LOGINThe common room was bustling at this hour as students rushed around, getting ready for classes. I made my way to the kitchen and threw a bagel in the toaster, leaning against the counter as I waited.“Callum?”Bianca stepped into view, appearing out of seemingly nowhere. My jaw tightened, wolf insti
Callum’s POVI woke to the feeling of something warm in my chest.For a moment, I almost could have sworn that I had something small and delicate gathered up in my arms. A gentle heart beating against my own. A lock of soft hair fluttering against my cheek.Liora.A smile touched my lips. I tightene
It might have been laughable, had circumstances not been so… sad.“So your parents took it badly, I imagine,” I pointed out.Callum huffed and looked into his bottle. “My dad beat the shit out of me.”I pulled my head back. “He what?”Wordlessly, Callum turned, pulling his shirt up to reveal his bac
Liora’s POVI just barely made it into the parking space before the car let out one final groan, then sputtered to a stop, rocking back and forth on the wheels.“Sorry about that, girl,” I said, patting the steering wheel. “That was a lot more driving in one day than I anticipated.”Shirley almost s
“Twenty lashes,” he said. “We’ll see if you change your mind then.”I grit my teeth. “I don’t have to put up with this anymore.”“Would you rather take it, or would you prefer if that little wolfless whore of yours took it instead?”The moment he said those words, I felt all the blood drain from my
Callum’s POVMy father’s shadow darkened the room.There was a time in my life when my father’s presence seemed enormous and all-consuming, like a black hole filling any space he entered. When I was a child, I remembered thinking that he was big enough to reach the moon, or to blot out the sun.I’d
I made my way down to the main level of the bus. The sounds of laughter and chatter filled my ears. I brushed through the aisle and came to stand beside the driver, an aging man with wiry gray hair sticking out from under his cap.“Need somethin’, Miss?” he asked without pulling his eyes away from t
My mouth opened, but no words came out. What was I supposed to say? Tell him that I was the princess, not Bianca? End the facade after all this time, while I was still wolfless?That would be the easy way out, wouldn’t it? The simple one.Maybe that was why I didn’t want to do it. Because it would b
Anything except the truth.“Princess?” A soft voice suddenly made me turn to find a petite servant with big eyes smiling up at me. She pointed to a large crate by the front door that was labeled “Banquet Supplies.” “Where should I put that?”“In the banquet hall,” I said without thinking. The serva
As we made our way through the main floor, I still couldn’t seem to shake that strange unsettled feeling. I chalked it up to nerves again and tried to ignore it. Instead, I watched as Bianca flung open a set of double doors.“And this is the banquet hall!” she announced. Everyone poked their heads i







