Cora’s POVI knew that serving Leila for a day would be hell but I had no idea that it’d be a number of degrees hotter than hell itself.“Scrub it again” Leila ordered me to scrub a flimsy glass statue of hers again for what felt like the hundredth time.I huffed angrily and bent over to scrub it again, she’d explained earlier that she wanted it to glisten until it was blinding and she could see her reflection through it. However, we both knew that it was impossible and she was simply trying to push me over the edge, but I’d already been punished enough by Kai to last me a while so I decided to keep my anger under wraps.When I was done scrubbing the sculpture, I held it up toward her so she could check if her reflection was visible.“Eww, what's this spot?” She scrunched her nose in disgust and glared at me while I searched for the invisible spot she was referring to.“Again!” She rolled her eyes and pushed it back towards me and I genuinely wished that her eyes would get stuck in th
Cora’s POVLiving in the maids’ quarters was a nightmare.Everyone glared at me as I walked and gossiped in whispers as though I was the most abominable creature they’d ever come across. Luckily, I wasn't one to care about their hushed whispers as long as none of them had to balls to walk up to me and say any of that bullshit to my face.On the bright side, I was in the same room as Nina even though there were two other maids there since each room had four bed spaces and four people. That at least meant that she wouldn't have to sneak around and risk her life by coming into my room every now and then.“You look like shit, C” Was what Nina deduced would be an amazing greeting as soon as I walked into the room.“I feel like it too, fucking Leila and her childish tantrums” I kicked off my shoes angrily and blew a heavy raspberry for emphasis.On hearing Leila’s name, Nina sat up straighter in her bed and her eyes bulged out as she realized what must’ve ensued between us.“Shit, you fough
Cora’s POVA hand pushed my shoulder violently in my sleep and I woke up with an angry scowl on my face while I tried to make sense of why I was being woken up so early.“Wear this and meet me at the palace gates in ten minutes, we have a long journey ahead of us” Kai spoke in an emotionless tone and threw a black outfit at me before walking out of the room.The moment he left, I pushed my head into my pillow and screamed into it, a voiceless scream, the type that hangs in your throat from how utterly frustrated you're feeling, the type that's meant to be soothing but only gets your blood boiling faster. I picked up the outfit he'd dropped and it appeared to be a sort of gear fit, it had a bunch of buckles on the sides and the pants were tightly fitted, and when I got off my bed I noticed that he’d also left a pair of knee high boots for me to wear and it made me seriously wonder where he planned to take me and what horrible things lay ahead.Sluggishly, I pulled on the outfit and th
Kai’s POVIn one swift motion, I pulled the arrow out of my arm like it was a mere prickly stick and broke it into two halves before turning around slowly. I had an idea who the idiot was that must’ve thrown the arrow at me but I wanted to believe that she wasn’t dumb enough to act out when I’d specifically ordered her to not interfere with what was going on.Just then she confirmed my suspicions by marching toward me angrily with a bow in her hand like she intended to overstep her boundaries even further.“You fucking beast, how can you wipe out an entire pack for the sins of one man?!” She yelled with her bloodshot eyes glaring into mine.“What I do is none of your fucking business, you hear me?” I hovered over her baring my blooding fangs that I’d been using to kill to her.“What sort of twisted asshole brings a woman whose pack he unjustly killed to a similarly triggering scene and expects her to stay out of it?” I’d never seen her as angry as she looked but I’d be lying if I said
Leila’s POVMy spell hadn't worked on Cora.I’d chanted the call of a puppeteer to the puppet under his/her command and she wasn’t affected by it in the slightest way. I’d used the most potent spell in the books and I even had a piece of her essence and mine in the mix, so it greatly bothered me that it had proven to be ineffective.My chant was intended to make her kneel at my feet against her will and do as I’d wished but she was completely unaffected, the only thing I’d seen her do was rub her neck and twitch it like something was wrong, but nothing other than that.Hundreds of whores had contended against me for Kai’s attention but none of them had been as daring and bold as Cora to hit me and push my buttons so easily, because of that I didn't care about why my potions didn't affect her, I just knew that I needed a stronger control spell.With determination coursing through my veins, I stepped out of my bathtub with the milk I’d bathed in dripping down my legs and as I walked out
