CASSANDRAI knew my statement was blunt and honestly, quite bold to blurt out, but I couldn’t stop myself. I still had no idea if Ronald could be trusted, but I supposed I had no other choice. I needed someone on my side who could curb Kaleb’s power, and Ronald appeared to be my only option. As a sorcerer, the king’s cousin was immensely talented. He could be the key I needed to make it out of this intact.I opted not to tell Ronald what Kaleb had mentioned about the talisman. I didn’t quite believe what the king of Yurene had said because it sounded far crazier than anything I could accept, but on the other hand, something in my gut told me not to bring it up. If Kaleb was correct and the talisman had something to do with me, being utterly frank with Ronald could be dangerousRonald stared at me for a moment with an expression that was both full of awe and concern. He raised a dark eyebrow at me and remained silent for what felt like an eternity, but finally, he cleared his throat an
CASSANDRABile rose up my throat and my eyes nearly fell out of my head at this suggestion.The idea of marrying Kaleb sounded crazy in so many ways, not to mention terrifying. My body stiffened involuntarily at Ronald’s suggestion and I felt as if I were about to lose consciousness. Was this truly the only way he would collaborate with me?Yet, Ronald made a good point when he said that Kaleb wouldn’t let me know anything if I went against him. The more I cooperated, the more privy to information I would be.As it stood right now, Kaleb might not want to mistreat me, but he was unpredictable. The longer I dragged the situation out, the worse things could be later.And now that Kaleb knew my true identity… like it or not, he would make use of it and use my real name and social standing as a way to manipulate me. There was only one option: to take the initiative and use my circumstances to get more information.But as I stared out at the fortress surrounding Vlokwell, my mind drifted t
CASSANDRAAfter we exchanged goodbyes with the kind shop owner, we left the store and began to roam along the streets. I spotted many clothing stores along our walk, but Helene didn’t seem all that interested. Every time we would go inside one, Helene would peruse the displays and try on a few items, but she didn’t seem impressed by any of them.After we left the third shop, I got the feeling that Ronald’s fiancee didn’t actually want to buy anything. She appeared as if she was just acting like she was shopping, though I didn’t understand why. There was some sort of ulterior motive behind this visit, but what was it?I had no idea what was going on, but I remained cautious regardless.We continued walking down the street, and when I glanced around, I realized we were quite far from where the car had dropped us off. I was admittedly exhausted. I hadn’t walked that much in quite some time. Since I’d been confined to my chambers in Vlokwell, the only exercise I’d gotten was the journey t
KALEBI was in the middle of having a meeting with a few lords when Roxy suddenly burst into the meeting room.While part of me was annoyed by this interruption, I was also a little relieved. This meeting hadn’t been going well.Yurene didn’t work like Wegalla. Once a Pack was taken over by our country, they no longer functioned as a true Pack, as they had before. Their former Alpha was stripped of their title immediately and was no longer a true Alpha. Instead, they were made Lords, their new position authorized by myself, the king of Yurene.I was the only leader these new citizens could pay their loyalty to. That was the rule of our country. But true to our nature, wolves had always lived in Packs and served their own Alpha. So, technically, the Lords still had their independence and absolute authority over their Pack members. Therefore, it was important to make sure the Lords were on my side.At my core, I didn’t believe in faith and loyalty. I knew once my power declined that tho
CASSANDRAI was completely stunned. Had Helene really said that sentence aloud, or had I simply imagined it?Leave Yurene? With her?As the shock of her proposal died down, I realized that Ronald’s fiancee didn’t seem to be joking. Her expression was quite serious. The rosiness of her cheeks had faded and her lips were a solemn, thin line.“I don’t understand,” I uttered for what felt like the millionth time, and after I glanced around us, I lowered my voice even further. “Helene, you’re betrothed to Ronald. Your wedding is scheduled in less than a month. Why would you leave?”“Because I don’t want the wedding to happen,” she replied bluntly. “I don’t want to marry Ronald.”My eyes nearly fell out of my skull and my lips turned into a frown. “I don’t get it. You seem like such a nice couple-”“It’s nothing but a performance,” Helene cut me off and then she shook her head. “I suppose I’m a better actress than I thought. It’s the only way I’ve been able to stay alive for so long. My lif
BECKYAfter days and nights of hard work, I finally hit my breaking point and collapsed.Dickson had been right when he’d tried to tell me to slow down, but I hadn’t been eager to listen. So, when my body finally caved, I succumbed to an intense bout of illness. Dickson ushered me into a private room in the clinic and started treating me right away.I was feverish for days and my mind was dizzy. The hours moved in ways I couldn’t comprehend, and I didn’t know how long I had been sleeping. I could feel it when Dickson came into my room and applied a cool cloth to my forehead, but I didn’t have the strength to say anything. I was far too weak to move or speak.Sometimes, I had nightmares. In those wicked dreams, I would see the faces of Marina and Angela, as well as shadow-like beings that lingered in the background. The shadows would surround me and try to engulf me with their black power.I would wake from them crying but then fall back into heavy slumber. This continued on for a whil
BECKYJust as Jasper suggested, Marley’s report was concise and clear.The reanimated corpses had gained newfound strength in death. They were able to move and attack swiftly and gracefully. They also had great physical strength, more so than some of the most impressive and powerful werewolves in Wegalla.However, they didn’t seem to possess the ability to think for themselves. Marley also wrote that she didn’t think they had sight as well because when the surviving guard ran away for help and returned with a group of heavily armed individuals, they all witnessed the living dead still attacking the body of the dead guard. Marley surmised that the smell of flesh and blood attracted them to a target and that alone seemed to be the reason why they attacked.As I scanned the report, I made note of a few question marks Marley had scrawled beside some bulleted points. There seemed to be some things she wasn’t sure about, but from her findings, I could draw a few simple truths.First, the “l
CASSANDRAThe moment I agreed to help Helene, I regretted it and wished I could take my promise back. How could I possibly help Ronald’s fiancee escape from Yurene when I was still in trouble myself?But Helene appeared greatly moved. Her light brown eyes filled with tears, and her cheeks blushed a deep shade of rose as she reached across the table and took my hands in hers.“Thank you,” she uttered quietly as she squeezed lightly and gave me a grateful smile.I smiled back at her, but before I could reply, the door to the cafe opened, and the bells chimed as Helene’s maid returned. The poor girl’s cheeks were flushed and she panted heavily as she rushed over to the table.“I searched high and low, but your ring wasn’t in the shop, my lady,” Alana lamented, and her eyes fell to the ground as if she were steeling herself for physical punishment. “I don’t know what could have happened to it.”As the maid tensed up as if by instinct, Helene pondered her statement for a moment, and then,