Elita“ Are you sure you want to go out wearing full sleeves, Lady Lana? ” Felicity asks for the nth time. “ it’s too hot outside. You might get sick or faint because of the heat. ”“ Don’t worry about it. ” I sigh, walking ahead of her. “ I am your personal maid. I am supposed to be worried about you. ” She mentions as she follows me into the stables. The keepers there do shoot me and my long-sleeved, blue gown sneaky glances, but they don’t say anything to me.While Felicity continues to pester me about the heat and my long sleeves, I choose a brown horse and mount it.“ Now, if your King asks, let him know that Lady Lana is visiting her Dad. ” I tell Felicity before I set out toward Alpha Redley’s Pack.It’s been three days since Dustin left me inside that dungeon, with my ear and my throat very much bleeding. All this time, I waited for him to reach out, but he didn’t.But that’s not the problem. The problem is that Alpha Redley is not reaching out to me either.I am sure he kno
Elita“ I am delighted. ” The breeze sways my hair, and with it comes back a voice from my memory. “ They chose me to make you regret your choice, and I will love every moment of it. ”What did I say to Akuji back then? Oh right.“ Where is Levian? ”“ Call Levian here. ”“ Levian will believe me. ”But Levian was gone. It was a testament that he didn’t believe me like I thought. He thought I killed them, making it impossible for Levian to achieve what he always wanted.As I near the gates of the Wolveshire Citadel, my throat clogs, and my gaze flickers towards my hand. I flex my fingers. Lana’s fingers, I tell myself. She was so lucky. She has no scar on her body, no injury that remains unhealed. Yet, she took her life like an ungrateful bitch. And I? Even after Akuji chopped my fingers and waited for the injuries to heal so he could move to another part of me, I yearned to live. I ran, even when blood dripped from my hands and I couldn’t grasp anything. I was so desperate to s
Dustin“ Your Highness, we are being— ”“ Followed. ” I tell Ronac, who is trying to tell me about the little problem on our tail. “ Don’t worry about it. Go inspect that part of the wall and come back to tell me if they are here yet. ”Lana is like a leech. She refuses to stop attaching herself to my side since she saw me at the selection ceremony.I should have known she would follow me all the way to the South to do…What exactly?I press my lips in a thin line. For the first time in my life, I have no idea what someone wants or is planning. I can’t read her face like I do with others. I can’t even wrap my head around any possible reasons to explain why she is acting like this.She has become more of a mystery than I like. Even Ciena can’t figure her out. But this is not what’s annoying me. The real problem is that the Moon Goddess has stopped visiting me like an uninvited guest in my life after Lana came my way.I know that Selene knows everything, and I need to ask her, but she
ELITAI groan, shifting to my back. I thought a royal horse would be brave, but this one is like a scaredy cat. Did he have to throw me down in front of everyone? I want to whine. My back hurts. I won’t be surprised if Lana’s fragile bones are all broken now.“ Lady Lana? ” I hear a familiar voice and sit up.My eyes land on Dustin, who is watching me, his face unreadable. Then, I look at the man who recognizes me.Akuji. Bile rises to my throat. He tilts his head to the side, a malicious glint flashing across his eyes as he meets my gaze.“ Take care of her. ” Akuji says to his vampires.I jump to my feet, ignoring the pain that shoots through my tailbone and reaches my toes. Acting on his command, two vampires break off the group and rush my way.I narrow my eyes, my heartbeat escalating. I can’t see them moving when I am inside this weak body, and Lana’s eyesight is as good as shit!What now? If I can’t see them, how am I supposed to do what I came here to do? I gasp as one of
ELITA“ How do you— ” He doesn’t get to finish.Dustin grabs his hair with the other hand and pulls. But Akuji is not as easy as others. He grips Dustin’s arm and twists. A sick crack sounds in the air, sending shivers down my spine.“ Dustin! ” I scream, beginning to run towards them.“ Stay there. ” Dustin hisses, shaking his arm, his eyes fixed on Akuji’s face.My feet halt, but fear grips my heart, squeezing it tightly. Akuji tilts his head and smirks as if he knows why Dustin is not killing him like the rest of the vampires.“ You know I am important. ” His smirk widens, his eyes glinting with smugness. “ Go back and tell Levian to stay down like he promised, or else your territory is not far from the North. Come after us, and we will come after you. ” Dustin drops him on the ground with a thud and steps back. “ Threatening won’t get you anywhere, Your Highness. ” Akuji snickers, slowly rising to his height. “ You are weak. So you stay down. ”My heartbeat thrums in my head. I
DustinThe stony doors open with a creaky noise. My jaw locks, and my eyes meet the smug face of my sister’s mate.He smirks, his gaze lowering to the bleeding girl I am carrying in my arms. I feel like throwing her down and leaving her here. She is so annoying.But I can’t really do anything to her because for some unknown reason—still, her life is connected to Elita’s life and I care about keeping my mate alive for now. Elita must serve her purpose. She can only die after that.Aleister’s grey eyes glint with mischief. “ What an unpleasant surprise. When the warriors informed me about someone’s arrival to this door, and for this person to have a similar name to the King of the North, I couldn’t believe it. Why would you come all the way here? ” “ I need a— ” The corners of my eyes twitch as I struggle to get the word out.The Kingdom of North and South have always been enemies. Now, my sister is the mate of the King of the South but it’s still not easy to acknowledge him as
ElitaSomeone clicks their tongue, mocking the condition I am in. I sigh and open my eyes, only to see the vast darkness surrounding me.It’s so cold here. If I was alive, I would have died just trying to endure the drop in temperature.“ What do you want now, Lana? ” I ask, shifting to my side, to rest the side of my face on my arm.Lana’s familiar face is peeking back at me. She is still wearing a white dress, and it makes her blonde hair appear so shiny and golden.She snorts, folding her arms across her chest sassily. “ You are one big failure. Instead of protecting Dustin or letting him do what he thought was best, you lost your control and decided to get revenge. ”“ Revenge? ” I roll my eyes and drop on my back again. “ Akuji would have been a problem in the future. I just got rid of him. It was not for revenge. ”The satisfaction I felt after getting rid of that smug-faced jerk is starting to disappear.What do I feel now? I wonder.I lift my hands and stare at my pale fingers
