LOGIN~RAGNAR~I stare at the door a little longer after Suri shuts it.‘Shit hole. Douche. Jerk!’ Leo snaps in my head. ‘You hurt her!’‘Shut up, Leo,’ I growl back.But I know I did hurt her. I sit down and run my fingers through my hair. I shouldn’t have said all those things to her, but I still needed time to be in control whenever I see her. Still, I’ve gone overboard.‘Chase after her!’ Leo snarls.I’m still deciding if I really want to follow Leo’s directives or not when my office door bangs open, almost startling me, and Suri stands there looking like a goddess of fire. My brows furrow at the sudden furious look on her face.She had fled my office a few seconds ago, looking like a kicked puppy.“You know what, Ragnar? Fuck you!” she spits.My eyes widen at her choice of words. I can’t even find it in myself to be angry at her.“You can’t trash-talk me and expect me to go hide and cry in a corner.” She walks over to the couch in my office and sits down. “Whether you like it or not, I
~SURI~Three days. Three freaking days!That’s exactly how long that brick wall of a King has been hiding from me after tossing me into that cold, lonely bedroom. Nope. I am officially done playing the "patient wife" card. I march down the second-floor hallways toward his office, balancing a tray of fresh blueberry muffins in my hands while Runa follows behind me like a silent shadow. I know he’s in there. Well, I didn’t know until Nana spilt the beans last night when I maybe—totally—whined about his jerk move.“That’s just Ragnar being Ragnar,” she had said with a little chuckle.In his defence, Nana told me about the rogue sightings at the borders and how the King has been working non-stop to keep everyone safe. There is no doubt he’s a great leader. So, while I was baking a batch of muffins for myself this afternoon, I decided to be the bigger person and throw in a few extra for him.Not that I care about him. I’m just trying to be a civilised human being. Even if we’re not suppos
~RAGNAR~Bruce, one of our spies in Moonfang, made it back this morning after we received reports of another rogue sighting near our towns. The locals mentioned a newly carved route being used to slip in and out. It's an isolated trail through the thicket that our sensors missed. We checked it out this morning.During the ceremony yesterday, Uncle Crane had said it was just wolves passing through. I didn’t buy it then, and I sure as hell don’t now. Although our men said the route was created only recently, I can't help but wonder how many have penetrated our territories and why. The answer to that is probably sitting in the North Suite right now.Bruce gives a short, stiff bow. "Your Grace, two of our scouts went missing after a rogue hit in Moonfang last night," he says in a small voice."Missing?" Dray’s brows knit together. “What kind of rogue attack are we talking about? Werewolf rogues? How does a pack of rogues snatch two trained Lycans? Because that shouldn't be physically poss
~SURI~His scowl gets even deeper. “What do you want?”I bite my lip, trying to find the right words. “Uhm... I know what the contract says. Open marriage, no strings, whatever. But I need a promise from you."His brows knit deeply. "Out with it, little wolf." The impatience in his voice makes the words sound like a growl.“I don’t want you to claim other women,” I blurt out. “At least until I’m pregnant.”Yeah. That’s it. I know once he knocks me up, he probably won’t touch me anymore. But until then, I need him to stay faithful to me.His amber eyes stare blankly at me for a moment too long. Then, he lets out a long exhale. “You’re asking me for fidelity?”“Yes,” I answer way too quickly. “Not for the rest of the year, just until I’m pregnant.”"Why?""Because, I... I...""...the King usually prefers softer colours on his... companions..."Because Ruby told me you like 'soft colours' on your companions, and I don’t want to catch some nasty disease from your parade of mistresses. I d
~SURI~As the light snaps on and floods the room, I blink, squinting against the flood. I’m sitting there on the bed, stark naked, feeling like a fool who just lost a dare. The King freezes in the doorway. His eyes go wide for half a second, then dark and hungry, like he’s staring at his favourite meal and forgot he was supposed to be on a diet. He looks dazed, mouth slightly open. I’m suddenly very aware that I’m sitting here without a stitch of clothing."What are you doing?" His voice is so husky it sounds like he’s been gargling gravel."Waiting," I say, trying to sound like a boss even though my insides are doing backflips. I hold his gaze, refusing to be the first one to blink. No way I’m letting him see my knees knocking. "The party’s over, the rings are on, and it’s time to get down to business.""Business," he repeats, sounding like I just spoke a foreign language."Yes. Business." My hands are dying to grab the sheet and hide, but I keep them still. "You wanted an heir. That
~SURI & RAGNAR~~SURI~As we make our way to the refreshment table, Uncle Crane suddenly intercepts us. He leans in and whispers something into the King’s ear, too low for me to catch. Of course, I do not have enhanced hearing like them. The King nods immediately, untangles our fingers, and follows him without a word. Just like that. Poof. Gone.It doesn’t hurt. I swear it doesn’t.I watch him stride toward the grand doors where Dray’s already waiting. As they leave, Uncle Crane glances back and gives me this creepy little look that sends chills racing down my spine. I shake it off quickly. Probably just my imagination. I shove down the lump crawling up my throat about the King ditching me again and repeat my new mantra.It’s an open marriage. Don’t get your expectations high, Suri.But seriously, why an open marriage? Lycans are supposed to be crazy possessive. I have heard the stories. He nearly bit Kai’s head off for holding my hand two seconds too long. So why agree to an open mar







