LOGINIris.It occurred to me that morning was nearly done, but there was nothing spurring me to move from where I was.I was warm. My body felt deliciously weighted. And everything around me smelled good. Like safety.The only discomfort I felt was a stickiness between my thighs.At which point, everythi
“No…. Can’t….”“Come to me.”Iris turned her unfocused, pitiful gaze to me.“I’m sick.”Phantom howled to life, pawing my weight towards her. No! She is perfect! I gave in to that much, curling around her. My thumb stroked along the flush of color brightening her skin.I leaned in close enough so tha
The good that came of the following days was that I did not miss any other meetings.The bad was that each meeting seemed more strained than the last.Only Beta Tyler spoke to the King, and only through the door grate at the entrance of the King’s Chambers– as if partaking in some clandestine deal.
I burst into the study, breathless and gasping. “King Zavan–”I stopped short, having nearly stumbled into a couple Deltas. The study was crowded with them– three of them, and Beta Tyler.“A meeting?” I was still panting, but my gaze found King Zavan’s immediately.“There was an emergency situation
My magic thus far had not proved to be harmful. I could heal, and mend. Those could serve as useful to the crown, ultimately.And if there was no intent to harm, then how could we then be accused of treason?And why did the Blessings of the Goddess not count as illegal magic then? A mating bond was
In the oncoming days, if I had any spare moment, it was spent reading– at the King’s side.We spoke sometimes, argued other times. But still, even if in contention, we sat in the same room and often took our meals together in the study.At times I needed a break from the dull technicalities of law a
I turned to run– I needed as much of a gap between us as I could manage to outrun a Lycan. And even then, it was a race not in my favor.But before I could bolt, Derek called out to me:“Are you not curious as to your brother’s whereabouts?”That froze me in my tracks. Items engraved with my family’
“Iris, are you playing pranks?” Colby complained, still peering up at the clouds.“Of course not– it was just over yonder,” I said, pointing opposite of the bundle’s location. “It flew that way.”“I don’t see anything.”“Yes– because it’s gone now, as we too ought to be.”“But you said you had all a
Even as Meymey and Colby’s presence eased the weight on my heart, what only gnawed at me worse was how I had reacted to King Zavan upon waking up.So although Paige had relayed the King’s order of confined bedrest to me, I was too uneasy to truly relax. By the next day, I was up early to serve the K
Days after, the argument stayed burning inside me like a live coal, lighting me with fury with every small reminder of our exchange.I knew I could never truly accept the Tyrant King’s mark, and I was all the more resolved to leave somehow.But without any way to contact my brother, I was back to si