ElitaNothing comes out of the dramatics. I always knew that.But never understood it until this moment.“ I told you…you are not dying. ” Dustin says, his eyes drilling holes in the side of my head.I eye the bowl of soup in the tray placed on my lap and pretend that it’s the most important thing in the world. What else can be important right now, anyway?Without saying anything, I grab the spoon in my trembling hand, scoop the soup, and shove it in my mouth.“ So, Elita Folke, its’ time. Why don’t you start talking? ” He leans back in the chair he is sitting on, right beside my bed, to make me feel how close he is.I choke on the soup, coughing wildly. The spoon slips from my fingers and drops into the bowl.My heart is about to explode. It’s better this way. It should explode, and I should die. “ Are you dying again? ” Dustin blinks, his face still blank.I stop coughing. Apparently, this choking act doesn’t work on him. “ What are you— ” I swallow, daring to steal a glance his w
Elita“ Soline. ” I mumble to myself.And my chest aches again. It’s like someone is gripping my heart, threatening to rip it apart if I dare say that name.What kind of joke is this now?I move towards the bed in the room and pause. I have been having a hard time convincing myself to sit.How long has it been?I stare at the clean black sheets. My muscles stiffen. And like before, I walk back to the window and stare out.This room feels too familiar, and it’s grating on my nerves. I can escape from seeing Levian’s face, but can I escape from the memories that haunt me? Everything about this place, about him, about this room… reminds me of things that seem to have happened ages ago.It’s like I am trying to see my life from a distance, with a detached view…but I am unable to do it. Levian used to say memories are a curse. I didn’t agree back then. No matter what, I wanted to remember my life, my siblings, the destruction I was a part of.But now…I agree with him.If people just for
ElitaThe silence after my words feels like the sharp edge of a knife. It slices through the space between us, heavy and suffocating. I take my hand off his wrist and pull it back to my lap.Levian doesn’t move. Not a single muscle twitches as if my declaration left him frozen. But I know better. Levian never freezes. He calculates, measures, and waits until his opponent makes the wrong move. It’s always been like that with him. His eyes stay locked on me, and I can feel the weight of his gaze pressing against my skin, searching for a crack, a tell, anything to understand why I hate him so much.But he won’t find an answer. And until he doesn’t find an answer, he will remain distracted.That’s what I wanted, and he is playing right into my hands. “ Monster? ” He repeats, his voice deceptively soft, the kind of soft that feels like the calm before a storm.“ Yes. ” I reply, my tone steady even as my hands tremble in my lap. “ You destroy everything you touch, Levian. You are aimi
ElitaWho are you? Such a vague question.I couldn’t say I was Elita because he must have sensed foul play already.I couldn’t say Lana either…because that’s not who I am.And then…I didn’t know what his mate’s name was, so I couldn’t use that as an emotional trap to get out of this stupid situation.That's why, I kept my mouth shut and didn’t say a word to answer it.But Levian was lenient. That’s why now I am inside the small cottage, sitting on a chair while he stands close to the window in the distance, looking out at the woods.“ The little kid has learned how to use emotional traps to get what he wants. ” His deep voice echoes in the silence of the place.I flinch, gripping my dress harder. When he stays silent, I can pretend I am not even here and feel alienated…almost numb.But hearing his voice brings me back to the same spot. I am here, on this cold night, alone…With the man who hurt me more than anyone will ever do again.And the man I came to save has fled with someone el
TysonI have known Dustin since I was a naive little child, living in a colorful, bright world of my own. This makes me privileged—because I can tell when something is not right with him.But it’s not often. Dustin is like a block of ice that never cracks. He holds everything inside, pretends to be a jerk, and does everything in silence—plans in silence, suffers in silence, gets back on his feet in silence.I have never doubted that he will not stay down for a long time. Except for one time before and this time.A long time ago, he told me that if he dies, we all must not die with him. He said he would have to do something, sacrifice something that he holds dear to his heart. That time, he went ahead and offered his precious little sister to an enemy King. Everyone saw his action. How could a brother just trade his sister like this? He was criticized for a long time by Striker, Nora, and Amelia, and that also drove a permanent wedge between him and his sister. But I have never felt
ElitaLevian lets out a quiet laugh, the sound dripping with mockery. “ Your courage is almost amusing. I thought you were the clever one among the Kings, Dustin. But maybe you are pretending to be more cunning than you are. Sending someone important like him on missions when you know how dangerous it is. Purely reckless…foolish. ”I grip the bark harder, my nails biting into it. My breath feels too loud, too fast, like it’s betraying me. This is not good. My stomach clenches into knots. Dustin’s calm voice cuts through the rising tension. “ what can I say? I was distracted by a little bird. ”Levian tilts his head, his piercing gaze sharpening as it flicks to Dustin’s warriors. “ You must still be enchanted to think you can come here with a few of your warriors and get him back. ” The weight of his words feels suffocating, but Dustin doesn’t flinch. Instead, he glances at his men, a silent command passing between them. “ I know what I am doing. ” Dustin looks ahead.“ Do you?
