All Chapters of Claimed By The Wolf Kings: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

ARIEL The world stopped.I'd heard that phrase before, read it in books, heard it in songs, dismissed it as the kind of melodrama that didn't happen in real life. But standing there, in that glittering hall, surrounded by wolves in their finest clothes, the world stopped.Malhorn.He was standing in the doorway, silver-haired and sharp-featured, dressed in black that swallowed the light. He looked older than I remembered, but then again, it had been years. I had run from him for years, even though he was near impossible to hide from. And now he was here.In the same room as I was.Breathing the same air.My hand was frozen in Kazimir's. I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. The room spun around me, the crystal glasses, the velvet drapes, the wolves who had stopped talking to stare at the new arrival.Malhorn's eyes swept the room.Found me.Found us.His smile was slow and cold. Like he he had been expecting me to be there and he had just found me. And something inside

ARIEL The ballroom was a constellation of light.Crystal chandeliers blazed overhead, casting prismatic shadows across the floor. The walls were draped in velvet the color of midnight. Wolves in silk and diamonds swirled across the marble, their laughter rising and falling like music. And the music, a string quartet tucked into the corner, playing something old and aching and beautiful.I stood at the edge of the ballroom, my hand on the railing of the staircase, and tried to remember how to breathe.Kazimir had laid out a dress for me. Not the red one, something new. Something I hadn't seen before. It was deep blue, the color of the sea at midnight, silk that pooled at my feet and caught the light like water. The bodice was fitted, the neckline low, the back open to my waist. A diamond necklace rested against my collarbone, pink, the one he'd bought me at the jewelry store.I was always surprised about how clothes, finery and makeup could transform me into the extraordinary. Sometim

ARIEL My heart stopped. "What?""The suppressants, they won't last forever. They were always meant to be a temporary solution. Without proper treatment, she won't live to see her next birthday. That is the simple fact.” "You're lying.""I'm not. And you know I'm not." He reached into his jacket, pulled out a small case. Opened it. Vials. Pale blue liquid. Dozens of them, lying there like they weren’t the one thing I needed to save my daughter. "I can help her. I have everything she needs. The medication, the research, the doctors. All you have to do is come back." "Never.""Ariel..." "I said never."He closed the case. Slipped it back into his jacket."You're making a huge mistake.""I'm not making anything. I'm surviving. The way I've always survived. Without you."Malhorn looked at me for a long moment. His eyes were sad. Almost."We still have your eggs," he said. "We never really stopped. Your presence isn't really needed. We can always find another wolf to be the surrogate.

KAZIMIR KAZIMIR The day ahead was full of politics, the final ceremony, the closing remarks, the endless handshakes and empty promises. But there was one thing I needed to do first.Marcus Volk had requested a private meeting after the breakfast ceremony.I found him in the library, standing by the fire, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He looked up when I entered, his face unreadable."Kazimir. Thank you for coming.""You said it was urgent.""It is." He gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit."I sat.Marcus didn't immediately speak. He swirled his whiskey, stared into the flames, and seemed to be choosing his words carefully."I have a proposition for you," he said finally. "A business proposition. From an interested party.""Who?""I'm not at liberty to say that yet.” "Then I'm not interested."Marcus smiled. "I thought you might say that. Which is why I'm going to tell you enough to pique your interest, but not enough to satisfy your curiosity."I leaned back in my chair. "

ARIEL ARIEL The estate came into view like a promise.I pressed my forehead against the car window, watching the familiar stone walls rise out of the darkness. The windows were lit with warm golden light. Smoke curled from the chimneys. Somewhere inside, Evie was waiting for me.I hadn't let myself think about her during the drive. Hadn't let myself imagine what it would be like to hold her again, to hear her voice, to feel her small arms around my neck. I couldn't. It was all too much to think about. But now we were here. And she was inside.The car had barely stopped before I was out of the door.I heard her before I saw her, that small, delighted shriek that always made my heart ache. Then she was running across the foyer, her hair flying behind her, her arms outstretched."Mama!"I dropped to my knees. She crashed into me, her small body colliding with mine, her arms wrapping around my neck. I held her so tight I was probably hurting her, but I couldn't let go."Baby. My baby."