When I opened my eyes, I knew I wasn’t awake. Candido wasn’t there with me. I was seated across a long table that I had never seen before. The windows were all made of stained glass. Moonlight filtered through the colorful glass and sent the colors splashing everywhere. At the other end of the table was the vampire king. He was darker than I remember, but his hair glowed the way it had in that castle. The crown on his brow twinkled with light. To his left, like an odd reflection, was Marius. His blonde hair didn’t glow, and he didn’t wear a crown, but looking at the two of them it was so obvious that he was related to the thing. Their eyes glowed the same. I clenched my jaw and glared at them both. “Where am I?” I asked. “If you think you can change my mind about—”“The time to change your mind has long since passed, Hedy,” the vampire king said softly. His lips twitched into a small smile. “The time to make different decisions is long since over.”He took a deep breath and shook h
Weeks passed, and in that time, I made the remaining people do what needed to be done. They fixed up the building Candido and I were in. While they couldn’t get the water or electricity working, there was a roof and the floors were cleaned. They brought me food when they came to check on Candido and busied themselves with trying to contact whoever else might be alive. “Miss Hedy.”I looked up, glaring at them. “How many times have I told you to call me luna?”The man lifted his head. “Until the king confirms it, I would never disgrace the position that way.”I glared at him. “Then, I suppose you’ll be tried for treason, then.”His eyes narrowed as two people entered the room. “You’re supposed to be regent, right?” The woman asked. “You have some authority.”I lifted my head. “I’m luna.”She pointed at the man beside her. “Then tell this man that I want nothing to do with him and he should leave me alone.”“We’re mates!” He growled. “You’re not going to leave me.”“There is no mark,”
I pushed at the wall, trying to get over there and drag Estella away from Candido. Then, Vanessa appeared dressed in a wispy gauzy red dress. She looked younger than the last time I had seen her. Two younger men followed her, chatting with her though I couldn’t make out what they were saying. They were dressed in red tunics. Then, I saw Claire and Francium striding towards them in red. They were holding hands. Her hair was gathered up in a flower wreath as they smiled together. They looked so happy together as they sat beside Candido and Estella. Soon, I saw other people. I saw Claire’s parents and the people I remember dying over the course of the war. They sat together in a circle around Candido and Estella, chatting happily. “Don’t be happy!” I yelled, banging on the wall. “Claire! You’re supposed to be my friend! Get her away from my mate!”No one even noticed I was there. They laughed and chatted, welcoming other people as they came to join them. Everyone else was wearing red,
“It was unsure if my Beloved King would have ever risen again and to what world,” she said. “It was for the best that I changed the path.”“We’re mates,” I said again. “We’re mates. Nothing you say can change that.”“Mates,” she scoffed. “A tool for conquest. Were you not listening? The vampiric power you inherited from your mother was the only reason you could fake the moon mark. The white fur you inherited from your father turned platinum because of it. When you were no longer a vampire, after Cillian had drained the last of that power out of you, you were just a plain werewolf…”“I don’t believe you,” I said. “I won’t believe you. You’re just trying to trick me.”“Your real moon mark vanished the night that your mate died trying to protect you.”I saw the senior diving in front of me and jerking as the bullets hit him in the chest. “Him?” I growled. “No. I can’t believe that.”“Neither could your mother,” she laughed. “By the time you met your grandfather, I had already been makin
She cocked an eyebrow. “They might be related, but there’s no way to know if they’re compatible.”“They’re both golden wolves. That should be enough.” I swallowed. “I don’t care what you have to do, you have to keep him alive.”Her eyes drifted down to Candido with an odd expression on her face. “I’ll see what I can do,” she looked up at me. “But… there will be a hefty cost.”“I don’t care,” I said. If Candido was really being used to stabilize Solare, whatever that meant, then I had make sure that he had enough life force, that his body still remained, after that was done to wake up. “I developed a drug that strengthened wolves,” she said. “I have a feeling that it would at least help.”My eyes bulged. “You’re… You’re the one who made the drug for the vampires.”She smiled. “I am. And?”I growled at her. “You’re a traitor.”Her smile turned cold. “And you aren’t the alpha king’s mate.”She cocked an eyebrow. “Given the state of the world, do you think they’ll care?”“Of course, the
I was warm when I opened my eyes. Though my body still ached, I wasn’t dead. It wasn’t the rain-wet pavement I expected, but a bedroom. I gasped at the sight around me. The room was beautiful. The furniture was all made of sleek straight lines, but the quality of it all made it seem more modern than Spartan. I drew my hand across the sheets over me with wonder. They weren’t silk, but they were the softest thing I had ever felt. I’d made it. Instead of running me over, the limo bearing the symbol of the Full Moon Pack had stopped and brought me here. I was at the alpha king’s estate. I had to be. “You’re awake!” A woman’s voice said, pulling me from my thoughts. She was dressed in a simple white button-up shirt, skirt, and a white apron. “I hope you’re hungry.” My stomach growled as I caught the scent of meat from the tray. "Where am I?" I prayed to the moon goddess that I wasn’t wrong. “In the home of Alpha King Candido,” she said, shaking out a napkin to put over my lap. She s
I shuddered. He knew. I should have known that he would know I wasn’t twenty. I wanted to plead or explain, but the words turned into a squeak of terror as my tears flowed down my cheeks. I couldn’t breathe. He was going to kill me. He was definitely going to kill me, and no one would care. The Wolf Fang Pack was a small one like those that tended to get involved with vampires to try and secure more power. Did he think I was a threat? Would he try to interrogate me? Werewolf society had fallen into chaos since the vampires had united under their king and began to infiltrate and sabotage the smaller packs. Before I could say anything to assure him, he spoke. “Look at me,” he commanded. My eyes popped open, obeying him and hoping that I didn’t look like a threat. “ How about we play a game?” “A-A game?” He narrowed his eyes and gave me a slow, cruel smile. “If you win, I’ll grant you sanctuary.” My eyes widened with a spark of hope. “But if you lose….” The ride was silent. The
Tonight was the Noble Academy’s welcome-back dinner for the new year. Most of the women in attendance weren’t here for an education or to better themselves. They were dressed like they were walking the red carpet and wore so much makeup that they looked fake. Still, the gleam of their jewelry and their figures caught the attention of most of the men who were starting school with us. Some of it was tasteful, but a lot of it just seemed like they were flaunting their wealth needlessly. Claire and I sat in the corner of the room, away from most of the other tables, uninterested in speaking to most of the others in the room. Claire and I were so underdressed for the event that we looked like we didn’t belong, and that was fine for us. We weren’t here to make friends. We had each other, and that was enough. Claire was the daughter of the Full Moon Pack’s Secretary of State. She was important enough that it would never matter what she wore. She was also as beautiful as her mother, with a