KANERoxy had escaped.It happened sometime just after Kiara and I had spoken about her options for marriage. It was obvious that someone had aided the sorceress, and if my suspicions were correct, that someone was Darwin.I needed to gather the proper evidence to support my theory, but the hand of the Alpha couldn’t be trusted. He was there at every turn, interfering with Pack business. Though I wasn't definitively sure, I hadUpon learning of her escape, I sent a trio of soldiers after her in an attempt to bring her back to the castle, but there was no use. To add insult to injury, when the soldiers returned, they brought back terrible news about Yurene.They informed me that an inferno had engulfed the royal castle.My heart dropped and I nearly sank to my knees from pure shock. My mind nearly drowned in the sea of my thoughts but I managed to collect myself before I could sink completely.“Were Asher and Cassandra seen?” I asked them quietly.The soldiers glanced at one another an
KANE Though it was a bold theory I had yet to find evidence to support, I knew it was a stronger guess than anything else the Sky Pride healers made. Even though it had been many years since then, I could still remember what Asher’s father looked like when he’d died. His face had the same yellowish sheen as Alpha Arthur’s and his lips were unusually purple. The two men had the same dryness in their skin, and the same frigid bodies. It was too much of a coincidence to not be true. If my assumption was correct, that would indicate that the head healer was complicit in this scheme. But why? What were the motivations behind it all? “Is the healer still administering medicine to your father?” I asked Kiara, my eyes still locked on the unconscious Alpha. “Yes,” she replied. “The treatments have been more frequent lately because the healer thinks the medicine will help him live longer.” I knew at once that wasn’t the truth. I could almost be sure that the “medicine” Alpha Arthur was
KANEThe healer appeared dejected as the Alpha’s daughter stared him down with a vicious expression on her beautiful face, but he seemed to know that it was too late for him to deny the truth.“Please, forgive me, Kiara,” he pleaded pathetically. “This all got out of hand and it didn’t go the way you think. I didn’t do this for revenge or to spite your father. Darwin forced me to administer the poison. He threatened to kill my wife and children if I disobeyed his orders.”Kiara softened slightly but I maintained my ferocity. As cruel as it sounded, I wasn’t going to wilt just because the healer had an excuse. If he was telling the truth I would let up, but until I was certain, I wouldn’t relax.“What does Darwin want?” Kiara repeated herself.The healer simply glanced at her without saying a word.The answer was self-evident. If the Alpha died without a proper heir, Darwin would be the one in power. Kiara would either have to marry him or suffer the same fate as her father. Something
KANEKiara’s plan was far too risky, even by my standards.I hadn’t exactly been known for my self-preservation skills, but then again, I still knew when things were too dangerous to do.When Kiara finished speaking, I shook my head and frowned deeply.“I can’t let you do this,” I said sternly.“I must,” she insisted, answering my frown with one of her own. “You know I must, Kane.”She was incorrect. I didn’t know such to be true. Kiara intended to offer herself as bait. She planned to seduce the truth out of Darwin’s mouth. She would speak with the villain in private and try to irk him into making him confess his disloyalty to her father. Meanwhile, I would summon the key members of the Pack and lead them to the room, making sure they heard what Darwin said.Normally, it would have been a half-decent plan, but the idea of Kiara putting herself in that position didn’t sit right with me.“I know how to protect myself,” she insisted when I fell silent. “Besides, I don’t think Darwin wou
CASSANDRAOutside of the scientific research I’d conducted with Becky back in Anemond, I had known nothing about wielding magic before the fire in the main building at Vlokwell. When I cast the spell to put out the blaze and control and deflect the bullets from Kaleb’s soldiers, I acted completely on instinct. There had been no incantations, no rituals, just pure adrenaline.I didn’t know what to expect when I ordered Raven to show me how to use these new powers, but I hadn’t realized it would be so difficult.As she taught me, using sorcery required willpower, physical energy, strong belief, and determination. To practice certain forms, one needed to believe in what would happen next and be determined to make it happen. It was all bizarre and for someone like me, who had always thought magic powers were merely a fabricated story, practicing sorcery was a challenge.After half a day of attempting different spells and techniques to no avail, I was ready to give up entirely. Still, Rav
CASSANDRAThe next morning, when I walked into the bathroom, I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror and my heart skipped a beat.It was real.I mated with Asher last night.He had claimed me as his under the light of the moon. We had opened the windows and let the cool night air filter into our room as we mated and made love. It had been a special night, one I would never forget. The love within my heart was stronger than it had ever been and I felt like I was finally thawing. I was becoming myself again, the version of myself that had been lost in the inferno. I was healing from my trauma and learning to be alive again.I smiled at my reflection and admired the rosy color of my cheeks. They didn’t look as hollow as they once had and there was a sparkle in my emerald eyes again.As I brushed my long copper hair and braided it, I remembered the other discussion we’d shared last night. We’d reached an agreement that it was time to tell Finnick the truth.He deserved to know that
CASSANDRAUnfortunately, our moment of bliss didn’t last long.The night before we were set to leave the Alpha of Red Stone’s home and head toward Wegalla, an accident happened.We were packing up some of our belongings when we heard a short screech. It was a haunting, terrible sound that stood out in this silent place. It was the kind of noise that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up, and a shiver traveled down my spine.I braced for something horrible, but when we rushed to the window and glanced outside, there was nothing to be seen. I glanced around, waiting for a second utterance, and when it didn’t happen, I thought maybe it had been my imagination.Just as we turned around to get back to packing, a second screech was heard, short but clear.Asher and I rushed out of the room and met the others in the hallway. Everyone else had heard the sound as well. We did a headcount to make sure all were present, but to our surprise, two soldiers of Red Stone were missin
CASSANDRARoxy let out a terrible roar.It was the most horrible sound I’d ever heard from a werewolf and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.The dark-haired warrior sorceress didn’t cry and no tears spilled onto her cheeks, but her sea-green eyes were wide and bloodshot.“No,” she uttered as her full, lower lip trembled. “No, no, no.”She cradled her twin sister’s lifeless body close and supported her neck. When she was balanced in her lap, she raised her fingers and sparks began to fly from the tips. She whispered to herself using words I didn’t recognize. It appeared as if she were trying to cast some sort of spell on Raven. But as the minutes went by, her efforts seemed to be in vain.She was gone.All of us were stunned. None of us had expected Raven to stand in the way of her sister. Everything had happened so quickly that it hardly felt real. Though I hadn’t been Raven’s friend by any stretch of the imagination, I hadn’t wanted her dead. She had put a great amoun