Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
My life was never easy. I grew up in a frozen tundra, but at least it was familiar. Then one cold day, my pack exiled me. I was thrown from the only home I’ve ever known and forced to find a new one.
Now I’m in a strange new world, surrounded by bright lights, loud noises, and far too many people. I’m frightened and trust no one. I wake up in a cell with no one who speaks my language. I’m sure death will come for me.
Instead, I get a vampire.
Dante Dellacourt has been given an ultimatum. Either he takes a consort and settles down, or his very wealthy, powerful family will disown him. Unwilling to lose the life he’s accustomed to, he reluctantly agrees to find a wife.
He chooses me.
He’s unlike any man I’ve ever known. We can’t be more different, but I still find him irresistible.
But I know that inside him hides a ferocious beast waiting to be unleashed. I only need to find the key to unleash him or we might both be lost to betrayal and war
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Prologue
Kaja
The Werewolf Plane
I look up into the eyes of the woman who raised me, seeking any kind of understanding there. Helga is not a kind mother. The older wolf isn’t my mother at all. She was designated by the First as my keeper when I was orphaned. But Helga was the one to ensure I survived. Helga gives me food and grudging shelter when the weather is too cold for any wolf to stand. Helga only beats me when there is no other option. I’m aware I’m far too thin for a she-wolf of four and twenty, but it’s only to be expected. I have no mate, and Helga must think of her own children first.
But she owes me answers.
“What does it mean?” I ask.
I don’t understand what just happened. It makes no sense. My hands tremble as I pull the thin shawl around my shoulders. I think about changing. I always change when I feel this anxious. Fur and fangs and four strong paws seem more solid than my two-legged body. I hold fast to my human form since I need to understand how my life has changed following the wisewoman’s pronouncement.
Mere moments before, the wisewoman, a large, sturdy wolf, stood up in the middle of the evening meal and spoke. I was at the edge of the dining hall, as is customary. I’m not allowed to eat until the rest of the pack is done. Though I couldn’t hear everything that was said, I felt the eyes of the pack turn, seeking me out. They stared, some with open sympathy, most with sneers.
I do not understand why.
Helga’s eyes are anything but kind as she looks at me. “It means you are outcast. Do you understand the word, girl? You are no longer welcome in the pack. I risk the First’s anger by even speaking with you, but you are too stupid to be expected to understand on your own.”
“Why?” My voice sounds as small as I feel.
I ignore the insults. They are as ordinary to my life as breathing. I was never particularly welcome in the pack, but it’s the only home I know. The world is a cold place. How will I survive on my own? It’s winter, and there is barely enough food to feed the pack. I can’t compete with the warriors on my own. If I am outcast and they catch me hunting in their territory, they will kill me.
Sven will kill me.
Tears pool in my eyes as I think of the handsome Second. He is every inch his father’s son. He will be First someday. I fought him, but he doesn’t take no for an answer. I hated the mating, but somewhere in the back of my mind I wonder if Sven will help me. He desires me. That has to mean he cares about me. I have always known that Sven will not ask me to be his permanent mate. He will select a much more suitable she-wolf for that honor. But he has promised me the role of concubine. It is not without its benefits. I will be respected as the Second’s mistress. I will be the she-wolf who holds his heart. Even if he never holds mine, I will be fed and have a place of honor.
“Sven will not allow it.” He called me beautiful. He won’t allow me to be thrown out of the pack. He can’t. He was the one to pursue me. The truth is I loathe him, but I don’t see another way.
Helga sighs. “He’s done with you, idiot child. He’s going to permanently mate with the wisewoman’s daughter. Did you think she would allow her daughter’s future husband to keep you as a concubine? That is an embarrassment she can not endure. You should never have given yourself to the chief’s son.”