Kaiya I fall back on the comfortable old leather couch and stare at the ceiling high above. I don’t think about the things the king had said to me. Instead, I wonder how the Omegas can reach all the way up to the ceiling to clean. The chandelier hanging from the rafters is sparkling and I can’t see any cobwebs. I can't imagine that they bring in ladders every day to clean the place. Eventually, I roll off the couch and leave the king's apartment with Oswald hot on my tail. Before I can even think about running away, I need to figure out how to shake the guards that showed up when Clara and I left the garden this morning. “Goodnight, your majesty,’ Oswald says and takes up position next to my door, his back straight, eyes trained on the opposite wall. I go to my little bar and rummage around for something to drink. Sometimes, after a long shift, Clara and I would share a glass of really bad wine, the kind that comes with a screw top instead of a proper cork. We’d eat the cheapest,

Bowden I am deeply annoyed with Clara by the time she finally deems to show her face. She is twenty minutes late, and if there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s when others think my time is invaluable and can be wasted. “Come in,” I bark when she finally knocks on my door. This door, unlike the ones on the upper floors, is modern and easily swings open. The red-headed she-wolf steps into my office, her head respectfully bowed. “You wanted to see me, your majesty?” she asks, her tone of voice not nearly as respectful as her body language. “You’re late.” “I got lost.” When I was a pup, my father taught me that there were some battles worth fighting and some you just needed to let go. The she-wolf not showing up in time might not seem important to others, but it sets a tone for relationship going forward, and disrespect has a way of rippling outwards and taking root. “And you could not let me know that you would be late?” I ask, keeping my voice low and dangerous. “How?” she asks and l

KaiyaI wander through the castle with Elias close behind me. He doesn’t say anything about the fact that I changed my clothes, but put the king’s jacket on again before I left my room. Nor does he mention my failed attempt at shifting. All he did when he glanced into my room and saw the blood on the floor, was to summon an Omega to clean it.King Bowden was right. I can feel it now. The changes are happening faster than I expected, and it's slightly disorientating.I can hear things I couldn’t hear before, down to Elias’s steady heartbeat as he walks behind me with his hand on the sword sheathed by his side. I can smell the different scents of the wolves passing me by, I even catch a human scent here and there. “You have humans living here?” I ask Elias.The guard hurries to catch up with me. “Yes, your majesty. Most of them are mated to Lycans.”“Are they fated?”Elias shakes his head. “Seldom. The mark itself will create the bond, but fated mates are so rare these days.”“It wasn’t

Bowden I help Kaiya out of the jacket and throw it on the chair next to my shirt. She’s mostly speechless as the concoction Deacon gave her is burning a hole through her guts right now and talking is difficult. “Up,” I say and hook my fingers under her t-shirt. “Why?” she asks, her voice so hoarse that barely a sound is coming out. “I told you skin-to-skin works better. Did you think I meant only my skin? Don’t worry, I’ll keep your bra on.” She’s too unwell to argue much. Her wolf isn't fighting very hard, and is close to death already. Feeling your own wolf dying is an extremely painful experience, especially towards the end, and can kill the human too if it’s not done right. I don’t know how Clara managed to survive. Some witches can kill wolves without killing the human, but it takes considerable skill. I pull the t-shirt over her head, not paying much attention to the unflattering, white cotton bra that leaves a whole lot to the imagination, which suits me just fine. I get o

Kaiya I sit cross-legged in front of the full-length mirror in my walk-in closet, blushing when I remember the king’s words to me a few hours ago. “Is that what you want?” he asked. “Do you want me to spank you?” I couldn’t answer him. The images that flashed through my head were too indecent to share, but it was as if he could see straight into my skull. “Because I’ll do it,” he said, his lips so close to mine that his breath tickled my skin. I tried to swallow past the hard lump in my throat, tempted to tell him yes, do it, but at last all I could manage was to shake my head. “Be careful what you wish for,” he said as he rose, not even trying to hide the bulge in his pants. “You barely know me, don’t know the depths of my depravity.” I hardly heard him. All I could think was that he was at least as turned on by the idea as I was. I wanted to tell him that I changed my mind, but it was already too late, he already turned his back on me, his hands clenched in tight fists by his si