NIKOLAI'S POV.“Can I get your attention every one?” I say purposefully and every pair of greedy, unforgiving eyes turn to look at me. It feels gratifying, I’ve not even yet start to take their money but I’m already loving it.“Now that the artefacts have arrived, I'll quickly read through the rules so we can get this auction started. Some of us have travelled a really long distance.” I sound considerate.“The artefacts have been put on display and on each of your tables is a placard. If you turn to the other side of it, there’s a number written on there, everyone has a different number.” I explain and they all start to turn their cards. I can’t read some of their expressions but so far this is going well.“When I name the price of an artefact you like, you raise your placard and the bidding begins. Do we all get it?” I ask and they nod, it feels like talking to children. I’m taking my time to explain because I know some of them have never been to an auction before.“The auction start
WINTER'S POVIt can’t be him. There are a ton of people with the same name. I need to calm down. “Alpha Jacob?” Nikolai asks sounding both surprised and pleased. Maybe they’re friends. Maybe I’ve got them mixed up. “I didn’t peg him for someone who likes to socialize.” Nikolai is beaming with smiles. I’m as still as a lake but my heart is fighting a war within me, a war that I think it might win. “I’ll be right there.” Nikolai told the guard and dismissed him. He turns to look at me with a smile, one that I return with a half smile and half scowl. “Why can’t he stay at an inn? We have those right?” I pout and Nikolai’s smile goes even wider.“I doubt he’ll want to stay at in. He’s visually impaired.” There, my heart won. Its officially out of it’s cage and on it’s way to find a way out of my body. It's abandoning me and it’s not going alone. My voice seems to have it’s bag packed too, my brain is yet to decide seeing as I’m still unable to move.“Don’t worry, he’ll only he here a
NIKOLAI'S POVI’ve exceeded my goal of two million dollars by a million more but why stop here when they’re still so willing to spend?Perhaps I should bring out more of the artefacts? Hunter is no where in sight and it might draw the wrong kind of attention to my father’s room, so maybe not.The last thing I want is for anyone to find out about the secret passage, it would be a disaster.The guards put the last of the artefact on the auction table. It’s a rather small item but by far the most valuable, by my assessment. I read up on all of these artefacts to know as much as I can make from them before auctioning them away, their worth, their history. Everything.If I am to consider what they’re worth now, then I have sold them at least seven times their actual prices but to consider what they will be worth in the future, I don’t think I’m taking enough from them.Although many of them don’t even realize this, they might even gift out these items as a proud show of affluence but again
NIKOLAI'S POV.“Alpha Jacob has requested for his meal to be served in his room, he’s apparently not as social as I presumed.” I whine to aunt Hyacinth and she cracks a smile. “It was a long day, maybe he’s just tired.” She explains but its not comforting. I was really looking forward to picking his brains tonight but may be she’s right. It was a really long day. I walk past all the rooms in the hallway and go down the stairs, the living room looks like it’s never housed guests before, it’s spotless. There are only a handful of guests still roaming the palace and they’ll be gone as soon as they figure things out with the guards. Counting cash is a lot more tedious than it looks but the guards are not going to let go until they’ve confirmed the amount is right. It’s their lives on the line after all.“Alpha Nikolai.” A raspy voice calls out and for a split second, I thought it was my father. I know it’s insane but my father is the only one I know with that kind of crack in his voic
WINTER.I’m screwed.I underestimated what kind of trouble that comes with living with someone whose eyes you plucked out and whose entire family thinks you’re dead except him, of course.I thought; how hard could it be? Little did I know what I was signing up for. Nikolai is standing right in front of me now and asking which of the two clothes he’s holding up is more suitable for his walk with Jacob. He’s acting like he’s going on a date.They both look the same to me but I’m not about to tell him that. “This one.” I say pointing to the maroon short sleeved shirt that’s hanging loosely from his right hand. “My choice too.” He beams at me and I force smile in return. His features are annoyingly distracting. I want to think about a plan that will prevent him from going on this walk with Jacob but I can’t think straight with him dangling those sexy arm muscles in front of me and smiling at me so innocently, he’s completely clueless and that should make me feel guilty but it turns me
Winter My heart aches. It aches really bad. Seeing Jacob relying on a cane to take him places and not being able to see the things that surround him, is not what’s making my heart ache, it’s what he did to me. His face refreshes every memory I’ve tried to bury and peels open every wound I thought was healed. I never really had the time to deal with everything he did to me. I was too busy trying to save my life and before I could even process my own thoughts or pull myself together, I’m Winter. A whole new person, an entirely different life to adapt to. All the emotions that I’ve kept in for so long are finding their way back to the surface. He looks so pitiful holding that cane, like he couldn’t hurt a fly even if he tried. His voice comes out weaker than he probably intended so I reply in the same tone, subtly mocking him but he doesn’t notice, no-one does because I have an excuse for sounding weak, I’m ‘sick'. "Nice to finally meet you,” he says, his voice gaining more m
NIKOLAI.“How was your walk with Jacob?” Winter asks and I smile at her.“It was eye-opening.” I tell her and watch her brows crease together.“Whatever do you mean?” She asks and I notice the ease with she talks now. Aunt Hyacinth must have taken good care of her and the doctor was right, she just needed rest. She probably hasn’t full adopted to this place yet.“I mean we discussed a lot of things. Politics and the likes of it.” I mutter casually and shrug. I’m trying to put an end to this topic but it’s only making her even more interested.“Care to share some details?” she says sweetly and I’m almost tempted to spill all the details of my conversation with Jacob but I don’t.“I would but I ache everywhere, it’s been ages since I went anywhere on my feet. And you need to rest.” I change into a more comfortable cloth and climb unto the bed next to her. She pouts and moves closer to me on the bed. She’s never done it before, she’s so close I want punch her in the lips. . .with my lip
WINTER.The concept of day and night fascinates me. It’s a miracle how it was dark a few hours ago and now the sky is purging light the next hour.Nikolai spent the night in the office, I know because I was up all night. He didn’t even come back once to check on me. I put my feet on the ground and take long strides towards the dressing table to take a look at myself in the mirror. My hair is a complete mess.It’s the third time he’s doing this, spending the night in the office, going out in the morning and coming back late at night, only to sleep in the office again. He says he’s busy but its starting to seem like he’s avoiding me.I run my fingers through my hair, who wouldn’t avoid this? I look like an electrocuted porcupine but I feel even worse.I don’t know what I’m supposed to do around here. Nikolai is not saying anything about our mating ceremony and I can’t play the ro