Three hours had passed and I was ready for the ball in a black gown. Despite everything seeming to be normal, I felt uneasy.
Why do I feel like something big was going to happen tonight?
The ball is in full swing when we arrived at the castle of the Alpha of Alphas. My heart is in my mouth when I set sight on that dark stone castle. Even with the lights and the music, it still holds an ominous feeling. Like a predator trying to lure its prey….
“Evangeline. Focus.” Grandmother Philomena hisses, swatting my wrist.
I blink and put a small smile on my face as we walk through the entrance. Yet the more I see of this castle and the people here, the more out of place I feel.
“Alpha Aeron, Lady Philomena, Alpha Sinclair, welcome.” The Supreme Alphas Gamma says, bowing his head to the three.
“Hello, Wallace.” Grandmother Philomena replies. “I have brought… a guest with me.”
She motioned to me and the Gamma looks at me curiously, his eyes instantly trailing over me.
“Ah… of course.” He says, before stepping aside and letting us pass.
A guest? She said I’ll be going as her assistant.
How strange.
The next hour passed in a blur, Alpha Aeron and Sinclair vanished from sight, and I was stuck with Grandmother Philomena as she met and made small talk with all the important people here.
My! She must have an excellent memory to recall who was who. I, of course, was made to learn the names of all the important ranked werewolves of every allied pack, but I still didn’t recognise half of these. Silence befell the entire room when the announcer steps forward. Everyone's attention turns to him.
“Announcing the presence of the Alpha of Alphas! Alpha King Ambrose Vilkas and his Queen Danciana Vilkas of the Moonstone Pack!”
The entire court watches in silence, as the double doors at the top of the large winding staircase open. My heart is racing in excitement and fear. This is the man who is the most powerful of all Alphas… our king… and I am about to see him.
The moment the royal couple steps out, everyone lowers their heads and I quickly follow suit, despite trying to peek through my hair at the tall burly man in a suit, which is straining on his arms. His cold eyes scan the room and my heart thuds when his gaze snaps to me, and I quickly duck my head.
When they make their way fully down the steps we all rise, and I steal a glance at the Luna. She is stunning with blond hair and large blue eyes. She is tall, and elegant and holds a strong aura.
“Alpha Prince Chasyn Vilkas and his Luna Maryka Vilkas!”
“Alpha Prince Alcazer Vilkas and his Luna Odette Huntington!”
I peer up, staring at Celia’s sister. She is as beautiful if not more than Celia, but she has a haughty look that isn't so different from her sisters’. For the princes, everyone simply lowers their heads politely for a moment, once they ascend, the next prince is announced.
“Alpha Prince Jeremiah Vilkas!”
I look up curiously, Jeremiah? But he is the fourth prince…
“Alpha Prince Ragnar Vilkas!”
Luna Danciana has four sons, Chasyn, Alcazer, Jeremia and Ragnar.
“Alpha Princes Drystan and Draven Vilkas!”
I peer up as the twins step out. The sixth and seventh princes were born to an Omega, the only Omega who was able to birth the Alpha’s heirs, but in the process, she died. My stomach twists at just the thought of something like that happening.
Once they make it to the bottom, I see Supreme Alpha Ambrose frown as he looks to his sons, conversing between the mind-link.
All the princes are absolutely handsome, oozing power and an elegance one could only wish to attain. Each one of them dressed smartly in tuxes.
The doors at the top shut and I realise the third prince was not going to make an appearance, but I am sure most are relieved. He is a monster, no one even knew who or what his mother was, but the rumour is, he isn't normal…
“Thank you everyone for-” Alpha Ambrose was cut off when the doors at the top of the stairs swing open, banging off the walls, making everyone flinch at the sound, and I'm hit with a wave of power that rolls through the ballroom.
He is taller than the rest of them, and the power that surrounds him is far stronger. He is wearing black pants and a button-down shirt with a few buttons left open, and his sleeves are pushed up to his elbows, showing off a tattoo along his left arm.
Even when dressed more casually than every other male here, he still makes a far louder statement. No, he does more than that, he instils fear.
Even the way he walks is intimidating, with calculated steps. Yet, he still manages to walk with grace, shoulder’s back and head held high, this is a man who didn’t win respect, he demands it.
Every fibre of my being wants me to run, from the moment I laid eyes on him. However, my feet are rooted to the floor, as he prowls into the room.
