LOGINThorne stepped forward. “The Alpha King has come to make an inquiry.” The slaves remained silent as he continued. “His Majesty has ordered every male slave assigned to this quarter to return immediately.” He paused. “So I assume every male slave of Blackthorne is here present.” There was silence. Thorne’s eyes narrowed. “I asked a question. Is everyone is here?” “Yeh…yes, Beta.” The shaky answer came from an older slave. Thorne looked at me. I gave him a slight nod. He turned back. “Then we will begin.” Confusion spread across the room. Thorne’s voice remained calm. “His Majesty is looking for someone.” The slaves looked amongst themselves in confusion. They must be fearing the worst. Thorne continued “Every male slave in this quarter will step forward.” “One at a time. You will remove your shirt, and you will show your back to the King.” One of the slaves finally found the courage to speak. “Beta… May we ask what’s going on? Thorne’s face harde
I stood outside Elara’s door for several seconds before I finally entered. She looked up from the bed when I walked in. Surprise crossed her face. Then fear. I closed the door behind me “Elara.” She slowly sat straighter. “What are you doing here?” “I need to ask you something.” Her fingers tightened around the blanket. “You already asked me enough questions tonight.” “And you avoided most of them.” Her eyes dropped. I walked farther into the room. “I am not here to punish you.” “Then why are you here?” “Because I need to know who has a claim on my sister and my heir.” Her head snapped up.“The child is mine first.” I stopped. For a moment, I simply looked at her. There it was. The first time she had shown any anger since I entered. Not for herself. For the child and its father. “You’re already protecting it.” “Of course I am.” Her voice shook, but she didn’t back down. “That child hasn’t done anything wrong.” “I know.” “Then don’t speak about it like it’s some
~Lucian’s POV~ The door closed behind Cressida, Elara, and Alma. I watched it for a moment after they disappeared. Something about the way Thorne had entered the room had changed the air around us. He had not looked at me like a friend bringing an ordinary report. He had looked at me like my Beta carrying news that could not wait. I turned away from the door. Thorne was still standing near the center of the room. “What is it?” I asked. He took a slow breath. Thorne glanced toward the closed door then nodded once. Thorne came closer. “One of the guards came to me a short while ago.” “What guard?” “A member of the outer patrol.” I frowned. “What did he see?” Thorne’s expression hardened. “He believes someone followed Lady Cressida and Princess Elara when they left the fortress tonight.” My body went still. “Someone?Who?” “He doesn’t know.” “Then how does he know someone was there?” “The guard heard movement near the eastern path. At first, he thought it was one of
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“Where is the King?” I asked. “In the west wing, my lady.” I nodded. “Thank you.” The guard bowed and stepped aside. I waited until he was far enough away before turning to Elara. She looked like she was about to be sick. “Cressida,” she whispered. “I know.” “What are we going to do?” I glanced at Alma. She looked just as worried. “We have to go to Lucian.” Elara shook her head immediately. “No. I can’t. He’s going to be so angry Cressida. So angry. I can’t do it” “We have to Elara. We really don’t have a choice” “You don’t understand.” Her eyes filled with tears. “He knows I am hiding something. He knows I went somewhere tonight. If he asks me who I saw…” “We don’t have to tell him everything. We will be careful with our words and he won’t find out.” She stared at me. I reached for her hand. ”We need to go now.” She nodded slowly as we made our way to the west wing. Alma walked a pace behind us. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through her mind. Even thou
“Who’s there?” Everyone froze. My heart slammed against my ribs. The guard’s voice came from behind the trees. His lamp light moved slowly through the dark. Rowan stepped right in front of Elara. I walked over and grabbed his arm. “Move.” He looked at me. “What?” “Move away from her.” His eyes narrowed. “I’m not leaving her.” “Rowan,” I whispered hard. “If he sees you next to her, we’re all screwed.” Elara reached for his hand. “Rowan, please.” He looked at her. For a second, they didn’t move. The guard called out again. “I know someone is out there!” Jace stepped forward fast. “Stay here.” I caught his arm. “Jace.” “Trust me.” Before I could stop him, he walked through the trees into the guard’s light. The guard raised his lamp quick. “Jace?” Jace stopped. Then he sighed loud. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.” The guard lowered the lamp a bit. “What are you doing out here?” “What does it look like?” “It looks like you’re wandering the easter
Before I could utter a single word, the stranger turned and gave a sharp nod. “Take her.” Rough hands dragged me forward. I twisted and struggled, but it was useless against their iron grips. “No—please! Let me go!” I was completely ignored and dragged through the dark woods back toward my pack.
Cressida’s POV I stood frozen outside the door, the thin crack revealing a scene that shattered my world. Alpha Kael’s deep, guttural moans filled the room as he thrust into her with raw, punishing force. My best friend Zara clawed at his back, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. “Yes!
Cressida’s POV I lay on my narrow bed staring at the stone ceiling. Two whole nights had passed and Lucian had not sent for me. The silence felt heavy and suffocating. My wolf paced inside my chest, restless and jealous. What was he doing? Was he with another woman? The thought made my stomach
Lucian’ POV The door slammed behind Cressida with a finality that echoed through my chambers longer than it should have. How dare she? The words still burned on my tongue. She had slept in my bed, curled against me like she belonged there, and the very next morning she asked for a favor as if







