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Chapter 29: Hell of a First Choice
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A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 30: Wine
I dare not take another sip of alcohol. I feel flushed. I can’t eat the fish on the plate. Each course has its own wine category. Second course is lamb and fresh vegetables. The wine pairing is red wine. It looks like blood with an earthy smell. I don’t think I like wine. “One time is enough then?” The Prince asks casually. “You cannot expect a slave to understand refined tastes or choices, your highness.” Luna Osiris quips. It stings. It’s like a hornet's sting. First you are surprised but not hurt. Then comes the deep intensifying burn that will not subside. “I find this wine with crow insignia to be quite lovely.” Alpha Osiris says with an air of sophistication. “Woody with a touch of smoke and juniper berry.” He muses. “I’ve seen plenty of slaves enjoy wine, Luna Osiris; some even a tad too much.” The Prince haughtily responds. I can tell Alpha Osiris is mind linking her. She forces a smile. “Yes, of course your highness.” She responds quietly. I enjoy her being pu
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 31: The Great Father
Of course, I knew it. One of the most famous propaganda songs from the early realm. Every child would learn it as part of the annual Blessing of the Moon Festival. It celebrates the gift the goddess gave us by giving us the King. Our Great Father of the Realm. I think back to that story my father told me.After the Alpha of the Shadow Mountain pack bent his knee to King Malakai, Lunar Storm Pack was the next to submit. The alpha of the pack had a son and three daughters. “When I offered mercy in exchange for loyalty, you hesitated. Now each time I consider you, I will think of that hesitation.” My father recited in his menacing Malakai voice. “In order to assuage my desire for loyalty, I will keep your youngest daughter as a member of the royal harem. I still show mercy by returning your Alpha heir.” He continued as Malakai. The Ode to Ahlai doesn’t give poor Ahlai justice for the cruel twist of fate she suffered. It doesn’t talk about her being taken to the royal harem at 16. Bei
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 32: The Wasps
The Prince made his way to the stage to announce the winners of the wine competition. The crowd cheers his entrance to the stage with enthusiasm. The Prince raises his port glass in toast, which is echoed by the crowd. “Long Live King Amon!” He roars. “Long Live the—“ An explosion booms from the stage. My ears are ringing as I try to make sense of what just happened. The King’s guard swarming the Prince in protective formation. Wasps protecting the nest. Strike first, contemplate later. Screams of chaos and breaking glass are all I can hear. I look around for Dmitry. Maristela. Agatha. The familiar faces of my house. All I see is panic, chaos, and breaking wine glasses. The screams then shift to shrills of pure panic and intense fear. The guard shooting arrows into the crowd, some shifting into massive wolves. The drool dripping from their glistening teeth bared and snarling. I shelter under the table and see Osiris and my mother already there. Coward. A wolf rips the throat f
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 33: Temple
Weeks had passed and no culprit was uncovered. Everyone is speculating and whispering conspiracy theories. Was it rogues? Other packs trying to damage our relationship with the crown? Angry peasants? Conspirators trying to shift the line of succession? Or my personal favorite, the witches of the black woods. I have always relished in stories of the witches of the woods. The legends say they drink the blood of young women to stay youthful. My father would always laugh when I would tell the stories I had heard of the black woods. “Legends, my dear girl!” He would laugh. “I’m afraid the truth is far more boring than you imagine.”Thoughts of witches and spells would have to wait for another day. I am to report to the temple this morning. A werewolf’s 18th birthday is one of the most important days of their lives. At midnight on the day you were born you officially meet and then shift into your wolf. It is the night your soul is bonded to the wolf gifted to you by the Goddess. My sto
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 34: Devotion
People never really discuss the real mechanics of shifting. It is only spoken of in riddles and euphemisms. My father’s saying probably holds true here, the truth is far more boring than you imagined. I take pleasure in the little things though, and magic can be discovered even in the mundane. The walk to the temple is uneventful. As I pass people on the road a few give encouragement and blessings but most give a quiet nod of understanding. The temple is simple in design. A large complex on a massive estate. Vineyards and gardens being worked by priestesses and acolytes. Others come to work the gardens as an act of penance or charity. The food grown here supplies many temples around the realm. It is also sold and traded for other goods that are needed but not donated. The grounds are impeccably kept. Not one thing out of place. I walk towards the large temple doors. As I pull the door open, two others arrive for their ceremonies as well. I recognized the boy as a stable hand. He
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 35: Theia
The pink stains of sunset blot the sky as we make our way out of the baths and into our moon chamber. I was wrapped in a simple white robe. My feet bare against the cold stone floor of the temple. “May the Goddess bless you.” The priestess murmured as she locked me in the chamber.Now I wait. I sit cross legged on the floor and look to the sky. There is still quite some time before midnight. The light is almost completely gone. I close my eyes and rest my head against the stone wall. “Awaken.” I hear a strong female voice. “Who’s there?” I say aloud. My voice echoes in the chamber. When she spoke there had been no echo. In the darkness I see two Violet eyes staring at me. A wolf emerges from the darkness. “It is I who spoke, but mind to mind not aloud.” I hear her voice but her mouth does not move. “C-can you hear me?” I thought to myself, unsure if it would work. “Yes, I hear everything. I see everything.” She says slowly. I study her for a moment. She is large, especially for
