Page 47 of Wicked Prince of Carnage
“You could’ve left his room and come to me. You didn’t need to prove yourself worthy to anyone but your mate,” he said, pinning her with a stare. “Fate thought you would make a good queen of Bloodstorm one day, but even destiny makes mistakes. As a mate, you’ve proven yourself unworthy of even the lowest wolf. A part of you wanted to sleep with my father, or you wouldn’t have. Do you think I’m that foolish?”
“It doesn’t matter if I wanted to or not. I regret it now.” Tears welled in her eyes and her lower lip trembled. Her hands shook as she held them up, pleading. “You can’t mate with that bitch. She’shuman.”
“I’d rather mate a human than you.” His lips curled up at the edges as he angled his head to the side “Move on, Talia. There are plenty of widowers and rejects that you could settle for, but I’m never taking you back.”
She collapsed to the floor and released a sob. It did nothing to Winter’s resolve. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with Talia and would die content if he never set eyes on her again.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
STERLING
The prince was an ass.
Sterling was no longer locked in her guest room since she and the Prince of Carnage were meant to unite the court. Or so the king had said.
The night before, she hadn’t argued when King Valco had caught her off guard, nor had she fought against the request. If she and Winter were mated, then that could give her some sort of leverage, and she could free her brother on her own. Otherwise, Winter would continue to do what he’d been doing—toying with her, keeping her brother locked up so she’d be at his will. Becoming a princess didn’t mean Winter and his father wouldn’t control her. She would be nothing but a puppet, a front, but perhaps the court could be united. That was something Cyan had always wanted. Something her mother would’ve wanted. Her grandmother, on the other hand, she believed would’ve hated her for it.
Even though Sterling was a guest in the king’s castle, that didn’t give her free reign. The few times she’d left the room that day, Lijah trailed her. Red Riding Hood wouldn’t easily be forgotten, regardless that she had no weapon.
Sterling sat alone at the massive ornate dinner table eating a bowl of steaming shrimp bisque. A small bit spilled on the simple dress she’d been given that morning, and she dabbed at the fabric with a napkin when the voices of two guards passed down the hallway.
“Make certain the servants retrieve the most lavish fur and silk blankets,” Caston said. “This is a royal mating. It doesn’t matter that it’s with a human—she’s to be our princess.”
“Of course. How many chairs are needed for the guests to watch?” a female asked.
Sterling choked on her soup and spit some into her bowl as a rack of coughs barreled through her. A brunette servant rushed over and patted her back to save the futureprincessfrom dying. One who would have to fuck in front ofguests, watching her from chairs like a carnival performance.
She held up a hand to stop the servant from whacking her. And, once Sterling found air, her breathing steady, she turned to the servant with wide eyes. “There will only be people watching the prince and me tomorrow night for the ceremony portion, correct? Not the … mating?”
“All of it.” the servant said with a smile. “You attended a mating ceremony last night, so you should know what to expect.”
“But I thought it was different for a royal!”
“It is. This one will be more lavish, with more guests. Everything is formal.”
It didn’t matter if the blankets were the silkiest of silks, Sterling would not fuck in front of an entire audience. She wasn’t a prude by any means, and she didn’t have an issue with changing her clothing in front of wolves at the dress shop, or watching a mating ceremony, but this was different. While she’d been naked in the prince’s lap, kissed him, they hadn’t even gotten one another off. It was clear the pair from the prior night had fucked time and time again before their ceremony.
“Will you take me to the prince’s room when he returns? I need to speak with him.” Sterling’s chest tightened. She hadn’t thought much of marriage over the years—she’d been too busy taking care of Cyan, avenging her grandmother’s death, running a meat shop, and fucking her closest friend to ever consider anything seriously.
“Certainly.” The servant lifted Sterling’s empty glass. “Do you need anything else?”
“No, I think I’ll return to my bedchamber.” Sterling stood from her seat and returned to her room where she spent the day pacing its short length, her boots thumping against the wood. If she had a bow and arrow in her clutches she could ease her tension out in the forest hunting. Once she was wed, would the king and prince trust her enough to allow her weapons?
Sterling didn’t know how much time had passed when a soft knock came at her door. She answered to find the young servant who’d helped her earlier awaiting her. “The prince has returned, and he said you could meet him in his bedchamber.”
“Thank you,” she said.
As Sterling left down the hallway, Lijah followed farther back. Not bothering to knock on the prince’s door, she entered Winter’s bedchamber. It looked similar to his room at the manor, only a cage didn’t rest inside the large space. The prince sat in a chair, his legs spread apart, shaving down a shapeless piece of wood. His sleeves were rolled up his forearms, and several buttons were undone to expose his taut chest, his feet bare. At least one of them wasrelaxed.
He continued to chisel, the wood chips falling to the floor, but he didn’t seem to care.
“I’m still waiting for you to actually make something,” Sterling said, breaking through the silence.
Winter’s piercing blue stare lifted to hers. “What do you need to complain about?”
“What the fuck do I need to complain about?” she hissed while he casually sat there as if he didn’t know. “Are we really supposed to fuck in front of an entire audience?”
“Mmm. I thought you understood that after witnessing the mating ceremony last night.” He arched a brow.
