AIDENHeart thrumming in my chest, I backed toward the front door, where miners were still breaking through despite how many had been killed under the claws and teeth of the guards.Bodies were scattered on the ground and blood was everywhere. Carnage was amuck and the sight of the scarlet pools of liquid was nauseating.Yet, they seemed unstoppable.They didn’t mind the carnage.All that mattered to them was their rebellion.“Your eloquence wasn’t effective, Sir,” Oakley said mockingly as he backed up alongside me, his long claws spread menacingly. Sarcasm laced his tone and sent a wave of irritation through me.Despite that, I didn’t argue his point and instead glanced around, trying to find Peter. The number of miners joining the fight was far larger than expected. It was apparent that the old man was lying when he’d said there wouldn’t be many miners who wished to join the fight.Cries rang out around us and sent a chill down my spine. I hadn’t come to Windsburn Island for this. I
AIDENAs I stared down at the body of the guard, a touch of numbness flooded through me, along with a tinge of guilt.I wasn’t a killer. I didn’t enjoy bloodshed, didn’t crave the feeling of a wolf crumpling under the savageness of my claws.And yet…When I glanced at young Ben’s lifeless form…“Did you not give him a chance to surrender?” Oakley’s voice came from behind me.I hated the playful sarcasm in his tone but didn’t indulge him with a response. Instead, I clenched my fists and kept moving.Now that the gates had been opened and the rebellion was in full swing, I needed to refocus on my mission.I marched ahead and headed back toward the castle. With every step, my mind replayed the moment I’d crushed the guard’s throat with my bare hands. The feeling of killing the guard made me sick— not because I wasn’t prepared for it, but because I knew how weak the guard had been. It had been all too easy to break his neck.Pushing the feeling aside, I swiftly passed through the front d
FLYNN“L-Lord Beta,” a guard burst into the room, breathless.I looked up from the stack of documents on my desk, rubbing the bridge of my nose with a sigh. I hadn’t expected company, as I hadn’t dispatched any guards on a mission, so this interruption obviously involved something within the walls of the royal palace."What happened?" I asked, rolling my shoulders back to center myself.“It’s L-Lady Addison,” the guard stammered, clearly flustered by the development. “She left the palace, Lord Beta. W-we couldn’t stop her.”My eyes narrowed at him as annoyance crept into my mind. “Where is she heading?” I asked.“We don’t know,” the guard admitted, cheeks darkening with embarrassment. “She didn’t say a word—”“Did you send someone to follow her?” I cut in, my voice sharp.The guard nodded quickly. “Yes, Lord Beta, they’re following her now.”“Which direction?” I asked as I glanced toward the window. Addison Madden was swift but so was I.“Southeast, I believe,” the guard replied.My
FLYNN“What do you mean?” I frowned. Interesting was one of my least favorite descriptive words and I could tell by the look on Westin’s face that this was bad news.As my mind considered the possibilities, Westin handed the report to me. “Lord Albert said it’s a very old poison made from plants that only grow on the land of...”“Crawford,” I said, reading the report.Westin nodded grimly, his expression serious as he stared down at the papers in my hands. .It wasn’t entirely surprising, considering Addison’s earlier speculation. If the Crawfords were pursuing a vendetta against the Maddens, poisoning Georgina wouldn’t be as far-fetched as we’d once believed.However, Cole and I had assumed it was a plot against Cole himself. Or...I looked up from the report, sensing that Westin had more to say. His brown eyes were too anxious for me to suspect otherwise.“What’s on your mind?” I asked him directly, brow raised as I awaited his reply. Surely this had something to do with the specifi
FLYNN“You’re right,” I exhaled as I took the report from the desk and handed it over to Leila.“Father sure thinks so. That’s why he’s heading here now.”Leila gaped at me, her light brown eyes widening at the very mention of him.“Father is coming to the palace?” she asked in shock. “This is the second most shocking thing I’ve heard this year. The first would be me joining the Luna Selection for Cole.”Just as quickly as they’d widened, those eyes of hers rolled and then fell to the report. She scanned it carefully, her brows coming together suspiciously, and then she frowned. “I’m sure this is Bhodin.”She placed the paper back on the desk and then sighed. “So, Father must have found something serious enough that he only wants to discuss it directly with the King.”I nodded.Leila seemed lost in thought. Her brows crinkled and her mouth drew into a thin line as she crossed her arms.“What are you thinking about?” I wondered as I glanced between her and the paper. “It’s strange,” m
JASMINEI panted as I finally stopped running.My paws were sore and covered with mud, and my legs ached from the long distance I’d traveled. I was quite athletic, but even the most muscular of wolves would have found the journey tiring.I took a little while to settle my breathing before shifting back into my human form. I winced as I wiped some dirt from my arms and then ducked down to stay out of sight.The palace gate was nearby, perhaps about fifty or so feet away, but I still didn’t want to risk anything quite yet. I crept closer and hid behind the hedges. Once there, I found an opening just small enough that I could peer out at the patrolling guards without getting caught.It might have seemed silly to go through all of this effort, but I didn’t entirely trust the coachman. He could be mind-linked to his accomplices in the palace, who might be lying in wait to ambush me. I needed to be careful here. I didn’t know who to trust and I didn’t want to gamble when my very life had b
