Natalia POVI can feel Victor trembling with anger at the thought of his mate staying with another man. Slowly and carefully I place my hands on his shoulders to try and calm the rage that is building inside of him. Under my touch I feel his back relax slightly but he still does not move from his protective position in front of me. Esau does not seem to be phased by Victor's anger. A sly smirk is spread across his face almost as if he is enjoying this exchange. "You have to see reason," Esau tries to explain to Victor but I doubt he is even listening. A low growl is reverberating from Victor's chest as he stares down Esau. "The first place they will look for her is with you."Standing on my tiptoes I whisper next to Victor's ear. "You know he is right," I say gently. Running my arms up and down his arms the growling in his chest begins to subside. I let out the breath that I did not realize I was holding when Victor turns to me and gathers me in his arms. "I do not want y
Alexander POVTossing another log into the fireplace within my chambers the fire roars to life as embers fly up into the air. The nights have begun to get cooler and it is only a matter of time before the red moon is upon us. The first snow always comes with the red moon. It has been that way for as long as I can remember. The change of the season used to be a cause for celebration. A massive Royal Ball would have been held bringing in not only the werewolves from all over the Kingdom but creatures from outside of our borders and even creatures from outside our realm. But that is not something that we do anymore. Not since the death of my mate. Sitting on the edge of my bed it creaks loudly under my weight. Closing my eyes I try to remember what she used to look like. She has been dead for five years and with each passing year the memory of my mate fades within my mind. Squeezing my eyes shut tightly I picture her soft blonde hair and bright blue eyes. I picture her laugh
Natalia POVEsau reaches for my hand and smiles at me gently. "I will show you to the hot springs," his voice is sweet and caring. Extending my hand towards Esau's I try to grab his hand but it is snatched away in midair by Victor. "I will show her," he growls menacingly. Rolling his eyes at Victor, Esau drops his hand and gestures towards the back door. Not wasting another minute inside of Esau's cottage, Victor scoops me up and carries me bridal style out of the back door of the cottage. Carefully he edges his way around the faerie circles that cover the path to the hot springs. "Esau is serious about his privacy," I say jokingly but Victor doesn't laugh. "He has to be careful," Victor says shortly. "He can only return to the Fae Realm once he has retrieved the book of prophecies that Alexander stole from him." "What happens if he does not return with the book," I ponder out loud. "I don't know," Victor says with a serious undertone in his voice. "But I do know that
Natalia POV"You marked me," I whisper in shock. Victor pulls away from me and stares at me with his piercing blue eyes. "I thought..." he mutters quietly. "I thought that is what you wanted.""It was," I try to sound excited. "It is.""But..." Victor say with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "When Alexander sees this..." my voice waivers as I think about the punishment that I might receive. "He will punish me."Cupping my face in his hands, Victor forces me to stare deeply into his eyes. "You are never going back to him ever again," he says with a stern look on his face. I try to avert my eyes from his relentless gaze but he squeezes my cheeks tightly. "Look at me," he demands, "you are never going back to him ever again. You belong to me. Do you trust me?""I do trust you," I tell him but even I cannot hear the conviction in my own voice. Even though the water in the spring is hot my body begins to shiver as if I am cold. I pull my hands away from Victor and l
Natalia POVI hold Violet tight in my arms as I try to drag her back into Esau's cottage. But she is much stronger than she looks. Lost in her sadness of watching her only sister disappear, she sits in the doorway of Esau's cottage reaching for the circle that her sister had just been dancing in. Tears stream down her face as she sobs heavily. Turning her face to Esau she has nothing but desperation in her eyes. "Please bring her back," she whispers as she sniffles through her tears. The amusement that was in Esau's eyes is now replaced with remorse. "I can't," he says as he extends a mossy hand to Violet. But Violet refuses to take his hand. Instead she covers her face with her hands and sobs gently. Sitting myself firmly on the ground I pull Violet in my arms and gently pet her mousy brown hair as she cries. "Violet," Victor begins, "I know she was your sister but this is probably for the best..."Gasping loudly I turn to Victor and glare at him. Violet tightens her gr
Victor POVI know that I should be sleeping but I cannot seem to fall asleep. Natalia's chest is rising and falling delicately while she is snuggled deeply into my chest. Her arms are wrapped tightly around me as she sleeps. A soft whimper leaves her lips whenever I move to a different position. Quietly I chuckle at the pout on her pursed lips as she snuggles deeper into my chest. Wrapping my arms around her I pull her in closer and she inhales my scent as she relaxes in my arms. Holding my mate in my arms is everything that I have always wanted but I cannot help but fear what that means for the rogue camp. I brought the members of the rogue camp together because there is safety in numbers. Staying in a pack is keeping our wolves satisfied. We are not like the rogues that lurk around the edges of our camps. Many of them spend all of their time in their wolf form and are practically feral. We have created a community here, a community that Natalia's presence threatens. Ale
Alexander POVThe sun peeks through my windows and my arms reach out to my sides only to find a cold bed beside me. Every morning I reach for Gloria even though I know that she isn't there. FlashbackThe morning sun rays awaken me from my slumber but the soft breathing of my mate on my chest lets me know that she is still sleeping. Softly I wrap my arms around her tiny body and give her a tight squeeze. I press my lips firmly to her forehead as she sleeps. Peering down at her dark eyelashes begin to flutter open as she awakens from her slumber. Her eyes open lazily and she peeks up at me through her lashes and gives me a seductive smile. "Good morning, My Prince," she says sweetly as she stretches her arms out to her sides before rolling off of me. "Tonight," I chuckle as I tackle her in her bed. "I will be your King." "Are you nervous?" She asks and I know exactly what she is speaking about. My prophecy. "What do I have to be worried about?" I brush off her question
Natalia POVMy eyes are wide with shock as I stare at my mate. "What do you mean you all stay inside?" I am so confused I cannot think of anything else to say. Victor holds my hand in his own and traces small circles on the top of my hand. "We stay inside during the full moon because it isn't safe for us to go out," I still cannot wipe the confused look off my face as Victor tries to explain the traditions of the rogue camp."But if werewolves don't leave their houses how will they ever find their mates?" My head cocks to the side and I bat my eyelashes. "That's just it," Victor says with an air of frustration in his voice. "What if our mate is part of the Kingdom? Our wolves could take over and we could find ourselves in trouble with the King." Biting the inside of my bottom lip I consider the consequences of going outside on the full moon versus never being able to find your mate at all. "I still think it is silly," I fuss at Victor. "All of the guards are watching the L