LOGINAva I followed Leo to a wing of the palace near my bedroom. For all I knew, it was an extra guest suite, so I wondered for a moment if his surprise was some sort of guest. But when he opened the door, I gasped. The entire room had been renovated and redone, and I could tell right away that it was for Oliver because of all the toys. It was massive, even bigger than my room. It even had a little climbing structure in the corner. There was a bassinet and a bed that he could transition into, but the real appeal of the room was all the toys and the space to play. “He can grow into it,” Leo told me as I entered the room. It had its own private bathroom and a large walk-in closet. The walls were lined with shelves, and one corner had a plethora of stuffed animals. A handmade rocking horse sat in a different corner, painted in fun, bright colors. “You did all this for Oliver?” I asked, clearly impressed by the time, energy, and thought Leo had put into the room. “Well, I had some help,”
Ava I didn’t like Queen Patricia from the moment I met her. I saw the way she looked at me, condescending and judgmental. I felt like Leo hadn’t been fully honest with me. He had led me to believe that his mother and father were kind people who were eager to meet me, and clearly that wasn’t the case. The bitch had asked me to “turn around” like I was some sort of monkey on display. Who does that? Who inspects another person like cattle? I’d been so embarrassed, standing there in my ripped jeans and Beatles shirt. Leo should have given me a heads-up to change. I had no shortage of dresses in my closet, thanks to the maids and their endless sewing. I could have at least shown up looking a little more presentable. I’d done my best to be polite, but it had been really hard. I knew she hated me and didn’t want me with her precious son. It stung, but what stung even more was that she was probably right. I was far from royalty and thinking otherwise had been delusional. What the hell wa
Leo The palace bells rang out as I sat in my study, reviewing some pack requests. I stopped immediately as the bells continued to ring. They could only mean one thing. My parents were here. Shit! I didn’t know they were returning today. Ava was out with Cassie on the warrior training grounds, watching her practice for her warrior tests. Ever since the execution, she’d been a little distant from me. On the surface, she seemed fine, but I could sense that something was wrong—something she wasn’t telling me. We still slept together every night and ate our meals together, but there was a tightness in our conversation. She had me a bit worried, to say the least. The clock was ticking, and we had less than two weeks left—a week and a half, to be precise. I’d done everything in my power to win her over, but still, I couldn’t help but feel that it wasn’t enough. And now my parents were here, unannounced. They’d been gone on their annual holiday to visit some European packs in the south
AvaWe were gathered in the courtyard early in the morning. I stood beside Cassie as people trickled in, excited looks on their faces. It was the morning of the public execution for the Stormbrook prisoners, the ones that had been in the dungeon for a year now.Oliver was at the nursery and had made a full recovery, thanks to Jade’s intervention. Leo had asked me last night over dinner if I wanted to attend the execution. I hadn’t been sure at the time—it sounded pretty awful, in my opinion—but he seemed genuinely excited about it, and since this was a part of werewolf life, I agreed to go.An ominous mist had settled in the courtyard. The prisoners were tied to wooden piles, with rope around their chests and feet. Both men and women were bare-chested, their arms dangling freely in the air. Their bodies were covered in bruises and whip marks, and they were all so thin I could see their ribs. Some hung their heads, refusing to look up at the crowd, while others glared, their jaws clenc
AvaMy heart dropped. What? What did she mean something was wrong with Oliver?“Leo!” I motioned at him from across the room. He took one look at me and then at the wolf pup educator and rushed towards us.“King Leo,” the wolf pup educator said, bowing her head. “Please come. It’s Oliver. He’s...we don’t know what’s wrong.”I felt like the floor was falling out from under me as we rushed out of the party. It took everything in me not to run. The wolf pup educator walked quickly, giving us snippets of what had happened. I was barely listening, though. I couldn’t. I was so sure something was horribly wrong. Had he been bitten? Was he injured? Had another little wolf pup attacked him? Leo said that happened sometimes but not often and that if it did, it was usually only a small nip. But what if Oliver was the exception? My mind spun, and we couldn’t get to the room fast enough.We scurried through the maze of corridors. I assumed we were going to the nursery, so I was surprised when the
AvaMy heart dropped. What? What did she mean something was wrong with Oliver?“Leo!” I motioned at him from across the room. He took one look at me and then at the wolf pup educator and rushed towards us.“King Leo,” the wolf pup educator said, bowing her head. “Please come. It’s Oliver. He’s...we don’t know what’s wrong.”I felt like the floor was falling out from under me as we rushed out of the party. It took everything in me not to run. The wolf pup educator walked quickly, giving us snippets of what had happened. I was barely listening, though. I couldn’t. I was so sure something was horribly wrong. Had he been bitten? Was he injured? Had another little wolf pup attacked him? Leo said that happened sometimes but not often and that if it did, it was usually only a small nip. But what if Oliver was the exception? My mind spun, and we couldn’t get to the room fast enough.We scurried through the maze of corridors. I assumed we were going to the nursery, so I was surprised when the
PhoebeShifting into my skin side, I rush toward Saben, who lies unconscious just outside of the fire’s warmth. His small body shivers, reigniting all the anger and hatred I have toward these hunters, but I force these emotions down to focus on the task at hand, removing the silver chains from my p
PhoebeThe silence feels awkward as Levi and I eat the roasted red pepper and chicken noodle soup that Jiya prepared. I resolved to have nothing to do with my ex earlier in the day, but it seems my resolve crumbled the moment I learned my son was in danger. Hunters have tricks to hide their scent;
LeviDodging past the trees and carefully avoiding fallen logs, I keep my senses alert while racing back to Haven Trail land with Saben and Phoebe on my back. I can feel her worry and anxiety through the mate bond with her so close to me, and I reach out to the bond mentally, hoping to soothe and r
Levi“Are you sure you grabbed an alpha pup?” a female voice questions quietly in front of Phoebe and me, forcing us to come to a stop.Taking a deep breath, I scent the air and count two humans, a male and a female, both carrying the scent of silver and wolfsbane.“I am positive. He has the same h







