Alina was halfway off the balcony ledge when a thud outside her front door gave the princess room for pause. A perfunctory knock saw her swinging her legs back over again with a growl and rushing to open the door.
"What on earth...?" The sight of the guard lying unconscious at her feet was confusing, and Calliope reared inside her mind, warning Alina to be careful, but she didn't have enough time to react as she was shoved back into her lounge hearing the door shut firmly behind them.
"You'll have to do much better than that if you want to escape my father," a feminine voice drawled, causing Alina to look up in surprise.
Katana stood against the door frame, knives in hand as she regarded the other woman. Pushing off with one foot, she extended a hand, offering Alina help to stand up.
"You don't have much time," Katana continued, " I've disabled the guard towers on the north and east side of the island and sent all foot soldiers to the farthest tip, lookin
Lucas watched the bear leaving, sticking to their contingency plan, and, knowing Alina would be safe, he was able to focus on the Alpha's attack. Kellan initiated the change, tearing through Lucas's skin and freeing his beast. His skin grew several layers, dislodging the Alpha's initial bite, and, tumbling away, he got to his feet, turning to meet his attacker head-on. The Wolf Haven's Alpha was a giant grey creature, covered in scars, denoting his rank as he'd obviously fought off a lot of challenges throughout his reign. He didn't attack straight away, circling instead, as Kellen leaped off the porch, gaining more room to move by being on the ground. All around them, yellow eyes emerged from the darkness, silently bearing witness to the battle threatening to erupt. When two Alpha's fought, the rules were clear; no one must interfere, and it was a fight to the death. The Wolf Haven pack had to obey these rules. A smaller version of the Alpha separated from the rest
Kellan dodged again as the aggressive Alpha narrowly missed his jugular, taking advantage of his momentum to shove Cyrus against the crowd of people watching them. Trading wound for wound they'd fought, inflicting injuries but maintaining enough awareness to deny each other the killing blow. Kellan was tiring. His leg grew weaker with each feint left, the aftereffects of the Olitiau's poison hobbling him more and more the longer this fight drew out. Cyrus sensed this and began pushing his advantage, coming in hard and fast, his wolf's massive bulk taking out Kellan's legs as he bowled straight over him, coming to a halt a few feet away. Some of the crowd cheered their Alpha on, but more were silent as Katana's words hit home.Unable to take anymore, Kellan relinquished control, and Lucas found himself on the ground, bleeding in human form as the alpha wolf towered over him, victory evident in his eyes. Deacon yelled encouragement, having had his gag removed, and Scott and Oli
Axle and Eve left a week later, but Alina barely acknowledged their absence. After her initial meltdown, she closed up again, and when no one could make her communicate, the palace staff adjusted, and life moved on. Sam stuck to her side like glue, volunteering to leave his old life behind when Axle announced his intentions to go, and he often wondered how the bear shifter could desert his friend in her time of need. The King grew old before Sam's eyes, Alina's refusal to speak affecting Elijah so much he withdrew from public engagements altogether, and if the maids' gossip line was trustworthy, he rarely left his bed anymore either. So, eventually, the council stepped in. Sam was down in the garden, watching Alina staring into the water feature when they arrived. Six figures stepped out of the dark limousine, a representative for each significant pack, and they entered the castle at a brisk walk, ignoring the beta who'd graciously come to greet them. It didn't take
It's funny how nervous you can get when you don't know what the outcome will be. Eve, bless her, enjoyed the sun as I rowed our rented dinghy across the lake, slowly getting closer to Wolf Haven, but I didn't have the luxury of having a human's naive outlook on life. In a stroke of luck, I bumped into a wolf at the hotel bar last night who'd had one too many whiskeys, and with a bit of cajoling, I found out that the island was under "new" management. I hoped with everything in me that Lucas was now at the helm.As we drew closer, my mate delighted in dipping her feet in the water, and for a brief moment when I looked at her, I lost my breath all over again at Eve's beauty. "How about, after all this is over, we build a cabin in the mountains and live off-grid? Just you, me, and half a dozen pups? I hear the mountain lakes are beautiful year-round, and not to boast, but I'm pretty good at catching salmon."Watching Eve laugh was worth it, and she nodded her assent, maki
Alina watched the last guest leave the castle, all smiles as the champagne worked its magic. Sam retired long ago, citing a headache as his excuse to leave, and she couldn't blame him for wanting some alone time.The crown weighed heavily on her head, and with a genuine smile Alina finally took it off, replacing it in the jewel-encrusted case. Even now the Queen could feel the elder's magic gaining momentum in her blood, changing Calliope into the wolf she needed to be to control an entire species. It should be an exciting time, Alina prepared her entire life for this moment, but now that it'd finally arrived, she'd willingly trade it all for one more night withhim.Lucas was never far from her thoughts, the constant ache inside testified to this, and even after her heat finally stopped, the craving for her mate only intensified, and no one could ease this burden; Alina was heartsick. There seemed to be a constant itch just below the skin's surface, craw
"I kept waiting for you to show up, to look at me with those sexy eyes and whisper, hey beautiful lady, so I knew that I was loved, but I've waited long enough," Alina took in a shuddering breath as she stared across the lake. Mist rolled in, giving the water a ghostly appearance, and legend has it that this is when the ghosts arrive to listen to the pain of the living. Alina hoped that Lucas was here to listen as she prepared to say goodbye. In the distance, just out of sight, a wolf howled, interrupting her concentration. Then a voice belonging in her deepest fantasies whispered, "I'm sorry beautiful lady," and Alina felt the final pieces of her heart crumble.When arms of steel wrapped themselves around her and tingles arced through Alina's body, she stopped breathing, too scared to turn around in case it was just a dream. But his hands guided her to face him, and as the Queen looked up into light green eyes, witnessing those damned dimples come into view, she grabbed Luca
Lucas held the Alpha's heart in his hands, he won the challenge, but Cyrus's son couldn't accept his father's death. He leaped into the ring with a challenging growl and hauled Cyrus's body off the Alpha, lunging at Lucas's throat. It was an underhanded move, with Lucas injured and in human form, and the crowd protested, but Kane wouldn't listen. When other pack members came to his aid, Lucas ordered them to stay where they were, and looking into the young Alpha's eyes, he accepted Kane's challenge, using his bare hand at the wolf's throat to restrain him.Deacon paused, lost in the memories of that day, and I had to curb my impatience, understanding that this must be hard for him. Eve went over to the older man, lending him strength by way of a hug, and I marveled again at my mate's capacity to feel and offer comfort; I had such a strong and loving woman.Lucas got to his feet, though all his muscles shook with the effort, and he picked up the
It was awfully quiet in the King's chambers, and Zoe, Eve's younger sister, tentatively knocked on the door with breakfast. When there was no answer, she knocked again, not wanting to disturb the King's rest. After several minutes of indecision, she gathered her courage and opened the door. At first, all Zoe saw was the rumpled sheets where Elijah should be, then, walking further into the room, she noticed a still from underneath the window.With a shocked gasp, Zoe raced to his side, checking for a pulse, but the clamminess of his skin confirmed what she already knew, the King was dead. Getting to her feet in record time, Zoe raced down the hallway, reaching the staircase just as the Beta climbed the last step."Whoa, hold up there. Where's the fire?" He grumbled good-naturedly, but Zoe burst into tears, launching herself into the Beta's arms."He's dead," She sobbed, pointing towards the King's chambers, and Marcus let her go, sprinting into Elijah's room.&nbs