AUTHOR Selene Valewind Stormrider had never, not in all her years of knowing Kael Stormrider, seen him so defeated. Her husband looked as though he had been hit by a thousand horses over and over, and left to rot by the roadside. She refused to let him be so defeated. No. Elora had broken his heart, or whatever happened, but she was his wife, and she was here. When they got to their bedroom, Selene closed the huge oak doors behind them. He staggered into the room like a man who had been struck, not physically, but by something deeper, something that shattered him from the inside out. His hair was disheveled, his robe clung to his body, damp with sweat, and his eyes burned grief and disbelief. He had been out drinking, only to land in her sister’s bed. Selene swallowed the thought that threatened to bruise her ego. She wouldn’t dwell on that. Right now, she just had to be there for her husband. He was still the alpha king after all. Perhaps, the goddess was finally answering her
KAEL The windows behind her exploded into shards that rained across the floor. I recoiled, covering my face with my forearm.It felt as though I had been slapped out a spell. The room somehow spun around my head, and I seemed to come to an instant realization of where I was…and what I was doing. My head felt like it would split open from the pressure.Elora’s scream ripped through the air and straight into my bones. I could have sworn I felt the walls tremble and spin around her. I choked on my own breath, stumbling off her and landing on the floor with a harsh growl. What the hell had just happened? Was it real? Was I just imagining things? Elora sat up immediately. Her chest rose and fell with every heaving breath. I watched as her lips pursed, shaking, like she wanted to say something but couldn’t seem to find the words. There were tears in her eyes, and an anger that unnerved me completely. I swallowed hard. “You…” I looked at her, stunned. “You screamed.”She clutched th
ELORA Sleep avoided me like a plague. Which sucked, because I desperately needed it after what I had heard. I needed to convince myself that I would close my eyes, open it, and I’ll find myself in my room again. The last three hours would have been nothing but a nightmare, and I’ll be at peace…happy, because I definitely wouldn’t be pregnant. But when had the goddess ever given a shit what I wanted? The night dragged like a curse, heavy and endless, as I lay on the narrow infirmary bed with my arms curled around my stomach. I took deep breaths in and out, over and over again, trying to calm the whirlwind inside me. The faded white walls of the infirmary kept my eyes and mind busy, the only sound that could be heard were a few whispers from people the healer on duty had to check on before she left for the night. I was grateful for the distraction the sounds gave to me, but when it was over and she was gone, I knew I wouldn’t survive till morning. I excused myself just as a new
AUTHOR The clatter of silverware was muted by the soft harp music drifting in from the adjoining hall. The dining room of the Valewind’s high tower flickered with golden torchlight, its velvet drapes drawn tight against the night’s chill. The table was laden with roasted duck, honeyed root vegetables, and wine as dark as dried blood. But Selene barely tasted any of it.Selene Valewind Stormrider had decided to have dinner with her parents tonight. Her husband, the alpha king, didn’t seem to care much for her recently, and it would have bruised her ego to be snubbed at the dinner table in front of the servants. Since he wanted to act like he was alone, she would leave him be. She sat between her parents, Varek and Athlea, the former beta and beta lady of the former alpha, her husband’s father.Power incarnate. And right now, both were staring at her with matching expressions of expectation. They had a plan she hadn’t updated them on after all. She sometimes wished her parents woul
ELORA I stared at my reflection in the mirror. These were clothes tailor-made for me from the richest fabrics in all of Stormrider. Yet, it felt completely out of place. I felt out of place. My new warrior attire was rich and properly fitted to make me look…simply amazing. It was a dark steel-blue tunic, fastened at the waist with a silver embroidered belt shaped like wolves’ fangs, high leather boots hugging my calves, and a cloak the color of moonless skies. The crest of Stormrider shimmered on my chest. My hair had been braided tightly down my back. I wanted to take it all in, to feel like one with the very ground I was standing on. My throat tightened. I was a Stormrider princess, daughter of Varek Valewind the conqueror, born and raised to walk these marble walls and ancient halls. But I felt like a trespasser. I smoothed my hand down the fabric, hoping if I rubbed it long enough, it’ll feel better inside it. A knock tapped against my door, and I swallowed hard. It was
RYKER “You must keep your head high, your eyes all over your body, and your feet on the ground!” I ordered, circling the two ladies rooted in the sparring mud.“Make sure no one has an edge over you.”The sound of bodies hitting the earth echoed across the training field. It was a steady rhythm I had grown used to. It served as therapy for me. I came to a halt at the edge of the training ground with arms crossed, watching the young brunette fight to hold her own against Hagar.Mud clung to the girl’s knees, her braid half-loosened as she charged too eagerly. Hagar twisted sideways with minimal effort and swept the girl’s legs from under her. Her back hit the earth with a sickening thud.“Watch your back,” I called out. Although I did my best to sound calm, my voice still cut through the air like a blade. “Hagar doesn’t strike where you expect her to. And so will your enemies.” If we were going to face a force as smart as Stormrider’s, I was going to have to train my warriors to be