Aegis's First Person P.O.VThere's a sexy black Lamborghini in the King's yard.There's a freaking sexy ass black Lamborghini in the Palace. I know what my dream car is but I think I just changed my mind.Noah whistled lowly beside me."Sweet Moon, look at that beast," he said, nearly drooling. "I think I just saw my soulmate.""You can propose after we survive this meeting," I muttered.Zach snorted. Emery grinned. We were tired, but not too tired to laugh.Before we could get too comfortable, the front doors opened and the Royal Beta, Jaxon, stepped out. Dressed in black with the King's crest pinned to his chest, he looked like a man with too many secrets and not enough sleep."You arrived at the perfect time," he said. "Come with me. The King is waiting."Maids rushed out from nowhere to collect our bags. Emery hesitated for a second before handing his over. The maids disappeared almost immediately back into the palace.Still salivating over the car, Noah asked "Uhmm, Royal Beta
Aegis's P.O.VTalia has been talking for twenty-three minutes straight."And then I told him—if you're gonna wear cologne that strong, at least don’t smell like desperation! Right? Right?"I blinked, staring out the car window as trees blurred past. "Mmhmm." She gasped. "You’re not even listening!""I am," I said. Barely.Talia smacked my arm. “Don’t zone out on me, Aegis. This is our last shopping trip together before you become too important to breathe the same air as us common folk.”I chuckled softly. “I’m not that important.”"You’re the King’s Aid,” she said, stretching the words dramatically. “You basically get to yell at guards, look pretty, and solve political murders. It’s hot.” I laughed louder. “That’s not the job description.”“It should be.” She paused. “Do you want me to stop talking?”“No,” I said. I meant it. Her yapping helped me avoid my thoughts.Silence sat with us for a beat. Then she looked out the windshield and whispered, “I’m going to miss you.”My chest tigh
Aegis's P.O.VLet me tell you about a normal day in the life of an Alpha.Wake before dawn.Read five scrolls filled with complaints from neighboring packs.Settle a dispute between two pack members fighting over land.Attend meetings where everyone talks and argue.Refuse to bow to pressure.Plan security drills.Train with warriors.Smile politely at nobles who want favors.Write letters.Clean blood off your hands.Stay sharp.Stay cold.Never let them see you sweat.Never show weakness.But today,Today. I was ready to scream at someone today—and I haven’t even had breakfast yet.Everything feels wrong.The tea was cold.The pups were noisy. Someone left dirty boots on the steps. And Noah gave me a look this morning that made me want to throw something. I knew I shouldn’t take it personally.But I did.I stormed into the kitchen, dropped the stack of files I was supposed to sort, and sat heavily at the edge of the bench.Brianna looked up from the pile of vegetables she was washing
AEGIS'S P.O.V"What in the name of the goddess is happening.”Early this morning, a palace maid knocked and stepped into the guest room. She clutched her apron and bowed quickly.And that was the start of an horrible day."The King requests that you join him for a morning walk, my Lady," she said politely. My eyebrows shot up. “Walk? What, now?” She nodded with a small smile. "I'll get your bath ready. The other maids are coming to help you dress."Before I could protest, she disappeared into the washroom, already running the bath. Two more maids entered with folded clothes and shining hairpins.I backed away. “Nope. No. I can bathe myself. And I’m not wearing that.”“The King instructed us to assist you,” one of them said gently. “He said you’re still healing.”"I’m fine,” I growled. “He knows I’m fine. I’m healed.”They kept working. One untied my robe. Another set the bath oils. One combed my hair. I swatted her hand.“I said I don’t need help.”“You do today,” one of them said wit
AEGIS'S P.O.V“I’m going to find every last one of you,” I whispered. “And I’ll make you bleed.”My fingers clenched.The first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was hunger. The second was confusion. Again.My skin is smooth. My wounds had healed overnight. There's no scars or any signs that I was ever even hurt.“What the actual hell,” I whispered.I stood up, my bare feet touching the soft rug. Even the clothes I wore were different, clean, comfortable, and royal. Someone had changed me while I was unconscious. I tried not to think about that part too much.I opened the door and stepped into the hallway. It was quiet. Gold walls. Tall windows. Everything was too beautiful for my tired brain to process.A maid walked past with a tray in her hands.“Hey,” I called softly.She turned. “Oh! You’re awake.”I nodded. "Can you show me where the King’s office is?”She smiled politely. “Of course, my Lady. Down this hall, to the left, then second right. There’s a big gold and blue door. You
AEGIS'S P.O.V"Beta Solice said your car is ready,"Elias told me avoiding my eyes like a boy who broke something expensive. “I’m really sorry, Aegis. I didn’t mean...”“I know.” I cut him off and walked away. I can't be here anymore.Sheila stood near the outside gate. She whispered to her friends, like she won a game I didn’t know we were playing. Her eyes met mine. She didn’t flinch. Just smiled wider.I ignored her and climbed into the car. Placing the phone between my shoulder speaking to Brianna and balancing my tablet on my thigh, I tapped through files."You don't sound good Alpha ," she said, voice tight. "Come back. Please."“I’m fine,” I lied. "Just need to get something from the archives."My fingers stopped moving.Something is wrong. The engine rattled. My stomach twisted.The driver met mine in the rearview mirror. There's a small smirk on his face. Shit.“Are you okay, miss?”“I think...” The steering wheel jerked violently. Tires screamed. The car spun. I screamed. Ev