All Chapters of Bride Of The Beast: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The next morning, Denis didn't give me the luxury of a slow recovery. I could still feel the meat turning in my stomach. He arrived at my chambers while the mist was still thick against the glass, carrying a wooden practice stave. He didn't even look like a playful attendant. I didn't know Denis could look this serious. "The Council thinks you're spending these two days praying," Denis said, kicking the door shut. "In reality, you’re going to learn how not to die. They're going to starve Eilís, make sure he is incoherent before the hunt." So it'd be easier to kill me. I finished in my mind. Whatever way they could get rid of the human bride. “Eilís isn't the only thing in the Black Ridge. There are younger wolves, scavengers, and guards who might 'accidentally' lose their way. If you look like an easy kill, someone will take it." "What am I supposed to do against a wolf with a stick?" I asked, hefting the stave. It felt light. "You aren't fighting them, Raven. You’re redirecting

I was standing beside the pack. They were frantic, pulling at their clothes in excitement for the hunt. How many of them wanted me dead? How many didn't care if I survived or not? I bit my lip when I saw Eilis held down beside the king. His wolf was just as ferocious as it had been at the wedding. I inhaled deeply and braced myself. I won't know the outcome until I try. The horn’s final note bled into the wind, leaving a silence so sharp it felt like it could cut. I didn't wait for the echoes to die. I turned and plunged into the treeline, the velvet of my skirts catching on the first frost-brittle thicket I hit. I hiked my skirts up, the hidden stave bumping rhythmically against my thigh. My breath came in shallow stabs as the binders constricted my chest. I needed to reach the western slope. I had barely cleared the first mile when the wind shifted. A low growl vibrated through the trunk of a pine to my left. I skidded to a halt, my boots churning up the frozen mulch. Tw

EILIS I knew what my father wanted when he summoned me into his room. I wasn't surprised to see my sister. She sat next to him, her eyes taking me in with gentle surprise. “You look relaxed for someone who just hunted his bride,” she said. I narrowed my eyes. “And you didn't attend my wedding,” I replied. She waved it off. “It was a ruckus anyway.” My father coughed, and we both stopped talking to face him. “You can get back to your reunion later, and that's when I'm finished with my questioning.” “Questioning?” I asked back, looking at my sister, then at my father. “Don't act like you're surprised.” Aria snorted. “You should know the old man would have questions as to why your ‘Human Bride’ is still alive.” I flinched, holding back the wince. It felt like she'd reached across and slapped me. “I'm listening,” I told my father. “How is she still alive?” he began. I shrugged. “By pure luck?” “Don't give me that. I'm asking as your king.” “Then this conversation should be ha

The red silk was stiff. Calani spent a long time pinning my hair up, her fingers moving fast while I sat there with my mind elsewhere. The letter was gone but the words were still stuck in my head. "Don't fidget," Calani muttered, adjusting the high collar. "You need to look like you belong at that table." "I'm trying," I said. My ribs still ached every time I took a deep breath, a reminder of the chase. When I finally walked into the Great Hall, the noise was the first thing that hit me. It was the sound of hundreds of people eating, drinking, and shouting over each other. The King sat at the center of the high table. Beside him was a young woman I hadn't seen before. She looked young, with the same sharp features as the King, watching the room with a look of total boredom. Eilís was already seated. He looked different in formal clothes, stiff and uncomfortable. He was staring at a silver goblet in front of him like he wanted to break it. As I approached, he didn't look up right

I pushed the door open and shut it quickly behind me, my heart hammering a rhythm against my ribs that I couldn't slow down. I had told Eilis to let me see Mirabel alone and I was glad he agreed. How could she even be here when I received her letter this morning? I didn't even look toward the bed before I saw her. Mirabel was standing by the window, her hands knotted together in the fabric of her cloak. She looked exhausted, the fine silk of her traveling hood pushed back to reveal hair that was tangled from the wind. She turned when the latch clicked. Her eyes went wide, tracking me as I moved into the center of the light. She just stared at my dress, the gold weight of the necklaces, and the thick layer of makeup that masked my skin. "Raven," she whispered. I didn't move toward her. I stayed near the door, my hand still resting on it. "What are you doing here, Mirabel? How did you even get past the gates?" She didn't answer the question. She stepped forward, her gaze fixed o