On the other side of everybody fighting and almost finishing their fight because of the lack of numbers or will to continue hurting and killing each other, Amira flung one of her blades at Xenos’ face.Xenos blocked with his metal-cuffed arm and grinned as it bounced off. “Cheap shot, Amira.” He jumped forward and kicked through her blocked arms and square in the chest. Air rushed out of her lungs while her body flew back; instead of falling to the ground, though, Amira pushed off with her hand and flipped back until she was on her feet once more. Amira dusted her shirt down casually. She was in her usual black assassin attire today, minus the mask and cloak, but her black leather corset was thicker, more like a layer of armour. That kick still hurt, though, and she knew there would be a bruise. “I didn’t think you still had any moves, Xenos,” she grinned, pulling two daggers from within her sleeves and prowling forward.“Watch it, kid,” Xenos warned, green eyes so similar to her fat
Xenos was executed within a week of returning to the palace. Amira was there but didn’t watch the execution after it reminded her of her fathers. The weight Amira had been carrying around lifted even at the expense of Zayyan’s father’s death. Zayyan wasn’t there to witness it due to the new position he held as the only leader of the rogues. Alpha Dashiell’s name was also cleared, and his name and pack reinstated, though there was none to accept it besides the last living pack member, Amira Desai, their Luna and Alpha Queen. The land that had been abandoned and weakened the kingdom since was given to the next Desai heir- Amira- who wanted to give it to Zayyan. Her cousin refused the offer and remained in the Wildlands, not wholly trusting the government or the rogues and remaining neutral within the ongoing politics. After Amira’s coronation and introduction to the kingdom as their new Queen, the rules were established for packs and rogues to coexist peacefully. Zayyan ensured his p
Sneaking into the king’s palace was never going to be easy. But years of planning and waiting for the opportune moment made slipping into the banquet hall piss easy. Amira walked inside, her attire like the other guards, she was a little on the smaller side, but nobody took notice. The guests were abuzz with the ongoing ball. Women were dressed to impress, all hoping to attract a suitor or the rarity of finding a mate. They were all like peacocks preening themselves with fans, flaunting their busts in their dresses and proving their worth for a potential partner by dancing. Amira rolled her eyes and continued to walk at the edges of the grand banquet hall. She’d missed the Alpha King’s entrance by a few minutes. Yet, she remained calm because she knew his routine for such events. Her cousin, Zayyan, observed the king from afar for weeks before the pieces of their plan finally came together. And here she was. Set to kill the tyrannical Alpha King, Rhys Quintrell. Amira followed h
~ Rhys ~ There it was again. The scent of orange and cinnamon. It was mouthwatering. Rhys smelt it on the balcony, but Baltir kept him from searching for the culprit with the alluring scent. His wolf almost tugged him forward in excitement like the unrestrained beast he was. The fucker never got excited, not unless it was spilling blood. What made his vicious wolf act like some sappy pup? Rhys burst through the doors locating Jasmine ahead at the far end of the grandiose bed chambers. She sat calmly at the end of the four-poster bed. Her eyes were lowered, long lashes brushing the top of her cheeks. Rhys licked his lips; the scent was almost suffocating, urging him to go to her. For once, he would show restraint because he had a gut feeling that he would be heavily rewarded for taking his time to deflower this princess. It was hard, though. Jasmine really was breathtaking. With long raven locks falling in waves around her face and chest, the sheer dressing gown was tight agains
~ Amira ~ Amidst the excruciating pain coursing through her body, the sounds of the guards charging towards the bed chambers signified her time was up. Amira glared at the king’s motionless form. He was not dead. There was only enough aconite in his system to render him unconscious for a few days at most. She could finish him off right then and there, even with the injuries she sustained and the pain of the rejected mate bond her wolf was whining about, but there was no guarantee she would make it out alive. This was mostly for the good of the kingdom, but she wasn’t selfless or a martyr. This was also an act of vengeance. There would be another time and place. Hopefully. Amira sprinted towards the king’s walk-in wardrobe and the secret passageway, letting her bones break, and her body shift as she did so. Overwhelmed by the intense pain, a wave of nausea washed over her, threatening to plunge her into unconsciousness. Her fur sunk back inside her pours as she returned to her
~ Rhys ~ Seated on his dining chair by the rounded table of his balcony in the connecting parlour to his bed chamber, Rhys glared at his arm resting on the glass top. He sat in his breeches, legs wide, back resting against the chair with an intimidating air. Only a few hours had slipped away, yet those hours were far too long in such a vulnerable state of unconsciousness. While Amira may have dealt a potentially fatal blow to Rhys, the opportunity was ripe for others to exploit his weakened condition. He had many enemies. Fortunately, Rhys proved more robust than most believed, regaining consciousness after mere hours rather than enduring days of incapacitation. The royal physician attended to his ribs, stitching the last of his injuries. Rhys’ teeth ground together every time he heard the wheezing of his breath. “Punctured lung and neck, not to mention the aconite in your bloodstream. The assassin was close this time,” the physician commented, watching him warily. Even if the ki
