*Ember*The strange young male’s eyes widened at the sound of my title. He dropped into a low bow as a deep blush spread across his cheeks. “Please pardon me, Princess. I didn’t realize who you were,” he mumbled, straightened and doing everything in his power to avoid looking me in the eye. “I am Bryan Nightwatch, cousin to Alec.”I offered him a nod of acknowledgement. “I understand your confusion. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bryan,” I said politely.Bryan’s tense posture immediately loosened in relief that I didn’t seem to be offended by his earlier disrespect.“May we join you?” Mary asked, skipping in through the door before I could even answer. She took Bryan by the arm and all but dragged him to the armchair opposite me. He sank down into the chair while she perched on the arm like some sort of strange, exotic bird.Internally, I sighed. I really wanted to be alone with my books, but I also didn’t want to be rude to any members of the pack after they had been so wel
*Alec*A week had passed, yet it felt like a century to me. I had done my best to avoid Ember after what had happened in the library. Was she scared of me now? Did she think me no better than Lukas? I didn’t even know what had possessed me to approach her like that, only that it felt like she was a magnet, her pull inevitable.In the meantime, I had tasked Lauryn with befriending her. Though Lauryn’s default manner was cold and aloof, I thought that Ember might appreciate the company. But Lauryn’s list of duties was long, and she barely had any time to spend with the princess.My biggest surprise was when Rhys stepped in to assume the role. He and Ember got along famously, spending hours slinging good-humored insults and dry jokes at one another. My Beta had taken her on a thorough tour of the manor, and I had even spotted him carrying a teetering stack of books from the library to her rooms on several occasions.Every time I saw them together, I had to stifle a pang of jealous
*Ember*Aside from the library, the garden was my favorite part of the manor.Though Alec had given me permission to explore the village on my own, I hadn’t been able to bring myself to leave yet. I told myself that it was because I would only get one chance at escaping, that I had to be absolutely sure that I could get away. If I ran away and was caught, I knew there would be serious consequences.That’s the excuse I told myself, at least, as I enjoyed the mid-afternoon sunshine slanting down into the garden. The space around me was alive with dense bushes boasting fragrant red and white roses. Bees hummed lazily through the air around me, alighting from flower to flower with bumbling enthusiasm. The grass was soft beneath my bare toes. It was as free as I dared to get.I had made it halfway through the romance novel that I had picked out from the library earlier when Lauryn appeared. She moved with such smooth grace that I hadn’t even noticed her approach, and I jumped as she
*Ember*As I stared into the amber eyes of the strange man, I felt pinned by his gaze.“Thank you, but I’m not lost,” I lied, falling back on the manners that had carried me through my time in the court of the Silver Crescent and offering the stranger a bob of my head befitting for a female of my station.The man’s eyes widened slightly. “My mistake,” he apologized. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sawyer. Some call me the Rogue King, myself included.”Before I could pull away, he gracefully caught my hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing my knuckles gently before offering me a low bow.The action chilled my blood. That was the way a male would greet a queen or a princess; not even a Luna would be afforded that treatment. Was it possible that he recognized me as Ember Moonrise, Princess of the Silver Crescent?Feeling numb with fear, I willed my voice to remain steady as I answered, “It is a pleasure to meet you.”“Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” the man grinn
*Alec*The night was cool, but Ember was burning up in my arms. I couldn’t believe the state I had found her in and wondered just how many drinks she had consumed. At the moment, she was bellowing the out-of-tune chorus to a singularly filthy pub song, drawing curious glances from villagers as they passed us on their way to the carnival.“Where did you even learn that song?” I asked, hoping that my amusement wasn’t showing on my face.“Drunken parties at the castle,” she giggled, taking a momentary break from yelling profanities into the night. “I wasn’t allowed to go to most of them, but they weren’t exactly quiet!” She began to sing again, restarting at the beginning of the bawdy chorus.I rolled my eyes. “I bet you don’t even know what half of those words mean, Princess.”“I do!” she protested, squirming in my arms.“You don’t,” I goaded, enjoying how ridiculous and unguarded she was being. Plus, I was sure that she would remember none of this in the morning, so this mig
*Alec*Sawyer smiled, but there was nothing reassuring in his expression. “Who’s asking?” he repeated, staring down at the knife thoughtfully. “I guess you could say… just a curious rogue. I have no loyalty to the Silver Crescent and the so-called Alpha King, as I’m sure you already know.”“What about the Grims?” I asked, disdain dripping from my voice.“Lukas Grimwood is a coward and a fool,” Sawyer replied smoothly. “I have no reason to tie myself to his pack, especially now that I’ve seen how easily the Whitelarks were able to overpower the Alpha’s best entourage.”I nodded in agreement. I believed that he spoke the truth. An alliance with either pack would be of no use to somebody like the Rogue King, who preferred to lounge in and mooch off of the southern territories. However, he had still recognized Ember, which could put her in a dangerous position. “What do you want from the princess?” I asked.“Who says I want anything from her?” he shot back. “It’s not me that you
*Ember*I woke with a start.For a moment, I didn’t know where I was or how I had gotten there, but then I realized that I was in my room at the manor, wrapping tightly in a pile of blankets.My head was pounding, and my mouth felt dry and cottony. The morning sunlight, which I usually loved, stung my eyes and caused me to duck back under the covers for the tiny amount of respite they could afford me.Even though I felt terrible, there was something in my chest that felt loosened, as though I had shaken off the yoke of all of those years of being a docile, submissive princess for my father in the night.Groaning, I extricated myself from the covers and sat up, squinting against the light. I was still wearing the same clothes I had been in yesterday, though somebody had placed my boots neatly by the door. I glanced around the room for any other clues about what had happened the previous night, and then my eyes fell on the vanity.A single red rose was laid out on the center
*Alec*Watching Ember train was like seeing a fawn walk for the first time. I had only ever seen her in dresses and skirts, but now she was wearing plain trousers, a blouse, and a new set of leather protective gear. She seemed uncomfortable in the outfit, moving stiffly and hesitantly. I knew from experience that the leather would soften with time and use, and that practice was the only thing that would make her more comfortable with this new experience.I doubted that the princess had ever had an opportunity to train before. From the way the Alpha King had treated her at the Silver Crescent, I guessed that he wouldn’t have wanted his daughter to be able to fight back against him or any of the other males that would end up around her. He would have wanted to keep her docile and submissive, easy to control.The thought made me angry, and I growled into my coffee cup. I had decided to take breakfast in my office that morning so that I could observe Ember’s first training session. T