I’ve never cried like that before. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve shed tears over the years, sometimes it’s difficult to keep it all in. But letting go and crying until my throat is raw, my head aches and I can barely breathe? I haven’t done that since I was a little girl. I cry until I fell asleep, and when I wake up, it’s morning again. Kane is gone. He left food and a note that he’ll be back in time for dinner. I have no idea where he went this time…I know I’ll have to get used to it, he is a king after all, and from what Mina told me, the CEO of a hugely successful company, but it feels weird to be alone after the last three days. I go through my usual routines, and because I haven’t eaten in two days, I eat the food Kane left in the microwave, even though I’m not very hungry. I feel okay. I think the heat has passed, so I take a chance and leave the apartment. I didn’t take two steps before two female guards join me. “Uh, what’s going on?” I ask. “We are your guard, your majesty.” “

Kane’s POV: I drag Bryce out to the courtyard, listening to Willow running to keep up with us. I don’t slow down for her. I can’t. She has to show that she’s just as capable of doing everyday things as the rest of us. Carl and Glenn are already waiting for us, the other three traitors on their knees, hands bound behind their backs with silver. I shove Bryce in their direction. To his credit, he doesn’t stumble and fall. Glenn cuffs him and pushes him down to his knees. The gathered Gammas stare at them, some with condemnation, others with hate, a few in sympathy. I have to hide my anger and regret from them. Bryce is one of my best Gammas and I don’t want to kill him, but if I don’t, the others will question my authority and judgment. It’s an awful Catch-22 situation. “Good afternoon,” I say. The Gammas go quiet and sink to one knee, their heads bowed. “You have been called to judge these wolves for their crimes.” I stand to the side so the G

I didn’t say anything when Kane exchanged the wine next to my plate for water. At first, it surprised me because I hardly touched the alcohol, and I hadn’t planned to drink more than a few sips. It was the way he did it -- not asking, not trusting me, just taking the wine away and putting the water in its place, like he disapproved of me drinking and decided I’m not allowed anything he doesn’t approve of that enraged me. And the more I thought about it, the angrier I became.It was very clear to me that I couldn’t question him or challenge him in front of his family because it would anger him and upset his family. No one questions the king. Not out loud anyway.At that moment, it didn’t occur to me that he had never gotten angry at me when I questioned him, he barely even showed anger when I challenged him. In fact, the only time I’ve ever seen real anger from him was when I put myself in danger, but in my irrational moment of

Kane’s POV Hissing, I press a wet towel to the deep wound on my side. I allowed Bryce to attack me, wanted to get myself good and worked up, and he took out a bigger chunk of flesh than I expected. Martin took his chance at that exact moment and came up from behind, his teeth tearing through my hip and hind leg. He didn’t do any real damage though, and I barely felt it. I look down at the wound on my leg. It’s not bleeding anymore and is starting to close, so I turn my attention back to the one high up on my side. He missed my ribs and vital organs by millimetres. I rinse the towel and wipe the seeping blood off my skin. Fuck, that was a stupid thing to do. The taste of my blood emboldened Bryce, and he attacked me like a deranged animal. Both Martin and Bryce had given their wolves free rein, and neither of them planned on backing down. I let Dario go, setting him loose on my two opponents, and by the time I came back to reality, no

“Willow,” Kane says in my ear. “Time to wake up, love, you need to eat.”I groan and try to open my eyes, but they refuse to budge. I’m achy, and exhausted. Am I getting sick? “Not yet,” I moan. “I just fell asleep.”He laughs softly, and I feel the bed undulate under me as he sits down and brushes his lips over my bare shoulder. “It’s seven p.m. … you’ve slept all day. Come on, sit up, eat, and then you can go back to sleep.”My eyes fly open. “I slept all day? Charmaine is going to kill me!”“No. I talked to her when she was here earlier. How do you feel?”I groan and turn onto my back. Everything hurts from lying down so long. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”He just shrugs. “You need the rest. But you also need to eat.”“Okay,” I try to swing my legs off the bed, but Kane gently pus