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
“Callum!” Bianca’s voice sliced through the air, rising above the music and soft conversation below. “Where did you go?!”And just like that, the spell broke.The tension in my shoulders returned. The weight. The roles.Who was I kidding?Liora was done with me. Done with the silence, the empty glan
Zane Well. Today’s the big day.Homecoming: the first official dance of the school season. A celebration of school spirit, hormonal chaos, and spending an entire week pretending you don’t care about any of it.Except, of course, you do. Everyone does.Even me. Which is unfortunate, really.Because
I nearly smirked.“So,” Mia stepped forward, scanning the vending machine. “I was wondering, Liora, and I know there’s been a lot going on, but could we practice some dancing tonight? For homecoming? I feel like I still don’t know what I’m doing.”I nodded as her coconut water clunked free. “Sure. N
LioraI stared at the sky a little longer, mostly to avoid looking at Zane. He still had that smug grin on his face like he knew I’d just said too much. He didn’t tease me about it though, which was worse somehow. Instead, he just laid back, arms behind his head, like we were sunbathing on a beach.







