Rayne I stand by as Lady Veronica pays Marjorie and then follow her out of the tent. I can't get over how great I feel in these clothes, and how different I feel altogether. I can barely contain my own excitement, despite the circumstances. I’ve always dreamt of looking this beautiful, and now that I don’t have to borrow anyone’s dress, I feel much better about it. Even the guards are looking at me differently. It’s uncomfortable to be ogled, though, and I wish they would look away. I also wish Lady Veronica wouldn’t be so cold with me. It’s just that at times, I don’t understand her. She’s my friend one second and then a stranger to me the next. “Rayne,” she says, stopping and whirling around to face me. “I’ve got to do something quick. I won’t be long. Will you stay here with the guards?”“Yes,” I say, nodding. She takes off after giving the guards a firm look and we stand near a stall and wait for her return. I fold my arms and look around. There are a few more people now, and
MaxI keep staring at the servant girl while something inside of me rumbles. Despite how different she looks, I didn't once doubt that it was her. The mate bond is probably the cause of this. Her hair is somewhat shorter than before but it has clearly been meddled with because it's shinier. Cleaner, maybe. And the dress she's wearing is better than what she had on before. I don't wish to have these thoughts but I can't seem to force them out of my mind while we're staring at each other. Blush creeps up her cheeks but she maintains eye contact. Her eyes are a different shade of blue. I never noticed how blue they were before. The guard shifts beside her and I break eye contact, suddenly remembering where I am. I walk away without looking and from the corner of my eye I see her disappear inside the room. To my dismay, my face feels hotter and tighter than usual, which is ridiculous considering my position and the circumstances involved. I make my way downstairs and try to push what h
Rayne"Is there something you want to tell me?" Denise asks while I take my dress off and hang it in the closet. It's the only dress I have at the moment and I don't want to risk ruining it. "No, of course not," I say. I decided I won't tell her about the woman at the marketplace. Now that she's gone I see no use in telling her. It's not like we'll be able to catch her and question her, and who would even believe me if she denied? I realized too late that the only person who saw her call me that day was the Second Beta. And he was dead. Still, just because I have no way to prove my innocence doesn't mean I'm not sad about it. And Denise being Denise has noticed it. She notices every change of mood. I don't know how to keep my emotions hidden from her. I need to try better. "Rayne," she says, arching a delicate brow. "You can't possibly think that you can fool me into believing that there isn't anything wrong. You came back sad from the market. Did Veronica say something? Somethi
Rayne"Max, Albert," Veronica says when they've stopped in front of us. "How good is it that we're all here?"I don't look up so I don't see how their faces are. I bet they're as sour as they should be. Right now, I hate Veronica for doing this. For putting me in this position. She knows her brother hates me yet she’s acting like we’re all the greatest of friends. Or worse yet. Like I’m his legitimate Luna. “I have a little late lunch organized for myself and Rayne,” she says kindly, turning to smile at me with warmth in her eyes. “Why don’t you join us? I’m sure we’re going to have a splendid time.”“Yes, why don’t we?” Albert said, turning to look at me with a curious look in his eyes. I look away from him too because this is all too much. I shouldn’t be here. She didn’t even tell me anything about lunch. The Alpha gives her a hard look and brushes past the two of us. His arm touches my shoulder as he walks past and my skin becomes covered in goosebumps. I ignore the urge to ru
Max I'm still angry about having crossed Veronica and the servant's path out in the garden. I love my sister but there are times when I hate her more than anyone else in the world. What's her problem? Why does she insist on doing such out of character things?What's she doing walking around the palace with the girl?It'll send the wrong message across. Doesn't she know that? How can she not know? Alaska will be here in a few days and I don't want there to be rumors about the servant girl being amongst our group. Alaska won't like the sound of that. Veronica is crossing all the lines and I—The glass in my hand shatters, interrupting my train of thought. I curse and let the shards fall on the table. I'm bleeding heavily in a matter of seconds, and I'm more annoyed than ever. I look around my room for something to tie around my hand. I find a clean shirt in my closet. It'll do. However, despite my annoyance, there's something else there lingering just beneath the surface. A sort of…fl
Rayne I flex my hand as soon as I wake up in the morning.It’s oddly sore. Maybe I slept on it for too long. I brush the thought off and go into the bathroom to freshen up. I feel exhausted and barely remember what happened yesterday. My head hurts a little but it’s nothing I can’t handle. The pain is very much bearable. I’m never ever doing that again. When I step out, Denise is there waiting for me. I’m surprised to see her because I just recalled Veronica telling me that someone else would replace her because she had other things to do related to Alaska’s arrival. “Denise?”“Your breakfast is ready,” she says with a wide smile but I can tell she’s up to something. “You’re not supposed to be here,” I say. “I can be wherever I want. It makes no sense for me to not support you when you’ll need more support now more than ever.”“But Veronica—”“Don’t worry about her,” she waves me off. “I’m not worried so why should you be? I’m more worried about the drinking you did yesterday th
RayneThe Alpha looks a little dazed. It’s almost like he doesn’t see me at all. I stay close to the tree. I would look away and act like I didn’t see him if it wasn’t considered rude and disrespectful. He’s still my Alpha and I need to show him all the respect possible. A few moments pass and he’s starting to look as uncertain as I feel. Honestly, I don’t know why he hasn’t walked away in the opposite direction yet. It’s strange for him to be standing there and watching me. Where’s Denise anyway?I’m the first to look away. He stands there for a bit and then walks away. I’m relieved when he’s gone. I don’t usually know how to act around him. Two minutes later, Denise is back with the tea. We sit right under the tree with the soft grass beneath us and have some tea. “You seem shaken up,” she tells me. “Did something happen while I was away?”I shake my head. I see no point in sharing with her that the Alpha was here and that we only looked at each other. Oddly enough, I didn’t fee
MaxI stare at the girl and ask myself what I was thinking by calling her here. After Albert confessed that a copy of Alaska’s dress had been made, I knew I had made a mistake by judging the girl so harshly. She had no blame in this and I treated her badly and with hatred. I’m not a perfect man, but as an Alpha, I always strive to be fair. I was unfair to her and I want to try to repair that. It isn’t fair for me to treat her so poorly, especially since she will die at the end of this. Only her death will free me from this affair and make mating to Alaska possible. While she continues to live after the bond is weakened, I can’t move on. I’ll be stuck with her even then. Only death can solve this. The least I can do is try to be…fair to her, considering she’ll have to die in order for me to be happy. “For starters,” I begin, “I want to apologize for my behavior toward you. It wasn’t right.”She looks at me with wide eyes and I feel something stir in my gut. Something akin to…curio