EVELYNMy father, Steven Caddel, thin and dressed in simple clothing, was followed by Jack and a man with a deep scar on his face. Father’s silver-streaked head was lowered, looking dejected and worried as he entered.Tears rolled down my cheeks at the sight of him and my breath hitched for a moment. I didn’t make a sound, but Father sensed my presence and lifted his head, his eyes widening.Every fiber of my being wanted to run over and hug him tightly, but my knees felt too weak to move.“Steven?” a voice called out and a small sound of pained shock escaped me.My mother’s voice, delicate and kind, called for Father with confusion.Mother.Father didn’t turn to answer my mother, who from the sounds of it, was still outside the door.“Evelyn,” he uttered my name in disbelief. His voice was rough but the tone was unwavering.Seconds later, I saw Mother, who appeared at the door, covering her mouth and crying. Her hazel eyes, the same shade as mine, were enormous and full of tears. In h
EVELYNThe sound of his fragile, tormented voice shattered my heart into a million pieces and for a moment, all I could do was stand there frozen.My breath caught in my throat and it took all of my being to keep tears from spilling down my face.Aiden… my poor dear Aiden… sounding so broken, as if he was giving up entirely, for reasons that I didn’t yet understand.He looked so… lost. So empty.I squatted down and gently touched his face, forcing a calm expression on mine to keep from upsetting him. “What are you talking about, Aiden? Why would you say something like that?”He remained quiet for a moment and I maintained my touch on his cheek.“Aiden we’ve been the best of friends since childhood,” I remind him. “You know that you can trust me with anything. Whatever it is… please let me in.”When he finally met my eyes, tears rolled down his pale cheeks and he placed his hand over mine.“I made a huge mistake,” he whispered, trembling slightly. “It’s all my fault.”“What’s your faul
EVELYNThe scarred man gestured ahead like a gentleman, but his manners were poor, as if he were a dog rather than a wolf.As I approached, his eyes scanned me, his gaze lingering a second too long on my chest before he grinned and whistled.When I stepped into the hall, he closed the door behind him, and I felt utterly disgusted. Still, I said nothing.I kept my distance from him and noticed that he walked with a slight limp. As much as I didn’t want to get to know him, I wondered who he was. He seemed to have a high status here, as I had seen him chatting lightly with Jack during lunch while the rest of us remained quiet. I wondered if he was a supervisor.Or perhaps he was also a... Crawford?Just like Elsa.The scarred man suddenly stopped and turned to look at me. Alarmed, I tensed and crossed my arms over my chest. My eyes studied him warily, steeling myself for the worst.The man simply grinned, as if I was full of myself or something. “You can relax. I might be a little more l
AIDENFor the first time in my entire existence, I felt utterly useless, trapped an injured like an animal, unable to do anything.As I thought of Evelyn, my jaw clenched, and the mere thought of Oakley being in her proximity… it brought me an anger I’d never felt before, an anger that I couldn’t put into words. It was as if my blood had been replaced with lava, threatening to erupt at any moment with my temper.I kept my head lowered, staring as my actual blood streamed down my pale arms. As much as it should have bothered me or made me feel sick, the truth of the matter was that I didn’t care. The pain in my shoulder was intense, but it wasn’t as strong as the pain and shame in my heart.When Oakley had pierced his shoulders with his strange, long claws and forced me to kneel, he had told me that I’d overestimated myself, that I was nothing more than a simple-minded imbecile.As angry as it had made me at the time, the truth was that Oakley was right. If I hadn’t foolishly taken thi
EVELYNI’m glad my brother didn’t force his mark on you. Otherwise, I would have to chop off his head.My breath hitched and a shudder ran through me. I had heard plenty of empty threats before, enough to know that Jack’s words weren’t a lie. He meant every single one of them and I knew whole-heartedly that if Cole had left so much as a nip on me, Jack would have followed through on his promise.When the elder Elrod brother suddenly traced his cold finger along the curve of my neck, I finally realized how dangerous it was to be with Jack alone in his room. I gulped heavily as fear ran through me.While I didn’t think he would hold me down and force me, sinking his canines into the tender skin of my throat, my heart still clenched. He was taller and stronger than me. More powerful. If he truly wanted to hurt me, he could.I wanted to recoil from his touch.I wanted to cry and run.I wanted to return to my parents as soon as possible. I didn’t want to think about anything else. But I c
JASMINETo our disappointment and annoyance, there were very few records about Sylvia, Cole’s mother, in Hescor, even in the Royal Archives.I had heard once that the late King Theodore ordered everything related to Sylvia to be burned, as if he wanted to erase her existence entirely and pretend that she had never been his romantic partner in any capacity. Her very name was forbidden in the presence of the old king.Anyone who even casually mentioned Sylvia could be punished brutally, depending on why her name was being evoked. Sometimes, if Theodore was even in just a slightly poor mood, he would snap and order the devastating torture or execution of the person who dared utter a word about her.If the strange and beautiful sapphire bracelet I found in the river belonged to Sylvia… it could explain why something so precious had been thrown into the river. It would make sense that any physical reminders of her existence would be removed from the palace and cast aside.Though I had to w