ElitaThe fog wraps around me, curling like cold fingers against my skin. Every step I take feels muffled, swallowed by the eerie silence of the woods. It’s unsettling. No rustle of leaves, no crack of a branch. Just me, the fog, and this unbearable quiet. Something feels…wrong. I pause, my breath hitching. I should have encountered some vampires by now, or at least some sign of them. But the forest is empty—too empty. My senses tingle, my pulse hammering against my ribs. But then I glance up at the moon, shining bright and full.Right. Full moons are for their parties. The so-called “festival” where vampires and humans come together for deals, bargains, and blood. It seems Dustin knew this, too. But how does he always know the inside information?My feet move faster now, guided by an urgency I can’t explain. The trees thin out, and that’s when I see it. The cottage. It’s exactly how I remember it—small, tucked into the clearing like it’s hiding from the world. But I know
Elita“ Someone will know we are trespassing before we reach our destination. ” I blurt, panic bubbling in my throat.I can feel my body beginning to vibrate, my pupils dilating, and my mind racing with thoughts again.This is a bad idea. A very bad idea.So, to make this idea a not-so-bad idea, I want to believe he has a plan.I glance at his face from over my shoulder and unconsciously lean back into his chest.“ What is our plan? Why won’t you tell me? ” I hum, feeling his chest rumble against my back.I silently memorize every sensation he makes me feel when we are pressed together.“ Drink this, and when we reach there, hide. ” Dustin pushes his hand forth and offers me a small bottle filled with a colorless potion.I sigh. “ Dustin— ”“ And don’t ask any questions. ” He interrupts.I want to lash out and continue asking questions even when he said I shouldn’t. But…Given that we will be fighting with an enemy later, fighting with him right now doesn’t feel like a good idea to me
Elita“ You should have told me sooner, Ms. Folke. It’s far better than pretending to want you and playing house with you. ” Dustin says, without hesitation, without even a hint of any insincerity in his eyes.“ Oh. ” My lips form an O. “ So you were pretending? ”I feel like laughing. It’s nothing new, anyway. Many people have pretended to be something else just to use me. By now…I am used to it.Because how can anyone want someone like me? A girl is supposed to be sweet, innocent, and naive. I am anything but that. I am filled with darkness inside out, and perhaps people can spot that darkness when they look at me. That’s when they decide—she is not worth it.Or maybe it’s not about how I am unladylike. It must be the desperation to be wanted by someone. It must be leaking from every pore of my body and surrounding me like a visible layer. She is desperate. Let’s use her. That must be what always goes through everyone’s mind.He starts again, just on the verge of saying more hurt
ElitaHow can I forget who he is?I sigh, as the wine hangs in the air, so close to his face. Slowly, it freezes, and the red crystals rain down to the table and floor.Dustin’s face comes into view again. The corners of his eyes twitch and darken. I swallow, sensing the looming danger. It’s like the air thickens with a silent threat, and pricks my skin with every second.“ Are you sure nothing is going on between you two? ” Avery’s smug voice shatters the eerie silence.Lenora chimes. “ She threw wine in his face. Of course, something is going on. ”A few giggles follow. I swallow again, unease gnawing at my throat.He deserved it. He knows that. Yet, he looks at me like he is going to smother me with his gaze. Heat slithers down my skin, as his eyes lower to my still chest.“ Step out. ” Dustin says, silencing the commotion.“ Are you talking to us? ” Tyson asks with a hint of playfulness in his voice.“ We will discuss this later. Go now. ” He nods in reply, so stiffly that my bac