JASMINEIt was even risker to bring up the King’s older brother, and I was surprised that these gardeners felt so emboldened.A mere mention of the so-called Usurper was enough to land one in the dungeon and be accused of treason.They needed to be careful.“I heard so,” the girl said, her voice trembling slightly. “They said he was stabbed by his uncle’s silver sword and then was engulfed in flames.”“Why would his uncle do that?” the young man asked, his voice half skeptical and half fearful. “That sounds so… violent. Especially against a family member.“Well, one never knows why,” the old man sighed. “Lord Frank always seemed to be the cruel, strange one in his family. He was never close to his nephew. Maybe he values power more than family.”There was another tense pause and then he spoke again.“We should get to work before the guards come over,” he suggested.“Speaking of which, do you know that Lord Frank hated the fact that his sister married the King?” the woman suddenly said,
JASMINEThe corridor was empty as usual, except for a few guards. As I approached, holding the tray I had taken from the knocked-out maid, the guards barely glanced at me before allowing me to pass. I’d blended in so well that I just appeared to be another palace staff member rather than a competitor of the Luna Selection.I went directly to Anna’s room. I took a short breath and then extended my claws after I knocked on the door.“Come in,” Anna’s voice called from within.I braced myself for whatever was about to happen but didn’t flinch. I pulled open the door and upon entering the brightly-lit chamber, I found Anna alone, sitting on her bed with her head resting against the headboard. Anna looked paler than usual, her eyes closed. Even her thin, mousey brown hair was limp and dull.She didn’t seem to notice it was me at first. As I placed the tray on her bedside table, Anna dismissed me.“You may leave now,” she remarked curtly.But I didn’t leave. Instead, I locked the door behi
EVELYN“Are you suggesting that I abandon you?” I whispered.Jasmine’s gaze locked with mine. The intensity in her eyes was undeniable, her determination sharp as steel. “I’m suggesting that we put the King’s safety first,” she said.“But—”Before I could protest further, Leila cut in. “Jasmine is right.” She seemed entirely convinced by her plan now, placing a hand on my arm. “You and Cole have to leave. That’s why we’re here—to rescue the King. Isn’t that what we want more than anything?”I couldn’t argue. Though it stung to think of retreating, I knew the gravity of the situation. Jasmine’s words struck deep. As if sensing my hesitation, she added, “Don’t think of it as abandonment. What’s on your shoulders is far heavier than ours. Remember our oath? The King’s life is the heart of Hescor. His reign is the promise of Ozora’s future.”Finally, I exhaled. “Okay. But how will this work?” I asked. “Jack Elrod isn’t easily fooled.”“He’s not,” Jasmine agreed, a faint sense of relief in
EVELYNThe air in the room thickened, pressing down on us as the weight of the revelation sank in. Leila blinked rapidly, her gaze darting between the runes and the others, struggling to process the enormity of what we were seeing. Even though she had been the first to suggest that Hescor might be connected to magic, the discovery that the ancient runes of Tiryn—the Kingdom of Wizardry—had ties to werewolves left her just as stunned as the rest of us.“Why would the pattern symbolize a werewolf?" Leila demanded before anyone else could speak. Her face was tight with alarm, her unease palpable. "Explain it to me!”Seb’s face remained unreadable, his features etched with a mix of exhaustion and resignation. He shook his head slowly, his voice flat. “I don't know,” he muttered, a bitter edge creeping into his tone. “The runes are an ancient language created by the first King of Tiryn. Only the kings can understand them. The wizards of Tiryn believed they held the deepest, most dangerous
EVELYN“What… what is this?” I asked Leila, my brow furrowing as I pointed to the symbol on the page. I strained to pull it out from my memories, but my mind felt clouded – overwhelmed by too many events, too many raw emotions. The sleepless nights had left me dizzy, my thoughts fragmented. It was as if I were reaching for something just beyond my grasp, a fleeting thread of clarity that refused to materialize.Leila studied the symbol for a moment before shaking her head. “I’ve seen the same pattern in other parts of the book, but I’m not sure what it means.” She flipped through the pages, showing me the other instances of the same design. “It could just be a random mark left by the book’s owner, something to remind themselves of something important.”“I don’t think it’s random,” Stephanie interjected. She moved closer to the book, her finger tracing the intricate pattern. “It’s far too detailed to be just a meaningless doodle. Do the pages with this symbol have anything in common?”
