JASMINEMy head began to ache from all of the information I was being given. Sylvia was a wizard, a runaway princess from a country whose ruler faked her death after killing her father? She had managed to get away from King Theodore but had managed to hide away in Hescor, where she’d been residing the entire time.I wanted to pinch the bridge of my nose between my fingertips. This was all too much, but I needed to stay strong and composed so we could move forward and figure out how to save Cole.“Why would your uncle align with Jack Elrod of all people?” I asked again with a small frown. “What’s the appeal for a foreign magic user to work with a werewolf prince?”“If I were to guess, I would say that my uncle seeks the rich sapphire source of Ozora,” Sylvia mused. “Which would surely enhance a wizard’s capabilities, so I doubt there would be more options than that. Augus Clarkin is an insane, greedy man. All he seeks is power. During the years that I was in the royal palace, Seb had g
JASMINEFor a moment, I thought I had heard the man incorrectly.There were so many variables that made no sense and many others that did.I wanted to scoff at the mere notion that Skyla Fox was kind, given all that I knew about her, and scoff even further at the idea of the King wanting anything to do with her. She was beautiful but she was hardly a prize and I’d been deducting during the Luna Selection that he wanted nothing to do with her.These were the orchestrations of Marcel and the rest of House Fox.I narrowed my eyes and shook my head in confusion.“The King is awake?” I questioned. “That’s impossible. Did you see him walking among them?”“I can’t confirm because the ones I had spoken with had never seen the King in person,” Seb explained. “All know that he is there but none have seen his face since he arrived at the House of Fox.”“And when will this engagement party happen?” Sylvia spoke up in a serious, composed voice. Her eyes held a spark that I couldn’t quite identify,
FLYNNJasmine had only been gone less than a day and I already missed her greatly. Her scent was still lingering on my coat, and it was almost as if I could physically sense her gentle touch when I recalled the moment we’d hugged and kissed. A shiver ran through me as I remembered the sweet taste of her lips against mine.I wished to kiss her now, wished to kiss her shamelessly and tell her how much I loved her, every inch of her… her ashen-blonde hair, her big sterling eyes… the gorgeous, lightly muscled figure that couldn’t leave my mind… she had me under her spell through and through.I had never expected to find a mate anytime soon. I had always thought I didn’tdeserve to be happy after the moment I ended my friend’s life.But Jasmine… sweet, beautiful Jasmine Madden, reassured me that Conner Caddel’s death wasn’t my fault, like everyone else had attempted but failed at. Miraculously, her words worked more than anyone else’s ever had. Perhaps it was her tone when she boldly ment
EVELYNOakley studied me with caution, the expression on his scarred face betraying a mix of emotions. It was rare, I was certain, to see him in such a state, and it was relieving to know I could have the upper hand for once“What are your conditions?” he asked me, his eyes holding mine for once instead of trailing over me lewdly. For a moment, he seemed almost innocent, normal, not the cruel warrior wolf I knew he was at his core.“I need to know what happened to Aiden first,” I said, chin held high. “As for the rest, I’ll keep them tucked away for later. I’ll need you to cooperate when I need it. Got that?”Oakley snorted and rolled his eyes “Quite a lofty statement, angel. How can I trust you? Besides, if Maria is really alive, I can find her on my own. Why would I need your help?”He rose from his seat and leaned over as his sharp eyes stared at me. I knew that it was just an intimidation tactic but I wasn’t about to falter, not when circumstances were so dire. No, I wouldn’t yiel
EVELYNOakley remained silent while he walked me back. He had changed his playful attitude and maintained a solemn face as if he had been deeply in his own thoughts.“What happened to Elsa?” I asked him quietly, unsure of how to speak of the ordeal. I was certain that if anyone knew what had happened in that room, it was the scarred man.Oakley hesitated and then spoke. “Elsa made the wrong decision and now… she’s approaching her doom.”I stopped dead in my tracks and studied him with a look of utter confusion. “Her doom? What does that mean?”He scoffed and came to a halt. “I can’t tell you unless you want to become the same as she is.”I blinked in surprise.He glanced behind his shoulder. “I’m sure Elsa expected it. The moment we vow our loyalty to Master, we know what will be our undoing. Our doom.”“Do you… do you mean that Elsa will die soon?” I asked, my voice breaking at the very thought.Oakley didn’t speak but his somber expression told me everything. The world felt as if it