My heart begins to race, and it isn't because of how handsome the dark-skinned man before me is, not his chiselled jaw, full lips or those cold gold-green eyes, but because I recognise him.
“An-announcing-” the announcer stutters out, only to be cut off.
“Zedkiel Vilkas.” The prince says in his deep, sinister voice. His tone almost daring anyone to challenge him. Even his siblings dare not stare too long. And those foolish enough to, quickly avert their gaze when his eyes falls on them. As he comes closer, descending, everyone is quick to drop their gaze.
Glimpses of fragmented memory I wasn’t sure were mine, flashes before my eyes. Cold, malicious, gold-green eyes staring at me… The smell of blood, and cold dread washes through me.
Fear envelops me, and I feel ice-cold as I stared at the man who walks down the stairs, oozing dominance and power. His eyes sweep the room and I know I should drop my gaze, but I am paralysed in fear. My hands tremble, and my breathing halts when his eyes meet mine. I am like a deer caught in headlights.
Cold indifference sets on his features and he quirks a brow, still, I can't bring myself to break my gaze. His lips twitch as he turns his gaze away, striding through the place. His aura is menacing and the room is so silent, you could hear a pin drop.
He is the man who stars in, and haunts, my nightmares.
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EVANGELINE. “Evangeline!” Grandmother Philomena hisses, as she stomps my foot, yanking me from my thoughts. I blink, and stare at her for a second, before I look around the room fearfully, and at the broad back of Zedkiel Vilkas. No one talks to him, each one lowers their heads to him as he passes by, he doesn't even bother paying respect to his father. He takes a glass of alcohol from a tray as he passes, downing it in one gulp. “Did you forget your manners, child!” Grandmother mutters, her grip on my arm painfully tight, bringing tears to my eyes as she digs her nails in. “Y-you’re… it hurts.” I whimper. Her hard gaze is filled with obvious irritation before she lets go. I resist the urge to rub my arm. “I’m sorry. I just…” I give up trying to explain through the stutter I seemed to develop. I can't express how, or what he makes me feel, it would be an insult to the royal family and everyone nearby would hear it if I told her here. “No excuses. Are you trying to embarrass us?”
EVANGELINE. “Prince Zedkiel.” I turn when grandmother Philomena steps forward. No grandmother! He might hurt her too! I quickly get up, wanting to pull her away. He needs someone strong to save him, not her! “G-grandmo-” She raises her hand, her eyes flashing as she looks at me warningly. “Enough.” She growls at me, a noise I had never heard her make towards me before. I felt a pang of hurt but say nothing, she is disappointed in me… I have messed up again. “Prince Zedkiel, if I may?” Grandmother Philomena speaks clearly, no ounce of fear in her voice or even a stutter. Zedkiel stops in his tracks. “My grandson has foolishly insulted you, and on his behalf I apologise to you.” She says clearly. He turns to her and raises one of his brows. “And how will one apology fix his insult?” Insult? What did Sinclair do? “Not an apology… a compensation.” Grandmother continues as I pray someone comes to her side, I don’t want Zedkiel to hurt her. “A prized possession of the Welhave
EVANGELINE. Three hours have passed, and I am lost. I don’t know where I am and without my phone, I have nothing to guide me, they will know I am missing by now. Will someone come after me? Tears burn at the thought of the monster I was given to. Like I was nothing more than a piece of property. I won’t go, I won’t let him take me. Betrayal washes through me; how can they do this to me? My knuckles are white, my nails digging into my hand, threatening to break through my tender skin as I grip the steering wheel with all my might. My hands are clammy and a bead of sweat rolls down the back of my neck as fear perfumes from my pores while I try to navigate the roads. Rain batters down on the windshield, making visibility extremely difficult, and I am straining to see past the hood of the car. The wipers are moving as fast as they can, but it does nothing to help see the road ahead. “Please come on…” I whisper, peering out at the darkness. The road is narrow, winding around the bend
ZEDKIEL. I gazed down at the woman who had tried to disobey me… "What’s wrong with her?" I asked the healer coldly, as he finished tending to her as she lay in my bed, "She needs time to heal, that's all, my prince." She had actually tried to escape me, yet she was foolish to think she could. A naïve fool, one I should have killed by now for her disobedience… but somehow, I hadn’t. Not yet anyway… She was pleasing to the eye, as an omega should be… From the curves of her body to those eyes full of an innocence I wished to destroy, but there was something else that set her apart from all I had seen before… I ran my knuckles down her smooth cheek, the dusting of freckles on her nose and cheeks only adding to her allure. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted her begging for my cock. This feeling… When I had touched her out there, I had felt it, almost as if something were pulling me to her, and her scent only made my sense of smell heightened. A fool might question if it was perhaps t
