Laurel returned to her office with a deep sigh. The roses Adolph had given her the day before had wilted a bit. Her heart felt a bit wilted, worn down by time and realizations. She sighed and replaced the wilted roses with the new bouquet. How long would it take for these roses to wilt? “Ow!” She hissed and put her bleeding finger into her mouth before her blood could drip everywhere. She hadn’t realized the thorns hadn’t been removed from the roses. She rounded the table looking for bandages when the door burst open. She jumped, startled, and looked at the intruder to see Basil in the doorway, glaring at her and baring his teeth. He crossed the room quickly, raising his hands as if he was going to grab her neck. She stumbled back as he crossed the room. She’d never seen him so angry before. “How dare you!” He screeched. “How dare you use this room!”“What?” Laurel frowned. His words didn’t make any sense. She kind of expected him to be upset about Delia, but he was talking abou

“Those people aren’t worthy of the title!”Adolph sat on his throne, impatiently. The nobles had been bickering for the better part of the meeting about what should and shouldn’t be done, who did, and who didn’t deserve to be noblemen. Adolph had a list of brave soldiers, alive and dead, and alphas of packs who had contributed to the war efforts. All of them, he planned to make noblemen, but the ministers refused. They were nobles, and they did not want more people to share their honor and power.Gavin lifted his nose with the little superior sneer Adolph had seen far too often, “How could we allow those uncouth people to become nobles? Imagine all those hicks pouring into our city... What a mess!” “I need useful courtiers, Gavin,” Adolph gave him a pointed look. “If you and the rest of you were adequate, maybe I wouldn't need to look for others.”Gavin was speechless. The other ministers trembled and quaked with shock, looking to Gavin to say something in retort, but Adolph had end

Laurel gasped and stared at him. He couldn’t have said what she thought he said. “W-What?”Adolph’s face burned with embarrassment but he didn’t avert his gaze, holding her gaze and enduring the awkward quiet. “Will you… marry me?”Laurel couldn’t believe the gall of this man. Alice wailed in despair. *Don’t!*But what else could she do but reject him? Love or not, mate or not, she still had some manner of dignity! She drew back violently, “How could you be so cruel? I will not marry you to be your dead wife’s replacement!”Adolph looked as though he’d been slapped, shocked, and confused. “What?” He shook his head, his brown furrowing as he stared at her. “What does she have to do with us?”She scoffed, pushing free of him and wrapping her arms over her breast, curling into herself so her hair covered her partially, glaring at him and trying to forget the fact that she’d been curled up to his naked body. “You sent me your dead wife’s favorite flowers, and you made me move into y

Delia sat angrily on the couch in her room, seething at Basil’s words.*Just stay in your room, Delia,* he’d said looking nervous. *I don’t want my father to punish you again.*He said that, but was he so dumb not to realize that this was a punishment all by itself? What would Adolph do that was worse than this? She shuddered at the thought and turned away from the possibilities. She was Prince Basil’s wife. She should be the most honored woman in the kingdom, yet that girl, Laurel, was managing the castle and was working out of Basil's mother's office?She had never even seen that office. She’d only been able to use Basil’s ex-wife’s office and room, filled with her old stuff and covered in dust. The very thought of it made her sick. She’d gotten rid of Laura, yet the woman was still haunting her. She glanced at Tina as she puttered around, grumbling and preparing tea. Of all the people that Laurel had managed to get rid of, Delia was surprised that she hadn’t gotten rid of Tina.

Laurel blinked, shocked as she covered her sore cheek. She turned her head and looked at Delia. Something was wrong with her, but she didn’t care to figure it out.The maid behind Delia was shocked. Her voice trembling with panic, “Miss Laurel, are you okay?”Laurel used to think that Delia was just a pretty woman whose only desire was to please Basil. She was a simpering woman who enjoyed her station. Since returning, she’d learned she was more like Basil than she had ever thought possible: selfish, vain, self-important, and willful. She never thought they deserved each other more than right now. She had never expected Delia to have the nerve to hit her either. It was such an impolite thing to do. The thought that such a woman was Basil's mate made her feel sick mostly because she used to love him. If mates were supposed to be reflections of each other, for better or worse, she had loved the selfish vanity and willfulness in Basil at one point. She didn’t think she could hate him