XENDAYA. It shook me. The moment he swiftly said they would marry tonight… But I shouldn’t care. I was prepared for everything when I decided to do my duty as queen. I’m a queen, not his queen. That’s all that matters and right now, my people need me. He can marry a thousand times, fuck all the women he wants, but at that moment as I walk away from that broken tower room, I can’t help but smile softly. How can you hurt over something or someone that you don’t even care for? ‘We do care. We just found out we’re mates.’ Shayara murmurs softly. She’s more shaken than me, although I don’t understand what she expected. ‘We just found out, not him. He knew Shay. It doesn’t matter.’ I say quietly. As much as I want to question him over it, now is not the time. There are so many people who need tending to. I’m sure the wounded would be brought in and that would mean we needed to make sure that the hospital wing could cope. What I saw as Nefzaan got away were many bodies lying on the gro

AGNARR. I nod. The movement itself feels tedious. “Then by blood, you are bound in this unity,” Haizhar says as I hold out my hand, allowing him to make a small cut in my thumb. I raise my hand, brushing my thumb across her forehead, smearing my blood across it. Her eyes flicker with surprise and I’m certain she expected me to rub it along her lips, but no one else besides her bats an eyelid. After all, they know I have never bound myself to anyone by blood and that I never will. Only they do not know that I have already given one woman my blood. “To this union!” Haizhar says as everyone raises their tankards of ale and someone pushes one into my hands and I take a gulp, the strong liquid burning my parched throat. A reminder that I have not drank anything since last night. “To many victories for King Agnarr the Ruthless!” Hazran says, making them cheer. It does not even feel like a celebration, and I place my cup unfinished on the table. “As much as I’d like to stay, I have ma

XENDAYA. He frowns slightly as he tries to move his arm but is unable to. The coppery taste of blood in my mouth is a cold warning I need to stop. I pull the sponge from his hand and smack it across his face before I let it go and he catches it, staring at it for a second. I gasp, trying to calm my thumping heart, as I almost topple face forward into the water. “I slowed Nefzaan down and lessened the impact of his element if you didn’t notice,” I reply haughtily as I stare defiantly at him. He’s frowning, an expression of understanding on his face, almost as if something now made sense to him, but it changes to surprise as he looks at me as if seeing me for the first time. “That’s what you were doing… I did feel that he had slowed…” he murmurs, more to himself. “I may not be as strong and tall as you dragons, but I am not weak, Agnarr,” I say, looking him square in the eyes as I grab the soap and begin to wash my body. “I have never called you weak… wolf princess. But I must adm

TWO YEARS AGO. AGNARR. I look up at the sky as I sit on the roof of one of the walls that overlook the carnival below. I remain in the shadows, the large trees from behind casting a roof over my head. No one is on alert, everyone far too content and relaxed as they enjoy the night. The last few weeks have been harder… and I’m finding myself falling into the darkness… All I want to do is kill, kill anyone and anything that gets in my way. The rage that pounds at my head, the frustration that I am a failure and the anger as Nefzaan yet again hurts my people, consumes me. So, I decided to take a little break from everything and come to the place that has become a soothing remedy for me. Here I am, in the Wolf Kingdom… A place that has drawn me for the last few years. I lean back slightly, watching as the wolves below us have fun. A kingdom that is free and at peace… I want this for my people. For them, to live in a land that is more than just rock and molten lava. A small smirk t

XENDAYA. My mind is spinning as Agnarr’s memory replays in my mind. It’s too much to take in; Dad’s reasoning, Agnarr’s reasoning! And then the fact he made me forget it all… That night had haunted me for months… I had still felt a slight ache in my core the following day. It was the night I lost my virginity. I knew I had penetrative sex even if there was no blood. But that was to be expected with the number of accidents and extreme workouts I did growing up. But deep down, I knew something happened and the fact I couldn’t remember had always made me feel uneasy. I never dared utter that thought out loud, but now… I pull back, the way his hands graze my bare skin, sending a shiver of pleasure through me. “You still shouldn’t have made me forget about it,” I say quietly, as I try to get out of his lap, but his hand suddenly tightens on my hips, and I hate that I can feel his cock against my pussy. “I thought we have already gone over this,” he says, making me frown. I brush my t