KALEBI diligently stood in front of my mother’s grave solemnly, and after staring at the ornately carved slab in the ground, I began to dust off the stone. This was my first visit in quite some time, and the thick coating of grime on the stone was greater than it had been in a while. I normally didn’t allow it to get this bad, but as of late, things had been infinitely busy, and I rarely had a moment alone.As I cleaned it, I pondered the state of things and then allowed myself to consider my mother. Ever since she died, I’d never had a nightmare about her passing or otherwise. Nor had I after I’d killed all of my siblings and most of my cousins. Not even when I’d ended my father’s life.I wasn’t afraid of ghosts or gods. I wasn’t afraid of punishment from the Moon Goddess for the acts I’d committed in the past.But last night, I had a nightmare, one that I couldn’t shake. It was haunting my thoughts and bleeding into the waking world so vividly it made me uneasy.In my dream, I saw
ASHERAs I stared at the beautiful yet disgusted face of the raven-haired sorceress before us, I searched my mind for the right ways to go about questioning her. Now that we knew her name, Roxy, it was clear that she was on the verge of breaking. It was just a matter of prying her further.I remembered that I had once attended an interrogation with my father before his death. He’d been silent our entire walk to the dungeon, and once we reached the staircase, he turned to face me with a tense expression and his cold eyes trailed over me.“We’re going to teach you some techniques that will be useful in the future,” he remarked sternly. “Pay attention. This will be useful in the future when you need to dig out the truth.”Though I wasn’t too keen on the idea, there was no refusing my father, so I nodded, and then we continued our walk. Once we were in the dungeon, we were met by a pair of my father’s men and then escorted to a cell in the back.They were interrogating a servant who had b
SILAS Much to my irritation, it was my duty to watch over the sorceress tonight. I wasn’t thrilled by the prospect, but as the Beta, I had to follow the orders of my king. Unlike the others, I hadn’t believed a single word that poured out of Roxy’s mouth this afternoon. In her stories, which she’d claimed were completely factual, she’d implied that the great sorcerers of old were omnipotent and incredible, while werewolves were utterly useless. According to supposed legend, the most powerful of the magic-wielders could read people’s minds and even manipulate them when they saw fit. But at the end of the day, these legends were merely stories. There was no proof that her stories were true and I only believed in solid evidence. Stories had never been enough. I needed to witness things with my own eyes, and thus far, I had no reason to believe her. Besides, the sorceress was cunning. All she wanted was to play with our thoughts and intimidate them. Her sea-green eyes had a fierceness
ASHERThe next day, we began our ascent up the mountain.The Sky Pride Pack resided near the top of these hills, and it was a grueling journey. Speed and swiftness had no advantage on steep hills, which was how Sky Pride had remained intact throughout the years, while other Packs suffered from constant wars and disputes. The location was advantageous and strategic, and while the climb was far from ideal, I had to admire their resilience.None of us had ever visited this technically autonomous Pack before, nor had we expected to have such difficulty. We had to abandon most of our belongings on the way, as they only weighed us down and made the climb more cumbersome.The only source of relief was the fact that I didn’t need to disguise myself here, as no one would be able to attack us in Sky Pride. No assassin would be able to reach the remote Pack, so a shroud or costume was unnecessary.It was around noon when we reached the first gate. Our party waited around for nearly half an hour
ASHERBy Darwin’s reaction, I knew at once that the voice belonged to the Alpha of Sky Pride. I shifted in my seat and turned around to face him. When I did, I was surprised by his appearance.He was quite tall, with dark skin, gray hair, and beard, and a large belly. His brown eyes crinkled at the corners and when he smiled, I was impressed by the whiteness of his teeth.He walked into the room with the support of a young woman. They both appeared ill, though they wore it differently. The young woman was beautiful, with long, thick curly dark hair, and pretty hazel eyes, but her frame was incredibly thin. A small wind could easily have blown her away.The Alpha himself appeared to have difficulty breathing. Once he reached us, he opened his mouth to speak but began to cough before he could utter a word.Darwin rushed over to support him on the other side. He smiled at the young woman, and she lowered her head to avoid his gaze.They helped the Alpha sit down, and once he was seated,
ASHERSilas stiffened at once and then glared at Roxy. As his golden eyes shot daggers in her direction, he remained utterly silent.We all knew that should anything be spoken wrongly, this alliance between us would be ruined. We needed Alpha Arthur on our side, and yet… this wasn’t a matter for Silas to solve.Meanwhile, Arthur seemed quite focused on Silas. He appeared rather interested in the idea, and his dark eyes trailed over the young man.“I didn’t expect you to be the son of Oliver Moses,” he remarked, and then he raised an eyebrow. “It’s quite interesting that father and son are against one another now.”Silas nodded politely, and then Arthur’s smile widened.“If what you say is the truth, I would be very willing to marry my daughter to Beta Silas,” he announced as he made eye contact with everyone in the room.Kiara glanced at Silas as well, but her weak and tired expression remained the same. She was perfectly silent, which I assumed was a natural state for her.“Unfortuna
ASHERThat night in Sky Pride was far colder than it had been in our forest camp below the mountain. The wind outside of the fortress blew intensely, so much that it rattled the window, and it made me shiver instinctively as we were escorted to our rooms.Much to my surprise, our designated quarters were warm and cozy, the beds decorated with plush, thick blankets, and the wood floors were covered in several soft rugs. The furnishings were simple yet lovely, and when I finally had a chance to relax, I flopped down onto the bed and allowed the blankets to flare up around me. I sank into the softness for a moment and stared up at the ceiling as I reflected on the evening.Alpha Arthur hadn’t been very content with Kane’s declaration at first, but after he proposed the idea of courting Kiara, the Alpha escorted us to a small banquet hall. A feast in our honor commenced, and as the night went on, Arthur began to come around on the idea. Kane always knew how to smooth the tension and make
ASHEROnce Kane left the room, I changed into a pair of nightclothes and then went to bed. I dozed off quickly, but my sleep was quite light.So much so, that when a noise rang out from the corridor, I woke up immediately and began to look around in surprise. For a moment, I wondered if the sound was just my mind playing tricks on me, but something in my gut told me that wasn’t the truth. Something was amiss, something I couldn’t dismiss straight away without investigation.I rubbed my eyes and immediately rushed outside of the room and into the courtyard just down the hall. As I walked, the metallic scent of blood reached my nose at once, and I hastened my pace.I was the first to arrive, followed by Kane, Alpha Arthur, Kiara, Darwin, and a few soldiers. Everyone was outfitted in their nightclothes, and one by one, we each fell stunned at the sight before us when it was illuminated by the torches of the soldiers. My stomach twisted into painful knots and for a moment, I thought I was