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
Liora’s POVThe inside of the castle was just as beautiful as I remembered. Moody lighting, antique furnishings, portraits of royals long passed lining the walls. But it was not home. This wasn’t the royal palace, but my cousin Ambrose’s home.Everyone gasped and moved around the space, staring at t
Ambrose beamed, looking away from me again, and lifted his hands to quiet everyone.“We’ll be holding the ceremony this weekend,” he went on once the room had hushed again. “You’re all invited, of course. I hope you all fall just as head over heels for her as I did over the past month.”“You met her
Liora’s POVBianca was sitting by the campfire, begrudgingly peeling potatoes when we arrived. She shot me the nastiest look I’d seen from her yet when I passed by, but I ignored her.“Three whole rabbits!” The cook leapt to his feet. “And fat ones, too! This’ll make for an excellent stew.” He looke
Another student furrowed his brow. “That’s impossible. She’s a princess!”Bianca blanched, looking around. “I… I do have the money!” she blurted out. “I just… Um… The lockdown is messing with my bank account!” She suddenly turned to the runner and unclasped the pendant around her neck—my mother’s he







