Xander POV
I looked over the finances. I felt terrible leaving Ida alone in my wing while I tended to business my father had ordered. I longed to be back with her, and my Lycan was in one of his moods. I had a lot of difficulties keeping him in check ever since we had found our mate. For him, it was inconceivable that we parted from her.
I kept reminding him of our duties, but he snarled at me. Besides, I was down to our last bit of business before I could call it a day and finally be able to see her.
I had to get Ida’s papers from Mr. Crane, my notary. I had them drafted the morning after I had marked her, but I was missing some information before they could be signed and sealed. I had finally gotten word that they were ready.
Ida had reluctantly provided some information about her family and past, simply saying that she didn’t have a last name since she was orphaned and lived most of her life as a slave in different houses.
It made my job harder since I had nothing to go on. Nothing beside Ida’s first name and last employment location was on her indenture papers to my father's estate.
I had looked at the birth certificates of hundreds of Idas in various archives. I even had some records shipped to High Hill from other cities to increase the chances of finding any legal information I could use for her free-citizen papers. But none fit the description of a female babe with red hair.
I kept hitting dead ends.
My Lycan was impatient. “You know that if you can’t find Ida, there’s a good chance it’s because she doesn’t want her records to be found.”
I knew he was right, and I wanted to respect her privacy.
When we sat down to get whatever information I could gather, she froze up, and I felt a hurricane of emotion raging inside her. I sensed it through our bond. Faiths, she was almost making me feel dizzy.
Ida seemed like a complete mess. If she was going through all this trouble not to be found, then I would wait until she trusted me enough to share her past.
As for her last name, I gave her the name every orphaned child gets when they usually come into the care of a children's home—Raven.
The orphanage headmasters gave them that surname since the children often arrived with nothing, either following the death of their family or were shrouded in mystery. It was also a way for everyone to know that they were wards of this country.
They sold most orphans to workhouses or wealthy families. They were, unfortunately, very cheap labourers.
I bunched my fists until my knuckles turned white, thinking about what Ida had gone through in her mysterious past.
I looked over the paper that Crane handed me and sealed it with the Kestrel crest of my ring once the documents were in order. Everything was now official and legal. Ida was no longer a ward of Airedah; she was, by every term, free.
I smiled when I thought about how happy this would make her.
I instinctively put my hand in my front pocket, where I had placed another gift I would give her later that night with the papers. I had just gotten it resized, and I hoped she would like it.
It was getting late, so I returned to the estate by horseback and quickly climbed the stairs to my living quarters.
When we entered my room, I had to control my Lycan; he was desperate to be reunited with our mate. I noticed Ida sprawled on the bed, asleep, so I closed the door silently and went to her, dropping the papers on the desk near my bed.
She only wore my nightshirt, which had rucked up on her body while sleeping. Her fiery hair was stretched out on her pillow like a tree ablaze, and her winter white skin almost shone in the pool of moonlight.
She, indeed, was a magical sight to see.
I gently slid my gift on her ring finger and trailed soft kisses up her arm to her neck, passing over my mark and ending alongside her jaw. She smelled of lavender and peppermint, but I could also smell myself on her, something that happened once I marked and mated with her. It was one of our ways of letting other shifters know she belonged to me.
She let out a soft sigh at my touch, her lips curving slightly upwards, and shifted a bit on the bed, inviting me next to her. However, I had no intention of going to sleep just now. I had something to do first.
I dragged my hand the length of her waist, then went down to her hip and under her thigh, raising it as I moved my head between her legs. I pressed my mouth to her sensitive region and made circular motions with my tongue. She tasted sweet, which made me purr in delight.
I raised her leg higher to gain more access and placed two fingers at her opening, pressed forward, and let them slide inside her hot wetness. I kept playing with her clit, earning a deep moan from her small throat.
My fingers kept pumping into her slick channel while I devoured her. I noticed goosebumps forming on her legs and lower stomach; then, I felt fingers run through my hair, gripping them and urging me on.
I sensed my eyes glaze over, my Lycan wanting to take part in claiming her again.
The scent of her arousal excited me, and I felt my dick twitch between my legs. The tightness of my pants became almost unbearable.
Ida’s breathing had become more ragged and loud, her inside tightening with every slip of my fingers.
I didn’t want her to come just yet, so I backed myself and started removing my clothes, locking eyes with her, teasing her with every piece I slowly removed.
“Please,” she cried.
Even through the darkness, I could distinguish the brown center of her irises, ringed with greens, yellows, and blues that made her eyes enigmatic and mesmerizing. I had never seen eyes like hers.
I pulled on her ankles, making her slide toward me on the bed and place my body over hers.
