Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I held my breath, knowing that there was more.
“But when we are alone, princess, it will be the other way around. When we are alone, I shall be your master and you will be my slave, sworn to obey my every word.” His smile was feral. “If I want you to take me in your mouth, you’re going to take it and you’re going to ask me how many times I want to come in your mouth. If I want to fuck you like a dog, you’re going to let me—-”
“Why are you talking to me like this?” I cried out.
“Can’t I fuck you like a dog? After all, that’s what you really think of me, don’t you? That’s why you thought I’d make a good Cavaliere.”
“No, it’s not—-”
“Don’t bother lying,” Alejandro snapped. A bitter smile slashed his lips. “There’s no shame in speaking the truth. After all, warriors like you and me...we don’t lie, do we?”
I couldn’t answer. How ironic that it was when he was telling the truth, I realized I was wrong. Warriors lied – and they could lie to themselves the way I had done.
I was soon to secure my inheritance as pack leader, and I had the strongest warrior at my side. It was everything I had dreamed of, but my future had never seemed bleaker, knowing that Alejandro now hated me as much as I loved him.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I never...” My voice trailed off. He would never believe me now. I should have spoken up earlier, but I hadn’t. And now I had to pay the price for lying. I knew I wasn’t the only one at fault, but that didn’t matter. He had hurt me, and I had lashed back only to realize too late that by hurting him, I would only hurt myself more.
“I’m just so sorry.” It was the only thing I could say.
“I’m sure you are, little kitty.” His voice was softly mocking. “But I will make you sorrier in the next few days. Be assured of it.”
Part Two
Chapter One
CALYS
I wasn’t used to parties. I might be a pack princess, but my pack didn’t consist of fancy birds or powerful wolves. We were panthers, and that meant growing up outdoors – and fighting.
I was more at home in the woods of the Everglades than the red-carpeted ballroom of a first-class hotel. I preferred to be dressed for combat rather than a velvet gown so tight it felt like I wouldn’t be able to breathe without bursting a stitch open.
I knew how to kill with a lipstick, an AK-47, and duct tape – separately. But ask me how to wrap a gift without a paper bag? Or – like now – figure out small talk with shifters I had nothing in common with?
“The party is to your liking, Princess Calys?” a noble from my fiancé’s pack asked.
I smiled brightly. It was the best answer I could come up with. Warriors didn’t lie, you see, and as the future alpha of our pack, my father had raised me to be one.
An awkward silence was born as the noble waited for my answer.
When it became clear all I was going to do was smile, my fiancé Pasquale Hernandez smoothly stepped in. “She is a very shy thing, my betrothed.”
That was a big fat lie, and we all knew it. But then Pasquale was not a warrior by choice. Even when we were young, he was the only panther I knew who preferred to watch from the sidelines, using his brains to manipulate rather than clawing his way to victory. It was a good tactic, and I admired him for it. Maybe, when we were married, I could get him to teach me to be as patient as he was.
When the nobleman walked away, Pasquale told me in an apologetic voice, “I apologize for this, princess. I know you are not used to such gatherings, but it is what my pack expects.” His voice was smooth and courteous, as perfect as his princely appearance. He was probably the only panther in the world to feel more comfortable with a shirt than without one, and the more formal, the better.
“You have nothing to apologize for. I am the one who is in the wrong.” The more time I spent with Pasquale, the stiffer I became. I knew he had the makings of a Prince Charming, but honestly he felt more like a headmaster – the kind that hated people who talked using contractions. With him, I always ended up saying ‘I am’ and ‘you are’, and heaven forbid if I ever used ‘gotta’ or ‘wanna’.
Pasquale’s gaze strayed to the main doors, where guests came through like an endless stream. “I see some more of my friends arriving. Would you like to join me...?”
I shook my head. “You will only have to worry about me if I did. Please enjoy yourself with your friends. I am more than happy here.”