ZEDKIEL. Her eyes widened with horror as she shook her head, her heart pounding violently. "Please no! I'm sorry! I won’t run, don’t h-hurt th-them!" She seemed to care far more for those who discarded her than they had for her. I was done with this conversation. Turning away, I stormed out of the room and headed out of my quarters for a little air that was not clouded with her scent. Her rejection was only adding to the burning furnace within me. The truth was, there was something about her that intrigued me from the moment she was unable to look away from me, unlike everyone there at the ball she didn’t even lower her head in respect. But her eyes had held fear just like the rest of them. Fools. I walked through the dark stone walls of the castle, my footsteps echoing in the silence. Sinclair Welhaven… His arrogance from dinner flashed through my mind, making my anger only rise. I wouldn’t mind tearing him to shreds for his disrespect. (FLASHBACK – EARLIER AT DINNER) "It’s a
EVANGELINE. Two nights had passed, and I was in and out of consciousness. Sometimes I struggled and managed to turn over, at other times I wasn’t even able to open my eyes. I was alone and there was no one to help me, and I had to crawl to the bathroom when I needed to go. I was exhausted, mentally, and physically, yet I was constantly under his cold gaze. The window was locked, and although I didn’t try it, I saw the man who had come to bolt it shut. I remained in the prince’s bed, and I was relieved that not once did he sleep in it. I'm sure I was far too dirty and disgusting for him to want to be near. Perhaps without the pretty dress and makeup, he would no longer be interested in me. I could only pray for that… It was now the third night that had gone by, and I was finally able to walk to and from the bathroom. I didn’t belong here, it was far too luxurious, and I would prefer to be in the Omega quarters regardless. Luckily, the prince was gone since last night. I had just sho
EVANGELINE. He turned away from me and strode to the door. "Put some clothes on, your body is for my eyes only." He snarled, making me jump. His? The thought alone terrified me. I felt naked under his burning gaze. "I-I don’t have any c-clothes…" "Take something from the wardrobe." He growled before storming out of the bathroom. "Yes, Alpha Prince," I replied, placing the cloth down and washing my hands quickly before I rushed from the room. He was already at the wardrobe and threw a shirt and sweatpants at me. "Thank you…" "Change." He commanded, crossing his arms. Was he planning to watch me? it seemed like it… luckily it wasn’t hard to get dressed like this. I quickly pulled the shirt over my head, flinching as pain rushed through my arm and back. I took a steady breath and put on the sweatpants, they were big, but I happily pulled them up to my waist and rolled them up. Only then did I remove my towel and place it to the side. His frown deepened and I tried not to show my fe
EVANGELINE. A squeak left my mouth, and I wondered if perhaps I was a mouse shifter. The prince turned, and I clamped my eyes shut, not wanting to see anything else that might be unforgettable. I shivered when I heard him approach and cracked open one eye, turning my head away as I hurried to the table in his room, and placed the tray down. Run Evangeline! Why was he naked anyway?! "Yo-your b-breakfast – eek!" I squeaked when his hand wrapped around my upper arm and yanked me away from the table. I winced at the pain that shot through me, I wasn’t completely better yet. I clamped my eyes shut, staying rigid as he held me, very aware of the heat from his body. "You’re a strange one." He muttered so quietly that I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly. "Open your eyes." He growled, the command in his voice forcing me to oblige. The fear returned along with that powerful aura, memories of my nightmares returning with vengeance, and I found myself unable to move as I stared into those e
Hello everyone! First of all, I want to say thank you for sticking by me through a pretty hectic time in my life, I’m hoping things do get better going forward, the last week has been a little easier and I’m hoping it stays like this! Also for always trusting the process, all the comments that I love to read, it’s the highlight for me after I post a chapter! As I always want to know what everyone thought. Please do leave me a review on the main page if possible, just click on the three dots at the top right, go to about this book, scroll down and you can leave the review with a rating there! Thank you so much! - Now, onto what’s next and what’s going on with my books. For this series the next book will be about Evelyn, I think we can all agree that she deserves her own HEA, life has done her over far too many times. There is at least two more books to come in this series. The first will be Evelyn's, we just need the right Alpha to sweep her off her feet and shower her with the l