Ida’s legs wrapped themselves around me. I took my member and guided it to her slit. I didn’t want to give in just yet; I wanted to make her beg for it. I wanted her to yearn for me as much as I craved her.
Her hands tightened on my neck and lowered me until our lips touched.
She wiggled her hips, trying to force me to slide into her. Her kiss was becoming impatient, and she bit my bottom lip hard. It sent shivers up and down my spine once I tasted her.
“Ida,” I sucked in a breath.
I could no longer restrain myself. I growled and gripped Ida’s ass, pulling her lower on me. She gasped at my sudden intrusion but arched her back to allow me in even deeper.
I felt waves of pleasure passing through me from the bond, making me mad with lust.
Her breathing was becoming erratic, and I didn’t want to stop.
My Lycan instincts kicked in, and I rammed into her with even greater force, kissing her womb with each stride. The pleasure was almost blinding. I needed more of her.
The sound of our flesh slapping against each other resonated in the room while her intoxicating scent drove the beast inside me wild.
I lifted her from the bed and moved us to a large table close to the window. I sat her on the edge of the desk, sprawled her legs open, and continued with my assault.
My fingers dug into her hips, forcing her closer. I hoped it wouldn’t leave marks on her beautiful alabaster skin.
She had removed her nightshirt and made it fall on the floor. The midnight glow gently kissed Ida’s skin.
My hand pressed her chest, making her lay on her back against the wooden surface of my desk. Her breasts were moving up and down with my every hit. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, and she was mine.
I felt a pressure building within me, and I knew I didn’t have too long before my release.
Ida was holding my wrists tight, her nails biting me, and I saw her soft lips quivering from her climax, her insides pulsing around me, making me go over the edge along with her.
My cock twitched, and with my last stroke, I spilled my seed deep in her, groaning in her ear when I pulled her back to me.
We were both still panting when she straightened herself on the desk, trying to calm her fluttering heartbeat, when she noticed the gold band I had slipped on her earlier. She raised her hand to inspect it, gently caressing it between her slender fingers.
“Xander, what is this?” She asked breathlessly.
I chuckled at her question and took her hand with the ring in mine.
“I thought it was obvious. Will you marry me?”
I never wanted anything more, and I hoped she knew what she meant to me.
From the moment we met, I realized I would never love someone as deeply as I did her. The feeling was almost making my heart burst out from my chest. I knew being my mate was already a commitment of sorts, but I wanted Ida in every imaginable way possible.
The gold band was simple, yet it held the promise of forever.
She looked up at me, and I saw tears gliding down her cheeks.
“I–I can feel you—in here,” she pressed her hand to where my mark was. Her voice trembling with emotions. “Yes!”
I exhaled loudly and crashed my lips to hers in relief.
I knew that whatever happened, I would take the good, the bad, and everything in between if it meant having her for the rest of my life. Mysterious past included.
Sitting in the main parlour, I looked over the papers Xander had drafted for my freedom. I traced the ink of my new name with my index finger. It was written in beautiful cursive lettering: Ida Raven. It felt bizarre to see it written on an official piece of paper. Papers that were supposed to prove my free citizenship in Airedah. I was no longer a slave to the new regime. Legally binding documents… that were a complete lie. I thought of my father and mother and silently asked what they would think of their daughter’s new identity. Would my choices to survive for the past decade disappoint them? I had buried the Cardinal name to ensure I did not perish alongside them—but would they approve? Wouldn’t the fact that I could live secretly ease their deception? The Cardinal line was not dead, not entirely—Princess Cressida still lived inside me. She wasn’t gone, simply hiding until it was safe to come out. But I feared that the new Cressida would never be a sliver of what she once was;
I had woken up early with Xander to go find Leo. Xander had given me a blanket and asked me to wait in the hallway before entering the room. Once he called me in, I lifted my hand with the oil lamp and entered the darkness. Through the flickering flame of the light, I noticed the small boy lying naked on the ground. I curiously looked around and noticed deep bloody scratches in the stone walls. There was a small table and a single chair. I guessed it was for Xander when he came over to stay with the boy through hard nights. Xander had explained that since wolves respected Alphas and he was naturally stronger than most shifters, Leo’s wolf never attacked him. He did have to restrain him with a shackle around the neck and one leg when Leo became a danger to himself, though. When I reached the boy, I placed the light on the ground and pulled the blanket over his tiny body. Xander slid a strong arm under him and lifted him. We brought Leo back to his room, where we cleaned and put him
