by Logan Keys
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
The Noble Throne
Game of Realms Series Book One
Logan Keys & Yessi Smith
Copyright © 2017 by Logan Keys & Yessi Smith
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
This book is for the broken hearted still searching for their fairytale.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
A Note from the Authors
Prologue
Frost clings to Katarina’s long, black eyelashes and icicles stiffen in her midnight hair. Sitting primly on a block of ice, she waits for her intended.
She puts her palms up against the freezing chill of the night and her heart beats evenly, even though pain burns every bit of her naked body.
Katarina’s obsidian eyes dart to and fro, searching for one who isn’t here.
He has to come. He must.
If he doesn’t claim her, she’ll surely die out here.
The royals are tested in this way. Always.
Without her scent, her heat, he’ll have trouble finding her. But he’s being tested, too.
Wild and free, for one whole month.
And still, on the last night, he’s supposed to seek her. His chosen bride, who sits frozen in the deepest winter, waiting…waiting.
“Noble,” she whispers, her vision growing blurry.
But he doesn’t come.
Katarina’s blood slows in her veins. Her heartbeat is no longer even. Her eyes close.
It doesn’t hurt anymore.
Chapter 1
Noble
Through the open window, the first frost bites at my nose. I sit at my desk and write. Well, I was writing, but now I’m just staring. The white snow is a blank canvas that seems to catch my thoughts and luckily doesn’t return them back to me.
I like the numbness it provides—the way the blanket of pure, untouched nature washes everything out.
I could gaze like this for hours.
“Did you hear me, Noble?” Winnie says, and I blink over at her, just now remembering she’s been reading in my chair by the fire. “You can’t still blame yourself.”
How she knows my thoughts are drifting to that long winter night, the fateful eve of Katarina’s death, is a mystery.
Winnie closes her book. “You can’t still think it was any of your doing. Not after all this time. You were naught but a child.”
I frown at Winnie before rubbing a hand over my face. When had we grown up? We’ve elevated quickly from playful foot-races to talking of death, guilt and blame.
And she’s gotten so beautiful. Winnie—Winifred —a name she hates almost as much as her plain, brown hair. But it had never seemed plain to me. It had always seemed… lovely. Too bad she’s a springer, and I’m just…
“I can’t stop thinking about it. You didn’t know her well, but Kat was sweet. Ambitious at times, yes. I tried so hard to find her, but then, it was like I lost myself…”
I turn to look outside again, fading off, like I usually do.
Winnie comes near and tries to pull me from the window. “You were in the woods for six whole months before they found you. How could your parents know you’d gotten some sort of rogue gene? It’s not fair. Wolves lose more mates than any other.”
“They shouldn’t have to die. Not simply to prove a connection. It’s barbaric.”
Winnie gives up on me when I don’t move and searches my bookshelf instead. “When you’re the King of Winter, you’ll change that, Noble. Can I borrow this one?”
“Yes, of course.”
She wiggles her nose when she opens the old book, dust pluming.
I laugh at the sight. “My lady, I think it’s time you head back to your home.”
“What?” she asks, and her little face twitches even more.
“Your nose,” I say.
She sighs. “Damn. And I can’t stop thinking about carrots, either.”
It used to be cute. Now, it’s endearing more than I’d like to admit. The way her face is always moving. The subtle hints of her truest form. When I am as I am now, I think of her long, pretty ears when she changes. It’s kind of alluring. The bunnies always are too damn pretty for their own good.
But then, when I am as I am during the full moon, I try not to think of how I’d rip Winnie’s flesh from her bones without hesitation. I shudder.
Her brown eyes narrow at me. “Getting close, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“I can tell. Your eyes lose the last of their blue and become slate. You’re already like your father in ways, but somehow, Noble, when the full moon is almost upon us, you become a man of silver shadow.”
Her hand finds my cheek, but I stop her. I push it away—the scent of her away.
She rubs her palms on her dress. “My parents have already packed. We’ll be out of your hair in no time.” She winks, trying to lighten the mood.
It’s that time of the year when we seem to change more often than not. We let ourselves run wild for longer and we find new people in the pack to bond with. But now that I’m older, I’ll also find more who will challenge me. I don’t have to worry about mates. No one wants to try to marry the murdering son of the king. They think I purposefully left Katarina to die. That they picture me as such a savage is the reason I hardly see anyone at all but Winnie. She’s truly my only friend.
