eedom, I trudged toward the gates, feeling the weight of dread settle over me. A part of me wanted to savor the towering trees and vibrant flowers lining the academy

le called out with a wave, his

my hand in a half-hearted

wasn't a relief; it was a punishment. Five extra hours at the packhouse meant five extra hours avoiding Sid. My stepbrother n

its weathered wood and chipped paint a perfect reflection of the neglect within. I ducked into the overgrown bushes,

tchen. From there, I could slip upstairs to my room unnoticed. But

deep timbre, my stepmother Celeste's shar

ther's office, adj

ringing me closer to the cracked window. I crouched low in the s

are not ready," Celeste hissed

ation. "He was supposed to arrive in two days, but I've

breath

?" Sid asked, f

r, his ruthlessness, and the curse that left him without a mate. Even

t the floor as he paced. "But we need to tread carefully. If he's dissatisfied, i

her into the shadows,

leste said, her voice tak

fer him?" Drake muttered,

almost too casual. "The Lycan King has a taste for beau

like a slap, le

e dripping with malice. "This solves two problems at once. He wal

o a desperate hope that my father

said coldly. "The Lycan King won

s, but I stayed rooted, un

arling. She could pass for a token of respect if we dressed her up, hid

out. She was erasing every shre

nce more damning than any

nto the conversation like a serpent slithering into a nest

in my chest

he...forced herself on me. She kissed me, and when I reject

mouth, disbelief and fu

s voice explod

ck humility as believable as a wolf in sheep's clo

Oh, Sid, you poor thing! Why d

w. "If that's the case, we're better off

vision blurred as my father

as a problem to be solved, a pawn to

ent-a spark of defiance. If they though