TALIA'S POVI yawn and stretch out while still laying flat on my bed with my eyes closed. I can already feel the rays of the sun warming the room through my bedroom window.I rub my sleepy eyes before blinking them open. Everything surrounding me looks different and I gasp in shock. The room I am in looks nothing like my bedroom. It's fancy and colourful, two things I have never been a fan of.The curtains that now hang on the window are pink and larger than the tiny blue ones I used to have. Several framed pictures hang on the walls making the room look like a small, overly decorated gallery.I try to think about what may have happened. Then all the memories come flowing in. The match, the soldiers, King's council. . . The execution! I stroked my heart, feeling the rush of energy to make sure that I really came back to life. I had been beheaded, yet the memory of the pain was still fresh in my mind. I looked around, trying to figure out where I was, and then I remembered everything.
THIRD PERSON'S POV"They smell so f****** delicious! Evan will definitely be impressed." The Queen approved as she takes the plate with the omelette from Talia's mother. She smiles gratefully as she sets the plate down on her tray next to the bow with pieces of chicken and soup."Won't it be awkward for him to be the only one eating eggs at the dinner table?" Talia's mother questions."He got a small issue to solve so he will be very late. I am going to give the food to his servant to take to his room." The Queen wears are forced smile as she answers. "Thank you so much for coming to help, you cook just as good as you fight." She compliments, still wearing that fake smile. Talia's mother smiles back and shrugs her shoulders. "Training and cooking are some things I do every day, you shouldn't feel less capable because you have less time to do them. Being a Queen is a lot better than knowing how to do any of those things.""Thanks for trying to make my useless ass feel better. But I ne
TALIA'S POVThe council always sides with the king. I have heard people say it before, but now I am watching them do it in reality.It's clear they are set on declaring our chained and abused young mother guilty without giving her much chance to defend herself. The queen on the other hand has got all the attention and stands to speak whenever and for as long as she feels like it.Seeing bruises and tears on my mother's face makes my jaws clench with anger. She sits on a wooden chair being guarded by three soldiers despite having all her limbs chained. Her expression is a mixture of anger and despair.I can only imagine how mean the soldiers have been to her considering how much everyone adores the prince, a powerful man leaning on the wall while standing a little too far away from the Council.One would think he would see through the lies of his mother. Apparently, he has been fooled alongside everyone else.He lost his servant and I can see the rage in his eyes. He is probably the pe
TALIA'S POVI can't tell what day it is. The air in this dark room does not change to indicate sunrise or sunset. No one opens the heavy metal door that is locked from the other side since I don't get fed or checked.I am so thirsty and hungry that I doubt I will survive for ten more hours. My head also hurts, probably because of dehydration and overthinking.Somehow I feel like I wouldn't mind if I die right now. It would save me from enduring more pain. My lips are so dry that they have begun cracking. I would exchange anything for a drop of water right now. this really hurts more than the hanger.The feeling of misery is intensified by the lack of anything in the room to distract me. I keep thinking of my family and where they may be now. Have they been sold already?It's hard to believe that my family is now completely ruined and not because of a crime we actually committed. My heart pounds harder every time I imagine little Michael as a slave. Can he even survive the work?There
TALIA'S POVI keep dreaming about my execution and it's the worst of nightmares I have ever had. Life has never been this harsh. My body has become so weak that I can't even pull myself up to stand on my feet. I would definitely die on my own if they let me stay in here for a day longer. But I guess my five days of imprisonment are already over.I am now counting seconds with a racing heartbeat before soldiers walk in through the door to get me. There is no good way of preparing yourself for an execution. Doesn't matter how many times I keep telling myself that it's better than dying slowly of thirst in here.I just hope that whenever my young siblings are they can at least eat and drink. They will have no one to look after them even when they fall sick. I really wish I can go back to that moment when we let mum accept the Queen's invitation. I would spit on that messenger's face and tell him to tell his Queen to f off. it's too late for that now.The sound of the heavy doot clicking
THREE YEARS LATERTALIA'S POVI yawn and stretch out while still laying flat on my bed with my eyes closed. I can already feel the rays of the sun warming the room through my bedroom window.I rub my sleepy eyes before blinking them open. Everything surrounding me looks different and I gasp in shock. The room I am in looks nothing like my bedroom. It's fancy and colourful, two things I have never been a fan of.The curtains that now hang on the window are pink and larger than the tiny blue ones I used to have. Several framed pictures hang on the walls making the room look like a small, overly decorated gallery.I try to think about what may have happened. Then all the memories come flowing in. The match, the soldiers, King's council. . . The execution! Oh my God! How comes I am standing here breathing again? And whose room is this now? Did another family pick up our own?I have heard stories of rebirth before. Tales of a few people that actually died and then came back to life later.
