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
EVELYNAs I stared back at the returned Jack Elrod, I felt a pang in my heart and my lower lip trembled. Half of his face was hidden under the mask, but he appeared calm and confident nonetheless.His pearl-white smile sent a shiver down my spine and as hard as I tried to imagine the old face of my former fiance… I couldn’t. There was a sharpness to his canines that scared me, like his fangs hadn’t fully retracted after changing back into his human form. His smile had never been like this before, not when we knew each other.And then there was the matter of his offer…Of course, I wanted to reunite with my family. I wanted to hug my parents and sister again, tell them how much I’d missed them over the past year. Little Emma was probably so big now. I wanted to make up for the time lost more than anything.But I didn’t trust Jack, not even a little bit. An offer to reunite me with the rest of the Caddels surely was enticing but I had to resist.“No,” I heard Cole hiss behind me. I didn’
EVELYNJack laughed, a cold hollow sound. It was cruel, terrible, and if I was capable of flinching, I would have done so. To my horror and fear, I was, still not yet released from this frozen, muted state my former fiance had left me in.Who is this man? I wondered. Who really is this man I used to know? Where is the Jack who was so kind to me, so kind to everyone? It almost feels like another person wearing Jack’s skin, pretending to be him.Cole’s older brother approached him slowly."Very interesting, Cole,” Jack assessed with a cold gaze. “You never seem to learn," I noticed Cole’s wolf form starting to shrink into itself—his excessive blood loss preventing him from maintaining it. I knew he would soon return to his normal form and I ached knowing the weakness in his body would keep him from protecting himself from any potential attacks.I braced myself as my heart pounded in my chest and my stomach twisted as if there were a knife buried deeply in it. It pained me to be so paraly
EVELYNCole’s words echoed in the tense air.I don’t know where you learned it. But it seems you’ve somehow mastered dark magic.It was a terrifying thought but as I remained pinned against the brick wall, unable to speak, I knew Cole was right. This was more than mere wolf strength and progress. No, this was something else entirely, something wicked, twisted, and illegal in this land. Magic in Ozora was long since outlawed.How did Jack manage to learn such dark arts?And how long had this power been present within him? During the War of Princes? Just after?A million questions ran through me as I tried to understand what was happening. I tried to growl but I was still mute, unable to utter a single word or sound. It was pure agony. I could feel the sensation of forming words and yet I couldn’t utter a single noise. My throat hurt from the effort and the sensation of my wrists caught somehow against the brick wall only made it so much worse.Knowing I was powerless, I fixed my gaze a
JASMINEFlynn wiped his face and let out a heavy sigh, while Leila watched me intently, as if seeking support for her wild theory. I had been following her words closely, but her last theory didn’t sit well with me.Magic... that was beyond imagination.I grimaced at the very idea and then spoke. "That’s a bold speculation, Leila, one I’m not sure about.”"Ah, you don’t believe me," Leila huffed, her golden brown eyes narrowing in irritation.. "What about the mind-linking, Jasmine? You saw it yourself-""But that’s because of the potion the coachman said they took," I replied patiently, though I was anything but."Exactly!" Flynn’s sister said, staring at me intently. "Magic doesn’t just come out of thin air. People without a magical lineage need substrates to perform sorcery. That’s how magic sometimes works. Or can you offer another explanation?"She glanced between me and Flynn, a dark, arched eyebrow raised as if to challenge the Beta and I. Flynn absently ran a hand through his th
JASMINEThe room fell silent at the mere idea of Jack Elrod pulling off such a scheme, and Leila and I exchanged a glance with one another. I knew her expression directly mirrored mine but the weariness in her eyes made me worry.My own dropped to the ground as I pondered the idea of the Prince faking such a loss and then faking his own death was a lot to handle and I shook my head as I tried to wrap my head around it.“Don’t forget it was Frank Crawford who stabbed him and made us believe he was dead,” Flynn added. “He was the one who delivered the ‘final’ blow. Perhaps it wasn’t as final as we thought.”Knowing the conflict between our Houses, I stiffened at the mere thought of the Crawfords and my mouth drew into a thin line.I lifted my eyes and met Flynn’s gaze.Right.I had thought the same. It was a plot.But why would Jack Elrod want to fake his own death? How would it have benefited him to disappear and pretend that he’d lost his life in the battle?“Now you’re starting to bel