AIDENShit.It was one thing to know I was being hunted and another to hear my name uttered from someone’s mouth.Frederick cursed under his breath and barked out an order. “Catch him as soon as possible! Find a guard whose build resembles his. We need a scapegoat to handle the Lord first.”The other voice hesitated. “But sir-”This prompted Frederick to bellow. “Have you heard me correctly?”“As you wish, Sir,” came the quick response.“Good,” Frederick replied curtly, his demeanor more serious now and less aggressive. “Keep guarding my office. I want no trouble at all, do you hear?”“Yes, sir,” the other voice agreed without any sort of hesitation, pause, or questioning.“I have very high expectations for you, Oakley.”I blinked in surprise and my heart skipped a beat.Oakley?Oakley Newman?The informant I was searching for?“Thank you, Sir,” Oakley replied, and I fought the urge to shake my head in disbelief. I was confused and taken aback by this entire situation.Was this a betr
AIDENAll of them were bound with ropes, their eyes covered with black cloth.Steven had been whipped, his tattered clothes stained with blood, and his back exposed. The welts were deep and long, and my stomach turned at the very sight.Charlotte’s face was marred with bruises and scars, surely inflicted by some sort of blade as well as physical blows.Emma—thank the goddess—looked relatively unharmed but was visibly terrified, clinging tightly to her mother and whimpering.A lump formed in my throat and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to retch or shout in anger. Evelyn’s family had already been through so much. And now this? I couldn’t get rid of my rising guilt and knew that I probably never would.”“You have five minutes,” Oakley said to me in a low voice. “Don’t remove the eye masks. Keep your voice quiet and low. Without another word, he took a chair and sat in the corner. I waited for some kind of deception and but cautious when none arrived.As I approached the Caddels, I felt a tig
EVELYNAs I had expected, Skyla was extremely unhappy the morning we were set to leave for the House of Fox.The beautiful redhead looked positively enraged when she saw me following Cole from the King’s wing.“What in the hell are you doing here?” she hissed, just low enough for me to hear. At her sides, her hands were balled into fists, and from the way she winced, I knew her claws were extended within. I wondered if she would swipe at me with them if I gave her a vague answer. And part of me questioned what I would do if she did.Even considering how little I practiced fighting these days, I knew I could handle the lovely she-wolf. Skyla had been bred to be a bride, not a soldier.Since I was behind the King, I opted not to respond and instead tilted my head slightly, egging on. It was petty, especially when it meant so little to me, but I swept my hair over my shoulder so that she could see the hickeys Cole had left on my neck.I had discovered them in the mirror this morning, and
JASMINEAfter what felt like a million-year-long journey, the coachman stopped the carriage outside of a small inn. Startled by the sudden halt, I jumped and then raised my eyes to look at Elsa.My former maid seemed distant, like her mind was utterly occupied with something else, which was a welcome change. Throughout this ride, I’d wondered if Elsa ever slept, because every time I moved even a centimeter, she would shoot me a sharp glare. It sent a chill down my spine every single time and I began to watch myself to make sure I didn’t anger her further.In one swift motion, Elsa rose to her feet and narrowed her eyes at me, her hands flying to the dagger holstered at her side. Her jaw clenched and then she leaned closer.“We’re stopping for the night,” she said sharply. “The coachman needs some sleep and so do I. But don’t get any ideas about anything. There are some rules that you must follow if you want to stay alive.”I swallowed heavily and then nodded, my hands shaking at my si
JASMINEThe coachman didn’t speak. His jaw clenched for the briefest of moments but then he rolled his eyes dismissively. Before they glazed over as Elsa’s had not long before, I extended my already long, sharp claws, and then dug them deep into his belly.The coachman shrieked as blood splattered out and my voice hardened.“Don’t play tricks or attempt anything stupid,” I warned him. “Next time, it’ll be your neck. I don’t want to repeat myself again. Answer my question. Who is your Master?”A whimper escaped him. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen the Master’s face. He’s always wearing a mask. We receive orders and then we obey, no questions asked.”“That seems convenient,” I remarked annoyedly, and just as I started to raise my claws, he continued to speak.“I m-m-met the Master when I was begging for f-food on the street,” he stammered. “I was kicked aside by a group of well-dressed wolves… they hurt me and then laughed as they walked away. It was humiliating. The Master saved and tr
EVELYNWhat the hell was Cole talking about?Elsa, an attacker?“That’s impossible,” I blurted out, shaking my head firmly as I stared back at him. I didn’t believe a word of what he was saying. There was no way. My kind, caring friend was not capable of such a thing and she would never hurt me. She was too young, too innocent.“Impossible?” Cole repeated back, and then he scoffed. “How can you be so sure? You say you trust her but where does your trust come from? You’ve known her for barely a month, haven’t you? I was informed that she only arrived at the palace recently. Doesn’t seem like enough time to really get to know someone.”I fought the urge to glare at him and instead opted to narrow my eyes.“Have you found any evidence?” I questioned him, ignoring his comments about our friendship. “How could Elsa do such a thing? What would her motive be to attack Lady Anna? To attack me?”But Cole ignored my questions as well and pressed on. “Answer this for me, Evelyn. Where does your
EVELYNWe arrived at the House of Fox the next day.The journey should have been short since Fox’s land was the closest to the royals, but Skyla made it unbearable. What should have been a one-day trip dragged on because she constantly stopped the carriages, seizing every opportunity to talk to Cole about some issue or problem she’d dreamt up.Once, she claimed a wheel was loose on the carriage and she was fearful about continuing on until it was fixed.Another time, she stopped because she said she was feeling sick from being cooped up and needed a while to stop and stretch. She asked Cole to accompany her on a short walk, which he obliged, though he seemed less than thrilled about it.Every time he gave in to her whims, Skyla’s aqua eyes would reach mine and get a strange flint. Sometimes, a small smile would accompany this look, as if she were saying “he’s mine.”It was mildly annoying but turned quite laughable whenever I noticed Cole’s expression. He wasn’t unkind to her outright
EVELYNI wrapped my arms around myself and lowered my head as I tried to calm down.Everyone loved to bring up my family and I was no stranger to overhearing tales told about them, but something about Marcel’s tone made me nervous. Had something happened on Windsburn to illicit such a response? Were my parents and sister alright?Were they in danger?My heart raced in my chest and Max eyed me with a look of worry. I dropped my hands and then held a finger to my mouth to make sure he stayed quiet. I needed to hear Marcel Fox’s next words and couldn’t be interrupted by anything more than a slight breeze if I wanted to stay focused.“Don’t beat around the bush, Lord Marcel. ” Cole said, clearly aware of what Marcel was referring to. “Be frank with me.”“The Caddels, Your Majesty,” Marcel confirmed a beat later. “I apologize for bringing up their extremely unpleasant name. I hate speaking of them but I see no other choice. You see, people are still holding grudges against their punishment