SERAFINA Immediately the person heard the door open and saw that it was the King, she immediately bowed before him. It was a woman, an older woman probably in her late sixties. It seemed like the entire room belonged to her and it was miles ahead from what I had slept in last night. So from all the clear indications I’ve seen so far, there had to be something special about her. The older woman retracted and stood erect and it was then she took cognizance of my presence and then her gaze shifted to the King, who’s shirtless state made her features change drastically, instantly spiraling her into distraught. “Oh dear. I will go get you some coverings, my King.” She said and quickly moved on her feet to the far end of the room, there was a small wardrobe there and she ravaged through its contents until she found a purple linen and then she came over to the King again. “Your majesty, if I may?” She seeked permission and the King gave her a slight, approving nod. She bowed again b
ZAHIR I barged into my study, rage surging in my veins with so much vigour that I found it hard to tame it down. My wolf seethed, growling in anger at the back of my mind— someone had touched its property, our property and the occurrence was driving both of us into an indepth fury. I forcefully shifted into my human form at the hall, staying any longer in that form would have guaranteed more deaths as my wolf was wild, and its ravenousness triples whenever it gets angered. It's a hard beast to tame, half the time it has a wicked mind of its own. It's malicious anger and my rage streaming together created a vehement, overwhelming emotion of fury. Instead of it dying down, it kept increasing and increasing, until I couldn't keep it within me anymore. I had to let it out. I groaned exasperatedly, hoisting the first thing I could lay my hands on—a small shelf containing a library of books—and I hurled the whole furniture across the room. It hit the wall with intensity and sha
CHAPTER TWELVESERAFINA I spent two days in Dahila’s quarters. She had specially requested from Zahir that I stay with her for the period as I needed to be treated before they could start my training and surprisingly, he’d agreed. These last two days have been the most peaceful days I’ve encountered since I left my Kingdom. I ate good food that rivaled the one I usually ate at the palace, my wounds were being tended to, I actually slept on a bed, I didn’t have to see rueful Zahir or scowling Hera. Plus, I had the nicest time conversing with Dahlia. The woman is so nice and kind, the sweetest, and she had so many tales to tell. Very interesting ones. I was making way to the door to exit Dahila’s quarters and she followed behind me to escort me. I had a sad frown as I wasn’t happy about leaving at all. Behind those doors lay nothing but terror, suffering and pain; I didn’t want to go back there, not after tasting how alternatively good my life can be here if I just stayed
HERA I left my quarters and went to Serafina’s as she was to return back there today after her healing session with Dahlia. However, when I got there, Urla told me that Serafina hadn’t returned yet. I immediately got mad at Dahlia for hoarding the girl longer than the time allocated. I marched to Dahila’s quarters and was ready to drag Serafina out of that place with a leash I had specially purchased for her. Much to my surprise, I met with a quite surprising scene on my way there. I had to sneak behind a wall and watch at it carefully to ascertain if my eyes were deceiving me or not, but they weren’t. It was clear as day, Steven, Zahir’s lackey had his head leaned close enough to Serafina who he had cornered against the wall. Their bodies were so close, they were practically kissing! I covered my mouth to contain my surprised gasp as I watched the two closely. But then an idea conjured in my mind and a devious smile surfaced; certainly, if I tell the King about wha
SERAFINA I felt a gentle tap on my back as I slept and that jolted me out of sleep. I opened my eyes and slowly sat up, yawning as I did. Then, reality smacked me in the face and I was aware of my environment, once again remembering that I am a slave and I should've been awake long ago. I hastily got up on my feet to avoid the early–morning wrath of Hera, but on the contrary, it wasn't Hera, it was Dahlia. And then I remembered that she wasn't my slave trainer anymore. Hera would never be gentle enough to wake me up from my sleep with just a slight tap on the back. "Good morning my princess, how was your night? I see you overslept today." Dahlia cheerfully greeted with a calm smile. "Good Morning Dahlia. My night was fine, thank you. And I'm sorry for oversleeping, I'm not used to waking up so early and I was usually woken up by my ma—""It's fine, Serafina." She chuckled, interjecting my ramble. "I'm not angry, I know you're still trying to adjust to this new life. But Th
SERAFINA Dahlia said that I was to continue working on the field, selecting the King's vegetables for a whole week. It is to prove that my training was going well. Today was the second day and for the first time since I got stripped of my status, I had high hopes. My work today wasn't the reason for my excitement, I couldn't care less about Zahir and his vegetables. My elation stemmed from the fact that I might come across the girl I managed to snatch from the hands of the brutal slave master two days ago. I was here yesterday and I looked around for her, but I didn't see her. I didn't want to wander about that territory for long so as to not attract trouble so I left, deciding that today I will ask around for her. Yes, I will be disobeying Dahlia's stern orders to keep away from trouble but they were my people and they mattered regardless of their position. The slaves that walked past me as I walked to the vegetable region all gave me dirty looks, muttering and whispering
