I haven't slept this well in a while. When I wake up, the noon sun is streaming in through the window. I blink, adjusting to the brightness. Ambrose's arms are wrapped around me, but he shifts as I wake up. I look up at him. He doesn't look like he's slept a wink. "What is it?" I adjust so I can see his face. He glances at me. "I have to set a hearing date for Theo," he admits. And just like that, reality was pouring back in. I can't lie here and pretend what we faced was going to get any easier. I sit up, sighing. "I should go." He doesn't argue, but watches me as I stand, walking over to my pile of clothes and slipping them on. As I'm about to leave, he stops me. "Hera." He gets up from the bed and walks over to me. He lifts my face with a finger, kissing me. I sigh into his touch, letting him. The idea of leaving was becoming less appealing. I gently break our contact. "I've got to go," I breathe. "I know," he says quietly. I turn the doorknob behind me,

Who could the contact be? As I run to the stables, I don't see anyone on the road. But there is a dust trail. Someone recently took off. The stable hand recognizes me from the ride with Ambrose. She quickly offers to saddle a ride for me. As soon as she hands me the reigns, I hop up and take off, pursuing the trail.I track the rider through town, moving to the outskirts and down the path that leads to the cottage where Lucas was staying."Sh*t!" I say.It's quiet when I finally slow to a halt. I pause, listening for signs of another horse nearby. But the trees are silent. If they were here, they're long gone now. I hop off my horse, carefully approaching. "Lucas?" I call out, retrieving my daggers. There isn't a sound. I push open the door, peering inside. The living room looks tossed around like someone's just been here. I shove the door the rest of the way and step inside. "Lucas!" Silence. I search the cottage, tossing things around to look for clues. Lucas

Ambrose spins me to face him. I know I'd do anything for him. I'd fight for him, protect him, kill for him. I wasn't going anywhere, and he somehow knew it before I did. When did this happen to me? He looks at me like he can see straight through to my soul. And I swear I can see the same in him. I can see his strength, his kindness, his beauty. He's the most incredible person I've ever met, and I can't keep fighting our fates pulling us together until there's nowhere else to go. I am in love with him. And I think I have been for a long time. Ambrose reaches up, placing his hand on the back of my neck as he looks at me. He doesn't say anything. Then he dips his head to meet mine, kissing me lightly. I kiss him back, breathing him in like I need him to survive. He deepens the contact, our tongues clashing. For this moment, we aren't a king and an assassin. We aren't people who have a rebellion to face, or a kingdom to run. We aren't even Alpha and his mate. We are Ambrose a

"Where have you been?" Althea rushes me as I enter the room. "I've been in here all day. You won't believe what I found!" She pulls me toward the desk where several books are open. "I've been studying sigils and symbols," she tells me. "That sigil you keep seeing–it doesn't belong to anyone as far as the records go. So, I decided to research what it may mean, instead." I give her a look. I really shouldn't leave her alone for long. She was apparently very bored. "Listen," she ignores my expression. "The growling wolf in the center can mean a few things." Althea flips a few pages to show different etchings of the symbol. "But mostly what they have in common is the meaning of 'protection' or 'righting a wrong'. Then, I found this." She points at the symbol I keep seeing. She reads, "'This image of a wolf with the lips raised around the teeth usually means speaking up about what you dislike. This image has been associated with civil wars, rebellions, or uprisings against usurper

Whew! Thank G*d. I was running out of ideas to distract him. I stand quickly, eager to get to work.I scan the room, thinking about where to start. Sebastian has several drawers, cabinets and compartments. It could be anywhere, but I catch sight of the desk. It's the most logical place to start. I move straight for his desk. When I searched earlier, I didn't have time to look in every drawer or under things. I'm not worried about being quiet this time. I just need to be fast and efficient. I don't doubt that his shifter immune system will kick in and he'll wake up from the sedative a lot quicker than a human would. I throw open the drawers, digging through the papers and items. I need to find that f*cking wax seal. I toss the parchments aside after scanning each of them. Most of them are political letters, others are small maps of the kingdom. One is a list of names of nobles that live in the palace. None of which proves anything. I've thrown open every drawer when