EVELYNAfter being dropped off by Oakley, I spent the otherwise quiet morning with my parents and as the sun rose high in the sky, we had lunch together. Staying with my family always soothed me, but the happier I felt when I was spending time with my family, the more uneasy I felt deep down. How could I relax knowing that my friend was preparing to meet an alleged doom for betraying Jack Elrod?How could I be at ease when her fate was practically condemned?It was impossible to go about my day pretending that I hadn’t seen what I’d seen.So, after we ate, I went to see Elsa.Jack had told me that I could see her “later”, so I saw no harm in visiting her now that the ordeal was technically over. Oakley had taken me away as instructed and enough time had passed that it felt less dangerous to get involved again.When I reached Elsa’s chamber, I knocked gently on the door, and when I heard no reply, my heart raced in my chest. I knew it wasn’t my best idea, but I couldn’t just turn back
EVELYNI couldn’t shake the feeling that his words seemed like a threat, and despite the panic that swelled within my belly, I managed to remain calm as I awaited his response.“Well, I can’t exactly babysit my little brother,” Jack remarked with a small, near smirk. “And I have nothing to do with how his condition progresses. It seems as if it’s deteriorated quickly. Maybe he’s just too weak to hold on-”“He’s not weak,” I cut him off sharply. “You must have done something to him to keep him from healing.”Enragingly composed as ever, Jack shrugged. “Regardless, you’d better decide quickly if you still want to save that pathetic boy. Time is of the essence, it seems.”As my temper flared, I clenched my fists. “How do I know he can be saved since his condition has deteriorated so quickly? How do I know that you wouldn’t just kill him the moment I agreed to marry you?”“I never made a promise that I would save Cole,” Jack corrected me with a chuckle, crossing his arms against his chest
Addison laughed as Lord Hart finished his utterance. Her mocking laughter was harsh. It was he only sound in the room.Flynn stared at his father. Words escaped him as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that his father had held onto such an immense, intense secret.Similarly, Leila seemed confounded. She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe what their father had just revealed.“Why did you keep this from us?” the young lady asked in a small voice. The charms decorating her dark braids shimmered with sound as she leaned forward.Lord Hart sighed. He looked at his daughter but didn’t speak a word.Addison laughed again, her big gray eyes narrowing and then rolling. “Because your father is a coward.”She tilted her head, her long ash-blonde hair spilling over her shoulder. “It seems the Hart family is in no position to look down on the Maddens, since they now appear to be the most dishonest and treacherous family in Hescor.”Leila’s full dark lips curled into a snarl, and a l
EVELYNThe street stretched out before us, unnervingly still. The stalls stood closed, their wooden boxes covered with heavy canvas. No guards patrolled the quiet alleys, and no pedestrians passed within sight as we crept along the corner. Our eyes scanned the empty expanse before we cautiously moved forward.Jasmine led the way, her hand resting on the hilt of the dagger at her hip. Her footfalls were nearly soundless as she glided through the shadows. She would lead us out before returning to help Stephanie and Seb in their rescue mission. Behind her, I carried Cole’s weight, struggling to move quietly. Though I could mostly manage, it was only with Leila’s help that I was able to keep pace without falling behind.“We’re lucky,” Leila whispered, her voice barely audible. “Everyone’s distracted, over by the execution ground. It’s so clear here. The plan’s going well.”I wanted to believe her, but an unsettling feeling crawled at the edges of my mind. The silence was too complete. The
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