Mag-log inIt 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
We didn’t stop until we reached the edge of the forest. It was only then that I froze, releasing Helen’s hand. “Go,” I said, giving her and Marissa’s girlfriend a shove. “Run back to campus. Climb up the trellis and walk along the ledge—”“We know how to get in without getting caught. But why aren’t
Liora’s POV“Well, well. What do we have here?” One of the rogues, a male in human form, stepped forward. The moonlight caught the jagged scar that cut across his cheek, making the smoothed-over flesh almost seem to gleam a silvery hue. Cold eyes flicked over us before landing on one of the girls in
“Who knows?” I went to stand. “They’re rogues. It’s not like they’re the most logical—”Before I could finish, the room spun from the sudden movement, loss of blood, and whiskey in my system. My knees buckled again, and I collapsed. Callum’s arms shot out, gathering me against his chest just before
“I didn’t consider the time of month when I invited her out here,” he chuckled.Chuckled.Had I ever even fucking heard him laugh before?The guards just stared at us for another long moment. It felt like an eternity, and the whole time, I feared they could hear my heart pounding wildly, or that th