Cora’s POVI knew it was a dream, but I never wanted it to end.That's because it was the closest I’d ever come to seeing my patents since I lost them so I didn't want it to end, I wanted to sleep forever as long as I’d get to see them. My mother’s hands were stretched out to me and she beckoned me into her arms with a comforting smile.I wanted to leap into her arms and cry, to let out all the feelings of frustration I’d been burdened with, but at the same time I just wanted to salvage the moment of her calling to me so tenderly before I drenched her with my tears.However, I soon regretted not taking the opportunity the second it had presented itself because I started to feel a strange pain pulling me back to reality. I wanted to scream at my mother and beg her to draw me back and keep me in whatever state of limbo I’d come into, but the words were lost in my throat as the pain I was feeling intensified.Slowly, I woke up and my hand instinctively flew to the position of the tattoo
Kai’s POVMy hands were skimming lazily over the burnt edges of an old book when I heard a knock on the door.“Who’s there?” I called out in a bored yet authoritative tone.“Levi, sir” His familiar voice rang through the door and I slammed the book before me shut knowing that he’d come with work files.“Come in,” I adjusted in my seat, slumping further down instead of sitting up as working would require.Levi walked in with brisk steps and bowed subtly as he reached me as a salutation and I nodded toward the chair at the opposite end of the table for him to sit in. He had just sat down and stretched out his hands to open the file before him, there was another knock on the door and both out heads snapped toward it simultaneously.“Who is it?” I asked even though I’d picked up Leila’s scent from the first knock.“It's me, Leila” She answered promptly and waited to be called in.“Come in,” I said and she pushed the door open immediately and made her way towards us with an unusually high
Cora’s POVIt was odd waking up to Nina’s empty bed when I usually woke up before her, however only a few minutes passed before I saw her strolling into the room looking like she’d just completed a hardcore marathon.“Are you good?” I asked her as she sat on her bed, her chest heaving unusually as she looked around like a guilty person.“Y—yeah. Why?” She patted her dress unusually as though the answer to her question wasn't the weird manner in which she was acting.“Isn't it obvious? You're acting like you did something fishy, so out with it” I sat up in my bed and stretched, seconds into my stretch the last scent I’d have ever imagined to pick up on Nina suddenly hit me.I sniffed loudly this time eager to find out if I’d mistakenly picked up the wrong scent but it hit me even harder this time around.Nina was aroused? Had been aroused? I couldn't figure out which it was but she was doing a horrible job at concealing it with her nervous acting.“What are you doing?” She asked me whe
Cora’s POV“Bitch, if you don’t get back in there!” Nina caught me just before I could sneak out to Kai’s chambers. “Man, you’re such a cockblocker,” I blew a raspberry at her and rolled my eyes in annoyance before stepping back into the room. “It’s bad luck for the groom to see his bride while she’s fully dressed and you know it,” she entered right after me. Maybe If I’d snuck out the second after she left I’d have met up with Kai for a quickie and I’d be back before she could come and spew rubbish myths to keep me away from him. “That’s a myth and whoever came up with it is clearly a hater!” I sunk into my chair, fully dressed in the most stunning wedding dress I’d ever seen all my life. “I’ll let you get away with that only because it’s your wedding day,” Nina chucked a purple flower in her hair to match her chief bridesmaid’s dress. “It’s my wedding day!” I squealed so loudly that Nina had to use both palms to block her eyes while smiling at me. I still couldn’t believe it.
Kai’s POVLevi’s pain strengthened me even more, he had no idea.“In your next life, when you get an opportunity to kill your enemy, don’t be an egoistic bastard by waiting to organize a lousy ceremony first and just fucking do it!” I gave him the last piece of valuable advice he’d ever get.“C-Cora….” tears dropped down his face as he fixed his desperately pleading eyes on my woman.“You brought this on yourself, Levi. I’d never have grown to love or trust a man that could betray someone he’d sworn an oath of eternal loyalty to, it just meant that you could switch up on me someday too,” she surprised me by intertwining her fingers with my bloody ones as she spoke.“I could never ever betray you, Cora. You’re my fated true love, and it’s not too late to leave this deceitful monster and save me,” my blood began to boil all over again as I watched him plead with her.I gave him one fatal blow to the jaw and he dropped to the floor groaning.“Stop fucking talking to her, you dead meat!”
