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
CASSANDRAIt had been five years since I’d been in my wolf form.It was strange, this feeling of pure, primal instinct, and yet it was still so familiar.I thought I would forget how to run and how to fight, but on the contrary, I remembered them quite well. The muscle memories, along with the fighting skills my father Darrin and my brother Ector had once taught me were still so clear in my mind.As my claws dug into the damp earth beneath me, a shiver ran down my spine. I could feel the power flowing through me, electric and tense. It was exhilarating but admittedly a little scary since I wasn’t used to this sensation.I lowered my head and growled, glaring at the wolves circling me. Kaleb’s guards, no doubt, each ready to take me on. I attempted to count them all but soon lost track. Of course, I didn’t care all that much about how many adversaries stood against me. My wolf instincts had kicked in and taken control of my very being.These wolves could try to fight against me all the
CASSANDRAIt was a sunny day, the first one in a long time.After the long winter and cold spring, summer eventually came, and it was hotter than it had been in forever.Sunlight streamed in through the clinic window, and I was a little distracted as I stared out at the window at the kids in the yard.Finnick, Lila, Marley’s boys Eric and Adrian, and Dominic were all chasing each other, playing a game of tag with one another. Marco was out there with them too, but he was sitting on a bench alone, meters away from the rest of the kids. He looked lonely and didn’t move as the others played around him.It had been a month since the chaos in Merliscire and Adalyn’s death. I supposed it was still hard for Marco to accept the fact that his mother was gone. She had killed herself right in front of him after holding him hostage and threatening to hurt him. The poor little boy had endured so much trauma in such a short amount of time.He wasn’t a bad kid. He had a mean disposition at times, bu
ASHERIt had been a while since Cassandra entered the building, and with every passing minute, my nervousness and anxiety grew stronger. While I knew she was capable of handling herself, I didn’t like the idea of her being in the House of Moses without me.I began to feel restless. It was a mistake to let her leave with Adalyn alone.I pondered my options for a minute and then decided I couldn’t wait out on the grounds any longer, not when my mate could be in danger. I started to walk toward the building, but before I could get too far, the soldiers guarding us stopped me.At first, they were polite but quickly, they became rude. They shouted and told me to back up. I wasn’t allowed in, not until Lady Adalyn said so.I considered pushing past them but didn’t want to escalate the situation, so I nodded and retreated ever so slightly. All around me, the councilors grew restless. They too, wanted to leave, only they desired to go back to Merliscire. However, when a group of them tried to
BECKYAfter our conversation with Oliver Moses, Dickson and I had been seized by the Moses guards and taken into a room that appeared to be used for interrogation. The door was crafted from iron and there were no windows, so the room was dim and quiet. There were only a pair of chairs, each a little rickety and old-looking. It was a pathetic, desolate sort of place, which was surely on purpose.Time didn’t make much sense in there and I soon couldn’t figure out how long we’d been locked in. My body ached and my mind was spinning out with a million thoughts as I absorbed all of the information I’d heard in the past couple of days.I had thought Oliver Moses would quickly find out the truth or ask me to confront Adalyn again, but Dickson thought the opposite when I presented the idea to him.“Look at this place, Becky,” he said, his voice gloomy and negative. “No one is going to visit us any time soon.”Sadly, he appeared to be correct, and his point was only proven as time went on. Tho
ADALYN Ada. How long had it been since I’d heard that name? My parents had never referred to me as Ada. They had never given me a single nickname or pet name. Mother had always said it was improper to call a child by anything other than their name and Father had never given me enough affection to bother. There were only two people in this world who had ever called me Ada. Asher. And Cora. I tensed as I tried to understand how Cassandra knew this. Had Asher told her about our close friendships when we were young? No, there was no way. Suddenly, I was hit with a realization, one I couldn’t ignore. I stared at Cassandra and studied her carefully. I searched her features, scrutinizing her nose, her mouth, the shape of her eyes. None were familiar, but as I stared at her deep emerald green irises and recognized the hue of them, it all began to make sense. I’d never understood how Asher could fall in love with a common healer. Cassandra wasn’t ugly by any means but to care so deepl
CASSANDRAAdalyn’s golden eyes narrowed and then locked on mine.“Why would that wicked woman come with us?” she demanded as she continued to shoot daggers in my direction.“Those are my terms,” Asher insisted. “You want an audience with me? Those are my requirements.”It was a bold assertation on his behalf. As long as Adalyn had Prince Marco in her grasp, she had the upper hand, but she was far too weak to realize her power. Asher was still the Alpha King, after all, so I supposed that subconsciously, she felt compelled to obey.Silence hung heavily in the air and then finally she sighed.“Fine,” she huffed and then she flashed me a sneer. “Let her come. Perhaps we’ll have some fun with your little plaything once we’re there.”“You won’t harm her,” Asher growled.“We’ll see,” Adalyn said with a shrug. “Come. It’s time we left this musty room.”Her big eyes scanned the room and then she addressed the councilors. “The rest of you shall come as well. Might as well make an event of it.”
