Rogue Desires (Sample)

Three

Sloane:

The castle was silent when I entered, and I tiptoed toward the stairwell. I knew I would be scolded for running away today, but my priority was getting to my room and changing out of my ripped and drenched dress.

If my mother were to see me like this, her perfectly healthy heart would give out, and my father would send out an army to avenge me. They would probably call the pack doctor in to examine me and confirm whether I had been raped, and even though my lip had already healed, I would be checked from head to toe for injuries.

I ran up the back stairwell on the balls of my feet, trying to stay as quiet as possible, but every breath I released sounded like an alarm bell blaring through the small passageway.

Just as I reached the door to my room, my sister's opened just across the hall.

"What happened to you?" Ellie asked, but there was no concern in her tone. She was still bitter about the contest, but I didn't understand why. She was only eighteen and still had plenty of time to find someone.

I couldn't understand why she had lashed out as if offended when it was announced that the packs would be arriving to compete for my hand instead of hers. Her time would be here soon enough.

Ellie was one of the most beautiful women in the pack, tall and toned, with golden hair that naturally fell in perfect, frizz-free waves and a magical mix of brown eyes with green flecks.

Mine were just plain brown, and my hair was a dull, dirty blonde. Compared to my mother, who had been the most beautiful woman in the pack in her day and the daughter she passed that gene down to, I felt bland and hated it.

"I fell," I said, sounding just as curt and angry as she did when she had asked me.

"Are you hurt?"

The question surprised me, and I blinked once before shaking my head silently. She had always been a vain and self-centered person, and the last thing I expected was for her to care about my well-being, especially when she wouldn't be the center of attention for the next month.

"Shame." Her eyes scanned me over once more before she scoffed. I gaped at her as she spun on her heels and stormed down the hallway. She used to be nice, but after attending a meeting with my father at another pack a few months ago, she returned as a different person.

I almost wanted to send her back, but I didn't think the other pack would want her back with her new attitude.

The smell of dinner wafted down the hallway, making my stomach grumble.

I knew Ellie was heading down to eat with our parents. I just had to hope I could get there before she told them about my appearance and made things worse for me. Their punishments had usually been pretty lenient, but one day, they would snap, and from how tense they had been, I figured that day was coming soon.

Within a minute, I was in a new dress and had pulled my tangled hair up into a decent enough bun before running down the hallway, cursing myself for forgetting to grab shoes. I just had to hope my mother wouldn't notice.

The table was set, with the food laid out as my father dug in like he had been starving for years while my mother glared at him, waiting for everyone to take their seat before serving herself.

My brother, Aiden, was the only redhead in the family. He was fourteen but acted like he was damn near my age most of the time. When he saw me enter, his eyes widened, and he bit back a laugh, pointedly looking at my bare feet before turning to get my mom's attention by 'accidentally' flipping his fork off his overfilled plate and sending peas across the room.