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
EVELYNThe Alpha King raised a golden eyebrow at me and for a moment, we were frozen. I searched his expression, trying to understand what he was thinking about, but before I could enquire further, he smirked and shook his head.“I thought you knew,” Cole remarked and then he looked away. “You called my name, you apologized, and then you pretended to forget it, believing it was your dear Aiden who saved you.”“Of course, I didn’t know,” I said as the heat of embarrassment ran through me. “You… I was told that Aiden was the one-”“Sure,” he cut me off with another snort. I wasn’t certain why he was acting so strangely. Was he embarrassed? Trying to save face? Or… or was he vexed? Annoyed about this conversation? Annoyed that I’d overheard his conversations?I didn’t care.“And what about the punishment for the Caddels?” I asked boldly. “Was all of that true as well?” Cole frowned. “What?”Anger swelled within me. Was he faking these reactions or did he truly not remember his conversati
EVELYN“Thank you,” the girl stumbled over her words as we rushed away. The village market had grown busy with movement, but we’d managed to slip away mostly undetected thanks to Cole. His wolf form had been so distracting that we’d gotten away without being pursued by House Fox’s guards.While the girl was far less scared than she’d been earlier, there was still fear in her large eyes and her lower lip trembled as she shrank into herself.“There’s no need to thank me,” I said with a shake of my head. “Truly. Tell me, honey, where do you live?”The girl was quiet for a moment. “I… don’t have a home or a family, but I usually stay in a small alley. I have a few friends there.”“Let’s get you there then,” I said. I was sad that the poor young lady didn’t have a permanent place to go and get herself cleaned up and safe, but there wasn’t much I could do about it.The most important thing was getting her far away from those wretched guards, even if her destination was merely an alleyway.A
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