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
JASMINEI froze, but only for the briefest of instances as I absorbed her words.Cousin Jack.It could be no one but the infamous Jack Elrod.My speculation had been confirmed, though I had no idea how he had survived. All in Hescor knew that the War of Princes had ended in death and bloodshed. How had Jack Elrod made it out alive? And why had he suddenly decided to appear and cause all this chaos? It had been a year since his supposed death.Why not stay hidden and far away from this palace?Far from the eyes of Cole Elrod?Anna’s face whitened as she realized she had slipped up. Her eyes grew watery and her frail frame shook.“No, no...I said it wrong,” she stammered, desperately trying to deny it. “I didn’t give him away.”I raised my eyebrow as I studied her closely. She was obviously lying but there was something about her despair that made my heart feel strange.“I didn’t,” she murmured, fear and desperation flooding her features.I felt a sudden pang of sympathy for Anna Crawfo
JASMINEIf the guards and poor Anna Crawford were any indication, the man would surely slam me against the floor and crush my head. He had done it to the guards so easily, and I wasn’t foolish enough to think my skull was any tougher than theirs had been. I knew that there was a strong chance that I was about to die.Regret crashed over me as I pictured my twin sister’s face. The face that was identical to mine. I wouldn’t get to say goodbye, wouldn’t get to tell her that I loved her one last time. I wouldn’t get the chance to tell her how proud I was of her for ruling House Madden so justly compared to our ancestors. She was the greatest leader our House had ever had and I was so happy that she was the one to preside over it.I wished that I had stopped to see her first. Now I wouldn’t have the chance to tell her or the King about the Crawfords.As my lungs screamed, I braced for more pain.I squeezed my eye shut and waited for the sound of my skull scracking. But that moment didn't