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
CASSANDRAThough Lila couldn’t read my mind, it wasn’t difficult for me to prove that her abilities were real.At Finnick’s request, I met with the girl when Ms. Benn had dropped her off for a playdate. We waited until the head housekeeper was gone, and once we were certain the coast was clear, we sat down at the table and began an assessment.Lila seemed hesitant at first, as if she were worried that I wouldn’t believe her but after some light coaxing, she managed to relax and agreed to display her powers to me.She wasn’t able to read my mind at will, but she still displayed some form of clairvoyance. For example, she predicted quietly that Erika was going to go to the counter and turn on the kettle to boil some water. She could even specifically assess which cup she’d use, what tea she’d collect, and the very mannerisms she would display as she prepared the hot drinks.I stood there in complete shock as all of her predictions were proven correct. It took all of my effort to keep my
CASSANDRAThe information that Ms. Benn had told me about Lady Helene seemed to spread through the castle like wildfire. The stories from the maids traveled fast, and servants began to gossip and wonder if Helene had died. These rumors spiraled on and turned absurd by the time it was three days before the wedding. People suggested they were going to see a monster at the altar because surely, that was what Helene had turned into.So, when Ronald announced that he and his fiancee were holding a party at his residence two days before the wedding night, everyone was surprised.Before I had received my invitation that day, I was summoned by Kaleb and taken to the same meeting room we’d spoken in before. When Ms. Benn quietly escorted me from my chamber and dropped me off in the corridor, I heard whispers about Lady Helene and did my best to drown them out. I didn’t want to pay these awful stories any mind, especially if something really had happened to my friend. Lila had yet to disclose a
CASSANDRAHelene didn’t utter a word on our way to the ladies’ room but conducted herself very politely. Her pretty face remained smiling, and the expression was so fixed it was as if she had been born smiling. It was unnerving after a while, and I kept waiting for it to falter, but her face never changed.Once the door to the bathroom was shut tightly behind us, I tried to talk with her and attempted to coax her out of her daze.“Are you feeling better?” I asked. “I heard that you were ill with some sort of sickness.”“It was just a cold,” Helene replied nonchalantly. “It was nothing to worry about. I’ve fully recovered now.”I nodded my head and after a moment of pause, I tried again. “I heard about your maid as well-”“It was all just a rumor,” she cut me off before I could finish my sentence. “The maid resigned because her mother passed away. I suppose that someone wanted to use such gossip to demean my fiance, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth.”She turned to face the mir