Masuk“Do you remember what he looked like?”“It’s all a blur. Sorry.”I nodded slowly, looking around again. I spotted Max on the other side of the yard, returning to his work with a group of other males.“What’s the labor for?” I asked. “Are we building something?”“We think it’s for an army. The stone
Natalia’s POVBy the end of the first hour, my shoulders were burning and my palms had gone from sore to numb. The rock I’d been assigned to break with a heavy pickaxe was dense and black, and I was expected to break it into small pieces, then place them on a large wagon. One of those awful gray thi
A pair of figures crossed our path as we walked across the roadway. We fell into step behind them naturally, matching their pace. Neither of them looked back.The water trough was near the center of the settlement. I spotted a short line of people standing in front of it. It wasn’t running water, bu
Natalia’s POVI jerked awake with a gasp.The red sky was the same as it always was. Max was curled on his side a few feet away, still asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly. Nothing had moved. Nothing had changed.I pressed my hand flat against the ground and steadied my breathing.The vision
Natalia’s POVThe report came back the following morning. I’d hardly slept that night, which was strange for me; usually, sleep came quickly and efficiently, serving purely as a means to regain my energy for another day of hard work.But last night, I kept tossing and turning. That pull in my chest
“It’s no use!” I heard her voice call after me. “He’s already gone, you stupid bitch! He’s not who you think he is anymore! You’ll all die here!”Her words struck me somewhere deep and painful, but I kept running. We didn’t stop until the hovel was well out of sight. Only then, once we were certain
Natalia“Natalia, eat.”“I’m not hungry,” I lied, looking away.“You need to eat.” Andrei moved the plate closer, and the smell of perfectly roasted elk made my traitorous stomach growl. “You lost a lot of blood earlier. Your body needs protein to heal.”I finally looked up at him. He’d cleaned up s
The onlookers had gone quiet now, soft gasps and whispers rippling through the crowd. Lilith was as still as a statue, clutching Andrei’s shirt even tighter.Andrei handed the cup to his Beta. “Have this tested immediately.” Then he raised his voice to address the crowd. “The feast is over. Everyon
NataliaThe car ride to the border was painfully quiet. Damon’s hands gripped the steering wheel a little too tightly, his jaw set in that firm line I’d seen too often these past few days.Ever since I had rejected his offer to make our fake marriage real, the tension between us had been tighter tha
Natalia“Those are deep,” the healer said with a sigh as she finished examining my wounds. “You’ll need stitches.”I bit down on my lip as the healer began cleaning the wounds. The alcohol burned worse than the initial injury, and I grabbed Damon’s hand without thinking. He squeezed back, lacing his







