*Isla*“Your son?” my mom repeats. “Isla, what in the world are you speaking about?” Her face is even paler than Ben’s as she stares up at me.I have to think carefully about how to answer that question because Maddox probably doesn’t want the entire kingdom to know our business just yet, but Ben knows, and if he knows, it’s only a matter of time until my parents know.Besides, I’ve never been one to keep information from my parents–unlike them. They are, apparently, very used to keeping information from me and my siblings.Until recently, when I became a breeder, I didn’t keep anything from them at all.With one hand still hovering over my abdomen, I begin to try and explain the situation to them. I want to call out to Maddox and ask him to come and be here with me when I tell my parents the situation, but I know he is busy with the aftermath of the uprising, and I can’t tell them to just wait until he returns.With a deep breath, I say, “I’m pregnant.”My parents exchange a look, an
*Maddox*I am growing leery of interrogating prisoners in the dungeon, but I have no choice since I don’t trust anyone else to speak to Austin. He’s still bleeding from the injuries he sustained when he ran from me. All he has on is a pair of ratty old shorts, and he’s sitting on the dirty dungeon floor, both arms chained to the wall behind him so that he can’t even lower his arms.I stare at him for a moment. He’s breathing heavily, and I’m not exactly sure why. I don’t see any new injuries, so I can’t imagine he’s been beaten by my guards, though if they did lay their paws upon him, I’m certain it would be for good reason. So… why is he so out of breath?“Austin,” I begin, “explain to me why you began the uprising during the executions.” I use my Alpha voice and command him to answer me. It doesn’t always work. Some people are so disloyal, so criminal in nature, they can simply ignore me when I compel them to do something.I can see that he is struggling with it, though. He wants to
*Isla*Ginger.The story of my cat gave me pause to think about everything that I’d learned about myself. I distinctly remembered that cat now that my parents had reminded me. I didn’t have many memories at all from my childhood, and most of the ones I did have were vague. A flicker of a face, laughing on a swing, standing outside and staring up at a large tree, opening a present. Those types of memories didn’t give me much context for where I was, who I was, or what I was doing.But seeing this picture had jarred memories in me that hadn’t entered my mind for so long. They were still there, though. I remembered the cat. I remembered playing with her, how sweet she was, how her fur felt beneath my fingers.I didn’t remember her dying, though. And I certainly didn’t remember her coming back to life.“After that,” Mom continues, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. “After that, everything sort of fell apart.”My dad reaches over and squeezes her hand, and I can see that he is emot
*Maddox*In my office, I sit by myself and ponder what to do. I have a few options, but mostly, I need to do whatever I can to shore up my defenses. It seems quite clear that I’m beginning to lose control of the kingdom.I can’t even keep people safe in my own fucking backyard.Finding one of the maids who was in Zabrina’s service shouldn’t be too hard. I believe she abandoned all of them when she left here. I know none of them left the castle with her, and I doubt that her mother would have taken many of the maids that serviced her daughter with her when she left since she had her own maids. And Zabrina’s friends. She had brought a couple of her cronies along. I’m pretty sure they left with their Luna.So… what would we have done with extra maids? I’m guessing they would probably have just been assigned to tasks within my household.I pick up the phone and call the number that goes to the head maid’s room. I have no fucking idea who it is now since Mrs. Whateverthefuckhernameis was f
*Maddox*“You’re the mastermind behind all of this?” I ask Luna Elaine.“That’s right,” she says, “and while you may have killed my daughter today, don’t think that it’s enough to stop me. If you want to keep your kingdom, you’re going to have to figure out who else is the enemy, Alpha King Maddox, and my revelation as the bad guy probably isn’t going to be the most shocking event related to this uprising.”Her words have me seething, and I wish I could reach through the phone and smack her in the face. “If you honestly think that you can bring me down, you’re wrong,” I tell her. “You’re not capable of it, Elaine.”She laughs, and it reminds me of her daughter’s witch’s cackle. Just when I thought I’d never hear that sound again, here it is, in my ear. “You are very confident, Maddox.” She says my name with a disrespectful lilt, and while I’m sure that’s because I’ve used her first name without her title, and she’s just trying to get me back, I don’t appreciate it.“I am confident,” I
Beginning of Book 3*Isla*Water laps at the boat as we glide across the water. The larger waves we encountered a couple of days ago, waves that made me question my decision to do this and think that there was a good chance I was going to end up in the ocean, have died down, and now, it’s just a calm, rolling motion that makes me want to fall asleep.But I can’t do that.I haven’t been able to sleep for days, weeks, not since I had decided that this was something I had to do, even when Maddox had forbidden me to leave the castle.Fighting with him absolutely breaks my heart, but I have my reasons for being here. He didn’t understand that. He didn’t want to listen to me.I’d taken advantage of the problems he was having, and now, I am here… even though he may never forgive me for what I’ve done.Rubbing my hand along my abdomen, I stare out at the ocean, pressing my aching back to the bench behind me. Traveling while so very pregnant is just as uncomfortable as Mystica had warned me th
*Isla*Six months earlier…I am two months pregnant, and I can tell when I look at my reflection in the full-length mirror.Poppy says I’m glowing. I’m not sure about that, but I think my hair looks a little thicker, and maybe my eyes are a little shinier. I swear my nose is beginning to change shape.And then there’s my abdomen. It’s not noticeable to anyone else, I don’t believe, but I can see a slight change. It’s kind of like when I’ve eaten too much, or I’m bloated. I smooth down the front of the sequined red dress I’m wearing and stare at it for a long moment. Yes, I can definitely see a change.I haven’t gained any weight yet. Mystica says that’s typical since I’ve been having a bit of morning sickness. Anything I eat or drink tends to come right back up. She gave me some medicine, and that helps, but I am leery of taking anything since I don’t know how the baby might be affected by the poison I was given when I was just barely pregnant with him.Satisfied that I look good, I t
*Maddox*I need to get up and get back to work, but I can’t. Lying here with Isla cradled against my chest, the smell of our lovemaking still heavy in the air, is soothing, and the rest of the world is cold and angry.Going back out there seems senseless. Why would I do that when I can simply stay here with her?“What is it, Maddox?” she asks, her voice heavy with sleep. “I know something is troubling you. More so than usual.”I can’t help the chuckle that escapes my lips. She knows me so well. “I was going to say, since when is there a time when something isn’t bothering me?”She turns her blue eyes on me, and I smile at her, brushing my thumb across her cheek. “Have you had any progress whatsoever?”A sigh slips out of my mouth, and I tell her, “Yes and no. It’s a slow process, baby. We have to go pack by pack, person by person, and convince them all that turning against me as the rightful king is a huge mistake.”“But there are so many packs that have been infiltrated in one way or