“What a special human you must be.” Nikolai Aslanov gave Shannon a friendly grin, one I could tell was fake. Shannon must have been able to tell too, as her eyes hardened at his words. “Is the Halifax family not attending dinner? I was under the impression they were residing here for the time being, same goes for the other young Royal.”
“Erik.” I pointed out, pressing my lips together gently.
“Yes, Erik.” Nikolai smiled at me, as though the two of us were old friends.
“Geoff and Elena Halifax are in mourning.” Dad grunted; his voice laced with sympathy. “Their son recently passed.”
“Is that so?” Nikolai’s eyes widened in false surprise; his voice laced with the emotion. He was an expert alright, yet I could still see the curiosity in his gaze. “And how did that happen in a house with the Alpha King?”
“He took his own life.” I pressed my
“Big brother?” My jaw dropped. The mask I had precariously placed on my face was shattered, long forgotten. I couldn’t tell if Nikolai was lying or not. There wasn’t an ounce of deceit on his face, nor was there any other emotion.“It seems you know little about your mate.” Nikolai shook his head regretfully, “What a shame. If you were mine, nothing would be kept from you. You would never be left in the dark.”“If Viktor’s your brother, why isn’t he in line for the throne?” My eyes narrowed at Nikolai, ignoring his last comment.“Viktor—as you know him by, hate’s being in charge of others.” Nikolai smiled grimly, “Viktor’s skill is ending lives. He never possessed the tasks necessary to rule.”“There are plenty of Royal’s skilled at ending lives.” I murmured; my eyes locked on Nikolai’s. “They use others to do the
“I never told you about that.” I scoffed, “How did you know?”Caroline’s eyes widened, her lips fumbling over words. She knew she had been caught, with what I was unsure of. Everything ran much deeper than I had anticipated.I felt like a child, trying to play a game clearly designed for adults. Just when I thought I was finally gaining the upper hand, something happened. A new twist was thrown into the mix.Instead of backtracking, Caroline’s face contorted in anger. Any friendliness or companionship had faded from her face. Her light eyes were dull and lacked warmth, her lips turned up in a sneer.“Princess Arabella.” Caroline sneered, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. “Born the luckiest girl alive and doesn’t even know it.”“I don’t see what that has to do with anything, Caroline.” My voice conveyed the confusion and hurt I felt. Caroline looked nothing like
Two Days LaterNikolai Aslanov had been true to his word. Even though I knew he was responsible for the attack at my Birthday Gala, he found evidence against Elena Halifax. This evidence cleared Viktor’s name, letting him finally come back to me.I was unsure why Nikolai wanted to give Viktor and I a chance, but I didn’t argue with it. It was clear Nikolai expected Viktor and I to fail, hoping I would come to him after the fact. Nikolai Aslanov wanted a chance with me, yet he had a funny way of showing it. Trying to have me killed on my birthday wasn’t the best gesture.Viktor was able to return with August in two days. Viktor had turned around the minute I gave the news. He was naturally suspicious of Nikolai Aslanov’s motives, not that I could blame him. I could feel Viktor’s jealousy for his younger brother as I told him that Nikolai wanted a chance with me. I told Viktor what Nikolai had told me, that they were brothers. I asked
One Month LaterI stood in front of my floor length mirror, my eyes narrowing suspiciously at the dress that flowed down my body. A nearly endless sea of deep green silk rolled down my body, my hair rippled down my back in dark waves. Dad wanted to call the stylists for today’s events, but I refused. My stomach was a cocoon of nerves and knots. The last thing I wanted was a team of people fluttering around me. I had Shannon do my make-up, her steady hands putting my eyeliner on effortlessly.“The dress looks amazing.” Shannon nodded, giving it a long look as I stood in front of the mirror.“You’re only saying that because you picked it out.” I chuckled, giving her a playful eyeroll.“And I did a damn good job.” Shannon huffed, fixing the straps of her own dress.A wave of calming energy washed over me as Viktor stepped out of the bathroom. His chocolate hair was tousled, begging to have
"Dad, I've told you a hundred times. I don't need a bodyguard." I groaned, flopping down on my bed. My dad was quiet for a while, but I could still sense his presence in my room."You know he's only trying to keep you safe." My wolf, Aela, scolded me."Arabella." My dad's stern voice called out and I reluctantly sat up and met his silver eyes. I could feel the power of the Alpha King fill my bedroom and I resisted the urge to shudder.Aela grumbled, "We'll you've done it now."His Alpha power didn't affect me quite the same, being his daughter had some perks. Nonetheless, I resisted the urge to cringe under his intense gaze.I sighed, knowing this conversation was going nowhere. "Yes dad?""You will behave and let your bodyguard protect you." His commanding voice filled my ears and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.All of the training I had endured wouldn't change his mind. He insisted I was no match for his enemies, not without becoming
I woke early in the morning. The sun had yet to fully rise, but I couldn't bring myself to fall back asleep.My sleep was plagued with nightmares, always surrounding my Mom. The startled look in her eyes as one of the rogues threatened to pounce on me. The scream that tore through her throat as she shifted and saved my life. And finally, the light that left her eyes when the rogue tore out her throat, her black fur slick with fresh blood. My Dad hadn't seen the moment her last breath escaped from her lungs. He was fighting off three rogues at once, fighting to keep us all safe.I watched the light leave her eyes, and I was almost positive I could feel when her soul had finally left her body accompanied by her wolf, her closest companion. The loss tore a hole straight through me, the ache was a constant reminder that she was gone. She had died trying to save me.I pulled myself from the plush bed and slipped on a robe as I headed to the bathroom. The chill in the ai
I refused to let Viktor interrupt my daily routines, one of which included sneaking through the kitchen to steal one of Sheila's famous muffins. I was almost a hundred percent sure that Sheila and Shannon we're witches in their past life, because it was nearly impossible to get anything past them.That just made my antics even more fun.I crept into the busy kitchen, instantly noticing that Sheila was busy ordering some of the other cooks around. I smiled to myself, she was definitely distracted.I crept up to the counter where a plate of her muffins sat steaming. An audible groan left my lips as I turned to see Viktor sticking out like a sore thumb."Do you not know how to be stealthy?" I groaned at him, my eyes keeping track of Sheila.In a move that surprised me, his dark eyebrow lifted and his obsidian gaze remained locked on me.I glanced at Sheila, and figured this would be my only chance. I snatched up one of the muffins and shot a glare at
I set my plan into motion that night, determined to provoke any form of reaction I could from VIktor. While I wasn't necessarily the most attractive girl in the world, I had some things working in my favor.My raven colored hair cascaded down my back in waves, while my green eyes stood out against the contrast of my porcelain skin. I had nice curves and a full chest at my disposal.I grabbed a pair of panties and a tanktop and slipped my clothes off as I headed to the bathroom. I quickly turned the shower on and waited impatiently for the hot water. A sigh escaped my lips as the hot water soothed my sore muscles.I took my time in the shower, letting the hot water wash away my stress as much as it could.Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped one of the towels around my body. I missed the shower mat with my foot and slid forward. A yelp of surprise came from my lips as I knocked into the sink. The glass cup on the edge fell to the floor and shattered."S