A

days since I had played him the record

ty to taunt me or throw a snarky remark my way before. But I didn't know what that

showed up for breakfast or dinner with me and Alpha Kalen, who didn't seem

on, and I was with Alpha Kalen in the training roo

went rigid, and I turned to give him my full and undivided attention. I had refused to pressure him ove

What did you say to her?

rsity. I made sure to put in a good word for you and tell her just how dilige

up now. I shook my head, refusing to believe

chance to have a one-on-one interview with the chancellor of

determined. Everything I felt swirled inside of me to c

cked in deep breaths as he

nk you so much, Alpha Kalen. This is one thing I

good word for you, Mara. Now all you have to do is prepare for your interview. The chancellor n

ner. "And Mara?" he called as I kept eating, making me look up at him with ra

son and what he was asking me to do with him because we weren't related by b

o call him, but it had been embedded in the back of my mind since I was a child

er walked in as if he had been waiting f

or the Alpha and the succeeding Alpha to have a small practice the night before the c

"Are you ready?" Alpha Kalen asked me. I nodded, not willing to

and walked to the door of the dining room. "I can see the tension written on your face," Alp

on't know what to say." "Save whatever you'll say for your speech when you become th

port and because it was tradition for the current Alpha to lead the su

to prevent whatever strength I could muster from being lost in fear. We got down to the field where

eir faces, and the rest were neutral, leaving me to guess how they felt about it. Standing at the fro

effort to be there, ever one to no

is face in a mocking toast. I felt my stomach scrunch and twist at the possibilities o

e contact with Kael when I realized that his main goal was to taunt me from the front seat. If I lo

s he was handed a crown. It was only a model of the original crown as the original was only reserved for the real

on't want anyone-yourself included-to make you feel like none of this is yours. Ever

pretend it never happened. I was willing to play along with it. We were close to getti

ack, I now pronounce you-" The rest of his words stopped in his throat as an arro

r any sign of where it had come from as Kael rushed

issing by a few centimeters of pure luck. Kael pulled me away from where I was froze

being a