AIDENIt was a sleepless night.The vault smelled damp and filthy, and as whiffs of mold and other unpleasant odors invaded my nose and twisted my stomach, a grim feeling seized me.Sleeping here reminded me of my past—of the times I had slept in the sewer to escape the biting winter winds. It had been cruel on the streets. Finding shelter, finding a place where none could hurt or bother me was difficult, so often, I had to hide in unpleasant places that others wouldn’t dare to come to. But that was before I met Steven Caddel.Steven and his family had given me a home, a place to live and sleep that didn’t require me to keep one eye open. When they’d taken me in, I’d been a small, scrawny thing. I had dreams of one day being a fighter and protector but I could see all of my ribs through my shirt. My cheeks and eyes had been so hollow then.Charlotte had fed me and nursed me back to health and from there, Steven helped me with my mental and physical strength. Had it not been for their
AIDENI glanced between Oakley and Frederick’s lifeless body in shock. I was temporarily frozen as I beheld the ruddy man’s corpse but my paralysis gave way to anger as I glared at the guard.“You killed Frederick,” I snarled. “That wasn’t a part of the plan.”There was no love lost between me and the man who presided over this island in Marcel Fox’s name, but he should not have died, especially not at Oakley’s clawed hands. Frederick could have provided key information about House Fox’s crimes, evidence that would have helped the Alpha King’s mission.I had planned to silence him and bind him to a chair while the rebellion took place. Killing had never been a part of this plan.Unfazed by my growl, Oakley wiped the blood from his hands using Frederick’s clothes.“I don’t follow plans, Sir,” he remarked casually. The scarred guard squatted down, studying Frederick’s face as if enjoying the sight of his horrified expression. “Frederick had to die, I’m afraid.”Oakley then stood and loo
EVELYNI woke up to a gentle knock on the door. My vision was blurred but I sat up quickly and ran my hand through my hair to smooth it down.I didn’t remember falling asleep.Another knock rang out, and after I managed a soft reply of “Come in!”, the door opened to reveal a servant holding a silver tray.Max held the door open and the servant approached the nightstand with the food.Breakfast food.I frowned.“What time is it?” I asked him as I stifled a yawn. I was still so unbelievably tired and my entire body ached with it.“It’s well past dawn, my lady,” the servant replied politely as he placed the tray down. My eyes glanced at the window to the left of me. The curtains were only half-drawn, so I could see the sun burning brightly in the colorful sky.Morning.It was strange that I had slept so late. I wasn’t normally allowed to sleep so long and I was surprised that I hadn’t been awoken by Cole or anyone else. We were here on business, after all.I noticed the servant was loo
EVELYNI hadn’t run for a long time.My wolf body was ecstatic as I ran through the forest, following Cole closely.House Fox was separated from the nearest city by a small forest, so it wasn’t a long run, but it was still exhilarating.I caught sight of our reflections in a passing stream as we rushed past. Much smaller than Cole, my fur was a rich, chocolate brown with streaks of black, though my eyes were still the same shade. My limbs were long, just like my human ones, and though I was slender, my muscles were still as powerful as ever.Unsurprisingly, Cole was just as beautiful in this form as he was in his human one. His fur was the color of burnished gold and he was tall, sleek, and fast. His dark eyes were mischievous as he panted at me from the other side of the stream.“You’re slow,” he barked at me in wolf speak. “Pick up the pace. Unless you can’t-”I didn’t let him finish. I lunged forward and leaped over the stream in an easy bound. Though my muscles strained a little
EVELYNThe house Cole and I were escorted into was quite lovely, far nicer than I’d expected.It wasn’t exactly big, but it seemed cozy. It was full of tall windows that let in a ton of light, and all of the furnishings were comfortable and homey. A meek servant, a tiny dark-haired woman, led us through the house. Silently, she guided us to the second floor and stopped in front of a wooden door. She knocked politely, pausing for a moment until a voice within answered.“Come in!”The servant straightened her posture before opening the door for us. She stood aside and gestured for us to enter.It appeared to be a lounging room. There was a sofa, an oversized chair, and a blazing fireplace that filled the room with warmth. A huge, plush rug spanned the reddish brown floors and the walls were a nice shade of soft ivory.Inside the room, four people were present. A tall man with slicked-back chestnut hair stood in front of the couch where a woman with thick curly black hair sat with a nap
EVELYNIt was no secret that werewolves worshipped power.Hescor was believed to be a mostly peaceful place with a variety of different people but there was no use denying the truth. Those without significant strength or a noble lineage would find it nearly impossible to achieve a respectable status in this country.Wolves without significant status were known as Omegas.In the past, some Omegas were forced into slavery. Those slaves’ sole purpose was to serve high-born families and nothing more. They were treated as if they weren’t wolves at all.Like filth.King Theodore had abolished slavery entirely upon ascending the throne, so I had only heard of it in old stories.In these stories, Omega slaves were branded with cross marks by tools made of silver. The location of the brand indicated their "usage."If I remembered correctly, those with marks behind their ears were sex slaves.They were marked in such a hidden location because those who purchased sex slaves preferred not to be
COLEI stood by the window, looking down at Evelyn sitting on the lawn.Her hands were folded in her lap and a gentle breeze kissed her cheeks and blew her long dark hair softly. Even from here, I could see a glimmer of happiness in her large hazel eyes.Samuel’s son and daughter were running around her, and she watched them with a soft smile. There was a faint flush of color in her cheeks and it made my heart ache to see her look so… content. Envious, almost.Not too long ago, I had envisioned this very scene, planned for it. When I had planned to elope with her, I had imagined a peaceful small town where we could live away from the crowds and chaos. A place where no one could find us. We would have a couple of pups, and we would sit together, watching them laugh and run freely.I could picture the children so easily- one with Evelyn’s eyes and my gold hair. Perhaps even the opposite- a pup with night-dark eyes to match the black of her hair.Regardless of the combination of features,
EVELYNMaria blinked at me like I’d grown a second head. In her lap, Daisy did the same, only her expression seemed even more shocked. I suddenly felt self-conscious and wondered if it was a stupid question to bring up.“I don’t know,” Maria admitted thoughtfully. “I… would have known if Sam had rejected me back then. But then again, my husband told me that even the idea of rejection was part of the moon’s test, to see how determined the fated mates could be-”“Nothing can tear fated mates apart!” Daisy said firmly, pouting at me as if I had uttered a ridiculous question. Her big eyes narrowed at me and I could tell she felt the urge to stick her tongue out in my direction.I knew it because that’s precisely what I would have done at her age too. I had been a daring little girl once too.I opened my mouth to speak but before I could, Daisy turned her attention back to her mother.“Will I find a fated mate, Mommy?” she wondered, her little brow furrowing as if what I’d said got under h
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