~ Rhys ~ “Rhys, that was your chance-” “Don’t,” Rhys warned his friend. The Alpha did not need reminding of what he’d lost from rejecting the she-wolf. But he would rather tolerate that than accept someone so unworthy. A rogue! What was the Goddess thinking? They were enemies. Surely, the deity knew they'd be at each other's throats. Literally. Rhys tenderly grazed his throat, the very spot where Amira had plunged her blade. He pondered how she fared following his retaliation, his claws sinking into her flesh. He hoped her escape was a fucking struggle. His eyes gleamed in fury. Nobody escaped the king's wrath. Yet he allowed her to slip out. It was no skill of hers. He refused to admit to it. Baltir sighed, dragging his hand over his face and leaving it there. “The Moon Goddess will not be pleased-” “Fuck her,” Rhys growled his blasphemy. “What has she done for me and my family?” “You shouldn’t-” “Enough,” Rhys cut off his friend again. “Send in Eden.” His balls were still a
~ Amira ~ A cold shiver stirred Amira awake, though, through her grogginess and injuries, she merely peeked through her lashes, noting the change in scenery. She was no longer in the forest, and the rumbling noise of gravel beneath wheels and the motion rocking her body alerted her to the carriage she was in. She relaxed, feeling safe from the blanket wrapped around her body and the smell of spices. “Rest, Amira. Gather your strength before meeting Xenos.” The mention of his name should have startled her to alertness, but she did not want to wake from her dreams. Even if they were nightmares. It was better than her reality. She’d failed to kill the Alpha King and returned alive to face Xenos' wrath. Amira’s eyes drooped shut again, too tired to care. Her sleep was restless, her eyes occasionally slipping open to see the passing of streets under the silver hues of the moon that escaped the clouds. At one point, Amira sensed her body being lifted and moved, but exhaustion and the s
Xenos was executed within a week of returning to the palace. Amira was there but didn’t watch the execution after it reminded her of her fathers. The weight Amira had been carrying around lifted even at the expense of Zayyan’s father’s death. Zayyan wasn’t there to witness it due to the new position he held as the only leader of the rogues. Alpha Dashiell’s name was also cleared, and his name and pack reinstated, though there was none to accept it besides the last living pack member, Amira Desai, their Luna and Alpha Queen. The land that had been abandoned and weakened the kingdom since was given to the next Desai heir- Amira- who wanted to give it to Zayyan. Her cousin refused the offer and remained in the Wildlands, not wholly trusting the government or the rogues and remaining neutral within the ongoing politics. After Amira’s coronation and introduction to the kingdom as their new Queen, the rules were established for packs and rogues to coexist peacefully. Zayyan ensured his p
On the other side of everybody fighting and almost finishing their fight because of the lack of numbers or will to continue hurting and killing each other, Amira flung one of her blades at Xenos’ face.Xenos blocked with his metal-cuffed arm and grinned as it bounced off. “Cheap shot, Amira.” He jumped forward and kicked through her blocked arms and square in the chest. Air rushed out of her lungs while her body flew back; instead of falling to the ground, though, Amira pushed off with her hand and flipped back until she was on her feet once more. Amira dusted her shirt down casually. She was in her usual black assassin attire today, minus the mask and cloak, but her black leather corset was thicker, more like a layer of armour. That kick still hurt, though, and she knew there would be a bruise. “I didn’t think you still had any moves, Xenos,” she grinned, pulling two daggers from within her sleeves and prowling forward.“Watch it, kid,” Xenos warned, green eyes so similar to her fat
“Not a chance,” Xenos sneered and signalled for those behind him to attack. Amira’s eyes widened. She didn’t expect him to use them. Their numbers were so much lower than theirs.‘Well, should have expected that,’ Nisha commented.Frowning, Amira took a step in Xenos’ direction, but something flashed out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and blocked an air assault by none other than Nova. At the same time, Caz had attacked Rhys. “Shit,” Amira growled, glancing at her uncle, who began stepping backwards as his men charged forward. “I didn’t want this!”She didn’t want them fighting among themselves. Asking Xenos to fight was the perfect chance for her revenge and to stop what was now happening!“Sorry, Mira!” Nova attacked again, slicing her claws towards Amira’s face. But she was far too slow for Amira. “Is there a reason you are trying to kill me?” Amira asked in a bored tone as she blocked another strike from she-wolf and uppercut her chin. Nova stumbled backwards afte
