Cage's POVI stood still, my gaze on Berrilyl with a heaviness which refused to lift off me. The moment she slumped from her futile effort to stand, her action hit me. I didn't say anything, neither for her defense nor even more accusations, and that felt heavier than all the words I could have said at the time.Berrilyl had always been strong, proud even, and seeing her like this was. unnerving. A voice in my head whispered that somehow I had failed her, even if I didn't fully understand how.Grace stepped forward. "You know, Berrilyl," she said, her voice cool, "you have yourself to blame for this.I went rigid. The things Grace said were so cruelly, unnecessarily, and I did nothing to correct her because my mind was too knotted up in guilt and confusion to do much of anything.Berrilyl, however, fixed Grace with a ferocity in her stare that belied her current state. "You. snake," she spat, the voice raw and shaking. "You think you've won, don't you?Grace raised an eyebrow and cros
Cage's POVI sat beside Berrilyl's bed, watching her shallow breaths between conscious and unconscious. So fragile she looked, so opposite to the firecracker I'd grown to know. I reached to adjust the damp cloth on her forehead, and just that second, her breathing hitched and her body tensed, then went completely limp."Berrilyl!" I called, my hand clawing at my chest. I leaned in, shaking her lightly, but she didn't respond.Fear surged through me as I yelled for help. The door burst open and Talia rushed in with the physician hot on her heels. The woman moved swiftly to Berrilyl's side, checking her pulse and examining her with a calm efficiency that I envied."She'll be fine," the physician said after a few moments in a voice firm. "She's exhausted and weak, but her body is fighting the poison. She just needs rest."The relief that swept over me was almost overwhelming; my knees threatened to buckle as I took a step back, leaning against the wall. For the first time in days, it fin
Cage's POVThe weight of Grace’s cold indifference lingered in my mind. Despite knowing Berrilyl had poisoned my meal, she didn’t seem the least bit affected by the fact that Berrilyl had nearly died. Her calm, calculated demeanour left a bitter taste in my mouth, one I couldn’t ignore.For years, I had seen Grace as a kind, gentle soul—someone who had my best interests at heart. But her reaction, or lack thereof, to Berrilyl’s suffering, made me question everything. If she was capable of such callousness, what else was she hiding?That night, as we finished dinner, Grace moved to follow me to my chambers as she always did. Her steps were light and measured, her soft voice calling out my name.“Cage, wait,” she said, her tone laced with concern.I stopped but didn’t turn to face her. The thoughts swirling in my mind made it impossible to meet her gaze.“You should rest tonight,” I said, my voice colder than I intended.“Rest?” she repeated, confusion evident in her tone. “I thought we
Berrilyl's POVThe cold, steel doors creaked open, and the guards entered with their usual impassive expressions, their boots echoing heavily against the stone floor. I had no choice but to follow them. They didn’t speak, but the glances they exchanged told me everything I needed to know. I was nothing more than an object to be moved around, controlled and confined. They had no mercy, no care for who I was, just a job to do.They led me down dark corridors, the light from the torches flickering on the walls, casting eerie shadows that danced around me like specters. My thoughts were jumbled, racing as I tried to comprehend what was happening. I had been betrayed by Cage, and now I was being punished for something I hadn’t even done. I had only tried to protect myself, to survive in this cruel game of manipulation and deceit, but it seemed that no matter how hard I fought, I was destined to lose.As we reached the door of the room where they planned to lock me up, I could hear the faint
Berrilyl's POV I sat stiffly on the edge of the stool, the velvet cushion doing little to alleviate the discomfort of the moment. The maids flitted around me like vultures, pulling on my hair and clothes with sharp, impatient fingers. Their laughter echoed through the room, grating on my already frayed nerves."Hold still, my lady," one of them said. I bit the inside of my cheek, my fists clenching in my lap as they tugged at my hair. The final humiliation came when one of the maids, a tall woman with sharp eyes jabbed a pin against my scalp while faking she was securing an earring."Ah!" I hissed, jerking back. "Watch what you're doing!" "Oh, forgive me, my lady," she said, her voice dripping with mockery. She didn't even bother to look sincere. The other maids burst into laughter at this, their giggles bouncing off the walls in cruel taunts. Anger and humiliation at this little display burned my face, but I held my tongue. Reacting would only give them more satisfaction.They
Berrilyl's POVI was standing near the edge of the grand hall, blending into the background as well as my position allowed. My eyes found Grace right away, standing behind Cage, her face tight with barely concealed anger. Her eyes flashed to me more than once, flashing in a fury she didn't bother to hide.Her display, really almost made me crack a smile. She's mad. Good. A part of me liked that this was satisfying to further inflame her, to stoke that fire of hers till she was wholly consumed by it. But the thought that did mean something on my part is with Cage and living in a world of plots of Alphas and politics barred me from pursuing this further.I clenched my fists at my sides, forcing myself to remain calm. I can’t let my emotions get the better of me. Not now.My eyes shifted to Cage, who was standing with a circle of Alphas, laughing and talking as if he didn't have a single care in the world. His smile was easy, his posture relaxed, and for one brief second, I was taken aba
Berrilyl's POVFinally, the engagement ceremony commenced. What I’d been waiting for was finally happening. It was going to take place, and I was going to ensure it became the most memorable engagement ever—not for love or celebration, but for the message I intended to send. I’d show him that no one, not even Cage, the ruthless Alpha, could mess with me.No one at all. I didn’t care that he was in a higher position than me. He would pay for locking me away for three days, for thinking he could mould me into the perfect bride with a snap of his fingers. As if I was some naive fool to be bent and shaped to his will. Even a toy deserved more respect than what he had shown me. But I wasn’t a doll, and I would endure whatever torture necessary to prove it.I remembered waking up after that ordeal, and seeing what I thought was concern on his face. But it vanished so quickly, replaced by that familiar anger, that I almost laughed at myself for thinking he might actually care. He was just li
Berrilyl's POVI couldn’t let Cage achieve his aim, not when he’d already taken so much from me. His control was suffocating, his demands endless, and his power unyielding. But today, I had done something he would never expect.I resorted to that one move, a desperate gamble born from sheer defiance because I knew how much Cage cared about his face—his reputation. The carefully constructed facade of invincibility made others cower before him. To tarnish that image, even just a little, was a victory worth savouring.And I had done just that. By letting a few choice words slip from my lips, I had struck at the very foundation of his authority. I told them that Cage had killed my husband and forced me into this marriage. The moment those words escaped me, the room erupted into chaos.Whispers rippled through the crowd like wildfire, growing louder with each passing second. My heart raced, not with fear, but with a strange, exhilarating sense of triumph. For once, I wasn’t the one trembli
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