Either way, I was now here, standing in my human form, watching Julian unbutton his shirt. Julian glanced backwards and me and waggled his eyebrows. “I thought it would be nice to go for a swim.” “And you are going to get naked to do that?” I asked. Last button unbuttoned, he shucked his shirt

Julian and I stayed out in the woods until just before dawn, when we finally made our way back toward the palace. Just as we broke the tree lines and came into the field on the outside of the gardens, Julian stilled. I stopped beside him and looked at him curiously. His gaze seemed to be fixed on

Julian and Nicholas continued to barrage each other with different attacks. Fur flew. Teeth chomped. Claws slashed, drawing blood. At each overly-vicious blow, delivered by each of the two brothers, I flinched forward, wanting to stop the fighting. But Mark’s extended arm kept me from impulsively

Not long after I parted with Julian and returned to my room to change, I was alerted that the candidates were to report to the foyer to receive the results of the theater event. I had expected the results to come quickly, but this seemed extra fast. Though with Bridget the professional actress amo

“I didn’t sleep with Julian,” I said quickly, before Nathan could talk over me again. It felt imperative to say so now, knowing that even the Luna was out here believing the gossip. “That was a rumor that –” “Do not lie to my face, Piper,” Nathan snapped. “I am a respected Beta of the King of this

After receiving Bridget’s warning, I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t risk running into Nicholas, which meant avoiding the places we usually went together. Instead, I ended up in the library with Veronica. Veronica didn’t seem surprised to see me when I joined her. She didn’t even really greet m

“I’m sorry…” I began. She shook her head minutely, wordlessly telling me that my reasons didn’t bother her. “This is your chance to vent before I return to my studies.” I wouldn’t let this opportunity pass me by. “I assume you have heard the rumors about Julian and me…” “That you had sex in th

That evening, after preparing for dinner, I stopped to chat with the guards at my door. By now, they had all become friendly, familiar faces, and though I wouldn’t consider us friends exactly, it was always a pleasure to stop and say hello. It was also a relief knowing the people in charge of mine

I tried to smile as well, at least when the cameras were facing me. Constantly being filmed was beginning to be exhausting. “I recently announced the results of the theater event,” Nathan said. “Well, today, I am excited to announce the rewards.” Suddenly, everyone perked up, like our coffee had

I blinked, staring at Julian. Go on vacation with them? Was he talking about the reward for the theater event? That would explain Veronica’s presence. I stepped back and welcomed them into the room. Then I reminded them, “I’m not one of the high ranking candidates.” Julian shrugged. “Who cares?”