ZAHIRTo hell with these letters! I was going through a round of them today and as usual, they found ways to annoy me but none drove me more insane than the one that had the seal of the council of high ranking wolves on it. I knew there was nothing good about that letter when I saw it lying on my table but I still gave it the benefit of the doubt when I opened it to read. “THE COUNCIL OF WOLVES, Letter addressed to the King, the Third sovereign Lycan of Lycaronia, Zahir Laszlo. Your majesty, The council wishes to congratulate you on your conquest of the Human kingdoms and the gifts you have brought back for us. We have waited for your direction but as it stands, it appears we would have to make the first move to discuss how the reward for stopping the attack on the Human kingdoms would benefit the entire kingdom. The people are unsettled and the markets are filled with whispers of conspiracy that needs to be cleared. As regards to this, the council of high ranking wolves h
SERAFINA "S–strip?" I questioned. All traces of determination fizzled away and I was a trembling mess, certainly caught unaware by Zahir's request— stern demand, rather."I do not know if you have been told before, Serafina, but I hate repeating myself. Take off your clothes and crawl over to me, now." The command whisked out of his tongue with a tone as rigid as steel, and a hard lump formed in my throat as my heart gripped with fear. I had honestly not expected such a request from Zahir, not even in the slightest. He said that I belonged to him and only he had the right to punish me, so I presumed the 'punishment' would come in some other way and not this. I could bear the pain of him hitting me, cutting my skin, whipping me or anything of that sort, but I never expected that he would ask me to take off my clothes. I have never been stark naked before a man, not at all. Even with Prince Arie, we always put an end to our intimacy before it involved the total baring of clothe
Yes, the book has come to and end! God, it fills me with so much joy to have finally give. This book a befitting ending☺️ I would like to say a big thank you to my readers for putting up with me and still sticking around to read my book. Special shout outs readers with the names Pab, Debra LeBaron Mixer and Chanlin Davies! Y’all are the real MVPs who also almost made me cry whenever I didn’t update and I read your comments, lol. Although I understand that it all came from a place of love for my book and I am so grateful! Thank you so much for coming on this journey with Zahir and Serafina! Now, I know some commonly asked questions. Will there be bonus chapters? Well, I’m thinking about but chances are…I won’t, lol because it will be a huge spoiler for the next book. Yes, the heard right, the next book!☺️In case you haven’t noticed, our dearest human and Lycan couple are having the first hybrid! You did not also forget the prophecy too, did you? Haha😅Well, writing the next book s
ZAHIR It was still dusk and the first morning light was yet to appear. The silence was deafening and I was sure that if I screamed, my voice was going to ring around the whole of Lycaronia. I was relieved. So relieved that everyone was able to escape. I had watched Serafina leave with King Zach and Dahlia in the carriage, not calming down until I got information that they were out of the boundaries. It was just me. Even Steven had left with the others. I had ridden him with the duty of taking care of everything until my return, if it ever happened. But I knew I had to end this once and for all so I stayed back and waited for the Prince to arrive. He was going to meet the shock of his life. I mounted my horse and rode to the eastern part of the boundary as King Zach instructed. According to him, he was going to be coming in through that direction. So I waited on my horse, rage boiling through me when I heard the sound of heavy hooves beating and drawing close to the b
ZAHIR. Several men were stationed in different parts of the border. In less than an hour, the human army had filled the whole place, coming with horses, chariots and carriages. They all helped in informing people. They went from house to house, warning the people about an impending attack while the others helped in the evacuation. Some families left with their vehicles while some were helped into carriages and transported to different Kingdoms. It was safer that way. This went on for several hours nonstop but this didn't eradicate the panic that filled my soul. I remained restless, making enquiries on how things were going on functional posts. I was assured not to worry by Steven. "Where are they being evacuated to though?" Steven asked when he returned from his inspector to give me details of what was happening. "They would have to stay in the Kingdoms for the main time. It's the only option we have because Aries is probably on his way here. We can't risk him finding