EVELYNI placed the kettle on the stove and began rummaging through the kitchen cabinets until I finally found some tea. After grabbing a couple of mugs, I dropped the fragrant tea bags into them, then waited for the water to heat.The kitchen remained quiet, with only the gentle hiss of the boiling kettle breaking the stillness. I was relieved that Stephanie hadn’t followed me. It gave me a rare moment to think.I glanced over at her – sitting absentmindedly by the table, her gaze lost somewhere outside the window. Stephanie’s appearance hadn’t changed much, but the weight of her experiences and suffering was etched in her eyes. Those once bright and confident eyes now looked evasive, as though hiding something deeper.Leila’s words echoed in my mind:She believes her brother was deceived by the wizards and wants to convince him to stop the bloodshed.It wasn’t that I disbelieved Stephanie, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were not so simple. She was intelligent, and by n
EVELYNThe night seemed to slip away unnoticed.When I glanced out the window, the first pale light of dawn crept over the horizon, the sun rising slowly in the east.The house was quiet once again. Leila, Jasmine, and Stephanie had retired to their rooms, while Seb—still unconscious from the overdose of medicine Leila had given him to ensure he wouldn’t cause trouble before sunrise—lay motionless.As the others slept, I sat at the edge of Cole’s bed, absently running my fingers through his thick, golden hair. Sleep eluded me after the conversation with Leila and Jasmine. Though their arrival should have brought me some sense of relief, the burden in my heart only grew heavier as I processed everything they’d shared.I had thought that if I could just find a way to bring Cole back to Halian, things might start to improve. But Leila had warned that Halian was no longer safe. Attacks were imminent, and Jack Elrod’s plan had already begun to unfold.As Leila and Jasmine explained, war se
EVELYN“Think about Sylvia! She wouldn’t want you to do this!” I struggled against the rope binding my wrist, trying to convince him to abandon his plan. But the man paid no heed. He walked toward Cole and stopped by the bed.He reached for something, but his hand froze midair as a rap echoed from the door.Both of us went still.There was a single, sharp sound, and then silence, as though it were nothing more than a shared figment of our overstrained nerves.The man shot me a glance before cautiously stepping toward the door. His movements were slow and deliberate, meant to make no sound. He gripped the handle, cracked the door open just a sliver, and peered outside.From where I was bound, I couldn’t see anything beyond the door, but something must have caught his eye. He opened it further and stepped outside.It was then that a shadow swooped in, knocking him to the ground.The poor night vision of humans gave him a disadvantage. The man scrambled to his feet, only to be grabbed by
EVELYNI looked up.Through the mist swirling around me, I saw Cole. His hand was outstretched, his eager gaze fixed on me. His chest was broken and bleeding, and he looked lonely and desperate, his dark eyes vast and pleading as they met mine.“Eva...”His voice reached me, pulling me back to the memory of two years ago. The day he’d pleaded, and I had retreated, shaking my head.I’d looked at him with fear and hatred.I’d said no.Every time I thought back to that moment, I believed I would handle it better if it happened again—that I’d calmly fix the confusion and the misunderstandings between my family and Cole.But I had been wrong.I felt glued to the ground, paralyzed. I opened my mouth, but only a harsh cry came out. Sadness and despair gripped me as guilt weighed on my heart like iron.“I… I can’t...” I whispered as I stared down at Conner’s lifeless body, the blood on my hands. No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, nothing was fixable. My family, my mate—none of
EVELYNI narrowed my eyes and focus on the paragraph. It was written in a completely different style from the rest of the announcement, looking more like a hasty draft—almost as if a careless scribe had used scrap paper to jot it down.And the paragraph, baffling in its oddness, turned out to be a poem, which the girl read aloud.The once pretty orange has begun its decay, yet the sapphire still gleams. The rotting orange could be saved for a worthy trade: The stone with the deep blue beam. If you still hold the fruit you cherish so dearlyCome and make the trade: Choose not to accept what’s written so clearly -The sapphire with shatter, and the fruit will fade.As the girl finished reading, the people around her erupted in laughter. The sound of their mirth filled the air, an overwhelming chorus that tightened my throat.A man jeered. “Even my teenage son could write a better poem than this. What a laughable mess.”A woman beside him giggled. “The scribe should be fired for sur
EVELYNWhen I woke, it was already morning. The sky outside the window was overcast, but its dull brightness made it clear that it was well past sunrise. I sprang to my feet and placed my hand on Cole’s forehead, checking his temperature. His skin was no longer feverish.I inspected his wound and replaced the damp towel. The bleeding had stopped, and though the swollen flesh was healing, it was slow progress.But that barely gave me any relief.I brushed away the damp strands of hair from his forehead, wiped his face with clean towels, then placed my palm against his cheek, whispering his name. But he didn’t answer. His eyes remained closed, unmoving. He was still unconscious.The wildness had faded from him, but his sanity had yet to return. I didn’t know if it was the lingering effect of the aphrodisiac or if it’s because his mind was being controlled, suppressed.If nothing changed, he would eventually become nothing more than a walking corpse.I shook my head, pushing back the t