My father says it’s good, that the pack thinks such a thing—it makes me look cold, strong. He says it’s better for our realm to have a lone wolf as King, anyway. He brings up our history and shows me the loners who’ve ruled before. He’s trying to help bring me back from the maudlin place I’ve been since Kat’s death.
Since I killed my own betrothed.
At first, I liked the idea of being alone. At least no more mates would have to die. But the truth is the
bigger lie. I’m rogue. It’s almost unheard of in our lineage, but my father won’t ever let on to the pack the real reason why I left Katarina. Because it’s a defect.
And…if they found out…I’d never be king.
I rise and hug Winnie, so that she’s not too hurt by my rejection, but I hold my breath, just in case.
Winnie knows the truth. And she won’t ever betray me.
She pulls away to look at me and smiles, and I smile back.
Her eyes widen. “You’re looking a little long in the tooth, Noble.”
I close my mouth.
“Son!” My mother comes into the room. She frowns at our proximity.
I back away a step and she visibly brightens. “Winnie, your parents are waiting.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” Winnie curtseys, sighs, and then looks me over. She’s worried about me.
A bunny. Worried about a wolf.
“Bye, friend,” I say.
“Take care of yourself, won’t you?”
What she means: don’t let the pack bring me down.
Chapter 2
Liana
Life on the prairie is a hard life, a rugged life. A life of scars, of battles lost and of wars won.
The men, our mates, don’t fight for us. That’s not how it’s done. They vaunt for our affections, while we, the women, contest and hunt.
We aren’t like the wolves who only change under a full moon. We aren’t like the Spring animals who wait for the early part of year to mate and eat. Nor are we like the bears whose very existence hangs on by a fraying thread.
We are the lions.
We drink from the ancient springs as if it’ll quench the same thirst that drives us—the innate thirst that we embody. Sunlight courses through our veins, radiating warmth throughout our body. At night, our souls glow dimly against the black backdrop, like stardust painted across the heavens.
We’re governed by laws, but by nature, we are untamable. We change any time we feel like it. We rule all of the seasons but none as much as summer.
Our women take charge in our realm and we command it by brute force. Three queens to every king. We fight for that position, to the death if necessary.
There are many tribes that live in our realm, and each tribe has their own king with three complacent queens governing their family. But there is only one kingdom that rules them all. One king and queen the pride looks to for direction. I was fortunate enough to be born a royal. Destiny whispered her demand into the fleeting wind and I was born. I know it deep in my bones I am meant to rule over not just our pride but all the realms.
My mate, Crede, was chosen with that same knowledge. We are the heirs of Summer. As such I will have to tolerate the other two wives, my own sisters, who will rival against me for our future husband’s attention.
As cubs, our mates are named during the Ceremony of Promises where we are officially betrothed to our partner. We accept our selected groom or bride as our soulmate. The stars have spoken, and we are fated for one another. But always, there’s one female that stands out to her husband-to-be more than the other wives. One lioness the lion prizes above the rest.
As the preferred daughter of the king and queen, I guess it’s only natural that the man I’m betrothed to also favors me. We’ll rule together, Crede, the future king, and me, his wife by his side, with my sisters behind us, always wanting more than they will receive. It’s our destiny.
A destiny I want and shy away from at the same time. Because, although I want my rightful place at the throne beside my closest friend and soon-to-be-husband, I also yearn for something more, something I can’t quite name. Something unknown and, I’m sure, something my parents would disapprove of. I shudder at the thought of their disapproval, of disappointing them.
Behind the soothing, almost melodic sound of the rushing water, something rustles. Tilting my head away from the river and toward the tree line of the nearby woods, all I hear is the wind singing through the trees. I smile when a small fox runs from deep inside the trees and scurries to the meadow. Angling my face upward, I soak in the unending blue sky that spans above me and the sun glistens on my tan skin.
Secure in the loneliness of my surroundings, I undress. My dress falls to the ground unceremoniously and as I step out of it, I unlatch my undergarments, still holding onto my washrag. Walking to the river, the thigh-high grass runs smoothly across my legs. I dip a toe into the cool water. When I’m waist deep, I dive in head first, my carefree glee coming out as a giggle when I come up for air.
