[Diana’s POV] Lies over lies. I wasn’t there with Zephyr during the celebration, so I don’t know what actually happened. But whatever they were telling about Zephyr was utterly ridiculous. I just knew in my heart that no matter how many masks he wears, Zephyr can never do what they were accusing him of. What made the entire atmosphere more tense was the presence of my father and the alpha of the Saturna pack. We were in the courtroom filled with the royal Jupitus family, the guest packs who had come to the Jupitus pack for the championship, and all the important high-ranking officials of the Jupitus pack. We were sitting on the side balcony while Alpha Saturna was seated on the balcony in front of us with Darren and Verena who had been glaring at me, half of her face bandaged and bruises all over her body. In the rage, I didn’t see where I was hitting her. It seemed as if I had damaged her face severely. I am not sorry about that. Not at all. Zephyr was standing in the cent
[Kazeal’s POV]Diana looked at me, perplexed. As if she wasn’t able to believe that I had told the truth.I hadn’t taken her side. I sided with the truth. This was something that was gnawing at my conscience. I did this for myself, not for her. I don’t care about her. I shouldn’t.“Lies!” Verena yelled, grabbing the railing of the balcony. “They are both lying! I don’t know what black magic Diana did on the Saint to say such lies. They confessed they were alone in the lounge, too. Who knows what the two of them were—”“Shut up, Verena!” Alpha Saturna growls. “Pardon her imbecility.” He looked at me. I lowered my gaze in a nod.“Do not disrespect our Saint! You are in no position to question him. Saint didn’t have to, but he already took the oath of truth in front of the entire court! This is the truth that even the heavens can’t deny. I am highly disappointed in you. Your actions and your words have let me down and this is the most shameful moment for our pack. Do not make it worse!”
[Kazeal’s POV] Every word that came out of Zephyr’s mouth felt like shards of glasses prodding at alpha Vidar. Luna Nesta tensed up, looking at Alpha Vidar, baffled and so did the rest of the royal family members. “Your first crime, alpha Vidar Jupitus, was infidelity. Yes, you weren’t married to luna Nesta when you had an affair with my mother, but you were committed to her because the very next day you married her.” Alpha Vidar was red with rage and so was luna Nesta. Zephyr smiled at both their reactions. “Do you even have an idea what you are talking about?” Luna Nesta said angrily. “Ilana Darkken, the former commander of magic defense of the Jupitus pack, my mother. Do you remember this name, luna, Alpha Vidar?” Zephyr said, and luna’s pale face stared into nothingness thoughtfully. She placed her hand on her mouth as if some realization had dawned on her. Then she peered at Alpha Vidar with wide, doubtful eyes, questioning him. “What is he talking about?” “Oh, I remember,
[Kazeal’s POV]He tried to save Diana by putting off those flames, but nothing could extinguish those flames. So, he gave himself to her flames and burned with her until he remained nothing more than a shadow. She was gone, and he was burnt but alive.The day Diana died was the beginning of the end of this world — the worst of the worst.He was the worst of the worst Serith had warned the world about.Holding Diana’s burnt body in his arms, Zephyr Darkken lumbered all the way from the Wenos pack to the Jupitus pack with his charred body. The ground he walked on burst into flames. Such malignant and roaring flames any force of nature couldn’t put off, not even God. It looked as if the world around him was the ocean of fire and the waves of flames washed his feet. Those flames spread like a wildfire across the world, from walls to walls, from body to body, sparing not even the souls that it clawed. A virulent curse that didn’t stop until it had brought the entire world to ruin.The win
[Kazeal’s POV] “Did your memories return?” He asked, and I nodded once. “Thought so. Do you remember everything now?” I shook my head. “Only until I stopped you from spreading the flames in Goredom and Gloratia,” I said. Suddenly, I was conscious of every breath I took in his presence. As if one wrong breath and every other breath in this world would cease to exist. He tensed his brows thoughtfully as he sat on the chair across the circular table I was sitting around. “Where exactly was that?” “Right in this tower. In the magic crystal chamber,” I said. “Hmm. Yeah, I get it now. So you still don’t remember the whole thing?” I studied his body language and nodded. It was already difficult to read him before and now it seemed impossible to tell what he was thinking with his poker face and impassive voice. “I don’t remember the details either. It is a lifetime ago memory that too in a state when I wasn’t even in my right mind. But I think the reason you don’t have memories afte
[Diana’s POV]You knew I was scared to be lonely, and that’s what you left me with.You took Janus away from me. You took Vera away from me. You took yourself away from me.Was it easy for the three of you to abandon me so easily?You are worse than Mask, Zephyr. At least he left me with a hope that he’d return. You left me completely hopeless.What am I supposed to do now? Wait for you? Let you go? Forget you? Move on?I still don’t understand why you pointed the gun at me. Was I in your way or did you really use me to get where you wanted just to discard me later?Which is the real you, Zephyr? The one that you had before we went to the Jupitus pack, or the one you showed later?Was I a game to you because you played me so well? You love playing games, right? I hope I was entertaining for you. But don’t you think two lives are too much of a time to waste on a game?Give me a reason, give me an excuse. Tell me lies because I don’t think I am strong enough to hear the truth.I don’t e
[Diana’s POV] I was in no mood for a party, much less celebrate my birthday, but— “Sure,” I said with a smile. “I will wish for a good job as a birthday gift this time…” “Done,” father said. “... from God,” I said and father dropped his excitedly lifted broad shoulders. I chuckled. After we finished our dinner, father and I strolled in the garden. “What kind of job are you looking for?” He asked. “Something that will make me an instant millionaire,” I joked. “You already are. If you combine all the properties that’s in your name and lands, you already are a multi-millionaire, little one,” he said. “That’s your money, father. Not mine. You are generous enough to give it to me,” I said, and we silently strolled for some time. “You have grown up so fast, Diana. The way you are handling yourself makes me so proud of you.” “You shouldn’t be. Because of me, you have to hear all kinds of things from the elders.” “Don’t worry about those old men. They keep blabbering all the time.
[Diana’s POV]Kazeal stopped playing. Parting the flute from his lips, he opened his eyes and looked at me.“Happy birthday, Messiah,” he said, freezing me under the scrutiny of his silver eyes.But those eyes didn’t scare me anymore.“This was the emptiest birthday wish I have received today. Such words don’t suit the mouth of the person who would have prayed more than me that I was never born. You would be the last person to be ‘happy’ on my birthday.”“Can’t deny that,” Kazeal said plainly.“How the hell did you even enter my pack?” I glared at him.He glanced over my shoulder.I looked back just to see Willa coming our way. There it was. The answer to my question. She helped him get in, which means father might not be aware of his presence in the pack.“Honey… I brought the Saint here…”“I should have known,” I chuckled sardonically at her. “I am sure father isn’t aware of all this, right?”“Honeybee, it’s not what you…”“For God’s sake, just shut up! You are still the same old yo