At the Alpha King’s words, the rogues turned to face him. All were shocked to see Rhys there. Even those who didn’t know what he looked like could tell who he was from the power emanating from him. Some wanted to bow their heads in submission to him even though they were rogues.“I am Alpha King Rhys Quintrell,” Rhys announced. Some of his guards remained behind him, looking onward like they weren’t in enemy territory. “And this is not a trap. I do not have an army outside these doors nor wish to destroy you all. Amira is my mate. What she says is true. I want to improve our land, how people live, the system that cruelly acts against rogues…” Rhys walked forward, and the crowd, in their shock, surprisingly parted ways for him. Amira shared a glance with Zayyan when her mate walked past Caz, who pushed Nova from him and stepped towards the Alpha King. But another rogue held him back. Caz growled, trying to get out of his hold. Everyone knew about Caz and Amira’s past relationship. C
Amira hadn’t thought about the Wildlands since she’d been body-swapping with Rhys and stayed in the palace. Of course, she thought of the people, but she didn’t think ahead when she would return to the place she’d once called home. Now, some of her memories felt a little tarnished, a bit icky because of how she came to be with her uncle. Now, after a few days of travelling, they were almost in town. The building where the guild was located stood out the most compared to the other structures. Or perhaps it only stood out to Amira because it was where she grew up. Amira’s little party mainly were on horseback, except for a few who remained in their wolf form. They weren’t a large group. That would mean getting spotted quicker.They weren’t large, but everyone was a skilled fighter. Rhys was beside her as well, wearing his usual expensive outfits. She didn’t want him to dress down, not now when she needed to convince others that they were working together. That was the priority of the
The meeting was tenser than Amira had anticipated. Yet, through the mate bond, Amira could sense Rhys held no hatred towards Zayyan. After spending time in Amira’s body, he saw Zayyan as a close friend already, but her cousin had no idea about their body switching. To him, this had been the first time they’d officially met.Alpha Evander had also been extremely grumpy throughout their meeting. Once they came to a resolution, which didn’t take much, the hybrid was first to leave. Elixora would distribute to everyone, not just the rich, and the rebels who had overthrown Willowbrook would remain in charge under Zayyan’s care. Amira didn’t trust anyone else. Alpha Evander agreed that his pack would back off, but if there was any foul play, then they would step in and take it back. Although Evander was eager to leave and find his mate, he took the meeting seriously. It still involved his pack, and although he looked fierce and icy, the Alpha cared for his pack members. Not just his pack m
“Amira? What’s wrong?” His voice hardened, glancing behind her. “Come inside. We’ll talk there.”Amira nodded once and followed. “Zev, stay outside,” she ordered nonchalantly.“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Luna,” Zev replied, and his words made her freeze. Zayyan stopped walking, and he looked over his shoulder at her wide-eyed.“Luna?”Amira cocked an eyebrow. “Like I said. Much to discuss. Sure thing, Zev. Come in. But everyone else stays outside.” She’d prefer Bash, but this would put Zev’s trustworthiness to the test. Would he tell others what was discussed between Amira and Zayyan before the meeting?The door closed behind them, and Amira went straight to the sofa, eyes flicking across the room as was her usual routine in any room. Zev did the same, but he was her guard. Flopping down on the sofa, Amira waited for Zayyan to join her. She felt impatient, needing to know if he had been deceiving her, yet at the same time, she wanted to keep this comforting illusion up a while longer
Slamming the journal shut, Amira glanced at the door after Beta Baltir announced Zayyan’s arrival at the palace through a mind link. Her mind still spun with the information she just learned from the journal. It had everything, every little detail about what happened. The later entries revealed the King’s regret and his attempts to find Amira to give her the life that was taken away from her. Theon knew this would never make up for his rash decisions, the loss of the lives of his closest friend and a powerful pack that guarded the kingdom well. But he couldn’t let his friend’s daughter die on the streets. Obviously, Amira was never caught. She thought everyone was out to kill her and remained well-hidden until she made it to the rebels. ‘Where is Zayyan?’ Amira mind linked the Beta back, rage swarming her chest and tightening her stomach until it felt sick. ‘Where is my cousin?’ she almost spat. Her claws started growing, and she had to breathe slowly to return them to normal. ‘He
The moment Rhys felt pain shoot through the bond, he left the old goats to their fighting and sprinted in his mate’s direction. Amira was injured?! And inside the palace where she should be safe!The pack mind link was loud, the urgency in his pack member’s voices cutting straight through his mind. They knew Amira had been attacked? He hadn’t crowned her yet; how did they know they had a Luna and Queen? Obviously, they’d met her at the banquet, but he hadn’t officially introduced her as such yet. No, something happened earlier. Rhys remembered this mechanism that seemed to click into place. A tension that nobody had been aware of within the pack faded away, and now he knew it was because Amira had joined them. They knew their Queen had arrived and were rushing to her side.He’d entered the library to discover Amira fought an assassin and was interrogating him, not at all bothered by the state of her right side. Blood was seeping through the side of her torso. For a brief moment, Rhys