Adam’s POVRose wasn’t in labour long. I thought I heard her murmur, “Sam,” before her eyes closed.I couldn’t decide who was more proud, Erica or me. My sister was back on her feet again and assured me the delivery had gone fine. Mom looked in as well, briefly. She was constantly tired these days, some of her spirit having left with the giving of so many pints of blood.George had examined her and informed me she just needed time to recover. The mage had been threatened by my half-brother so this untypical weakness wasn’t down to either of them.I named the eldest one Zak. He would be my heir. It was too early to tell if they would be light haired and that didn’t bother me any more.Alpha Horace of all people sent his congratulations. He made no mention of a treaty and nor did I.The border guards patrolled regularly and reported back there were no breaches. A poacher intruded once but they sent him to his Maker, the human God and feasted on the rabbits he’d snared.I wasn’t pleased
Rose’s POVTimo backed me up.“She’s right, my king.”“As always. I’ll see to it.”I calmed down after that, making arrangements in my head. Lolo was in my thoughts but my priorities were here.“Put Connor next to Simone. As for that – thing, I want his remains as far away as possible.”I couldn’t help the bitterness after the damage he’d done to my sister.“Noted. Anything else, Rose?”I was grateful he wasn’t grinning otherwise I would have lost it in front of everyone and pummelling the Lycan King’s chest is a good way to get a girl killed.“Let me tell my sister when they return. I don’t want to spoil things.”“Does she know about Brandon?”I shook my head. “She will be disappointed he’s staying put. Have you heard anything about her, this sorceress?”Everyone was looking at me as if I’d lost my mind. I was usually so respectful in company.“Only her name. Hyacinth. You have something in common,” he pointed out.“Adam, what are you trying to say?”He didn’t answer and I worked it
Rose’s POVThe night before my father did the unthinkable and sold us, I begged him to reconsider.“Alpha Horace won’t like it,” I argued. “Technically, we still belong to him.”“Face facts, we’re rogues, girl. Is it wrong for me to want a better life for you and your sister?”I sighed. “I suppose not.”We shared a three-way hug. I wished for the millionth time Mom was here and not buried in that forest glade.“I’ll miss you, Daddy,” Willow said, beginning to sob.He passed a shaking hand through her unruly brown curls. “Make me proud, both of you,” he whispered.“The least you can do is tell us about our new pack,” I said, unwilling to let him off the hook. “How come they’re so eager to accept us?”He hesitated, unwilling to spell it out.I knew the answer, of course. We were likely to become breeders. Though tiny, my sister had turned eighteen only last moon, and the village boys had begun to notice her. One in particular.I’d lost count of the times I’d exited the cottage through t
Rose’s POV To say I was shocked to see the woman reclining on a couch was an understatement. She sat up on seeing me and patted her updo as if drawing attention to it. I lowered my gaze. For all I knew this was his Luna. There was no mate bond between us, as I already knew. “It’s about time,” she said. But she wasn’t talking to me. “What’s your name, girl?” the Alpha asked. “Rosalie Harper,” I told him. It was the name on my birth certificate. “Ripe for the plucking, I’d say.” Though her words were hurtful, making me blush, I received no sense they were said with malice. This was what I had been expecting – and dreading – from the outset. Wasn’t she jealous? Maybe she was going to watch? “Don’t tease her, Simone,” he said. By now I was more confused than ever and vexed at my own thoughts. “I’ll leave you to it, Lew. Shopping awaits.” That was when I saw the designer handbag which she soon snatched up from the carpet and placed over her arm. “Just thought you’d want to hear
Rose’s POV The shock news that I would be away from my new pack for probably the cycle of a moon had left me reeling and I hadn’t yet recovered. “How will I communicate with you, Alpha?” He tossed me a pay-as-you-go cell phone. “Don’t lose it, Rosie,” he warned. “Or you’ll have to improvise. And I’ll want recompense.” “How?” I withheld his title deliberately to see what he would do. He didn’t even appear to notice. “Payment in kind,” he said. My cheeks reddened. “Alpha, I meant how will I contact you without the means?” “You’ll figure it out.” He told me the code to unlock the cell phone and suggested I memorise it. “Find a suitable hiding place,” he added, sounding bored. I stuffed it down the top of one stocking, unaware Alpha Lewis was watching. Some spy I was going to be. “Seen enough?” “Don’t be a brat,” he said. “One more thing, if you mess up, I’m sending Willow to a brothel.” My heart began beating much faster. “What?” I managed. He started to don his contact lens
Rose’s POVA bell rang somewhere and that was when I found out who was here by choice and who wasn’t. Thinking about it, I didn’t really fall into either camp.“Good luck keeping that gown intact, Red,” someone hissed. I saw it was my attacker, the would-be thief. “I’m telling you now, you won’t be allowed to keep it.”“So why did you want it so badly?” I asked.She didn’t bother to answer, just gave a snort of contempt and waltzed off.We were put into groups of six at random. Ours was going on stage second and I realised I was the only redhead among them. It was hard not to overhear the slaps and shrill cries of our predecessors, coupled with the raucous tone of the vendor, yet the crowd seemed strangely silent. Until …“Not up to your usual standard, Perkins,” someone called.“Maybe they should strip and dance for us.”“Next!”Just that one word managed to make my spine tingle with fear and something else akin to anticipation.We were hustled onto the stage and I forced myself to s
Rose’s POV The Lycan’s cruel words hit me like a punch to the gut. Alpha Lewis had seemed so plausible. Like his sidekick, Connor, the driver-cum-guard. No-one at any point had used the term ‘sex slave’ and this sounded like a whole lot more than just making my body available to Lycan Adam 24/7. I had to admit he was attractive in a rugged kind of way, with a broad chest and the most incredible blue eyes. That night he took me to a fancy hotel. It was humiliating to stand there in reception wearing only lingerie while he asked for a double room with an emperor size bed. I found myself plucking at the hole in my stockings as he negotiated a favourable rate. At least they didn’t charge by the hour. My worries weren’t over when we got into the elevator. It had mirrored glass and he didn’t hesitate to pounce, lifting up my bra cups and showing me my reflection. “Now you look like the slut you are,” he told me. But he wasn’t done yet and soon his fingers were making my panties sag a
Rose’s POV I obeyed on shaky legs only to find, “There’s no underwear, master.” “Get used to it. I’d only tear it off.” “In the dining room, master?” “Anywhere and everywhere. You’ll learn, Rose, that what I want I get. I have done ever since I took over as Lycan King.” Had I known he was royalty? That would explain a lot. Nobody else would get away with treating hotel employees like servants. I was trying to remember, but everything was fuzzy in my head. Especially when he started to roll down my stockings using a combination of teeth and fingers which traced my bare skin lustfully, setting me on fire. I’d never felt like this in my whole life. Was it the mate bond? Were the sparks and tingles a result of that or did every couple feel like this? We weren’t mated in the proper sense and I knew he would never claim me with honour. Yet I could dream, couldn’t I? That might just make all this bearable. The long velvet gown was the more modest of the two. Even so it had a slit at e