Levi’s POVIt was today.The day I’d watch Kai meet an embarrassing end just before all of his power was transferred to my deserving arms. The gods knew that I would’ve been better suited to be blessed with his boundless abilities and fate had finally turned things in my favor.“Are you prepared for the ritual?” I practically whispered as I bent towards the elderly men that were meant to perform the soul swapping ritual.They dropped their hoods at the same time and nodded in a slow synchronized movement, “As prepared as the gods permits their servants to be.”Creepily, that was also said in unison before the covered their hoods again in one swift motion and walked off towards the lifted stage where Kai’s body would be placed for the public execution. As weird and disturbing as their identical movements were, it didn’t deplete my excitement about the execution ceremony.“Welcome all,” I stood to my feet as I began to address the hundreds of people in attendance.“You have come from lan
Levi’s POVI knocked on Cora’s door again when I didn’t get a response.“It’s me Levi, are you in?” I called out.A few seconds passed and then I heard a door open that signified that she must’ve been in the bathroom when I knocked earlier.“I’ll be right there, give me a minute,” her sweet voice called out and I nodded even though she couldn’t see me.I tapped my feet on the floor as I waited for her, and then finally she pulled the door open.“You wanna come in?” she moved aside as she pulled the door open.Her hair looked a bit wet, her cheeks were glistening like they’d been oiled and she was wearing the most adorable little pink dress paired with white cute flats. Even before now, I was always eager to see what she’d wear every single day, but it was more fulfilling now because she was all mine to ogle.“Nah, there’s something I have to show you,” I grabbed her wrist and began leading her away from the room.“You mind telling me where we’re headed?” she finally asked after we’d ta
Levi’s POV“Has she gotten the bouquets?” I asked the maid that I’d sent on an errand earlier.“Yes, sir. I delivered them first thing in the morning,” she answered with a bow and I waved her off.The morning of the day we’d overpowered Kai, I remembered watching him gather flowers after he’d thought I left on a tax collecting trip. I watched him make them into a huge bouquet and I was pretty irritated that he thought flimsy flowers would fix all the damage he’d done to Cora when he regarded her as an enemy.However, it had given me a brilliant Idea.I decided that I’d send a bouquet or more to Cora’s room every morning with a heart warming note just to remind her of how precious she was to me. She never failed to thank me for it at breakfast and it made my heart swell. I loved that I’d finally gotten the chance to woo her and I knew I’d do a far better job than Kai could ever have.Speaking of that monster, Kai, I was skipping breakfast to go and see him in the dungeon, to see how muc
Cora’s POVI woke up in a pool of my own sweat.My eyes searched the room to see if the beast in my dreams had crossed into reality by some chance for an opportunity to continue torturing me, but I was lucky that that hadn't happened. The only other person in the room was Nina, not a grizzly monster.She was curled up into a ball on her mattress and she was buried so far into the duvet that I could only see her eyes and a bit of her forehead. And yes, she was crashing here because of the nightmares.The same horrid nightmares that had been recurring for a while now.After the first two nights, I’d told Nina about it because she noticed the heavy eye bags underneath my eyes and then she’d scolded me for not speaking up earlier before gathering most of her things and moving into my room.Oh, trust me, I protested. I assured her that it wouldn't happen again, but she gave me the ‘this isn't up for debate’ look and did as she pleased.Carefully, I moved off the bed and walked over to sit a
Kai’s POVI could smell her, so I knew she was near.Her scent was refreshing and intoxicating and I wished I could drown myself in it one last time, just once. I knew I looked like absolute crap but I was still eager to see her, to look at her and search her eyes for any feelings of remorse, to find out if the memories we shared meant anything to her.As much as my determination to kill Levi for betraying me was one of my driving forces for staying alive, the primary reason that I hadn't let my spirit break was because I was desperate to see Cora again.Delusions aside, I was ready to break my chains and make things right with her.I tuned my ears to the sounds of her footsteps as she neared, heels clacking on the cemented hallway she was walking down to reach the torture dungeon.One might tag me as a helpless fool, but I felt a tad excited to gaze upon her stunning face again.“You look like shit,” was the first thing that left her lipstick clad lips as she pulled the door of the d
As I walked behind her toward the dining hall, I couldn't help but admire every single detail that was in my view.Her body was clad tightly in a lovely purple dress—a color that signified royalty which was what she’d finally become now that Kai was put away— that made my insides ache as her full hips swayed in it, her legs were being carried in black heels that made her look elegant, and her hands were accessorized with pure golden bangles that matched the necklace she was wearing.The only thing that was out of place was the crystal bracelet that rested in between the golden bangles, but that didn't matter.All that mattered was that she’d dressed up for me.I remember how incredibly jealous I usually felt whenever she dressed up for Kai, especially because she was always so gorgeous and she still treated her like bird poop. I’d never make her feel that way, how could I even dare?“Have I mentioned how stunning you look tonight, Cora?” I asked as we finally stepped into the dining h
Levi’s POVKai’s face? Priceless.The mere fact that he’d been cocky enough to assume that I’d be blindly loyal to him despite how much of a monster he was made it glaringly obvious that he was nothing but a muscled idiot. So, seeing the shock on his face when he realized that I’d betrayed him was far more rewarding than I’d thought it’d be.Nothing could've prepared me for how powerful and satisfied I’d been when I saw him looking raggedy and helpless in chains.He’d brought his miserable fate upon himself and I was beyond pleased that the moon goddess had chosen me to put him in his place. I strongly believed that everything was set in stone on the very day that Kai had unintentionally exposed his weakness to me.I still recall that day like it was an hour ago.Kai had been drunk to stupor after our first major win, we’d conquered an army of almost a hundred and fifty thousand werewolves with an army of only two hundred werewolves. Kai had intentionally subdued the beast within him i