Author's POV The silence of the kitchen was cut only by the soft crackling of dying embers in the hearth. The shadows on the stone walls wavered and fluttered lightly, dancing to the flickers of the dying flames, a little more minute with every second.Talia crept across the cool tile floor, her bare feet silent as she moved toward the pantry shelves. Her pulse hammered in her ears, while the silence somehow made every creak of wood and rustle of fabric louder. The weight of her guilt sat heavy upon her chest, pressing down like an invisible hand.She hadn't spoken to Berrilyl since, since that day. Since the words, she wished she could take back, cruel and thoughtless, had left her lips.It had been easier, then, to let the others believe what they wanted. To act like Berrilyl deserved the cold stares and whispers behind her back. But now, in the quiet solitude of the kitchen, all Talia could think about was how hollow it felt.And how wrong that was.Berrilyl didn't deserve this. S
Berrilyl's POV The next day, I was falling apart. It wasn't just the exhaustion anymore. My whole body ached, but it was more than that. I felt defeated like some unbearable weight rested on me. The stares of the people around me constantly made me so uncomfortable. I hated it, every single look was a judgment to which I could not turn my back. It seemed like everyone was watching me, and I lacked the strength to prevent them from making me feel insignificant.It wasn't just the physical strain; it was the mental and emotional impact that truly wore me out. I felt drained, and it seemed like the world was enclosing around me. I attempted to overlook it, attempted to move past it, but it was difficult. There were days when I felt like shouting and asking everyone to just let me be. But I couldn't. I was too weak for that.It was the buns Talia would slip me from time to time that kept me going, however small. Small mercies that kept on coming so I would not lose myself in those moment
Author's POV The day had already been frustrating for Grace. She'd been in the kitchen all morning, working hard, but her mood had only worsened. Her thoughts were a mess, tangled in confusion and anger. She had hoped that her efforts would be noticed, but instead, she was punished and sent to work in the kitchen like a common servant. And now, to make matters worse, something as small as a plate breaking made her snap.The maid, who had let the plate fall to the ground, stood dumb, while her mistress was already in a flare-up. Instinctively, Grace raised her hand and gave the girl a resounding slap across her face. The slapping sound went through the kitchen, and the girl instantly hung her head, too scared even to utter a word."Get out!" Grace hissed, heedless of the consequences. The maid quickly gathered the pieces of the broken plate and scurried away, leaving Grace standing in the middle of the kitchen, her anger still simmering.The other maids in the kitchen did not even dar
Cage's POVI was in my study room thinking about Grace. We had somehow made this place better together. She and her mother helped me when I needed it. She had always been good, loved and very nice to everyone around me but it was as if she was turning into the opposite."Sir", Jake said, bringing me out of my thoughts as he came in with his face looking quite serious. I just wished that what he wanted to tell me was useful and not some useless news. The Young mistress had been treating Berrilyl badly and decided to stay in the palace when she must surely have better things to do. Even though she seemed interested in me. It was still strange because most people wouldn't even want to meet me. After all, I seemed too intimidating or too ruthless for them, so because of that, the way that Alpha's sister was behaving was unusual, I needed great information about them.It was the last thing I thought I would be doing but I needed to get things done. She and her brother seemed very suspic
Cage's POV"I should capture them?" He asked again to be sure."Yes. Please do" I replied.I knew he was so surprised but it didn't matter. It was just perfect. I couldn't wait to see her face when she saw my engagement present for her. It would be nice to see her reaction after finding out that her darling Owens was nothing but a cheater. The man whom she thought was madly in love with her was just using her, and the lovely fact about it was that I would not only be saying facts but providing her with proof.Jake saw the deadly smirk on my face and quickly went away. When he left I couldn't help but smile at the way he was walking.While I was busy imagining how Berrilyl's face would look when the truth is brought to her eyes and how she'd know that the loser whom she said I was was far better than her husband who was nothing but whom she thought was the greatest of all men, someone came in and diverted me from my thoughts. At first, I wanted to get annoyed with the person who cam
Cage's POV The sun had not even begun to set, yet I called Miliano into the room. The air was thick with anticipation, and I could feel the weight of my decision weighing strongly on me. It was long overdue, yet as much as I wasn't sure where this would lead, I couldn't help but feel this was an appropriate move.Miliano," I began, my voice firm, yet urgent. He could tell already that something serious was coming. "I need you to do something important for me. I want you to select a few of the warriors of the Pack and train them in secret. Prepare them for emergencies.He listened intently without interrupting, but his sharp gaze showed that he was already working on it in his head. “It’s a good idea,” he replied thoughtfully. “Your trump cards are few. The Pack is strong, yes, but there’s always room for improvement. If something unexpected happens, we’ll need more options. I’ll begin immediately.”I could see the resolution in his eyes: he never wavered when strategy and loyalty we
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
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