phin

e I saw a flash of a black Direwolf coat in the manor corridors, my heart wo

rassing subconscious and focus entirely on m

ital. I knelt on the cold marble floor of the main nave, my head bowed in fervent, highly visible prayer. Whenever gossip-hungry noblewomen

. "As his intended mate, it is my sacred duty to stand by him, even when he has been blinded by deceit

saintly heroine of the season, while Julian was painted as an irredeemable, foolish monster who had thrown away a perfect Luna for a scheming mistress.

awlessly, and Julian wa

a fake tear with an embroidered lace handkerchief, I felt a f

. Stepping out from the heavy shadows of a marble pillar wa

ng down on mine flooding my brain entirely against my w

ce and blocking my path to the carriage. He looked down at my pale, modest dress, at the ha

d thumb gently, deliberately brushed the corner of my eye, wiping away a stray, manufactured tear.

my cheek. He was standing so close I could see the individual, icy shades of blue in his irises. "Though I must conf

eart stopped completely. The blood drained from

sperate moment I had bitten his wrist to escape his kiss. Did I t

guilty red. I desperately tried to rationalize his terrifyingly accurate words. He means the lake, I told myself frantically

e vibrated deep in

nt flickering in his eyes as his gaze settled on my lips. "I thought you'd

s; it carried a vibration that seemed to penetrate straight to my skin, sending a surge of h