Chapter 58
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Time slows down when all there is left to do is count the days, Ive offic
officially b
heen cleared to do heavier movements. Its taken me a few days to be able to sprint and shake the stiffness e been plagued with since the rejection
The cold morning air feels good in my lungs. The morning mist feels amazing on my bare skin. For the first time in to long. I feel like I can clear my head of his voice. The lies and the way he treated me because I didn’t fall in line the way he expected
Our entire mating has been playing over and over in my head. From the first time we acknowledged one another as fated to the morning before he got married. I was living in a delusion, not seeing what was really in front of me. I was so starved for attention that I never even thought to question the restrictions, he rules, and the bodyguards.
They weren’t there to protect me. They are making sure no one comes too close. How stupid? I reach the end of the grape vines in my grandmother’s backyard. My lungs are screaming, and my throat is raw with the cold air. I place my hands on my thighs to catch my breath.
A rustle of leaves immediately gets me to quiet down. I look around and crouch down to get under the vines to get some cover. There’s more movement, and I slowly move away from the direction it’s coming from. I pause when I hear it again from behind me.
All I have on me is my phone and my wireless earpods. I tap on to stop the music and try to make myself smaller again. This time. I hear the squishy sound of wet mud right behind me I tuck and roll out of the way and spin around just in time to see someone’s shadow run.
Without giving it a second thought, I run back the way I came. When I hear footsteps coming up behind me. I skid to a stop and roll to the other side of the vine. Whoever it is rushes post on the other, and when I turn around. I scream at the top of my lungs and swing at the same time. My fist connects with his mouth, and he stumbles back, cupping his face.
“Asshole!” I shout. Ivar looks back at me, both in shock and amused.
“You punched me,” he says accusingly. A booming laugh scared the hell out of me as Ragnar crawls to the row we’re in.
“You were hunting me,” I point between them. “What did you expect
“I heard that slap. It was amazing,” Ragnar laughs. I let out a sigh of relief.
“You scared me,” I say and try to catch my breath again.
“We tried to wave you down before you took off. You’re fast, he mirks. And you have amazing reflexes”
“Come on, breakfast is waiting. The old people are leaving” Ivar aves us over.
“Where have you been?” I swat his arm playfully. He laughs and dilles my hair.
*Since my sentence is up, I have prince duties again. I went up to Barcelona to stop a feud he explains Look at you, huh? The major general whipping you into shape!”
“Are you kidding? She was so upset when she save me getting realy to go out this morning. She thinks it’s too soon. I keep telling her Fin fine.”
“She has experience in this You should listen, he scolds.
“Sophie says she’s line. Drop it, Ragnar warns him.
“I hear we have a contract pending, Ivar says, as we appariach the house,
Ragnar growls at us to get us to shut the hell up. Up ahead, my gandother and their father are discussing something. It looks like a heated argument from where Em standing. The guy exchange a knowing look as if this were nothing new.
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Chapter 38
Welcome to the Axel household, Ivar says quietly.
“This is the shut I’m talking about. You are my King before anything else, I follow your orders as long as they are within reason. This one is not.” my grandmother shouts
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“He is the reason your son is dead, the King shouts back, and he might as well have slapped her across the face. Herwince hurts me in a way I didn’t think I cared enough for
“Hey, what’s going on?” I ask, taking my grandmother’s hand. She turns into me as she tries to catch her breath
“You were gone a long time,” she says accusingly,
“The guys joined me. We were playing around. I’m sorry, I worried you.” I apologize, looking up at the King. “Did something happen!”
The Alpha King pardoned the Romanos,” my grandmother says holding my hand tighter. I look over at her to see that she’s looking right back at me.
“You don’t seem surprised.” The King’s red eyes zero in on me.
He tries to reach for me, only to be met with Ragnar stepping in front of me and Ivar backing him up. The King Laughs, looking between his sons. I reach out to calm them both and look up at him. He deserves an explanation.
“I’m not. Ragnar gave them an incentive when we had to leave Artume before he could shift. They’re going to spin this in their favor. I can’t give you what you want now, because things like this take time without going to war. I know we don’t know one another very well, but I would like to take care of this for you. For us. As a future member of your race,” I bow head submissively.
ננו
When I straighten up, both my grandmother and he are staring at me as if I have grown a second head. My grandmother’s expression goes through the works. Confusion, concern, and finally, what I hope I’m interpreting right, pride. There is no doubt in my mind that she will come to accept this if she isn’t perfectly fine with it now.
The King’s expression softens when he sees I’m serious. His nose flares, and he paces back and forth without looking away from me, but he finally caves and nods. He looks up between his sons and lets a low growl.
“What you are asking is not as easy as saying it out loud. If you complete this, you will be able to join the ranks as the heir of the Helvig bloodline. You would have to mate a Lycan and turn. Do you understand that?”
“Yes, sir. I do,” I confirm.
“You two assholes put her up to it, didn’t you?” he steps up to Ramar, getting in his face. “You’ve got a very pacifist grip on your politics as of late.”
I tried to talk her out of it,” Ivar puts his hand up. “Trust me, the last thing she needs is to be anywhere near these people. If that’s what we should call them.”
“And you?” he looks up at Ragnar, who I am just noticing towers over him.
“I would like nothing more than to take them myself, he sighs and then looks down at me. “But the omega is right. We go over there, and we look like the assholes. This is the second genation of the Supernatural Alliance, Dad. We will not be the ones to break the treaty that sends us all back to the dark ages.
I’ve tested her strategies. I trust that she can do this, and if you paying attention, she’s been Lama Romano’s shadow for a while and has same interesting secrets in tell. The wolves we found that were feeding the packlands information were found. because of her. I think this is a good option to explore,” he crows his arms over his chest. “We’re having trouble getting in
with the wolves, old man
“I don’t know how to play well with others any more than you can. I don’t have the patience for it, but she does. We listen and take notes. I believe it’s an equal exchange. She teaches us to play ball with these things, and we let her in. Push comes to
shove, we kill her.
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Chapter 8
Tm standing right here,” my grandmother growls.
“You know the laws better than anyone.” Ragnar says, looking down at me. “We all have everything to lose in this arrangement. She will be no exception.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