CASSANDRAAdalyn’s face twisted again at Karsh’s cold and daring question, only this time, she didn’t recover and lost any sense of calm within her.“How dare you demean the future king’s mother?” she roared, her golden eyes flashing with anger as she bared her teeth.Despite her outrage and fierce expression, the councilor remained as cool as ever and didn’t even flinch. It was an impressive sight to behold and it made me respect Karsh even more. Adalyn had always been a brat but I had the sense that her ferocity wasn’t something to take lightly, at least not today.“I’m just stating the truth, Lady Adalyn,” Karsh said with a slightly raised chin, his eyes locked on hers. “The king is alive, I can assure you-”Before he could finish his statement, Adalyn motioned with her hand and gave a signal to the soldiers behind her.“Seize that traitor!” she ordered, and her men launched into action at once.My heart raced in my chest as I saw the soldiers approach Karsh, but before they could
CASSANDRAThankfully, Adalyn’s proposal wasn’t as convincing to the councilors as she’d expected. It was clear from the glint in her golden eyes and the proud expression on her beautiful face that she assumed all would accept the idea of Marco’s ascension without complaint, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. The room dissolved into whispers and gasps at once.One of the councilors I didn’t know the name of cleared his throat and all fell quiet.“Pardon me for my bluntness, Lady Adalyn, but it’s absurd to announce a new Alpha King when there is no evidence showing that the king is dead,” he pointed out, his thick dark eyebrows furrowed at her. “We have nothing of the sort before us-”“The forensic report will explain everything-” Adalyn began to say but the councilor waved her off with his hand.“A report means nothing,” he stated boldly, and then he glanced around the room to garner attention from the other councilors. “If the Alpha King is dead, we need to see his co
CASSANDRAOne thing was absolutely certain amongst Asher, the councilors he trusted, and I.Whatever Oliver Moses wanted to do at the council meeting, we needed to stop him. We were in complete agreement but knew we needed others to agree to our cause. We needed the support of other Packs in order to bring him down, and knew we wouldn’t get far without it.“Oliver Moses has quite a number of soldiers stationed in Anemond, especially around Merlisicre,” Karsh revealed solemnly. “If we want to confront the Moseses, we will need a troop of good soldiers of our own.”Though I didn’t want to admit it, the councilor was correct in his assessment. Despite having support from Alpha Gareth, Wild Crawler on its own couldn’t provide enough soldiers. If we wanted to gather real numbers to stand against the Moses soldiers, we needed to contact other Packs and ask for their support.“Your Majesty, it would be best for you to remain in the darkness before the meeting,” Jacoby advised after a moment
ADALYNThis girl was stupid and annoying, to say the least.Yet, despite these facts, I regretted that I had underestimated her. I should have dealt with the tiny redhead girl right after Cassandra Keller had disappeared. Now, she had become a big problem, one I wasn’t sure how to handle.“I was hiding in the room next to yours when you spoke,” Becky chimed in.Father’s face changed when she mentioned the meeting. His complexion paled and his hazel eyes widened, but when he ran his hands through his graying hair, it was clear that he seemed convinced by her words.I had to hand it to her.Placing herself at the scene of the crime was a bold move, one I wasn’t sure how to work around. This was damning to be certain but I had to remain collected if I wanted to make it out of this and continue my plans without interruption.Silas’ little kitten was a true thorn in my side.Father studied the girl’s expression like a fox studying its prey. “I hope you acknowledge that you will be punished