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 36: Reverend Mother
I felt the tingling first. My whole body was on pins and needles. Then came the pain. I understand why descriptions are in riddles or euphemisms, there are not words to describe the feeling. Yes, there is absolutely pain. It is more than that though. The pain is almost disorienting, as your body shifts into a wolf. Then you are a wolf. I am a wolf!The freedom I feel is indescribable. I take a step. The cold stone floor presses against the pads of my feet. It doesn’t feel as cold as it did with my bare human feet. I look up to the sky searching for the moon. I howl. A long sorrowful howl. Like I’m calling for someone or something far away from me. “What was that?” I ask not sure what it all means. “That’s a story for another time.” Theia says flatly. “When will all these stories be told?” “When we are alone. Safe. We are not safe to speak freely here.” She warns. I do not respond. I hear soft steps from the hallway. A priestess peers in through the window of the door. She ga
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 37: A Reunion
The sun's first rays are illuminating the road as I step out of the temple. Acolytes, priestesses, worshippers, and volunteers are starting to shuffle around for morning prayers and chores. Theia and I are silent as a walk through the temple grounds towards the outer gates. I’m exhausted. It is taking all my focus just to put one foot in front of the other. “Do we always walk so slow and awkwardly?” Theia grumbles. “Do you want to be the one to walk?” I ask in a sharp tone. She sighs deeply. We both know I do not have the energy or strength to shift. Silence. “Tell me one of your stories then. I walk, you talk.” I say breaking the silence. Nothing. I reach the edge of the estate. I don’t really want to answer questions or work right now. I walk into the fields towards my garden. I might get lucky and find some ripe tomatoes or berries still on vines. I run my fingers through the fragrant herbs, making the pungent smells waft toward me. I will miss this place. These lands. My
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A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 134: Erebus
TheiaHis wolf appeared in the mouth of the cave. His dark inky coat is almost impossible to see in the dark, but his eyes, pools of molten gold, impossible to look away from. My pull to him is on a cellular level, every single cell in my body aching to be near him. The light to his darkness. The yin to his yang. We are meant to be. “Mate!” I hear a harsh growl penetrating my mind. His power capable of mind linking before our sealing. His aura blankets the cave and demands my submission. “You should not have come here. You are to follow me!”It’s clear he expects this to be a one way conversation. His wolf impatiently stares at me waiting for my submission. “I have a name and will not be talked to as a child.” I say sassily, unleashing my own aura in the cave. The power is suffocating. “How?” My mate stammers, stunned. I walk deeper into the cave, my paws clicking against the stone. I feel a pull, but I do not know where it is taking me. I press my nose to the stone and inhale de
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 133: Asteria’s Prison
AsteriaI was born a killer. My very first breath stole the life of my mother. Her life the price for mine. A dark spirit must have traveled with me on my journey to my first life, one that would forever stain me and give me power beyond measure. Not the power of my people in my village. Their power is rooted in life. They are the people of the fields. People of the goats and sheep and cows. People full of love and light. I am storms and dark nights. I am moonless skies and barren fields. I am the harbinger of sorrow and loss. It’s a gift that I was given a chance at life at all, I suppose. If my father saw my future, would he still have chosen to save me? His powers rooted in life, he could not conceive taking mine. Even if I was tainted by darkness. Even if he could never keep me. He sold me to save me. “I am going to miss you when you go.” I say to the maid. The memory playing before me like a movie projected on the screen. My small body and innocent eyes. I couldn’t have be
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 132: Theia’s Rebellion
TheiaMagic has no effect on me. Well maybe no effect is a bit of an overstatement; negligible, it has a negligible effect, like when you have a glass of wine. Maybe I get a little drunk, my focus a little blurry around the edges, but I am still in control. I can feel the wind shifting toward the King, like he is calling it to him. Even my fur seems to tug at me to follow the direction of the wind. My instinct to run with the wind is overbearing, like a nagging demand to turn around and run with it or face certain peril. The magic has not numbed my senses or surrendered my control. Perhaps these tricks would have worked when I was a pup or even a young wolf, when I had only just begun to test the limits of my drive to survive. I have spent lifetimes honing my skills to serve my Goddess. Hunting in the forests of my plane. Chasing and being chased by friends and foes. Preparing myself for what was to come. The training lasted far longer than any scholar had anticipated. To be the las
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 131: Run
