My fingers shake and I hide them behind my back as I round the corner. Slowly, I approach, the large oak door standing ominously in the distance. I wipe the sweat from my wrist against my light skirts and grip tightly as my chest thumps. Once. Twice. The closer I draw, the heavier the dagger under my skirt weighs. The maids behind me chatter, but I barely hear the words they say. I try to hide it behind a show of boredom but the fear creeps up my spine and it is all I can do to keep going. It takes an eternity, but I reach the door eventually. “He’s not in,” the guard tells me when I start to open the door. There usually aren’t any, but after this morning, I understand why he has his chambers guarded. My fingers still by the door. Not in? This is when we have dinner. Every night. I didn’t factor his possible absence into my plans. Gods above. “Where is he?”“Throne room. The reports from the prisoners came back. He’s off attending to it and said to tell you to wait for him.”Oh no.
Jessamine If you’ve ever been away from home for too long, you’d understand the feeling of your stomach plummeting at the most familiar scents, the urge to breathe in deeply, feel everything, reacquaint yourself with every single detail—details that suddenly seem more vivid and…and intense. That is all I can call this—coming home. Somehow, between punching Kier and telling him I hate him and I’ll return to my father’s castle and find me a man who isn’t quite as infuriating as he is, he’d kissed me. Concussion be damned, Kier’s lips heal me in more ways than any physician could. I walk Kier back into the throne room, pushing off the remains of his shirt. His fingers tangle in my hair as his lips on mine reminds me of the first time…the first time I saw him. His eyes looked like a tear from an ocean of peridots. His hair was shorter, not long enough to run my fingers through, but I was fascinated by the rich hue of it. He rarely smiled then, but when he did, it was bright as starlight
Az rubbed his eyes tiredly. It’d been days since he last had a peaceful night’s rest. Lord of Grimstone. He often found himself laughing at the title. He wasn’t lord of anything—at least not yet. His people didn’t seem to think so with their constant rebellion of him and stealing from him, no matter that he tried his best to ensure even the darkest parts of Grimstone got ridded of their poverty.They didn’t warm up to him. They called him a freak. It was pathetic and he should have known Jessamine was lying the moment she started batting those long lashes of hers and speaking to him sweetly.He left Dawn after the wedding and he’d been at Grimstone for a total of seven months now. And in that time she’d come to see him thrice, with her twin boys, Wren and Alder. They both had their mother's eyes, but that was where the resemblance ended. The rest was all Kier. From their red hair down to their angry growls whenever Az didn't give them what they wanted.Of course, Jessamine had come to
There's a selection. Alpha Kier hasn't found his mate and he has given up on finding her. I thought that meant I had a chance. I thought that meant one day, he'll notice me in my rags, hiding by the corner, watching him as always. But no. He's having Alpha females over to pick a suitable woman to mate with and make his Luna. And me? I'm right here, washing the plates the invited maidens will dine with. Every glass plate clangs loudly as I dump them in the sink, visibly vibrating with indignation. I can't deal. I really can't deal with this. Why can't I be his bride? Because I don't have Alpha blood running through my veins? Because I haven't shifted yet? Because I'm not beautiful enough? Mother used to say I have the most beautiful eyes; eyes that capture attention and hold it. Eyes that enchant and seduce. She said it could one day be helpful. I don't see how when Alpha Kier won't look at me. "Do not make me whack you in the head, Jessamine! You break one more
Stealing the scroll turned out to be rather easily. All I had to do was instigate a fight between another contender and Layana, and Beta Randale came running, slipping the scroll in the back of his pocket. Grinning like a fool, I had taken it and squeezed in my name at the bottom corner of the page, right before Alpha Kier’s official stamp. Then I’d caressed the paper before returning it where I’d found it. I am lowering another tray of desert before another male—an Alpha in his mid-thirties who keeps looking at me like I’m his meal—when I feel it. The aura change in the room. The electricity cackling in the air. The hair rises on my neck and skin. I don’t know how, but I always know when Alpha Kier is near. His presence is as fundamental to my being as the air I breathe. I feel it my soul and body, jolts and crippling warmth. My heart beat speeds up to a point where it stops beating—if you understand what I mean. There’s his scent too. He smells like snow
Okay. Maybe I should have phrased that a better way. My fingers tremble as Alpha Kier rises from his seat of power, towering several heights above me. I have to tip my head all the way back to look at him, and as I do, I can’t help but think he’s the most beautiful man that exists. “What did you say?” His voice goes all the way to my stomach and the butterflies in it disperse quickly. “I said—“ My voice comes out as a squeak. I swallow and start again. “I said, I wish to be your Luna, Alpha.” His gaze pierces through me, seemingly searching into the depths of my very soul. “No, the last part. What was that?” The entire hall is so silent, you can hear the birds chirping outside, as well as the sound of footsteps in the hallway outside the hall. I can even hear my own heartbeat. It’s so loud, I’m sure the entire hall can hear it too. My lips part, but my tongue feels too heavy to repeat those words, confess what I feel to him. It shouldn’t be this h
I am the talk of the castle, and possibly the entirety of Neredia. That, however, is the least of my problems. The stunt I pulled had the Alpha’s mother, Luna Renae, order the Head Maid to multiply my chores, including clearing out the stables. I am not only the talk of the castle, I have become a laughingstock as well. Mad Jessamine, they’ve nicknamed me. Luna Renae’s aim is to keep me so occupied, I won’t be able to keep up with the tasks given to the contenders. I groan, tossing the rake into the wall. There’s a ball later tonight to celebrate the start of the selection. Tonight, Alpha Kier will take the hand of the most beautifully dressed woman in the gathering and gift her with a dance. The ball is mask-themed, to ensure everyone gets a fair chance. I don’t have a dress, or shoes, and I smell like horseshit. But I will attend that ball. It is the first step in my plan. An hour to the ball, I finish cleaning the stables and head back to the ca
* Kier.* I’ve never been one to fancy attending balls, but it comes with the seat of power. One would think that being the Alpha King would give enough leverage to avoid gatherings like this, but it is the exact opposite. “Lady Moira looks perfect, don’t you think?” mother whispers into my ear for the third time and I look in the direction of the woman. Yes, she was absolutely flawless. A woman of grace and upstanding. She bows her head subserviently as she accepts a dance from Alpha Dorian of the North Pack, and covers her lips shyly to hide her blush. Moira is the kind of woman my mother wants for me, and there is no doubt that she’d be the perfect choice. However, my wolf, Zephyr, doesn’t like her much. I do, though I can’t help but think she’s missing something. Not that it matters. The decision on who to make Luna has nothing to do with what I think. It’s all for the best of the pack. And right now, Moira seems to be that. The bes