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Nadia

God, but my butt hurts.

I shift uncomfortably on the wooden bench that I’ve been sitting on since the ferry station opened at dawn, glaring up at the departure board as I’ve been doing for hours, waiting for my ferry’s dock to be announced – across the bay, back home .

Far, far away from Cole fucking Kincaid, that Alpha jerk who claimed me last night – in front of his entire family, in front of my dad .

I scowl, turning over the events in my mind for the millionth time, getting just as steamed and mortified about it as I was since the moment it happened.

That smug jerk coming down the formal staircase inside the damn palace while I was just standing around waiting for dad to stop talking to the King so we could go .

I knew I shouldn’t have listened to dad when he said it would be no big deal to wait for him there – I haven’t gone back to the palace since I was eight for a reason .

I hate those stupid royal wolves – I never wanted to see them again.

The moment Cole had seen me again, he had just stared at me under those lowered brows, all unflinching and adamant as he strode down the steps and over to me, announcing in a shaking voice that I – Nadia Amir – wasn’t going anywhere. That his mate and future Queen’s place was there . With him .

Even now, my cheeks redden, my eyes narrowing as the scene rolls through my mind. For all I know, steam starts to pour out of my ears.

And it’s not even just that I don’t want to be the damn Queen or be married – or mated, or whatever – to that prick! It’s Cole’s younger brother Jude’s ringing laughter that really gets to me.

Princess Iris had been shocked, but Jude had laughed hysterically, apparently flabbergasted at the outrageous idea that I, a lowly human in a world of wolves, could ever even be considered good enough to date his stupid brother.

Because, of course not – wolves have always looked down on humans.

For hundreds of years, they have considered us second-class citizens –

In some parts of the world, wolves even enslave humans –

And while things are different here in Clythera, where there is at least a semblance of equal rights…it’s still an idea to be laughed at that a pathetic human could ever be worthy of power. That a human girl could be striking enough to be attractive to an all-powerful Alpha wolf.

God, if I ever see that Jude jackass again I’m going to kick him right in the balls. I should have done that in the first place.

How dare he? How dare he laugh at me, make a mockery of me - in front of everyone?

But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. This is the world we live in, after all. Wolves just…take what they want.

And Cole Kincaid? Apparently, he wants me.

Well, fuck what Cole Kincaid wants because I’m out of here. No big, burly, lurking, hulking, bird-brained idiot Alpha mates for me – not today, not fucking ever.

A sudden change on the departure board has me blinking back to the present, and my mouth turns to a grim little smile when I see a dock and a ferry name listed next to my time and destination. The Intrepid, dock four.

Great. Time to get the hell out of this city and go home , where things are normal. Back to my mom and sister – back to see if my nursing program has accepted me into the humanitarian mission I applied to. Which they…initially rejected me for because of some…very minor subversive action on my part.

And I mean, they definitely shouldn’t have! I wasn’t doing anything really wrong – just protesting for human rights! It’s not my fault the protests occurred during enrollment week. When lots of prospective students were visiting.

At least…it’s not singularly my fault.

I stand, striding off for the fourth dock, the pain in my aching butt and back making me consider that maybe it was a bad idea to sneak out palace last night.

The King advised that we stay the night so we could stay and discuss this “mate business,” but I couldn’t stand to be there even a minute longer.

So I left with nothing but my backpack to wait alone on this freezing pier until the boats started running.

At the time, I couldn’t wait to get out of there – but my aching body makes me consider, now, if I wasn’t just… a little hasty with that.

I push the thought away, readjusting my backpack as I focus my gaze on the big blue ferry pulling up to the fourth dock. A little snarl lifts my lips with contempt when I see Kincaid Seaways written on the side.

Fucking Kincaids. They own everything, don’t they?

But suddenly the boat stops moving forward. A flicker on the dock’s electronic sign draws my eyes up. My steps stutter to a stop, a gasp falling from my lips when the sign flashes once, the time of departure erasing, suddenly replaced with the word CANCELLED in big white letters.

“What?” I gasp. Groans erupt from passengers around me. “What the hell?”

My shoulders slump as I come to a stop twenty feet from the dock, realizing that I’ve got to wait, like, six more hours for the next ferry. God, all I want to do is get out of this fucking place – out of this stupid Alpha city, packed with wolves –

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

I spin at the growled words, shock running through me, because there’s no way -

But of course. Of course, it’s him.