TALIA'S POVWalking through the gates of this palace again makes my blood start rushing through my veins. The moment that I was drugged out by soldiers and a mob was allowed to lynch me keeps replaying in my head.I was so helpless and extremely weak then. I couldn't even fight a single soldier. I should feel safe now, but my heart thrombs the moment too many eyes turn to look at me. Even the outside of the palace is full of people. I see faces that I used to know, my mother's and Taylor's friends, all their eyes turn to stare at me. My whole body quivers. Can they so easily recognise me?Then I see men smiling amorously and I sigh in relief. They don't recognise me. They are just staring for some weird reason."She is gorgeous!" I hear one of the girls whisper to her friends."Yeah, she must be noble. You know her?" Another asks in a voice just as low.It's strange that I can hear them. "I don't know her. But she does look kind of familiar." The first girl answers and my heart throb
EVAN'S POV"I have gathered everyone that she spoke to, Sir. But I am also afraid that they too don't know much." My servant says in an anxious voice. "Let them in, I will question them myself," I order. He bows again and leaves my office.Apprehension can actually make breathing hard. Why the f did she run?She is literally the most beautiful girl I have ever laid my eyes on. She wore no makeup or jewellery, yet her natural beauty was honestly breathtaking.She looked extraordinarily just like I imagined my mate would be. I knew she was in the room the moment I inhaled that alluring scent, nothing in this world can smell so good and pure. The strange thing is despite looking like an angel among humans, her stunning features did look familiar. But I could have only seen such beauty in a dream. I will chase her to the edge of the world if I have to."Try to relax. Your girl will come back to you. Just give her a day or two." My mother tries to comfort me. She may have been right abou
TALIA'S POVI thought he would act a little smarter in front of the council and my mate, but he apparently can't get any smarter than he was a few hours ago. I really hope that none of us inherited his stupidity. "How many times will I be punished for that crime? How much more torture do I have to endure before you're satisfied?" He yells out loud, his voice cracking with emotion and fear. I see Evan's jaws clench with annoyance."You condemn me for locking up my daughter but none of you cared when her notorious mother disrespected and humiliated me in the most hurtful ways! Don't your laws apply equally to all?" My so-called father carries on shouting.The entire council regards him with contempt and disgust. "And how exactly did her mother humiliate you?" One of the council members questions."She wouldn't obey me as her mate or husband. She trained to fight against my will and even challenged me into a match when I could no longer stand her immodest behaviour." He answers with a
TALIA'S POVThe tiny cell stinks worse than the time I was locked in it. I had sworn that I would not be coming back here after the last time I walked out fuming. But I feel like it's right that I hear my father's side of the story first before he gets sentenced by a council that doesn't really give a shit about the truth. Their main aim is always to please their king, not to make a fair judgement.I don't think there is anything he can say that can justify what he did to Taylor. Only an insane person would confine their teenage daughter in a dark cabin for months and rarely give her food. Our mother called him a monster and I believe that's what he is. I still want to know what happened between him and our mother before he left. Why did he leave with so much resentment? The soldier that unlocked the door followed me inside but I gesture at him to leave because I don't want the public to know about every one of my family issues. What our father did to Taylor is already shameful eno
TALIA'S POV"You weigh a tonne." I tease and the man resting his head and chest on me chuckles but doesn't move. The waves of his pitch-black hair look like a glorious mess and I couldn't resist the urge to bury my fingers in them. The thick strands feel incredibly soft against the skin of my hand. I am laying on his massive bed, courtesy of my sister spending another night in my room. I am however grateful that I am here instead of alone in that spacious room. At least my mate's scent is doing a good job of lulling my nerves so I can sleep. I had a headache immediately after my argument with Taylor which left me feeling like a wreck on the inside. She didn't say a single word to appreciate everything I have for her or our mother. All she cared about was revenge which I have had enough of. Luckily Michael chose to stay with us. Which is better than if he followed our mother back to a house that no longer looks like what we left behind. And starting off again will not be as blissful
