William's POVLong shadows from the lantern flames danced across my study as I sat, brooding in my chair, the smell of burnt parchment still heavy on the air after my outburst. The room was silent, but beneath that silence, it raged on a steady heartbeat.Cage's face would not leave my mind, the gall he had to shame my lineage, to belittle Berrilyl in public like that was a gnawing fire, feeding the storm inside. I had bested him once. I could again. And this time, I'd make sure he remained that way.My beta stood stiff beside the door, awaiting further orders, bruising from my slap earlier discoloring his cheek. He hadn't protested, as he shouldn't have. I would tolerate no failures now. Not when the enemy was closing in."Beta," I said coldly, my voice carrying into the big room. "The wedding how many days before it occurs?"Four, Alpha," My beta said calmly but guardedly. "They'll make the announcement tomorrow. The ceremony is to take place soon after that.Four days. Four days in
William's POVI ignored my anger and tried to calm her down but it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her. I was also feeling was even feeling slightly irritated with her presence. I couldn't feel comfort when I was with her the way I used to before. I thought we would grow old together but now I was thinking of the opposite.Lucia had been causing me trouble these days. She was my first wife, so she should be mature, but it was quite the opposite. There was nothing about her that was good. She was behaving so senselessly and immaturely. I was a guy and could have as many women as I wanted. I didn't know what the fucking hell her problem was. She should have been expecting the fact that a handsome man like me would always have girls who fall in love with me, and to crown it all, I was rich. Before marrying me, she should have known that a rich and handsome guy like me would need ladies for comfort, and some of them are always willing.The reports about her were becoming uns
William's POV"What do you mean by you've been busy?" She said, her voice so loud and sharp that it pierced through my ear like blades. I felt so enraged. She was yelling again and her cheeks flushed red with anger while her eyes brimmed with tears. I was so tired of the same thing happening over and over again. She was surely about to start another bout of trouble for me again. She just wanted me to regret my actions. There was nothing in what I said that was supposed to cause her tears she was supposed to be understanding."You haven't touched me in months, William. You haven't!" She cried. "But you always go to them, your other wives but you never touch me. You don't" Her voice was laced with desperation, and she had been accusing me of these lately, only that now it seemed like her wings were growing bigger."Hmm", I sighed and breathed in and out to try to control my anger, but it was rendered useless the moment she turned my face to look at hers and said in anger."Am I an ob
William's POV My body was still heavy from the aftereffects of the intimate meeting, so I leaned back against the bed after a long and passionate sex. The way Matilda touched me, her presence, her confidence—everything about her seemed like the release I needed—had been an unexpected source of relief. When I closed my eyes for a little period of relaxation, I let my body relax and let my mind slowly escape the burden of my obligations, if only momentarily.But as I lay there, Matilda's voice broke through the silence."Williams," she began softly, her tone thoughtful yet serious. "I need to speak with you about something."I opened my eyes, sensing the change in her tone. She had always been direct, but this was different. Her words carried a weight, a seriousness that I couldn’t ignore."Go ahead," I replied, still trying to gather myself from the moment of intimacy we had just shared.Matilda moved a little and leaned against the headboard. A glimmer of worry appeared in her eyes a
Williams POV I walked out of the room with Matilda, proceeding towards the sitting area. My mind was, however, fast-forwarded on the very thing that had to be done. While they took a seat, this had been what I should raise. Turning toward one of the attendants there, I said, "Summon all my wives. I want to talk with them."Anticipation hung heavy in the air around me. Shortly thereafter, each of my wives came into the room. Something was coming, and it was serious. A mix of wonder and apprehension was etched across their features.I waited until everyone was seated before speaking. "I've made a decision," I said, trying to keep my tone even but knowing it still came out harsh. "The new Luna will be Matilda."There was a moment of stunned silence. My wives exchanged glances, and I could feel the tension rising. I watched Lucia's face closely, and it was the one that stood out the most. She didn't hide her feelings. Her eyes narrowed, and I could see the anger building within her. It d
William's POV I felt the rage run through me, hot and blind, and uncontrollable. The words of Lucia still rang in my ears, tauntingly defiant, her voice quivering and sharp as she had dared speak of things best left buried. Secrets, my secrets, thrown in my face and serving to remind me of how much she knew. She had crossed the line.My hand came across her cheek with a sharp crack, breaking the tense silence in the room. It was louder than the crackling flames in the hearth. Lucia stumbled backward, her eyes wide with disbelief as her hand flew to her face, her skin already reddening where my palm had struck.The gasp she let out was not one of fear. No, it was that same accursed look of betrayal, of grief. The same look on her face when she accused me of not caring. Of forgetting her. "William" My voice boomed. "I gave you everything, Lucia. And in return, you repay me with this. Disobedience? This insubordination?"Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she did not cower. She stood
William's POVThe storm outside had settled into a steady drizzle, the rhythmic tapping of rain against the windows barely registering over the roaring flames in my hearth. My mind, however, was far from calm. The priestess's words echoed relentlessly, The spell was weakening.I could not afford failure. Not now.Turning away from the window, I strode toward my desk, at which My beta stood waiting wordlessly, ultimately patient. His eyes were firm, although a slight tension gripped his entire posture, one keeping his hands folded behind his back, ready for action."Beta," I said icily, lowering myself into the leather chair with unhurried slowness, "write a letter. Summon him."My beta blinked but gave a stiff nod. "Him, Alpha?""Yes," I snapped. "The rogue leader. I want him here before nightfall."For a moment, my Beta hesitated, and that grated on me. He was loyal, but caution had made him far too soft of late."Alpha." His voice was carefully measured. "He is. Unpredictable. If we
William's POVAfter I sent the rouges off. I was glad that things were going as planned. The only thing that still annoyed me was Lucia. Anytime I remembered what she said, it enraged me. How could she say that? She had gone way too far. I felt like killing her so that the secret would be safe with only me. It was just that I could not do that right now with everything that was going on. I needed a great plan if I wanted to silence her but that wasn't what I had in mind for her now she was still under probation.This was what she caused for herself; everything was okay before she turned herself into a whiny baby and a woman who loved fighting with other wives. Even if it was just jealousy she had taken it too far. It didn't mean she could just say anything out of her mouth because she knew about it.It took me a while to realize how ungrateful she was. Just because I didn't give her much attention. She thought she could ruin my life with how much I cared for her. I still kept her in
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