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
JASMINEIt turned out that I shouldn’t have tried to prove I was alright.During the conflict, the man had literally created a hole in my belly, and I quickly began to feel feverish after talking with the Hart siblings. I tried my best to maintain a calm disposition, but a headache started to flare along with some severe aches and chills.I knew I was hurt but I didn’t know the extent of it.Our discussion didn’t uncover any useful information, except for the name of the mysterious kingdom that Leila claimed to be the origin of magic.Tiryn.Flynn was the first to notice my discomfort,.“It’s time to leave,” he said to Leila curtly. “ Lady Jasmine needs rest.”Leila’s golden brown eyes flashed over to me and she scanned me for a moment, like she wanted to counter the idea so we could talk more about the subject, but finally, when I sat down, she seemed to understand the gravity of my situation.Politely, she said goodbye, and then Flynn escorted her out.Outside the door, I heard a sm
JASMINEAs his dark eyes met mine, I felt a small spark and it became a struggle to maintain his gaze.It would be a lie to say that I didn’t find Flynn very attractive, though I knew it was improper to think that way in a situation like this.Still, his strong jaw, full lips, and rich black braided hair were undeniably handsome. He was the perfect combination of softness and sharpness. TAs his mouth turned into a soft smile, I forced myself to look away. Those lips of his, that small but genuine smile…If Addison had known what I was thinking, she would surely have laughed at me. My twin had always said that I tended to pick the most boringly upright men in the world, that they were the only ones that I preferred. She often inferred that I was incapable of choosing a great man.I had never agreed with her. Though we looked identical in every way, we had different tastes in men. We couldn’t have been more different in that regard.I had never thought Addison had ever been truly attra
EVELYN“Leave with me, Eva,” Cole said, his voice a low, contented whisper. His hand reached out toward me as I lifted my gaze.Cole was a blessing. My deepest love.The wound on the right side of his chest was near the spot where his heart was pounding.Confused, I stepped forward. All I needed to do was hold Cole’s hand, and I could leave everything else behind.All I needed was him and the smile that soothed me more than anything on Earth. He was my anchor… my lifeline.“Evelyn...”Suddenly, I heard a voice from below and I stiffened in surprise.It was Conner’s voice.I looked down in horror to find my beloved older brother’s body lying near my feet. His neck was ripped apart, the gore and viscera sending a wave of nausea. My stomach seized and for a moment, I swore I would throw up. It was a graphic sight, one I wasn’t prepared for.“Eva!” Cole demanded again. There was only an arm's length between us.As long as I lifted my hand, Cole would be able to catch it and pull me over.
EVELYN“Why would I believe you?” I hissed, a low snarl rumbling within my chest as I studied her angrily. “I want nothing more than to kill you.”Elsa watched me for a moment. “You can’t if you don’t have the energy, “ she pointed out. “It would be foolish to starve to death before seeking your revenge. And there’s no point in resisting. I can have a few servants force you to eat, even if you disobey. So you can make it easy on yourself or you can be forced. The choice is yours.”I glared at Elsa, jaw clenching as I remembered the girl I thought she was before this fell apart. The sweet, doe-eyed young girl who was so kind to me when she arrived at the palace. The girl who gave me a nickname, spoke with me and made our mundane daily chores tolerable.How many times had we laughed together? How many times had we complained and sought comfort in one another?The amount of trust I had once placed in her was now matched only by my hatred.But what Elsa said was correct.I needed energy
EVELYNMuch to my dismay and agitation, Elsa didn’t come to see me the next day, or the day after that.The only person I encountered in this strange place was Crystal, the veiled girl who brought me food for every meal. She was quiet but attentive, insisting that I needed sustenance while I was chained to the bed. I supposed it was sort of kind, but my wild temper made it hard for me to appreciate kindness while being held hostage here against my will.Each time she arrived in the room, I used different approaches of wit to try and convince Crystal to uncuff my other hand so she could walk around, promising that I wouldn’t escape, but it was of no use. She was unwilling to budge, offering only to feed me and make sure I was drinking water.Crystal didn’t seem vexed by my flaring ill temper at all. She simply accepted it, unflinching. I was a bit like a feral animal, a trapped one.Eventually, I felt guilty when I spilled soup or porridge on Crystal’s clothes, forcing her to repeat he
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