FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
Rose hated it.
She hated that even after what happened that morning with Andrew, and his insufferable obstinacy, she still couldn’t stop stealing glances at him.
It was late in the afternoon, and she had accompanied Penelope’s maid to pick some herbs in the garden. He happened to be at the other end of the farmyard, near the stable. It was the first time she was seeing him since that morning.
She had been pissed off at first, and she had cursed him to hell and back in her mind after he made it clear he wasn’t ready to shut up about what happened.
She had even lost her temper and said he could do whatever he wanted. Of course he couldn’t! If word spread and Marcus got wind of it…
She knew for certain if it spread, it would evolve along the way and turn into sordid tales about how she had slept with the Beta of the Mountain Blacks. That was how gossip worked; the final tale was often miles from the truth.
A realisation formed in her mind. If at all this got back to Marcus, she wouldn’t be the only one in trouble. So would her sister’s pack.
Marcus would without a doubt use it as an excuse to attack Mountain Blacks and wipe them out once and for all. Blood Moon was capable of that.
If Andrew insisted on holding her misadventure over her head, it could spell trouble for so many!
She had to let him know of that possible consequence before it was too late. Too bad she couldn’t just cross over to him right now. There were too many witnesses. Daisy the maid, and a man in his company.
“Who is that, with Andrew?” she asked the maid, at the same time fussing with a nearby rosemary bush in case she appeared too interested in the men.
“That is Raine, from River’s End.”
“River’s End? Is that a pack?” She had never heard of it.
Daisy nodded. “It’s a rather small pack, so you must not have heard of it. They are good healers, though. Raine is the Alpha’s son. He is good friends with Andrew.”
Rose looked over at the males. Raine was as tall as Andrew, but of a narrower build. Just then, he looked over and their eyes met across the distance. She looked away quickly. It was best if she didn’t draw their attention. What if Andrew had already told him about her?
“There’s usually three of them,” Daisy continued, her voice lowering. “Dale, the Alpha’s cousin, is also their good friend. They are quite notorious around these parts.”
“Notorious?”
“They do everything together.” Daisy’s voice dropped to a secretive whisper. “Including their females, rumour has it.”
Rose turned a shocked glance at the girl. “What?”
Daisy coloured and shook her head. “Please forgive me, Princess. I shouldn’t corrupt your ears with such idle talk.” She indicated the basket of herbs in her hands. “These should be enough. I’ll run them to the kitchen.”
She was gone before Rose could stop her. Not that she would have. It would be unbecoming of her to pursue such gossip.
Was it true?
She couldn’t help stealing another glance towards Andrew and his friend. Unexpectedly, Raine was still looking at her. Ruffled, she turned away and hurried back to the house.
She was certain Andrew had told his friend of her misbehaviour. If they shared females, what was a little gossip about a perverted woman?
Daisy’s words plagued Rose throughout the day and into the night. Had she misunderstood her meaning?
The thought of being taken by a male like Andrew alone was dizzying. To imagine three? How? Would they take turns? Alternate nights?
She couldn’t exactly go and ask Daisy whether she had meant together or in turns!
Why on earth was she so fixated on it, anyway? Worse, she had graduated from imagining another female in the hands of the three males and imagined herself instead.
Just that morning, she had vowed to stop entertaining lewd thoughts about Andrew. Her vow hadn’t even lasted a day, and now she was having thoughts that would make her dead mother turn in her grave.
What a fine princess she had turned out to be. Mated to a monster who treated her like she carried a contagious disease, and now fancying the idea of being taken by three males.
She wished she could wonder when she had fallen from grace, but it was no puzzle.
From the day her father stripped her of her position as the Luna Princess, she had become a princess just in name.
She no longer had the responsibilities tied to her birth, and none of the privileges either.
Was it any wonder, then, that even her thoughts seemed to have deserted the instructions she had received about being a fine, proper noble lady?