JASMINEIt took me a moment to realize it, but my sister was utterly soaked with blood, her face, identical to mine, was nearly as grim as Flynn’s.Her steely gray eyes were serious and calculated as they met mine and I rushed to her at once as my stomach twisted into knots.The metallic smell of blood blew through the quiet room. I hadn’t seen my sister in such a mess in a long time, not since those bloody fights in the arena.“What’s going on?” I asked as fear rose from my belly. I glanced around at everyone before settling on Addison. “Are you okay?”“I’m fine,” Addison assured me. “I promise, Jaz.”“Addison, you’re covered in blood,” I pointed out with a raised brow, remaining composed externally while internally, I was worried about my twin.“This isn’t the first time you’ve seen me bloody, Jasmine,” she rolled her eyes, and the moment she did, I knew that she was okay. Had she been kind, something would have been completely wrong. But no, she was her usual blunt self, which mea
EVELYNA week.There was a week for me to decide my fate.Mine and Cole’s.Or a week to find a way out of this place and save my mate, the Alpha King suspended in a deep slumber that could span for the rest of his life, ending only from his death.But how?How could I save him? How could I save us? This situation felt impossible and the overwhelming pain of it all threatened to cave my chest in.How could I do this?I had no clue. I supposed the only solution was to kill Jack Elrod, but how would I be able to do that? He was stronger, and faster, not to mention possessed powers that I still didn’t understand. He was able to freeze people, and communicate without words… what else was he capable of?Thinking of how difficult everything was, how impossible and how seemingly hopeless my existence felt, I clenched my fists and winced in frustration.Emma suddenly protested with a small yelp, pulling me back to reality.“Evelyn, you’re holding my hand too tightly,” she remarked, her big haz
EVELYNThe next page contained two detailed sketches. The first depicted a monstrous figure labeled The First Alpha of the Werewolves, Alpha Elrod—a nightmarish fusion of man and wolf. His expression twisted in eternal agony, his heart pierced by a silver dagger.The second sketch, in stark contrast, portrayed his daughter, Moon. The artist had been far more merciful in painting her. Unlike her father, she was drawn with an ethereal beauty—her features fierce yet strangely soft. Cascading hair framed her delicate face, resting elegantly on her shoulder, and she wore a dress woven of moonflowers. Though faded with time, her features carried an eerie familiarity, strikingly similar to the woman in my dream.My fingers traced the contours of her face, almost as if moving of their own will. For a moment, it felt as though she were gazing back at me, whispering something just beyond my grasp.But truth isn’t always comforting. Sometimes, it is agonizing. Horrible. Sometimes, you wish you h
EVELYNIt was well past noon when I finally had a moment to stretch my overworked body. I devoured a sandwich and drained a full cup of strong tea that the servant had brought me before I finished reading the last three petitioning papers on my desk.One might assume that being a queen promised endless luxury, unchallenged authority, and an insouciant existence. But in reality, this had been my daily routine ever since I was crowned the Queen of Hescor three months ago—gorging down cold sandwiches and fueling myself with cups of strong tea between work breaks. Still, even that was preferable to enduring extravagant banquets filled with pompous lords and prying officials.I pushed the tray aside and reached for the two letters on the cabinet. Both bore an indication of the sender—a seal at the corner of the envelopes—marking them as messages from Tiryn. I pried the first one open and pulled out the folded parchment—it was from Leila.Over the past months, Leila had sent me five letters
EVELYNIf storms were made of reporting sheets, endless queues of petitioners, and nagging lords filled with complaints and unrealistic pleas, then my life after the coronation could only be described as stormy.I rubbed my temples as I put down yet another ridiculous petition—this one requesting justice for a missing kitten. According to the petitioner, the kitten had disappeared while he was visiting the main market of Halian, and he suspected that a human foreigner had used some “nasty” trick to steal it away.Thanks to the Ozora-Eanica Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation—signed by Hescor, Tiryn, and the two other werewolf nations of Eanica half a month ago—the number of foreigners traveling from Eanica to Ozora had been steadily rising. Though other nations remained cautious, Cole and I were expecting to receive their diplomats in the coming weeks. Tiryn’s example had piqued their interest, and they were beginning to see the great potential in establishing trade and dip
