Cage's POVThat night, Grace came to serve me dinner. For the past few days, I have been avoiding her, keeping a distance from her, but here she was standing in front of me with a tray of food. Her eyes were begging, and her hands were slightly trembling as she set the dishes down on the table."I know I made a mistake," she said, soft, almost in quivering voice tones. "Please, I am sorry. Please take me back. I am not bearing it. I will not let that happen between us."The stare just took the moment at Grace mixed with frustration and a tinge of pity. She had always been like my sister, and now she made things so different in that respect. She had hurt me, but again I couldn't go on being hard on her for all eternity. I tried to keep myself aloof, tried shutting my eyes to the pain of my heart at her vision, but finding her in this helpless state, I just couldn't be cold anymore.But this was different; the way she had acted and treated him in recent times was a bit hard to ignore. T
Cage's POVThe room was in semi-darkness, save for the fluttering candle in front of me on the desk. Shadows danced on stone walls, and the waxen scent mingled with that almost imperceptible scent of ancient parchment. Behind the desk sat the silent man, waiting for my response. The Low light masked his features to a certain extent, yet I could easily distinguish the resolute intent in his eyes.Before me lay the evidence he had just presented. Documents, letters, sworn testimonies, all with seals of authenticity to prove that they were prepared with carefulness and in minute detail.It was enough.Enough to bring even the Great Elder low on his knees.I said nothing for a long moment, running my fingertips along the edge of one of the documents. A sealed confession from a servant who had been paid off to cover a financial scandal. Yet another page detailed the manipulation of pack resources for personal gain, all quietly buried under the Great Elder's influence."You're certain all o
Author's POVThe Cold stone walls pressed in on Lucia from every side, damp with moisture, cloaked in shadow. The air reeked of mold and unwashed stone, and every breath was like a chore. She shivered as she pounded against the rough surface of her cell, her fists raw and aching, but the guards outside paid her no attention."Let me out! Do you hear me?" she screamed, her voice hoarse from hours of crying and yelling. "I demand to see William! I am his… his beloved! You have no right to keep me here!"Her voice came back to her, mocking, it seemed, the cold, damp stone echoing with her anguish as if the dungeon itself was jeering at her.The guards didn't even flinch.Two of them were standing near the entrance, leaning lazily against their spears and exchanging quiet words; never once did their gaze turn her way.They had heard it all before.They might have bowed their heads to her once, hastening to do her bidding with the same desperate to please obedience as the rest of the house
Author's POVLucia leaned her back against the cold, hard wall of her cell. Her boy was finally relaxing after a simple and quite small, but it was needed for my baby. She was the only reason I ate it. I couldn't make my baby suffer from what it didn't know anything about the situation that brought me here.She closed her eyes, exhaustion settling in as she embraced herself,p but then something stuck –a sharp,p piercing pain in my abdomen that made her gasp. She clutched her stomach hard with her trembling fingers. The ache intensified, spreading through her lower body like wildfire. At first,t she thought it was just indigestion, perhaps it was her body reacting to the poor quality of food that she had just finished eating,g but to her surprise,e within a few moments, it continued,d and the pain grew unbearable."Help! Help!" Lucia called out; her voice was a house with desperation and despair. "Guards! Somebody, help me!" She screams.But to her horror, her pleas echoed through the
William's POVI paced around the room with his hands clasped behind my back. My sharp mind was working furiously. I was thinking of a very strategic plan that would make me accomplish everything I wanted. It was time to make my enemies pay especially Cage. I couldn't wait to see him and his pack that he had built from scratch crumble to pieces. He had to be under me. I wanted to have control of him and all his business. He was going to see my face and history would be repeated. His memory would be freshened, but unfortunately for him, he would never be able to do anything on that day because it would be his death and my victory.My beta, Marcus, stood across from me,m holding a stack of documents. He had been checking them continuously and marking the important ones."Sir, we've identified some irregularities," Marcus said, his voice steady but laced with deep concern. I was tired of hearing about irregularities and I just had to wonder what this one was about if it was too stressfu
William's POV The doctor's report resonated in my mind while I remained motionless. My head struggled to comprehend the words I had just received, but the surprise was overwhelming."Your Grace..." The doctor faltered, not wanting to look me in the eye. "Lucia has… suffered the loss of the child."For a brief moment, I was unable to comprehend the words. My ears wouldn't accept what I was listening to. I had waited an eternity for a successor, for the heir of my family, yet now that heir was lost.A mix of confusion, anger, and something darker stirred within me. How could this happen? I thought, a flicker of panic creeping into my chest. The child, my child, was gone, and with it, my hopes for stability and the continuation of my bloodline.I had been preparing for this moment—the birth of my heir. I had invested countless hours, plans, and hopes into this child, this one who would secure my legacy. To have it all ripped away so suddenly was too much to bear.My mind raced, my anger
