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
PhoebeStanding in front of the old mansion surrounded by the fresh scent of pine and maple, I smile, already imagining how this place will look after renovations. Most of the ivy crawling up the stone will need to be removed to prevent further damage, from what I can see. Not only that, but I will
PhoebeLooking over the files on my computer, I diligently work through the new program that my company, Trail Corporation, will be launching in about a week.Claira sits off to the side, a bored look on her face while she waits for me to skim through the new program and run the final tests.“We re
LeviFive Years LaterTaking deep breaths as flames lick at my body, I curl in on myself while the cold water from my shower rains down on me. My rut has come again so soon, the pain unbearable unlike previous times. The doctor who came to see me said it was because I had met my mate. I had fucked
PhoebeLooking at the construction of the dormitory just a fifteen-minute walk from the pack house, I grin at the progress being made. Aidan Storm has been a godsend for Haven Trail; three days after moving into the pack house, he brought plans for a dormitory to be constructed so that our pack cou







