Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Slave Queen's Awakening: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

SylviaMy hands shook as the guards pushed us into the preparation chamber and I tried to make myself smaller among the other slaves selected for tonight's service. The Lunar Conjunction came once every ten years and this was my first time being chosen to serve at the feast where all five packs would gather."Strip," The head guard commanded and we all knew better than to hesitate.I pulled off my rough servant clothes and stood naked with eleven other humans while the wolves circled us like we were livestock at market. My skin burned with shame but I kept my eyes on the stone floor and counted the cracks to distract myself from what was happening."This one has scars," A female wolf said, grabbing my shoulder to spin me around so everyone could see the whip marks covering my back."Disgusting," Another wolf muttered and I bit my tongue to keep from making any sound that might earn me more punishment.They inspected us for what felt like hours and found fault with everything. Maria

SylviaThe guards moved toward me with their hands already reaching for their weapons. I could not move because my body was still shaking from whatever had just happened with the bond. Five of them came at once and their faces showed they would enjoy hurting me before the execution because that was what wolves did when they got the chance to punish humans legally.But Rowan moved faster than I thought anyone could move and suddenly, he was standing between me and the guards. His back blocked my view, but I could feel the power rolling off him in waves that made the air itself feel dangerous."Move aside, Rowan." The lead guard said, but his voice shook a little and I could smell his fear which was strange because I should not have been able to smell emotions at all."No." Rowan’s voice was low and that one word carried more threat than any weapon could."The King gave an order." Another guard chipped in, trying to sound brave, but took a step back when Rowan looked at him."I heard

SylviaThe stone floor was harder than anything I had ever slept on. My whole body ached when I woke up, but at least I was alive, which was more than I expected after last night. Morning light came through the narrow windows and showed dust floating in the air. I realized Rowan was still asleep against the wall with the chains wrapped around him.He looked so uncomfortable that my chest hurt just watching him. His head was bent at a weird angle and his arms were pulled tight by the chains. His legs were folded in a way that had to be painful. Even in sleep, his face stayed tense like he was fighting something in his dreams and I wondered if he ever got to rest properly or if the curse followed him even when he slept.I wanted to help him and maybe adjust his position so his neck would not hurt so much when he woke up, but I was too scared to get that close. He might wake up suddenly and grab me or his wolf might see me as a threat and attack before he could stop himself. I stayed

SylviaThe terror that froze me was so intense that my legs would not move and my voice would not work. All I could do was stare at Hunter while my whole body shook. He stepped onto the balcony and his smile got wider when he saw how scared I was. He looked like a cat that had cornered a mouse and was deciding how to play with it before killing it."Well. Well. Well. Look what I found," He drawled, his voice smooth like oil but with something rotten underneath. "The little slave who thinks she is special now because she is mated to the executioner.""Please just leave me alone." I managed to whisper, but my voice came out so weak it was pathetic.Hunter laughed and it was an ugly sound that made my skin crawl. "You really think you matter now, don't you? You are still just a worthless slave who got lucky, but that luck is about to run out because you will be dead soon anyway."He moved closer and I backed up, my entire body trembling until I hit the stone railing of the balcony and

SylviaThe moment Rowan pulled away from me, I felt cold and empty like something important had been taken away, but I could not think about that because my face was burning so hot, I was sure it was bright red.My heart was beating so fast, I thought it might burst right out of my chest."I need some air," I mumbled and did not look at him because if I looked at him, I might do something stupid like lean forward and close that distance between us that felt like miles, even though it was just inches.I stood up so fast, I almost knocked over the tray of food and basically ran from the room like a coward. My feet carried me through the hallways of the tower and I tried to get my breathing under control, but it was not working because I could still smell him on my clothes, and feel the ghost of his breath on my face."Stop it. Stop it. Stop it," I told myself as I walked faster, pressing my hands to my cheeks to cool them down. "You cannot feel things for him. This is not real. It is j