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
ElitaNot again. I scream inside my head as the ‘thing’ swims closer to me.Instinctively, my limbs start moving in the water and I swim towards the surface. The wounds in my side and thigh open again and blood starts flowing in the water.But I can’t stop to care. I need to get out before that ‘thing’—whatever it is—gets to me.The moment my head emerges from the lake, I gasp for air. The energy in my limbs drops, leaving my legs and arms heavy.That’s when I notice it—A light graze of something sharp on my ankle. I shriek, shaking my legs wildly to move away, but those sharp claws dig into my flesh and pull me down.“ Dustin.” I yell, my eyes lifting to the window.But he is not there now.The water around me turns colder at the sudden thought in my head.He left me in here.Whatever is holding my leg, pulls and I am forced under water again.I shake my head, the heel of my left foot colliding with a face. A low shriek sounds in the water, surprising me.The hold on my
Elita I lean back, panting. His blood stains my lips as I meet his gaze. His eyes are still cold, but there’s something else there now. A fire. A flicker of something primal, like the predator inside him, recognizes the one inside me. We are both alike in ways we can’t really understand. His chest rises and falls quickly, his breaths shallow, but I know it’s not just from the kiss. The night darkens, and the water behind me ripples again. My small plan of revenge had the desired results. Something between us shifts, a spark igniting. It’s the mate bond, the pull I kept trying to ignore, but now it’s impossible. The air around us crackles, turning electric. I feel it in my bones, in my veins. My skin buzzes with the intensity of it, and it makes my heart race inside my chest. I shouldn’t want this. This is wrong. He just tried to drown me to death and felt nothing much about it. He played dirty, and I want to play dirtier than him. I want to leave him hanging while
ElitaThe scenes kept changing. I didn’t even get the time to understand what I was looking at.In one place, I saw Soline running through the forest. Fear reflected on her face, and she kept throwing glances over her shoulder as if she was getting chased by someone.Before I could grasp the situation, the scenes shifted, and I saw her shifting into a big white wolf. I could hear her agonized cries this time. Her dark blue eyes shone under the moonlight, and the wolf's white fur glistened.I had never seen such a pure white wolf before. It was almost mesmerizing in a way that I couldn’t look away.Until footsteps approached. I looked to the right, and there he was—the man with blue eyes and dark hair—the only one I couldn’t recognize.He had the same mesmerized look in his eyes as if he couldn’t take his eyes off the white she-wolf either.As I watched, he kneeled and stroked her fur. And Soline didn’t only let him, she leaned into his touch, seeking more of it. It struck me then.
Elita“ Where did that girl go? ” I hear King Tyson ask.The three Kings are sitting in Dustin’s office. The two that have little to do with me look so grim. But the one who should appear solemn has nothing on his face, not even a hint of distress or a sign that he regrets abandoning me like this.“ Dustin— ” Alpha King Striker starts, but Dustin interrupts, answering their previous question.“ That girl… ” He picks up his head and looks in their direction, his eyes undeniably dull. “ …is where she is supposed to be. ”“ And where is she supposed to be? ” Striker hisses, slamming his palm on the desk.Dustin doesn’t answer, just looks to his right, where the window is, where I am. For a moment, his eyes lift to mine, and my breath hitches.It’s as if he can see me.“ Did you send her to Levian? Is that how you got Ronac back? ” Tyson huffs and Dustin looks away.No, he can’t see me. “ She is his mate. If I had let go of her a long time ago, things wouldn’t be like this today. ” He sa
ElitaThe veil of darkness falls around me again. She is gone. She turned to dust right before my eyes, and even that dust disappeared.I…I don’t know what to think.So, I stare at the spot she was in. What just happened?Did her soul just…perish? Is this what people call finally leaving the world and moving to the afterlife? When I first entered this place in my dream, I thought this was it—the place I would end up in after dying. But it turns out I am wrong.There is more—something unpredictable, probably scarier awaiting me.For the first time since I have entered this strange state in which I am neither dead nor alive…I feel fear of the unknown, of what awaits me at the end of this journey.And I realize…I…I…really don’t…I…I can’t bring myself to even think of those words. If I think, someday, I might say them too.I don’t want that. Because this is my retribution. And I don’t deserve to voice out my fear for it.“ You are both stubborn. ” A familiar voice echoes through the e
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 forg
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