LOGINIt 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
“The ones at the top of the list are our recommended ones,” my father added before I could say anything. “But ultimately, dear, it’s up to you.”I quirked a brow and opened the folder. There were over a dozen names on the list, along with small black-and-white headshots of each bachelor and which pa
Liora’s POVWhen I returned to the palace, I honestly expected to find that half of it had burned down in some freak fire, or that someone was dead.I didn’t find any of that.The palace was as peaceful as ever, quiet and cheerfully lit, the yellow porch lights illuminating the melting snow. The but
. “My date ditched me.”Date? She had a real date? Wonder when that happened.“It was probably just a prank when he asked last minute,” she added quickly, fiddling with the edge of her cup. “Still… it felt nice.”“Well,” I shrugged, stretching out my legs beneath the table, “his loss.”Mia looked li
I laughed before I could stop it. “What? That doesn’t even make sense. Protect me, by turning everyone against me?”Zane considered that. “It wasn’t from them he was protecting you. It was from his parents. From Bianca. From… everything.”I shook my head. “Still makes no sense. I told him I’d handle
LioraThe zipper snagged halfway up my back.“Seriously?” I muttered, twisting like a contortionist and nearly knocking over the jar of hairpins on my desk.“Here—stop squirming,” Mia said, appearing behind me like a helpful ghost in glittery eyeliner.I had to admit, she cleaned up well. Her inky-b
Liora I hadn't worn heels in a few months, but tonight I moved like I was born in them.Because I prctially was.Click. Click. Click.Each step down the marble staircase echoed like a countdown, like the past calling me home.The ballroom stretched out before me, impossibly vast, trimmed in gold le







