

I needed to get out of there.

“A woman got into Nicholas’s bed last night,” Dan replied, his expression blank.

“What?” Hailey gasped.

“He’s looking for her right now.”

A ripple of surprise went through the room. But all I could feel was panic.

He was looking for me. But he didn’t know that it had been me he bit.

If he found out…

A loud smash filled my ears, and I looked down to see a broken plate scattered around me. Had I just dropped it?

“Esther!” Hailey admonished, but she didn’t get any further before Nicholas strode past her, approaching me so fast that I didn’t have time to react. He grabbed at my collar and ripped it away from my throat.