The Alpha's Hidden Moon

n on yo

rder than the sl

eight, the other instinctively covering my face. The silver tray I was carrying fell cla

ng hall

nyone was

there wa

epmother Marcy Voss looked down at me like I had stained the expensive carpet and not spilt a cup of tea.

llowe

you ever

e more painfu

would only bring me more punishment. "Every time you leave that attic, you embarrass

I l

have l

mo

broken pieces of porcela

arp edge c

attered

sed q

dn't eve

, and turned away. T

k was f

like

't her

she expected some

ic, the cut on my han

oor and stepped into the only

sn't

wall, with the old novels people had discarded years ago. When the storms came, r

d have called it

me

as s

hout

ulls

d me I was

ndow and wrapped my

the flowers of early summer. Behind them, the iron gates of

r what it was like

laugh t

ave dinner with

ry morning thinking th

broke my

soft

one knock like

just enough for

bread, soup and a little apple

smiling. "You'll

"I've been in

youngest of the servants in the manor. She wasn'

fore she saw the cloth around my

"It was Lady

. "You don't

told me she

d passed me the apple. "I

e are coming im

e have guests

ike t

ered. "The As

the quiet atti

ies about them when

owerful we

hest pr

ariest

moment Kael Ashthorne ste

e'd never l

on how much of th

tayed the same i

up to him. 'What does

her head. '

ants say your stepmother has been p

eard rumours o

alit

d never bee

e powerf

n't h

rt off. "I had better be going b

oor and stopped. "Oh

morr

"...don't let them

e. "You know th

d not

e knew I w

he could

window and the smell of

ross my lap, but I hadn't tur

s... som

he

feeling of r

ound the estate wa

were n

b

mp

ook and went

the moon and the gard

Move

figure at th

ll

in b

nt to see

lin

re had v

ran down

was my im

y back to

k came from

n my

door of

in the

rs swun

hurriedly along the

yelled a

anoth

ttic door, draw

t open enou

're h

full of excitement. "The

've shut

athe

rept into t

could get a little glimpse bef

n

, careful to avoid the loose

as the gre

parked outside a

zens of guar

crowd

through the

s tran

med to contr

not s

rying to imp

confidence of a man who had n

t swept the p

es calmly sca

stopped

vants bowed

who was always the a

roppe

seen fear so

o have go

lik

e of looking him

th

locked

emed to hold

ped his

was mot

passed over th

pri

ple

gnit

re I could du

low step towa

d my

ow that only I could