登入Betty POV
"Pick a target, Betty, or I will pick one for you."
Adriel drops his hand on the metal handle of a massive, industrial trolley. The screech of the wheels echoes against the concrete floor of the warehouse. This furniture store is massive. It is a maze of wood, metal, and glass, deep inside werewolf territory. A few human scents drift through the aisles, but they stay low. They know their place.
"I do not know what I am looking for," I say. I turn my head to look
Betty POV"Selene, we need to get back now." I shout the words through the blinding mist.The moon goddess appears out of the white haze. She carries a massive, knowing smile that grates on my nerves."Yes, I noticed that as well." Selene glides closer, her eyes gleaming with ancient power. "But I need you to do one more thing before you can go down there. Please let go of the king's hand first."I blink, looking down at my fingers locked around the phantom grip of the dead king. I nod slowly."Please, tell them that I will come back soon." I look into the king's fading eyes.The king smiles. He gives a single, firm nod.I let go of his hand. His form dissolves into silver dust, blowing away into nothingness. Nearby, the little ghost princess pouts, turning her back on us to splash uselessly in the glowing water."Betty, please before you go."A soft voice cuts through the mist. The dead queen steps forw
Betty’s POV“Novalee is your daughter.”My words did not drop between us. They cut straight into the freezing mountain air. The old King stood entirely still on the gravel. His heavy jaw tightened until the skin over his cheekbones turned white.He gave a single, rigid nod.“Yes. But she does not know that.”“Then you need to recognize her,” I said. I turned my head toward the dark stone walls of the castle. My hands were balled into tight fists inside my pockets. “You need to do it properly this time. Let her be a princess. Give her the title. If you do not do that - ”A low, vibrating rumble started deep inside his chest. The vibration hit the gravel beneath my boots.“I cannot do that.”“Then the curse stays broken.” I stepped closer into his space. I forced him to look down into my eyes. “Do you trust me?”The King did not blink
Betty POV"You need to leave, Adriel."My own voice sounded thin, cutting through the crisp air on top of the stone wall.Adriel froze. His hand was still wrapped around my wrist, warm and heavy from where he had just hoisted me up beside him. His dark eyes scanned my face, searching for the punchline."Betty?" Adriel dropped his hand, his brow furrowing as he glanced between me and his father. "What is this?""Go," I repeated, pushing against his chest. My palms hit solid muscle, but he didn't budge until I glared up at him. "Please. I need to talk to your father. Alone."The former king sat a few feet away on the wide stone ledge, his boots dangling over the sheer drop. He did not look up. He didn't even flinch. He just kept his eyes fixed on the distant tree line of the forest, his shoulders unnaturally rigid.Adriel looked back at his father, then at me. His jaw clenched so hard a small vein twitched in his cheek.
Adriel POV"Take the forest green shirt," Betty says.She holds the fabric up against my chest. Her fingers brush my collarbone, and a spark of electricity shoots straight down my spine. She does not even notice what she does to me. She just keeps looking at the clothes on the racks."The green suits you," I say, my voice low. "But that midnight blue one next to it is more for Mitchell."Betty smiles. It is a soft, small thing that makes my chest tighten. She is shopping for my brother too. I pretend to look at a rack of leather jackets, but my eyes never really leave her.She thinks she is isolated. She thinks she is just a broken girl from a forgotten pack. But she knows a team leader inside the hunter organisation. She knows secrets that should be buried six feet deep. Every single day, this female shows me she is far more dangerous than I thought."Are you going to keep staring at me, Adriel, or are you going to help?" Betty asks.
Betty POV"Hunter!" Novalee screams, bursting through the narrow stockroom door.The word slices through the air like a silver blade. My heart hits my ribs. Beside me, Adriel’s posture goes completely rigid. The air in the convenience store instantly turns suffocating."Get back," Novalee hisses, her palm flat against my chest as she shoves me into the shadow of the metal shelving units."How many?" I whisper, my throat completely dry."Five," she breathes, her fingers digging into my arm. "They’re sweeping the street.""Who are they looking for?""I don't know," Novalee whispers back, her eyes darting toward the front glass windows. "They marched straight into the restaurant. They targeted Adriel the second they smelled the royal blood. He deflected them, then mindlinked me to hunt you down and hide you."A sudden, sharp pressure stabs behind my temples. The connection opens.
Mitchell POVThe phone screen flashes. A black-and-gold notification pops up from my banking app. Flagged.I stare at the digits. The transaction amount makes my jaw tighten. Adriel is with her, and my little brother does not know the meaning of a budget. He just swiped my black card.Another alert pings. A second request for authorization. This one is from Betty.My thumb hovers over the green button. Girls are a different kind of monster when they get inside a shopping mall. Especially my girl. I tap approval, but my chest feels tight.I press her contact name. The phone rings twice before her voice fills my ear."Hi, love," I say, leaning my shoulder against the cold stone wall of the corridor. "Yeah, it is all good on this end. Adriel and I just finished moving your things into your new room."I listen to the sweet sound of her breath over the static. My wolf stirs inside my chest, lifting his head at her voice."I am stand
Betty’s POV"You are going to frighten the locals if you keep projecting your scent like a weapon," I said.The stranger did not flinch. He stood by the rusted flank of the pack jeep, his frame blocking the driver-side door. His eyes were the sharp, smoked-gray of a non-royal Lycan, completely devo
Betty’s POV"Get on your knees, wolfless freak, or I will break your legs myself."Madeline’s voice sliced through the damp, heavy air of the Blue Claw storage pavilion. She was balanced on the balls of her patent-leather heels, her pink lips curved into a cruel, perfect line. In her manicured hand
Betty POV"Wake up and look at me," a voice commands from the darkness.The sound does not come from my ears. It vibrates deep inside the marrow of my bones. I am floating in a black, empty void. There is no floor. There is no ceiling. There is only a heavy, suffocating
Adriel POV"Get the hell away from her door, Mitchell."My voice is a low, vibrating snarl that rattles the heavy oak panelling of the corridor.My brother doesn't flinch. He stands there in the dim light of the west w