Xander was walking fast through the familiar corridors. I understood he was taking me back to his floor. My breathing had increased as the pain in my hand became more and more intense. The adrenaline was most likely leaving my body, allowing entrance to the complete agony of my injury.I examined my bent fingers. They were disgusting to look at. Bile rose in my mouth, and I had to swallow it back down. I didn’t know how to fix this; however, I knew going to his room would not help. I needed this fixed now before the damage became irreparable.“Go to the kitchens. I know someone who fixes injured workers.”“The physician works in the kitchens?” Xander asked, surprised.“No, but the butcher does.” I retorted.He gritted his teeth at my answer, took a left to the stairs, and hurried into the kitchens.After dinner, most of the cooks left, and the kitchen maids cleaned and prepped the area for the following morning.I hoped Saul was still there. I knew he stayed a bit later most nights to
Xander POV I woke up early next to a shivering and sweating Ida. She was still sleeping, but the sheets around her were plastered to her wet skin. Ida smelled strange, so I gently touched her red cheeks. She was feverish. This was not good. My Lycan was howling inside. Saul, the butcher, had mentioned he’d send someone in the morning. I just hoped she’d get here in time before anything else happened. Ida’s bandaged hand was resting near the edge of the bed. Her three fingers stuck out, held by splinters and dressings. She’d have to keep it for at least three to four weeks, with regular bandage changes, until which time someone would re-examine and adapt the splint to how her healing was advancing. With last night’s events, I needed to get her out of here. I knew what my father was capable of, and I certainly knew the extent of what he was willing to do to get whatever information he could. He was loyal to a fault to King Osprey. He was one of the few nobles under him who had succ
The road to Xander’s country house was exhausting. He refused to stop during the nights and pressed the coachmen to change shifts so they each had time to sleep whenever they were not driving. There were two carriages, one for Xander, Leo and me and the other for the staff who accompanied us. Their carriage was bigger than ours to better accommodate comfort and the rotation between coachmen. We occasionally stopped for the head maid—Diana, to change my bandages and inspect my injured hand. It had surprised me to see her in Xander’s room tending to my wounds when I woke up the day after my fingers were broken. I didn’t think she particularly liked me when I was a maid. Diana always seemed distant, severe and meticulous with her work. She was probably stricter than the housekeeper—whom she reported. Lucia had also been by my side, reading a book beside the bed and taking turns with Diana to change the cold press they had placed on my head to lower the fever. She stayed with me until h
I was dreaming of a cardinal bird flying in the sky. Its plumage was a majestic red, and each feather gleamed in the sun. It had perched itself on top of an old tree and surveyed the forest below, almost as a protector. Lightning flashed in the atmosphere, and the old tree caught fire. The flames consumed it within seconds, burning the cardinal with it. However, the bird flapped its wings instead of falling to the ground. As the fire scorched its feathers, they grew back, more robust and brighter than before. Once the cardinal had finished its transformation, the fire disappeared almost as quickly as it started. The cardinal took to the sky, and a swarm of birds cawing and screeching blackened my vision.As I flinched in my dream, I also flinched in bed. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. I placed my hand over my chest to calm my fluttering heart. I had not been gifted with the “sight,” or at least Otis, my magic teacher, said so. The training he had made me do had been
Gideon threw himself on his knees and grabbed the front of my dress. His eyes were all misty as he looked deep within my own. “Princess Cressida!” The colour in my face drained fully. I swatted the man’s hands and tried to brush him off as I moved back. The two other men stared at him, then at me, and eventually bent one knee and bowed their heads. Xander had taken some steps back as well. I sensed through our mate bond that he was as shocked as the man kneeling in front of me. I hyperventilated, and Diana quickly grabbed my arm and dragged me back inside the house. She sat me on the loveseat of the main room and removed the layers of winter clothes I had on. She then put a kettle over the fire to boil some water. I tried to unbutton my dress, but my left hand was not complying with the action I ordered. My fingers were shaking and felt numb. “Damn hand, why can’t you just do what I want!” I half screamed at it. Tears were spilling down my face. I heard shouting. The men seemed
“I’m a magic wielder,” I said with certainty. “I’m me.” Xander scratched his head. I couldn’t be anything else. You could only be one of three things in this world: a shifter, a wielder, or a human. There wasn’t anything else. I was a wielder, plain and simple. “We’ll have to look more into this. I’ve never heard of something like this happening.” Xander returned to the bathroom to look at the bite mark once more. “Was your mother a wielder as well?” He shouted from the room. “My father didn’t have any marks on his body, meaning that she couldn’t have been a shifter, and she showed no magical abilities, so I always assumed she was human.” “Hmm. Let’s keep this to ourselves until we understand what it all means.” I smiled weakly at him. He was right to keep this between us. None of it made sense. Xander had taken out a fresh shirt and was putting it on. I had forgotten that he had to go to the salt mines for inspection. And by the pained look on his face, he didn’t want to leav