TALIA'S POV"Why are you so shocked?" I ask as I approach the bed and Taylor keeps watching me with a baffled face. I had imagined she would be happy to see me. But don't see a hint of joy on her face. Her gaze doesn't leave my face until I reach the bed and peck her forehead. A timid smile curves on her lips. I was however hoping for a more jubilant reaction."Don't you remember me?" "Of course I do . . . you're my sister. You just look . . . so different. Like a heavenly Queen." She stutters the look of shock finally fading away. I sigh in relief because I had thought she had lost her memory or worse gone mad."You're exaggerating. I only look older because it's been three years since the last you saw me. Your face on the other hand has grown prettier." I give her another peck on her left cheek and she giggles. "I look like a living skeleton thanks to our mad father. I didn't even know he existed until he locked me in a dark room for months." She mutters with pursed lips.I take
TALIA'S POV"Please quit trusting him too much. He is no different from his mother. Don't forget that her evil blood runs in his veins." Her venomous words make my stomach churn. Not because there is any truth in what she is in them, but because the bitterness in her voice is too much that I am afraid she may never be able to see the truth and admit she is wrong. I take in deep breaths and blink away the tears before turning to embrace my mate and my little brother. "What happened to our mom? She doesn't want us!" Michael cries as I hug him. I force a smile and cup his face. "No sweetie, mum still loves us. She is just . . . a little confused right now. She will come back and stay with us soon." I soothe even though I am not sure she will ever accept to return back here. I know she loves us, she would never abandon us forever unless she really doesn't have the chance to be with us. "She thinks you're bad," Michael says looking up at Evan. My stunning mat
TALIA'S POVI told her that I couldn't have saved her, Michael or Taylor without Evan's help, and those are the first words she says to him?! What happened to her reasonable and diligent mind? Can anyone be more thankless?Evan's beautiful face doesn't show any signs of annoyance, he looks totally unfazed by even as she takes a couple of steps back and glares at him. I wish I have the same control over my emotions especially when I know someone is acting irrationally. The fact that he isn't taking her mad raving seriously doesn't mean he is totally fine with it. He is annoyed, of course, his face is, however, good at masking it. Michael looks terrified as he looks up at his mother who has a tight grip on his arm. I imagine this isn't the happy reunion he has been looking forward to, she isn't acting like the incredible mother we knew. "Stay away from my family! We have had enough of your evils!" She again snaps at an unbothered Evan. The beta shakes his head in ast
EVAN'S POVI knew this meeting was going to be fun, after all, Talia herself was so terrified of me the first time I appeared in her rented room. She didn't immediately forgive my mistakes and I didn't expect her to. But she reasoned like a sane person. Her sister is totally different, she reeks of witless hostility. She has been through hell and she is a teenager. Her cold demeanour is understandable. You don't live in a dark room for half a year and come out stress-free and amicable. "Go be a slave for three years then come back and say that you're sorry!" She yells, her eyes glowing with rage. She is clearly struggling to force the words out. She is still in pain and physically weak. Days of starvation have left her body emaciated and bony. I imagine her outburst is only fueled by anger, not strength because she can't have much."I don't need to experience what you have been through to understand your pain. But there is no way of changing the past so I am t
TALIA'S POVMother shakes her head in denial for the hundredth time. She refuses to believe that Evan wasn't part of his mother's plan to destroy our family. I didn't want to believe it either at the start. Letting go of the hate is hard when you have been through the hell each of us has been through. "He told you that he didn't know and you believed it?" She questions, looking disappointed.We didn't tell her much last night because I wanted her to finally have a peaceful night as a free woman. She is eager to know everything before we head back home. We have an escort of Miles's ten soldiers to go with us. Not that we needed them but Miles insisted that it will be the perfect show of our alliance. Good Alphas like him are rare, I am glad we ended up allies even though I have not been exactly looking forward to being a Queen. Alpha Owen earnestly apologized for having hosted Miles's father together with his hostage in his palace. He offered Miles five good horses
TALIA'S POV"They must have seen us coming," Miles says looking ahead at the heavily guarded palace of the Blue Mountain pack. It's another palace without a tall wall surrounding it or massive gates to keep strangers from strolling in at will.What however surrounds the magnificent building ahead is a big army of werewolves that look well-prepared for battle. But they are not strong enough or too many to intimidate me. As long as my mother is within that palace I will get her out safely.They obviously didn't have the time to run off again since they had no way of knowing we are coming. They saw us coming from afar and hurried to get soldiers in a line outside to protect the palace. I objected to Miles's idea to bring with us his best lycan soldiers to attack and capture the palace. After witnessing how ruthless he can be I know he won't spare a single life if I let him fight. There is no need for bloodshed when I have my powers. "Don't worry about how many the