EVELYN“You don’t believe us, do you?” The words left my mouth before I could stop them, sharper than I had intended. “You don’t believe in our determination.”Oakley studied me for a long moment before a grin flickered across his face, his usual cavalier attitude returning. “Let’s just say I’m afraid. Or maybe I’m tired of fighting for myself. Time to seek something else in life, isn’t it? Perhaps an exotic beauty in a foreign land. I hear some human girls have a particular taste for fluffy animals—”“Don’t change the subject,” I cut him off, glowering. “You’re not someone who scares easily.”“I wasn’t,” he admitted, inhaling deeply. “But I am now.” His smirk faded, replaced by a hardened expression. “Her husband has erased her past to give her a new life, a paradise of his own making. And I won’t be the one to destroy it.”It took me a moment to understand who he meant. Maria.“I saw her three days ago,” Oakley continued. “I imagined she’d be suffering under the hand of some lord, a
EVELYNI had never known there was a secret room attached to the Alpha’s Study, hidden behind the towering bookshelves that lined the wall opposite the long marble desk. A concealed passageway linked the two, its entrance masked by books that Cole now pushed aside. He twisted a small, inconspicuous knob, and the hidden door clicked open.I followed him inside, ducking low as we maneuvered through the narrow, dark passage. When he opened another door at the end, we stepped into a small chamber. It was even tinier than the room I had once lived in as a maid, furnished only with a round desk, a few chairs, and a cabinet against the wall.Despite its minimalism, the chamber exuded opulence. The desk was inlaid with jade, and each chair gleamed with embedded gemstones that caught even the faintest light.Clearly, this space had been intended for secret meetings—perhaps even assignations. Against one wall sat a low love seat, large enough for one person to rest comfortably. Or two, if they
EVELYNSkyla blinked.For the first time since I had stepped into her cell, she looked truly caught off guard. Her lips parted slightly as if to form words, but no sound came out.I could understand why she was so shocked. According to the traditional Hescorian law of crime and punishment, as the heir of a rebellious Great Lord, she would be sentenced to death. If not death, it would be a life-long sentence of heavy labor and exile – just like the punishment my family had received.Personally, I wanted her to suffer that fate. I had no intention of showing her mercy – mercy she neither deserved nor ever would. But as the future queen of Hescor, I couldn’t. I couldn’t let my personal hatred dictate justice. I was determined to change Hescor’s wretched, severe penal system, and I wouldn’t allow myself to become a hypocrite in the process.Collective punishment had a long history in Hescor. It’d be difficult to abolish, as many lords firmly supported it, or so I had been told.I recalled
EVELYN“So he punished him—made him kneel on the cold stone floor of the Great Hall, day and night, with the servants as witnesses. He kept him there until he was exhausted, starving, and on the verge of collapse,” Stephanie said. “And still, Jack never gave him an answer. He only said it was a girl from a dream. That was all. In the end, Father had no choice but to give up. But before he did, he tore the painting to shreds and warned Jack—if he ever dreamed of that girl again… he would find her, dig her out, and destroy her.”A shiver ran down my spine.I could almost see King Theodore’s looming figure, feel his hands closing around me, tearing me apart as he had done to that painting.I felt paralyzed by Stephanie’s words. And angry. Why was she telling me this? What did she expect from me? This had nothing to do with me, did it? It wasn’t my fault Jack had drawn a picture of me.And yet, beyond the anger, there was something else. A deep, inevitable sorrow.I didn’t know why.I tri
EVELYNI searched Stephanie’s chestnut-brown eyes with scrutiny, trying to make sense of her words. I was relieved she wasn’t lying, but I couldn’t understand why she had bothered making such a request after everything that had happened.Her expression remained composed, as if she saw no issue with her decision. But even at my most optimistic—even if Cole ever found an excuse to forgive his brother—Stephanie’s request to move Jack’s body to the Royal Crypt was absurd.Crypts held deep significance for every noble family in Hescor, and the Royal Crypt was the most sacred of them all, reserved for the royal bloodline. The people of Hescor believed it was a resting place only for revered monarchs who had contributed to the kingdom, rulers whose legacies were honored by both history and the people. Only the purest souls were meant to be laid to rest there. Of course, that was an exaggeration—one could hardly call King Theodore a saint, considering his debauched ways in his later years.As
EVELYN“Sometimes, I can’t tell if you’re supporting me or siding with those who oppose my ascension,” I muttered, lifting my head from the stack of documents to glower at Flynn. Across the room, he met my gaze steadily, unfazed.“Why don’t you go bother your King instead?” I snapped. “If anyone’s to blame for my ignorance of these documents, it’s him! If he hadn’t—” I bit off the words, heat crawling up my face as memory surged forward, unbidden and all too vivid.Cole had been unbearably possessive last night after I returned from my conversation with Aiden by the river. He had exhausted me until dawn – until the first golden rays of sunlight spilled over the horizon, peering into the room to find our bodies tangled in the damp sheets.Flynn arched a brow but returned his attention to the report in his hands. “I’ll remind him to exercise restraint,” he said coolly. “He shouldn’t wear you out when your schedule is this full.” Then, without a hint of emotion, he added, “Tell your maid