CASSANDRAThe moment I’d noticed Rayden, it seemed like the guards had done the same. As the tall, dark-haired man from Wild Crawler approached me with long strides, I noticed the guards all tense up in unison.I began to panic. What was about to happen? And what was Rayden doing here in Vlokwell?Before Rayden was about to greet me, one of the guards stopped him from getting any closer to me. I flashed Rayden a firm expression and silently let him know that it wasn’t wise to show that he knew me.I half-expected confusion, but Rayden understood immediately. Instead of acting like he was coming to speak with me, he turned his attention to the guards and wore an expression of confusion.“I’m so sorry,” he apologized to them with a convincing frown on his tanned face. “I think I’m lost. I had been led to my room by a nice maid before, but I came out here to tell my servants that they needed to be careful with our boxes. I know it might sound silly, but when I decided to go back to my ch
KANEThe day after the sudden attack in Sky Pride, Asher departed for Yurene to save Cassandra, and not soon after my stepbrother left, Alpha Arthur fell into a coma.It was a sudden occurrence, even more surprising than the attack on Silas, and though the healers of the remote Pack couldn’t identify the exact cause, they suggested the attack had caused excessive emotional fluctuation.Arthur’s daughter Kiara was utterly distraught by her father’s loss of consciousness, and just after the Alpha was escorted to a private wing of his castle to be observed, I had to pull her into another room and rub her back as she wept.I wasn’t sure how long we were there, but time ceased to matter as I rubbed the poor girl’s back and assured her that things would be fine. I wasn’t entirely sure that was true, but I had to keep the hope alive regardless. We needed Sky Pride’s assistance if things we were to go to war against Yurene, but even that aside, I didn’t want Arthur to pass away. He was a litt
KANEEven as a child, I had been well aware of the fact that my new stepfather didn’t love my mother. Though the King of Wegalla had always treated us well, and Margaret never complained about his lack of attention or kindness, it wasn’t difficult to tell that he didn’t share any affection toward her. Truthfully, Asher’s father had only married Margaret because she had been his late wife’s maid. After Selene Collins’ death, the king was desperate to learn any and all information he could about the queen, and he saw his union with my mother as an opportunity.He asked Margaret to tell him everything about the late queen: how she had laughed, how she would smile, the things that brought her happiness. Every single detail about her. Selene was the only subject of their conversations, and while my mother didn’t outwardly protest or refuse him, it bothered her greatly.She had told me once that she believed the king was just trapped in his regret. He regretted that he had neglected his bea
CASSANDRARayden seemed completely surprised by the fact that Asher was here in Yurene as well, and though it was clear from his expression that he wanted to know more about the situation, he didn’t ask for the details.The new Alpha of Wild Crawler sat at the table patiently and allowed me to share some of the more vague aspects of the king’s presence while leaving out the ones that would get him in trouble if he were caught. I didn’t want to keep secrets from the sweet young man who had come here with the intention of rescuing me, but I didn’t want Rayden to get in trouble on my behalf and face punishment at the hands of these violent Northerners. I’d seen firsthand what the prisoners in the tower looked like after being tortured and medically experimented on. I wouldn’t risk Rayden’s life like that.At the same time, there were things I needed him for, and if it was possible to receive his help, I couldn’t refuse.I told him that we needed to take a sorceress back to Wegalla with u
CASSANDRAAs we crossed the banquet hall and headed toward the entrance, I caught sight of Asher, who stood on the other side of the room. His eyes were on Kaleb and me, and I watched his lips draw into a thin line. His stare was sharp, but thanks to the distance and his disguise, Kaleb didn’t notice him. He seemed too lost in the daze of his drunkenness, and I thanked the Moon Goddess for this. The less aware Kaleb was, the easier the plan would go.The king of Yurene brought me to a small meeting room at the other end of the corridor. He closed the door behind us and then led me over to the couch on the far side of the room. He slumped down and then patted the cushion beside him.“Sit beside me,” he requested.Though I didn’t want to, I did as he asked, and once I was there, Kaleb’s eyes trailed over me.“You look really pretty tonight,” he complimented me with an earnest smile.I didn’t know what to say, so I simply smiled back. I wasn’t sure what he wanted, but something was going
CASSANDRAThe horrible sight before my eyes was the worst nightmare I’d ever seen, yet no matter how hard I pinched myself, it wasn’t going away.As the fire covered Asher’s body, his skin began to peel down. Soon, the black burnt skin became ashes, and then the ashes disappeared entirely and blew down the corridor.“No!” I screamed out of anger and sorrow. “No, no, no!”My lungs ached as I cried out, but I couldn’t stop. Tears spilled down my face like a river, and my vision started to break out with spots as I shook.No one was going to take Asher away from me.This couldn’t be happening.My skin began to burn again, and I realized the flames were engulfing me as well, but I didn’t care. There was nothing I could see but fire, endless, unstoppable fire. The screams and cries soon faded away, and as the flames danced around me, I realized that Ronald, Helene, and the other guests were gone too.But somehow, despite my trauma and all that I’d endured at the hands of fire, my fear disa
CASSANDRAThough there was still so much doubt in my heart and mind about this entire situation, Emmett seemed to have an explanation for everything.“It’s true that Kaleb’s father’s condition worsened quickly, but he wouldn’t have died so early if Kaleb hadn’t been the one to end his life,” he said. “As for Asher, it’s because he’d been trying to control his condition for all these years.”I sat there for a second and then my frown deepened even further.“I don’t understand,” I admitted as my eyebrows creased together. “What do you mean, Emmett?”“People who drink the concoction gradually lose their own minds,” Emmett explained. “Over time, they become nothing more than mere puppets for their master. A vessel without their own souls. My father had felt sorry for Asher. He thought it was evil and unforgivable to use an innocent young boy like that. So, before his death, my father asked me to try my best to cure Asher.”I blinked back at him in surprise. Emmett had tried to cure Asher?
KALEBThe whole main building was on fire.I watched it burn from a distance, admiring the plumes of smoke as they rose high into the air. It was a gorgeous sight, though dark given the circumstances. Thankfully, I couldn’t hear the screams and cries within because the tightly shut windows and doors had blocked them. As I stared at the building, I wondered if this was what those people felt when they locked my siblings and me in the dungeon, leaving us to our demise.Had they stood outside the doors, wondering who would be the victor and who would meet a violent death at the hands of their family members? Had they felt satisfaction at the idea of us fighting one another?All of my enemies, as well as those with the potential to be my enemies, were there in that burning building, but I couldn’t feel even a tiny bit of happiness at the sight. Nor did I feel regret or horror.I felt absolutely nothing at all.Those who had stood loyal to my side of the conflict had been evacuated out of