It was as if Asteria’s memory played out on a screen in front of me. I’m a captive audience, cordoned off in a far off corner of my mind. Separated from my body but still aware of what is happening. The scene from Theia’s point of view also playing out, oddly disconnected from me, padded feet to forest floor the smell of earth and water. The dirt flecked in her fur and her nose pressed to the earth inhaling its aroma. Asteria’s trauma unfolds before me, almost happening to me, although the screams are not my own. The hunger in his eyes. The manic rage. His whip. My feelings are not entirely my own, it is as if I am Asteria in this experience. “Prince Aares.” I say in a voice that is not my own. A memory of an event I never experienced, yet vividly recall. This isn’t real, yet, I can feel his whip biting and tearing my skin. I can feel the blood snaking down the back of my thighs. The warm ooze somehow soothing the stinging pain. My back flayed open. His scent coats my skin like an
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 130: True Form
“May the Goddess anoint you with her love and bless you with your dreams.” “We give our devotion to the Goddess!” My mate and I reply. The priestesses are all around us. Their voices echoing off the walls of the cave, it’s impossible to tell how many are speaking as the voices echo around us. Our naked bodies only inches away from one another as we stand in the pool, his intoxicating scent masked by the abundance of minerals in the spring. “We ask our Goddess to cleanse you of all your impurities. Remove any malice from your hearts.” The priestesses chant around us. My body feels drawn to him. The urge I have to touch him is overwhelming, to just feel his skin pressed against mine. Any doubts I have floating away the second I am near him. I look ahead to the priestesses. I do not dare look at him in all his glory. One glance at him may be what breaks the dam holding back my urges, my last vestige of control. “Tonight, you are to shift into your true nature. The greatest trea
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 129: Pan
“The Mountain stands, unmoving— never wavering, rooted deeply into the soil.” The Queen begins, seated behind me on a small chair, her gown spilling out of the narrow seat displaying the sheer volume of fabric she seems to carry so effortlessly. Monica is plaiting my hair for the first ceremony. An intricate pattern of different braids joined together and fastened with a plain rag tie matching my temple dress. “The Wind with her sons raging across the lands, charge right at the Great Mountain, but it still stands. The nymphs of the waters try to claw through it, but still it stands. Rigid. Strong. Proud.” Her hands move with the story, in a way it was more akin to a fireside chat rather than dressing room gossip. It reminds me of my father’s stories around the fire. I listen to her tale, knowing little of her people, attentively watching her through the mirrors reflection. “The Goddess herself blessed the Great Mountain, and appointed the Shadow Mountain pack to be the Guardians
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 128: Rigid as the Great Mountain
“Waltz of the Mountains.” The King sneers. “Let’s see how well you keep up.” He casts a glare at Edward. “You know how your Grandmother adores the dance of her homeland, grandson. Do not disappoint her for the sake of your mate.” The warning is clear. “Yes, my King. I would not dream of disappointing.” He bows deeply, his hand on his heart pledging his allegiance. I remember our first meeting. “You play a dangerous game, girl.” He said with his hand around my throat. I suppose I am still that dangerous silly girl, too headstrong to fully submit. Incapable of bending to a tyrant. Incapable of silence. I am who I create. I feel Theia and Asteria in the front of my mind. Any overt display of power would be disastrous, so they lurk, careful not to allow their presence shimmer in my eyes. I deeply curtsy holding my hand to my heart as well, averting my eyes to the floor, not uttering a word. Silence and obedience. That is what the King demands. My stubbornness to blame for not b
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 127: Waltz
Silence. I dare not speak or move. “I have heard you can dance.” The King says in my direction. A small smile creeped on his lips. A sneer. “Yes, your majesty.” I say meekly. “You shall dance for us.” Edward looks at me with sadness in his eyes. A shimmer of anger rippling in his fields of green, at my faux pas. The weight of the King’s displeasure not only hitting me, but crushing him as well. Collateral damage. “I would love to see the waltz.” The Queen hums. “Edward can lead her if she does not know it. Besides, she will be expected to dance at their wedding celebrations.” I hope he indulges his wife. It is a far better option than being forced to gyrate in front of the King. His expression leads me to believe he wishes to not only remind me of my place but humiliate me in the process. The Queen’s suggestion is only her tossing a rope to her grandson to save him from the front row seat to my humiliation. The King looks to his Queen. “Very well.” He replies. “L
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 126: Fairytales
Fairytales have a modicum of truth to them. Just enough truth that the reader can absorb the message, learn whatever moral imperative is being taught. The tricky part is discerning what little bit is rooted in truth, and what is an outright lie, a fantasy embellishment to keep you reading. I prefer the stories with happy endings, lessons are still learned, but the main character in the end is well and fine. Perhaps that’s my first mistake, assuming my placement in the tale is the main character, rather than the abused maid or gullible villager, or otherwise nameless background character. A person in the crowd as the King strolls down the street naked. A lady’s maid to the wicked queen or damsel in distress. A nameless cousin to the main character, who tried on the shoe but it did not fit. Perhaps I am the main character, in one of those tales where she tragically dies. Her choices and bad decisions leading her to death, rather than the happiness she was seeking. The Queen seem
