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Chapter 31: The Great Father
Last Updated:
2024-06-11 22:54:37
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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
Last Updated : 2024-06-12A 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
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Last Updated : 2024-06-13A 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
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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
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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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“Do you plan to tell it or is it not story time again?” I ask. “It seems there are many stories to tell. I’m not sure which you would like to hear first.”“When there’s so much I don’t know, I’m not sure where you should start.” I say honestly.Theia sighs. I embrace the silence between us. On a cellular level we are connected. It’s intimate but also invasive. It’s comforting to always feel someone with you, but also terrifying and claustrophobic. “There are many planes to exist upon.” She begins, thoughtfully. “These planes can exist with or without your knowledge, and are in most cases self-contained.”She pauses before continuing, “The Gods and Goddesses are not bound to a singular plane. They can move and influence different planes of existence. This is the terrestrial plane of your birth.”I can see the fields of the estate in my mind. The wheat grasses bending with the wind, as if ghosts delicately danced upon them, in an invisible ball upon the fields. I could smell the deep
Last Updated : 2024-06-18
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A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 159: Image
“This.” I say as my fingers trace along the filigree. “This is magnificent.” I am in awe of the beauty of it. Diamonds all perfectly matched set in gold. Small crescent moons hide in the filigree, only clear with the moonstones set inside them. The crests of each pack of the realm are hidden and set with diamonds. I would have missed the detail had I not immediately recognized the crest on my own homeland. Perhaps that is the test of the Queen. Do I pick one of the pieces that more heavily represent Harvest Moon? Or perhaps my statement is gaudy wealth, I am sure many will expect that. When you claw yourselves out of the bowels, you tend to display your material achievements like a soldier’s medals. This one though, it tastefully pays homage to each pack of the realm. I am to be Princess of Fives, it is only right to represent all of them. “Take off the gown so that I can attach the sleeve, m’lady.” Monica orders, her attention focused on the work. I dutifully comply, standing
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I look at the sparkling treasure before me. The amount of wealth is astonishing. Just one emerald and some diamond pins cost my mother bushels of food. I trace my finger along the delicate chain at my wrist. This bracelet as well. These jewels laid out before me like a pirate’s treasure, they make my mother’s jewels seem modest and trivial. The weight of the gold and platinum alone is an astonishing show of wealth. The lands of the realm are rich in resources, all part of the royal horde. “We can get you a different bracelet.” Monica offers, noticing my finger running along the golden thread. “No.” I say instantly, refraining from blurting out any explanation. “Very well, m’lady. Are you drawn to anything in particular?” I look into the mirror at my reflection. I am not sure I recognize myself. A witch. A wolf. An Alpha’s daughter. The girl from the kitchens. The slave of Harvest Moon. A bride. This is my metamorphosis. I am being reborn into the Kingdom of the Moon. Princess of
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 157: Gowns
The dress. “It is an homage to your homeland!” Monica says dramatically, her hands stretched outward to sell me on the gown. “Homage?” I say studying my reflection in the mirror. “Yes, it’s when you show honor or reverence—”“I’m aware of the definition.” I interrupt. We stand in silence. I stare at the reflection before me. I feel like a ball of silk and ribbon. My small frame is completely swallowed in expensive fabric. I’m not sure if I am wearing the gown or if it’s wearing me. “Are there any other options, perhaps something less…” I struggle to find a kind word. “Less?”“Of course.” She frowns at my rejection. “This is beautiful.” I say. “It is just too overwhelming for me.”Monica cracks a soft smile. “Of course. We have a whole tour to build your unique style. I will push, you will reign me in.”“Deal.”“I do have a lovely column gown.” She mutters as she shuffles through her rack of gowns, some finished, some still a work in progress. The silk looks as if it was poured
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 156: Cold Feet
“I hope you are right, Theia. I can’t help but feel uneasy when the majority of dreams I have are directly related to the violence of the monarchy.” Asteria sighs softly. “Violence I endured. Even worse, the violence I witnessed.”“That does not have to be our life. Not every Prince is evil.” Theia offers. “He did not choose his birth.” I offer, considering myself as well. “Witch and werewolf, that match is not accepted. I didn’t choose my birth either, so I struggle to damn someone on that fact alone.”“Ceres, do not lie to yourself. Even you know that the very foundation of the monarchy is dependent upon the suffering of people. Slavery. War. Famine. All necessary for the monarchy to survive.” Asteria declares like a professor from the lectern. “And somehow I am the savior of the world? I’m going to eliminate slavery and suffering? Get a grip, Asteria!”“No, no I am not delusional.”“You sound a bit delusional.” Theia quips. “We will not lead the masses away from systematic abuse
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 155: Words Have Meaning
Some oaths cannot be broken. The thought tumbles in my mind. “It is true. The consequences can be dire when breaking a promise. An oath is sworn with your life.” Theia warns. “A witch is nothing without her word. Our whole existence is built upon the truth that words are powerful and have meaning. A covenant is an agreement, but an oath is a solemn promise. Breaking an oath is not a simple undertaking. The consequences of such actions can be catastrophic and change who you are entirely. To break an oath is a choice of darkness. Embracing the worst that this world has to give.” Asteria chimes in. “Last night, for me, was filled with dreams and nightmares. They don’t even all make sense to me at this point. A mix of my memories, and what I assume the two of you were seeing.” I say. I made an oath to the King, but I would break it in a heartbeat if I thought I could do it and continue to keep my head. Are oaths really oaths if you are under duress? Or is that simply fealty, a forced