ZAHIR. It had to be a dream of some sorts because I didn't believe it was King Zach standing before us. A bigger dream that Serafina was carrying my child. If anyone told me two surprises couldn't coexist, I could easily debunk their statement with these scenarios happening before me. As soon as he set eyes on Serafina, his lips trembled as tears filled his eyes. He moved towards her, his arms spread out to wrap her in a hug but I stretched out my hand, stopping him as he made a move. "How dare you?" I asked, my voice in a low rumble. "What are you doing here? How did you get into my Kingdom?" My eyes narrowed on him. He raised both of his hands in surrender, his expression giving nothing away. "I mean no harm. I am here with good intentions." "Then state it." I gritted out, ignoring Serafina who stood beside me, moving from one side to the other. "I am here to warn you about something," He continued, then his eyes darted towards Serafina. "I am sure she know
SERAFINA. A gust of wind blew my hair forwards and I forced it back behind my ear before taking in my environment. I was standing on a pier. I recognised this immediately. Turning, I began to walk out of the pier towards the sandy beaches. I was finally back to my mother and this time, I wanted to remain here for good. I wanted to be with my mother. I was done going through all the pain and suffering and didn't want to go back anymore. Being here, right where my mother was, mattered the most to me and I was glad to finally make my way back here. I caught sight of her. She was still dressed in the same clothing. She was gathering sticks to make a fire and when she caught sight of me coming towards her, they dropped to the ground and she straightened. I stopped before her with a teary smile on my face and she pulled me into a hug. We remained in silence until she pulled away and wiped the tears off my cheek. "I want to remain here with you, mother. I don't want to go bac
ZAHIR. For days, I stayed locked up in my room, drinking my life away and inflicting pain on her when I had the chance to. It was equivalent to inflicting pain on myself but I was unable to stop myself, unable to stop this pain in my chest. Hell, I was far more miserable than she was, beating myself up each time I inflicted pain on her. But there was nothing I could do about it. I was long gone. Things had gone awry in a space of a few days since finding her rummaging my things. I had sent her out in anger and so much hurt. Hell, I had expected her to say something to pacify me at least. Something she really meant and not some stupid fucking apology. Then I thought she had escaped from the palace, unable to take more from me. It had put me through so much panic. I knew how I had searched for her while beating myself up for putting her through a lot only for her to coke running back to me herself. My anger had returned, only intensifying when I caught a whiff of an all too famili
HERA. Thunk! Sweat dropped from my brows as I kept cutting wood with a heavy ax. Well, it wasn't so heavy but with how I had moved from a position where maids were at my beck and call, this was a fucking downgrade. But that didn't really matter right now. Not even the splinter that pierced through the other surface of my skin. I pulled it out and continued to split wood, sweat pouring down my back. Once I was done, I gathered the wood in my arm and took it to the furnace where I usually cooked, dropping them all to the floor and looking down at my palm. With every passing day, it was a countdown to the tone Zahir would tire of Serafina and come back to me. Very soon, I was going to be out of this terrible place and in his arms once again. Hours ago, I'd been returning from the river after going to fetch water for my hut. It was really far away and I was so exhausted and had been on the verge of breaking down and bursting into tears. I had cursed Serafina in my mind, wish
SERAFINA. "Remain still and I'll let you go. I mean no harm." A distinct familiar voice said from behind me. I nodded and the hold was released. Turning, it was Prince Aries standing before me. My eyes widened in surprise and I blinked to be sure I wasn't seeing an apparition. I had seen a lot of that recently and I wasn't sure what to believe anymore. He smiled. "Yes, it's me. I know you don't believe but it's me, Sera, it’s Aries." "I know who you are," I blinked, taking a few steps back and wondering if I should be happy about this development or if I should feel uncomfortable. However, I couldn’t hide my shock. It’s the second time Aries has found his way into Lycaronia somehow. “How are you here?” In one move, he was standing before me, his eyes light with cheer. Then he pulled me into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around me and filling me with his warmth. I was just taking all of this in when he pulled slightly away and cupped my cheeks. His lips brushed mine in a so
SERAFINA. In a space of one day, things had fallen apart. So bad that I couldn't even pick up the pieces. I'd be thrown out of his chambers thereby, reducing me from the post of his mistress to a mere slave once again. I had returned to my room in a teary mess, trying not to think of how he had looked at me with utter disdain, like he couldn't stand me. How had he gone from being all over me to barely wanting me to be in his presence? As much as I tried not to think too much about it, I was greatly hurt by it. I couldn't stand the gossip from the maids either. Whenever I passed by a group, all they did was glance at each other, their gazes telling tales I didn't need to hear verbally. A few of them were bold enough to whisper when I passed by. I couldn't even snap at them to stop. That respect had been stripped off like it was never even there. I had lost favor in the sight of the king, they said. He must have gotten tired of me because I couldn't satisfy his needs, all