LOGINThe morning of Margaret's funeral dawned gray and heavy with the promise of rain....the kind of weather that felt almost deliberate, as though the sky itself was acknowledging the loss.Eve stood at the bedroom window, already dressed in the black dress that Maya and Elena had helped her choose three days ago. Simple, elegant, appropriate. The kind of dress Margaret would have approved of....respectful without being theatrical.Behind her, she could feel her mates moving through their own preparations. Damian adjusting his tie. Damon checking his phone one final time before putting it away....pack business could wait today. Silas simply present, his steady energy a constant anchor through the bond."It's time," Silas said quietly, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder.Eve nodded, not trusting her voice yet. She'd cried herself empty over the past three days....moments of overwhelming grief interspersed with the necessary practical tasks of funeral planning. Maya and Elena had handl
Damian entered the bathroom and stopped, taking in the scene,,,,Damon holding Eve up, buried inside her, her body glowing and responsive and absolutely gorgeous in her surrender.His cock hardened immediately."Bring her to the bed," Damian said, his voice rough with barely contained hunger.Damon grinned....that wild, satisfied expression that meant Rex was pleased....and began walking, his cock still buried deep inside Eve, carrying her through the bathroom door and into the bedroom proper.The sensation of being moved while still impaled was surreal....every step making Damon's cock shift inside her, making new sounds pour from her throat, making her cling to him desperately.He laid her on the bed without withdrawing, following her down, and began to truly fuck her....no longer the standing position that required him to support her weight, but the freedom of the bed that let him drive into her with complete abandon.Damian stripped rapidly, his eyes never leaving where Damon was p
The meeting with Seraphine had been a success, but Eve felt hollowed out....drained not just from the political maneuvering but from the accumulated weight of everything. Her mothers's death and the constant vigilance against threats. The pressure of being assessed by ancient, powerful beings who held her future in their hands.She needed....She needed to not think for a while. To not be the Luna, the heir, the strategist. To just be Eve, held and wanted and safe.And her body needed something else entirely.The hunger had been building for days....pushed aside in favor of more urgent concerns, manageable but present, a constant low-level ache that was getting harder to ignore. She could feel it humming beneath her skin, her power reserves slowly depleting despite the emotional intensity of recent days.She needed to feed.Damon noticed first, the way he always did. His connection to her through the bond made him exquisitely attuned to her needs, her moods, the subtle shifts in her e
Eve met her gaze steadily. "I'm neither naive nor scheming. I'm....learning. Rapidly. With excellent teachers...." She glanced at Raphael. "...and genuine motivation to succeed. Not because I'm hungry for power, but because the throne is mine by right and by heritage, and the Court has suffered for twenty-three years without legitimate central leadership.""That's a good answer," Seraphine said. "Diplomatic, well-reasoned, hitting the points I'd want to hear. But it's also an answer you could have prepared with coaching." She leaned forward slightly. "Tell me something true. Something you believe that might make me uncomfortable. Something that isn't diplomatic."Eve felt the weight of the challenge. Seraphine wanted honesty, not performance. Wanted to see how Eve thought rather than how well she'd been trained to respond."I think the Traditional faction's insistence that the only valid Court structure is pure monarchy is short-sighted," Eve said, and felt Damian tense slightly besid
Maya crossed to her and pulled her into a hug. "You're going to be amazing. You're always amazing when you're scared and pretending not to be."Despite everything, Eve smiled against her friend's shoulder. "I'm absolutely terrified.""I know," Maya said. "But you're going anyway. That's what makes it brave."They held each other for a moment, and Eve felt grounded by the familiar warmth of old friendship....the reminder that she was still herself, still Eve, regardless of supernatural politics and Court factions."We're planning Aunt's funeral," Maya said when they pulled apart. "Elena and me. While you're at the meeting. We'll coordinate with the funeral home, arrange the service, handle all the details so you don't have to."Eve's throat tightened. "You don't have to....""We want to," Elena said firmly. "Let us help. Let us do this one thing so you can focus on everything else you're carrying.""Okay," Eve managed. "Thank you. Both of you."At one-thirty, they assembled in the main
Eve woke to gray morning light filtering through the curtains and the immediate, crushing memory of what had happened yesterday.Her mother was gone.For a moment, she lay still, letting the weight of that truth settle over her again....the way it would settle over her every morning for a long time, she suspected. The fresh grief of remembering, of the moment between sleep and waking when you've forgotten, and then the reality crashes back.She felt her mates around her....Silas still at her back, his steady presence grounding even in sleep. Damian had shifted position during the night, now sitting in the chair near the window, clearly having woken early to keep watch. Damon was sprawled on her other side, one arm flung across her waist in unconscious possession even while sleeping.Through the bond, she felt their awareness spike as she woke...all three of them immediately attuned to her consciousness, ready to provide whatever she needed."Morning," Damian said quietly from the chai
"He can't do that," Damon said flatly. "The northern territory has been ours for three generations. Our grandfather bled for that land. Our father died defending it. It's ours by right of blood and conquest.""It's ours unless we fail to respond to a formal challenge," Damian corrected, his voice h
DAMIAN'S OFFICE - BROTHER'S DISCUSSIONThe three brothers sat in Damian's office, the door locked, supposed business documents spread across the desk that none of them were actually reading."We need to talk about last night," Silas said finally, breaking the tense silence."What about it?" Damian'
Eve's cry echoed off the tile as he took her roughly from behind, his reflection in the mirror showing that usual intense focus. Making her watch herself being fucked, seeing her own face contort with pleasure."Eyes on the mirror," he commanded when she tried to look away. "Watch what we do to you
Her apartment felt smaller and shabbier than ever after spending the night in luxury. Eve packed a larger bag this time...more clothes, toiletries, her laptop. If she was going to be staying at the estate multiple nights a week, she needed to be prepared.She also grabbed the framed photo of her mo







