All Chapters of Claimed By The Wolf Kings: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

ARIEL "Of course not. I only meant..." "You meant she's different. That she doesn't belong with the other children." I stepped closer, my voice low. "She's a normal kid. She's not special needs. She's not a problem to be accommodated. She's a child." Madame Voss's smile was brittle. "I apologize if I offended you. That wasn't my intention." Nikolai stepped in smoothly. "Perhaps we could see the rest of the facilities? The gardens, I've heard, are lovely." The tension broke. Madame Voss led us outside, chattering about landscaping and seasonal events. I walked behind her, Evie's hand still in mine, my jaw tight. "You okay?" Nikolai murmured. "I don't like her. Or this school." "She's only trying to help." "She's trying to categorize my daughter before she's even met her." "She's only trying to do her job. People with money want to know their children are in good hands. She's covering bases. I don't think she meant to offend you." I didn't respond. Evie was tugg

KAZIMIR KAZIMIR I stood outside her door for a long time. My hand was raised to knock. My blood was hot. The bug was with Dimitri, and the evidence was undeniable, she had broken into my study, violated my space, spied on me in my own home. I had every right to confront her. Every right to demand answers. But her door was closed. The light was off. And through the wood, I could hear her breathing, slow, deep, steady. She was asleep. I stood there, my fist hovering inches from the door, and listened to the sound of her breathing. It was the most peaceful I'd ever heard her. No tension in her chest. No sharp inhales of fear or fury. Just the soft, rhythmic rise and fall of a woman who had, for once, stopped fighting. I lowered my hand. You're weak, I told myself. She betrayed you. She's spying on you. And you're going to let her sleep? But I didn't move. Couldn't move. Something held me there, not the bond, not my wolf, something softer. Something I didn't have a name

KAZIMIR "I can. Since you’d be living under my roof and doing my bidding you might as well dress the part.” "I'm not going to be doing your bidding, I’m not a possession." "I never said you were." "Then why are we here?" I didn't answer. I motioned to the saleswoman, who approached with a tray of dresses. "Try these on," I said. Ariel stared at the tray. "They’re not really my style.” "Try them on, I’ll have her bring more that may suit your taste, if you have one." She glared at me. I glared back. Finally, she snatched the tray and disappeared into the dressing room. -————- She came out in the first dress, emerald green, silk, cut low in the back. It clung to her like a second skin and showed off curves than I’d ever seen. "Well?" she asked. "You look acceptable." "Acceptable?" "Don't fish for compliments Ariel.” "I'm not fishing. What are you even saying? I look incredible and you know it!” “Why do you need to hear it from me? You look adequate.

KAZIMIR The message from Alexei came at dawn. Meeting arranged. Friday. 8 PM. Warehouse district. He thinks it's a job. - Alexei I read it twice, then set my phone down and stared at the ceiling. Friday. Viktor Petrov, in a warehouse, thinking he was walking into a payday. He didn't know it was me on the other end of the table. He didn't know I'd be waiting for him. That was the point. Dimitri arrived at my study an hour later, a tablet in one hand and a folder in the other. He looked tired, darker circles under his eyes than usual, his jaw tight with the kind of tension that came from too little sleep and too much information. "The bug," he said, dropping into the chair across from my desk. "I have the report." "And?" "It's high-grade. Military spec. Not something you buy off the street." He slid the tablet toward me. "Whoever gave it to her has serious connections. So it tracks that it might have been from Viktor.” I looked at the screen. Schematics. Frequency ra

KAZIMIR I took her hand. It was soft. Warm. "The council tells me you're here to... get to know each other." "That's the idea." Her smile didn't waver. "I understand you're not in any particular rush. Neither am I. These things take time. " "They do." "Then we agree." She glanced around the foyer, taking in the stone walls, the chandeliers, the portrait of my father hanging over the staircase. "You have a lovely home. Maybe you'd give me a tour sometimes." "It's adequate." She laughed, a polite, practiced sound. "You're so modest." "I'm being honest. It isn't nearly as big as the pack estate." "I appreciate honesty." She turned back to me. "But the pack estate houses a lot of wolves, so you can't really compare. Shall we take a walk? The gardens, perhaps? I hear you have some beautiful sculptures in there." I didn't want to walk. Didn't want to talk. Didn't want to stand here with this woman while upstairs, Ariel was probably sleeping or awake and plotting some