LOGINRudieloff’s hand was around Cassia’s wrist.Not gripping but simply there, holding the raised arm suspended in the air between them, his fingers closed around it with a calm that was considerably more confusing than frightening. He had caught the Alpha’s hand.The room had gone quiet again. The prince was acting strange. Vivienne had to be taught a lesson but instead, the prince was not allowing it. Cassia wondered why the prince was protecting this slave. Is it because she had transformed into a strange thing?Rudieloff looked at Cassia and Cassia looked back at Rudieloff. Neither of them spoke for a moment. Then slowly, Rudieloff released the man's wrist as though he were setting down something he had chosen to put down rather than something that had slipped from his grip.He turned to Cecilia first. "Are you hurt?" he asked.Cecilia blinked. The question, directed at her by the crown prince Alpha Almond Rudieloff in the middle of a room full of people who were all staring, took her
The silence that followed was sudden, a circle of heads turning, conversations paused and the nearest group of people went still.Vivienne was on her knees. Before she could even fully register what had happened. She gathered the cups from the floor with hands that had gone cold and clumsy, her heart hammering against her chest. Again, she had created a scene…she had become the highlight of today’s event."I am so sorry," she said. "My lady, I am so sorry, forgive me, I did not…" she mumbled, looking up from where she knelt."Get off the floor." Luna Arkna said gritting her teeth in anger that she tried so hard to control.The voice was not loud because it did not need to be. It had the particular quality of a woman who had been important for long enough that she no longer needed volume to convey contempt.Vivienne looked down then looked up again.Luna Anknal, mate of Alpha Cassia, one of the oldest and most established alphas in the council, stood above her. She was a tall woman and
The day for the ball to celebrate Adrian had finally come. It was tonight and decorations had been arranged. Many guests were called and were to be in attendance of this ball.It was a proper celebration. Adrian had to be celebrated just like everybody else before him had been celebrated. Although a lot of unusual things had happened during his era of shifting, it did not stop the king from celebrating this young Prince. He deserved his time to shine.The ballroom had been prepared since before dawn. Vivienne had known about it since the morning, when Honoria had come to her with a list in her hand and a look on her face that said she had been given instructions she was not entirely comfortable with."You are on the list for the night," Honoria had said, setting the paper on the kitchen table.Vivienne had looked at it. Her name was near the top and Cecilia's was directly beneath hers.“Why?" Vivienne had asked, although she knew it well that it must have been Rudieloff’s doing.Honor
Oliver held his gaze steadily.Rudieloff took one step closer, not threatening, not quite but affirming. "You are a slave, Oliver," he said, and his voice carried that particular quietness of someone who does not need to raise it to be heard.Oliver took a step back. He lifted his face and looked straight at Rudieloff. He said nothing back. Not in his defense nor retaliation. He simply watched Rudieloff speak. He could smite the prince, he knew he could because the prince had no guard around but he knew the action might cost him Vivienne, Cecilia and Monera. What a mess! He thought in his mind."You are a junk. A man without transformation, without a pack, without rank. That puts you at the bottom in Bolivia. You have lived well here because of a talent the kingdom finds useful. Do not mistake that for something it is not." He let that settle for a moment.Surprisingly, Oliver nodded his head in agreement."She is not for you, Oliver. She has never been for you because the two of you
Rudieloff walked toward them slowly.He was composed. That was the thing that made it worse, somehow, but it was expected. The deliberate composure as if he had already decided that losing himself on a public road was beneath him and he was holding that decision in place with considerable effort. His face was very still, void of any emotions. His steps were measured. Only his eyes betrayed him, and only to someone who knew how to read them.Oliver and Vivienne knew how to read them.Vivienne slipped from the horse the moment Rudieloff was close enough and lowered herself immediately, her head bowing deep. "My prince," she said quietly. Her voice was steady, which Oliver noted with a private kind of pride.Oliver dismounted a step behind her and bowed as well, his hand crossing his chest in the customary gesture of respect, his head lowered at the appropriate degree. "My prince," he said.Rudieloff stopped before them.The silence that followed lasted long enough to make Finn shift his
Rudieloff rode ahead of General Finn with a force that made his horse strain beneath him, its hooves striking the road in a rapid urgent rhythm. The wind tore at his cloak, tugged at his hair, and stung his face, yet he barely felt it. His mind was fixed on one thought alone.What if he was right? What if Vivienne had somehow found Oliver?The possibility was absurd, and yet it would not leave him. It had become certainty without proof, dread without reason, and instinct without mercy. Something inside him had gone taut the moment he saw her running off. Vivienne was missing, and now every passing second seemed to tighten that invisible cord around his neck until it threatened to snap.The modest house eventually came into view at the side of the road. The peacefulness of the place almost mocked the storm gathering inside Rudieloff. He had pushed the pace the entire ride and Finn had kept up without complaining, which was a testament to the man's endurance because Rudieloff had not be
The doors opened.A hush swept across the hall. Everyone was eagerly waiting for the golden boy.Two guards stepped in, escorting Adrian, now dressed only in a white undergarment cloth wrapped around his waist. His upper body was bare and a nice piece to watch.His skin glowed faintly under the moon
The hours came in slowly toward midnight, as though the moon itself were holding its breath. Everybody waited in anticipation for this memorable night. Adrian was the happiest of them all, He was the only royal transforming that night. However many had transformed a year before him and others were
Tonight was transformation night and lunch had been prepared for the guests who had come to witness Adrian’s first shift. The hall was a quiet battle field of looks, alliances and ambitions. It was a performance, carefully staged. It heavily smelt of power and the unspoken hunger of people who unde
He stood there in dark training clothes, A sword in his left hand, broad-shouldered, commanding, his presence filling the space like a storm cloud. He smelt like iron, earth and his scent wolf hit her all at once. She froze in place before shaking her head vigorously to reality. She dropped to her