William’s POVI looked at the guards, trying to get some answers. Their stoic faces betrayed no emotion, but I couldn’t help feeling a sense of impatience rising within me. I needed clarity—needed to know what had happened, what had gone wrong.I stepped forward, my voice firm but controlled. “Has anyone brought food to Lucia?” I asked, looking at each guard one by one. I was already aware that I had ordered them not to serve her any food while she was locked up, but I just had to ask again to confirm because of the accusations being laid by Lucia, as though the answer might change.The guards glanced at each other briefly before responding in unison, “No, Your Grace. No food has been served to her, as you instructed.”I looked at Lucia, sitting on the bed in front of me, and she was looking in pain, her face contorted with anguish. Her body trembles as she looks up at me, her eyes filled with shock and confusion. My heart tightened a bit. I had never seen her like this before. The st
Author's POVThe throb behind his eyes was relentless, a steady drum of pain that pulsed with every heartbeat blurred the edges of vision, and made the temples seem squeezed in some invisible vice. He had hardly slept the night before, and the stress of managing the estate, the constant political pressures, and the recent troubles with Lucia had worn him down.Yet, none of that stopped him from going toward the chambers of his second wife.The ache could wait.When the messenger had burst into his study with news of her sudden illness, concern had knotted his chest. Now, while he neared her room, he heard the murmur of hushed tones and the distinct scent of herbal tinctures filled the air. With a creak, he pushed open the door.The physician was still bent over the pale, trembling figure of his second wife. She lay propped against a mound of silk cushions, her face almost ghostly. The delicate lines of discomfort had softened now, her breathing steadier.William's gaze searched her fa
Cage's POVHe instantly understood what I said and in a jiffy, new secret guards streamed in and surrounded the rouges.The rouges stumbled backwards, their eyes darting wildly as they struggled to process the sudden turn of events. Their leader's face contorted into a mixture of disbelief and fear. His shoulders sagged as his confidence fell. He looked at me with regret, his composure almost slipping."This shouldn't be happening!" He exclaimed, his voice shattering into a thousand pieces. "Fight back. Fight With your best," one of the rogue leaders ordered as he saw his rouge warriors getting overpowered."It's way too late for that. The probability of you guys winning is too thin. You better accept defeat" I looked him straight in the eye and told him.He unleashed a fury of rage, launching himself at me with tremendous force. Anticipating his attack, I swiftly moved away, blocking it. With a loud growl, he sped past me and slammed into the wall."Oops," I grinned with satisfaction
Cage's POVThe instant the scream from Berrilyl reached my ears, my heart contracted in a way it shouldn't have. My body had moved well before my brain kicked in and I turned sharply in the direction of her voice. I caught her running toward me, a look of concern twisting her face, along with something else, it was fear.In That split second, the distraction almost cost me my life.A rogue caught me out of focus and charged at me, his blade was aimed right at my exposed side; I barely had time to react. Instinct kicked in, and I twisted my body in time, the blade grazing across my ribs instead of burying into my flesh. The pain was sharp, but I pushed it aside, countering it with a vicious strike that sent the rogue stumbling back.I hadn't had a chance to finish him off.Berrilyl was too close now, too close."What are you doing?!" I snapped at her, latching onto her arm and yanking her behind me. My grip was firm as my heart still hammered in my chest from the near miss.The rogue
Cage's POVTonight, the air is weighted with unvoiced challenge. I sit at the far edge of Mansion's yard, my body bent and tensed on guard. The torches from behind the stone walls seemed to threaten and would violently hang, casting malicious shadowing alongside me in silence. Miliano stood on my right-hand side, still as a ghoulish smile stretched his tanned skin from nose to neck end."Bring the secret guard and surround the Mansion," I ordered, having my voice drop steady, emotionless when inside me chaos brewed.Miliano nodded profoundly. "Aye." And with that, he turned on his heel and motioned for the men we had trained in secret to take their position. They shifted like ghosts and moved into their positions, efficient but silent; slipping into darkness as if they were spawned from it.Just as we were going to make our move, I felt it, the unnatural shift in the air, followed by the distant yet unmistakable sound of approaching footsteps. Lots of them. My instincts screamed a war