This is the life I want. Swimming and bathing in solitude, surrounded by the familiarity of my realm while keeping a watchful gaze at the closest realm where the peaks of the mountains break through the puffy clouds—as if the mountains themselves are cruel and demanding.
Having already put soap on my cloth, I lather myself, beginning with my long, light-brown hair. The same shade of brown that covers my lion form.
A gentle whisper of leaves crackling catches my attention again. For a second time, I scan my surroundings. The sun streams into the dark spaces, permitting me to see the thick wooded area better. I startle, gasping for air, when I spot a pair of electric blue eyes emanating from behind a nearby bush, a dark mass of fur surrounding it.
The lone wolf prowls forward, sending me a quick glance as he dips his face and laps the cool water into his mouth. I still, both of us watching the other, and when I cover my naked body with my hands, his eyes narrow. I inch forward, anger making my body tremble with every casual step I take. In response, he pulls his muzzle back as he bears his white, sharp teeth at me. A growl rumbles from deep within his chest. I jump, changing form, and the transition is swift but empowering. In my true nature as a lion, my muscles twitch with power desperate to be released. The wolf flees the moment I land where he once stood, watching and antagonizing me.
The coward runs with his tail firmly between his legs. Unsure of his true nature—if he is simply a wolf or a spy sent from Winter—I follow him with the same quiet and patient footsteps I use when hunting.
I let him lead while I stalk back, as he rushes back to safety. When his stance relaxes, confident that he is alone, I stride forward, away from the shadows I’d hidden in.
We circle each other. His ears suddenly erect and he holds his legs stiff, he stands tall. He holds his tail high, thrashing side to side. We pace in front of each other. Watching. Waiting.
He snaps his jaw, his dark fur bristling as he stares intently at me. His muscles expand and retract with every step, and dominance radiates from him. His eyes change color, alerting me of his true nature.
This isn’t a regular wolf who accidentally strolled into our realm but, as I suspected, a wolf from Winter.
He crouches, as if readying himself to attack, so I pounce, landing on him and sinking my teeth into his neck. A howl crackles, reverberating around us as the first star appears onto the falling sky.
Chapter 3
Noble
I wander from the pack immediately.
My animal side takes over, just like before. It’s why Katarina died, because once I’m wolf, I’m not half myself as my parents are, as the parents before them were. If I change, I become the wolf. If I die, I wouldn’t even feel the death.
I do remember much later, but in the moment, it’s as if I’m asleep. The memories will tumble back unexpectedly afterward.
As soon as I transition, I head for the wood line, but the wolf doubles back. Before transitioning, I’d been seeking to be alone, and the wolf follows suit. I can sense the wrongness of where I’m heading, but the wolf pushes on never-the-less.
What I can recall next is waking - naked and bleeding.
I’m against the walls of our castle trying to hold chunks of myself together, blind with a pain I’ve never felt before.
Bites have been taken out of me.
I try to yell, but can’t summon the energy to do more than whisper.
A growl makes me flinch, huddle into myself, and I stare
into the wood, waiting for the monster that did this to show themselves. To finish the job.
Three wolves watch me. Just blinking eyes before they come into the growing light. Their markings are ones I cannot recognize. They must be from the furthest parts of our kingdom. The large black one strides over and I wait, breath held, ready for them to attack.
If a wolf could look offended, this one does.
It sets back from me and raises its beautiful face to the sky. I’m realizing this is a sweet she-wolf, elegant and pure. And from the color of her coat, to the bright blue tinge of her eyes, she’s got noble blood.
She howls. A loud, mournful sound. A cry for help.
The doors to the kingdom spring open. Riders on horses thunder out to us and the wolves remain. We are one people.
My guards lift me to the saddle and I let go of the consciousness and sleep the sleep of a dead man.
Staccato memories pepper my brain before I’m even fully awake. They come back unbidden and out of order. I’m in a fever, and the infection’s settled deeply into my wounds, perhaps even my bones. The razor-sharp claws of an apex predator had sliced me in so many places that I’ve lost count. The rents sizzle with heat, and the sweat burns the edges of the torn flesh.
Every move I make is agony.
The wolf had led me to battle this time. But why? And where is this enemy now?
I know I’d been in a warm place when it happened. I remember feeling the sun’s warmth sinking in, like hot fingers through my thick fur.
