LOGINLyall's POVI stood in the doorway. The heavy wood of the oak doors splintered against the stone walls.My golden eyes scanned the bedroom. The scent of bitter soap and fresh blood hit my nose. Freezing water covered the marble floor.I saw my mate. He stood shivering in the center of the room. He was shoved into heavy crimson silk. His wet hair clung to his forehead. A harsh red handprint marked his pale cheek.Five women in gray uniforms surrounded him. The Head Maid stood right next to him. Her hand was raised to strike him again.My wolf violently slammed against my ribs. Pure blinding rage flooded my veins.I stepped fully into the room. A deep monstrous rumble tore from my throat. The floorboards actually shook under my heavy boots.The five servants froze completely. The color drained entirely from their faces. Their eyes went wide with pure terror."Get your hands off my mate," I commanded. My voice was a dark lethal weapon.The Head Maid snatched her hand back. She dropped to
I paced the massive marble floor. My bare feet slapped the cold stone. One step. Two steps. Turn around. Repeat.Deep shadows swallowed the corners of the royal bedchamber. The sun had dipped completely below the horizon. Outside the tall glass windows, heavy carriages rolled steadily over the courtyard cobblestones. The clanking of armor and the loud booming voices of noblemen echoed through the thick glass.The Welcome Banquet was starting. The entire empire was gathering right below my feet. My stomach twisted into tight painful knots. I rubbed my sweaty palms against my thighs. Where was Lyall? He promised he would return quickly.The heavy oak doors suddenly swung open.I spun around. I took a quick hopeful step forward."Lyall?" I called out.Five unfamiliar women marched inside. They wore crisp identical gray uniforms. They carried heavy wooden buckets, thick velvet garment bags, and stiff iron brushes.I stopped instantly. My muscles tensed. I lowered my center of gravity. I
The Queen Mother finally stopped pacing. She stood towering over my kneeling figure, her shadow completely engulfing me in the dim light of the fire.The silence stretched until my lungs burned. Then, a cold, ruthless smirk pulled at the corner of her lips."You are a very ambitious little rat," she murmured, her voice dripping with equal parts disgust and dark approval. "To walk into the lion's den with such a treacherous proposition... it shows you have teeth. But remember this: you are nothing but a vessel. A temporary, invisible womb. If you ever dare to bare those teeth at me, I will have them pulled from your skull.""I am entirely yours to command, Your Grace," I whispered, keeping my eyes fixed firmly on the floorboards.She turned away and walked gracefully toward her massive, claw-footed mahogany desk. She reached beneath her heavy velvet robe and produced a small, ornate silver key from a chain around her neck. She slid it into a concealed lock hidden beneath the desk drawe
Vera's POVThe stone floor was cold against my bare feet. I crept out of the servant's quarters well past midnight, staying completely submerged in the shadows.I had spent the last two days scrubbing every inch of the grand corridors on my hands and knees. The cruel punishment had actually given me a massive advantage. My blistered fingers had mapped every crack in the marble, and my ears had memorized the exact timing of the elite guards' patrol routes.I waited for the heavy footsteps of a passing patrol to fade down the hall. Then, I slipped behind a heavy velvet tapestry and pressed my body into the narrow, hidden servant passages.These dark, claustrophobic tunnels ran directly behind the walls of the royal wing. They were designed so the high nobility would never have to look at the lowly maids lighting the fires. The air inside was stale and thick with dust. My heart pounded wildly against my ribs, echoing loudly in my own ears.I knew exactly what was at stake. If an elite gua
King Lyall’s POV"Report," I said as the heavy oak doors clicked shut. The thick wood completely cut off Ren’s soft trembling breaths.I stood alone in the grand corridor. The gentle warmth of my mate faded from my hands. My wolf clawed violently at the inside of my chest. I boiled with blinding fury from the disrespect in the Grand Hall.Beta Caspian waited a few paces away. His hand rested heavily on the hilt of his sword. His face was entirely grim."It is the elite vanguard," Caspian said in a low voice. ''They refuse to take their posts. They will absolutely not serve a King who breaks the sacred laws of the Goddess."I rolled my shoulders. My thick bones cracked loudly in the quiet hall.We marched away from the royal wing. We pushed through the massive iron gates of the western courtyard.Over two hundred heavily armed Lycan warriors stood in perfect formation on the dirt. They were seasoned veterans. These were the most lethal battle-hardened soldiers in all of Goldcrest. Thei
Vera's POVSplash!A bucket of freezing, murky water crashed violently against my knees, soaking straight through my thin, coarse servant's dress."Get back to work!" the Head Maid barked, her voice echoing harshly off the damp stone walls.She threw a filthy, foul-smelling rag directly at my face. I barely managed to catch it before it slapped against my nose. The icy water dripped down my shivering arms, sending a bone-deep chill through my entire body."You missed a spot on the grand staircase," the Head Maid sneered. She crossed her thick, muscular arms over her chest, glaring down at me with absolute disgust. "Scrub it again. You are not a guest here. You are a stray from a dead pack. If I see a single speck of dirt on this marble, you will not get any dinner tonight. Do I make myself clear?"I lowered my head, hiding the venomous hatred burning in my eyes, and gave a tight, subservient nod. The Head Maid turned her broad back and stomped heavily down the corridor, her keys jangl
"Omega, come here." The command was soft, but it carried the weight of a mountain. The air pressure in the room shifted. I didn't respond immediately; I desperately wanted to run away, to flee this room and this humiliation.On the bed, Vera pouted. She cupped her breasts, leaning down to try and
"You filthy Omega! An Alpha is not for you to crave!"The crack of Vera’s hand against my cheek echoed through the hallway like a gunshot. The force of it knocked me off my feet, and I hit the marble floor hard, pain shooting through my shoulder and hip.I lay there for a moment, dazed, the coppery
Hearing my name on that man’s lips, spoken with such vile intent, made my skin crawl. It was a desecration. I’d always been too fair, too slender for a pack wolf. My features were too fine, my lips too full, my hair a dark, unruly cascade that fell into my eyes. They whispered I looked more like a
Mate! Mine! Fenris was still howling in my head, desperate to break free and finally reach the mate he’d waited so long to see. But it was impossible. Kane shoved me away like I was something contaminated, and my body slammed into the marble floor once again. A sharp crack echoed through the room