Berrilyl's POV I was sitting in my room, my mind spinning from everything Cage had shown me earlier. The pictures, the messages, the so-called evidence. I couldn’t make sense of it. My thoughts were all jumbled, and no matter how hard I tried to push them away, they kept coming back.How could Owen—someone I thought I knew—do something like that? He wouldn’t cheat on me, especially not with someone like that young mistress. And how does Cage have all this evidence? The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. It just didn’t add up. But I had no answers, and all I could do was try to sleep and hope my mind would stop racing.I was lost in thought until my eyes started closing up. As soon as I started to drift off, the loud sound of an alarm shattered the silence. My eyes shot open, heart racing. The sound was so harsh, so urgent. Then came the footsteps—the hurried thud of boots across the floor, the sound of people running. My mind couldn’t catch up to what was happening,
Berrilyl's POVI couldn't believe that Cage could still fabricate evidence to fool me. All along, I knew he was clever and knew how to play the game-twisting realities to his advantage-but never did I think he would go that far. It was using my emotions, trust, and vulnerability to his advantage, and it seemed in the worst possible way-a betrayal.I stood there, frozen in absolute disbelief as Cage laid before me what felt like a mountain of photographs, messages, and documents. Overwhelmingly, each bit of "evidence" that he had in his hands seemed to lead me further down the path on which I really did not want to tread. How could he do it? How could he lie to me so in my face, knowing how much I love Owen?A rage bubbled in my chest, and I couldn't hold it inside anymore. "You're lying!" I screamed, my voice cracking. The words tasted bitter in my mouth, but they needed to be said. There was no other way. "You're just trying to manipulate me, Cage. You think I'll believe this garbage
Cage's POVThe next day, I made a maid bring Berrilyl to my chambers. As she entered, I was relieved to see that her complexion was better. The dad's circles under her had faded, and her skin had regained some of its natural glow.I felt glad that she was finally out of being a public slave, even though it was me who turned her into one. The humility from that young mistress annoyed me and it was time to make her pay and maybe make Berrilyl hate her more.But I didn't show my relief; I remained in my usual stoic expression, not wanting to give away concern for her well-being. I had specifically ordered the kitchen not to disturb Berrilyl for a few days, and to just deliver her meals at the appropriate time. She had to gain her strength before she would be able to do anything. I wanted her to rest. What I put her through was hard, not only for her. It was also hard for me to keep her there but sometimes I convinced myself that she deserved it. As u looked at her, I could see the ex
Cage's POVI was sitting in my room, lost in thought when a guard burst in. His was distorted, and I could tell from his exasperation that he had run all the way here."Sir, Beta Milano and his group have returned", he said, but his voice was laced with a sense of urgency that baffled me."What is it?" I asked, my mind already racing with possibilities; I hope it wasn't true."Sir, he and his group are injured" the guard replied, his voice tight with concern. "They're in the infirmary"I didn't hesitate. I rushed to the infirmary with my heart pounding in my chest. I just hoped that whatever happened wasn't so severe and he was still okay.When I arrived, I was met with a scene of chaos. Most of the warriors were injured, some more seriously than the others, but I didn't see any dead bodies, so I was thankful, although I wasn't sure.Milano himself was lying on a bed, his face pale and drawn. His injuries and those of other warriors were been taken care of.I rushed to his side, my mi
Berrilyl's POVI watched him go, storming off heavily in anger and frustration. I hesitated a moment before stepping from behind the screen of shadows. Talia stood there, her back to me, but I could see her shoulders quivering a bit."You're not even going to ask how long I've been standing there?" I said, stepping closer. My voice was calm, teasing even, but my words didn't weigh quite as much as usual.Talia didn't flinch. She didn't turn around in surprise as I had anticipated.I already knew you were there, she said in a low voice.That threw me off. Talia was never anything but sharp-tongued, always ready with either an acid comment or a glare to dismiss with. Now, however, her voice came soft and unreadable, and her face finally turned toward me. But what was surprising was tears in her eyes, swimming at the edges, threatening to spill, she kept blinking over and over again trying to push them away.For whatever reason, that expression in that pose got through. Sympathy, perhaps
Berrilyl's POVI wasn't eavesdropping not this time, anyway and I certainly wasn't trying to spy on them. Curiosity held me firmly in my hiding place, though, when Jake's voice started rising in frustration."Talia," he started, his words tight with frustration, "Why have you been avoiding me? What have I done to treat you like the monster that makes you shun me?Talia hesitated. Not seeing her face, I could sense her uneasiness at the long silence that followed. She always faltered in confrontation."It's not that, Jake," she said finally, barely above a whisper. "I'm not avoiding you because you've done anything wrong. I just don't want to. The others to misunderstand."Jake scoffed. “Misunderstand what, exactly? That we’re friends? That we’ve known each other for some time now? Is that something to be ashamed of now?”His frustration was palpable, and it wasn’t hard to see why. Jake had always been a straightforward kind of man, someone who spoke his mind without worrying about jud