EVANGELINE. ONE YEAR LATER… “Oh my…”I say, unable to stop myself from biting my lip as I look over at my sexy naked man who has tossed aside the towel he has just dried his body with and now approaches the bed entirely naked. “If I wasn’t already pregnant, I might just end up pregnant tonight.” He sits down on the bed, a cocky smirk on his face. “I wouldn’t mind practising the art.” He says, as he pulls me on top of him. I’m halfway through my pregnancy and we’ve been told we’re having a boy. Learning about the pregnancy was bittersweet. I was happy, yet it brought back the memory of the child that was taken from us. A child I had not been able to see when I had gone to the realm, despite the ability to cross once a year, I was confined to the Palace of Moonlight. I nurture the tree of bonds before I then must return to earth. Raziel and Selene are trying to get Eshe to bring my child to the palace, but there has been no reply to any of their messages. “I wouldn’t mind that,” I
EVANGELINE. A FEW WEEKS LATER... “Thank you, your majesty.” Someone says as I steady them from tripping over their own feet. We’ve officially hosted the coronation ball for both the Vampire King and his Queen and the Alpha Queen and her Alpha King. A combined coronation and one that showed the beginning of unity between the two species. The night had gone well, and both sides had been cordial enough. It had taken place at the Moon Stone Pack, but we have begun building a castle, halfway between both territories which will be used for state affairs. Now, I think I’m ready to turn in for the night. I have talked to many and danced the night away. I gather up the white net skirt to my glittering dress as I step out into the warm night. “Alpha Queen Evangeline.” I turn to see Sinclair leaning against a pillar, alone. He’s dressed in a tux, hands in his pocket as he approaches me. “Alpha Sinclair.” I say formally. I noticed there was no sight of Celia tonight. I guess she wouldn’t w
ZEDKIEL. A week has passed since the trials and Kash and Ziahra have left. Apparently, they are going to take things easy but as far as I can tell, they are constantly making out. So irritating and disgusting to see. Jason had told Kash he is in no rush to stand down and I think that is something Kash appreciated. Although Ziahra had made it clear, she did not want him to follow her when she left, he told her he’ll accompany her and only be staying a day or so before he returns home. They may act like they have this love and hate thing going on, but I have seen she has marked him back, which says enough. I still need time to get used to the two of them being together. I know he’s trying to find Isa, but I told him he may just lead Godric to her if he tries to find her. You've got to think smart and play smarter. Last night Evangeline told me that Evelyn is leaving today, she has avoided me a lot since she has returned with her own body. It's a shame, considering I feel that we ha
ZIAHRA. I’ve been here for long enough, Mom’s ashes have been laid to rest and the trials are done. Zedkiel has a lot to do, but Evangeline needs him, so I offered to go and handle the things that can be done on his behalf. We own several lands between the vampire territory and the Moon Stone Pack, and a new home will be built where Zedkiel can handle official business, but ultimately until it’s done he will have to travel back and forth for a while. I don’t want to go… but I have to. Mom was killed by Zed’s Lycan, and although Evangeline had apologised for it, I don’t blame her, this wasn’t her fault, however, I need some time to mourn. I’m ready to take some time to accept her death. I had fought so hard for the last few years to save her, and then… in the end, she died. Just like that… It only takes moments for death to take us… no matter the length of our life span, our loved ones can still be taken in a matter of minutes. No one is invincible. But leaving meant… Kash… The
CHASYN. Night has fallen and I’m sitting on the balcony in one of the guest rooms. I have been residing here ever since everything that happened recently, unable to go to the quarters where I had spent time with Maryka. When I found her and realised she was my mate, I had been tempted to reject her, because of her link to the Night Shade pack as well, although I had no qualm with it, after all, mother was from there, but in truth, I did not want to give up on another… someone I had fallen deeply in love with. But it was never an option I was allowed to even consider. Fated mates were rare and to find mine and consider rejecting them would have been frowned upon and so I had taken her as my own, made her my Luna, marked her, and married her. But I know she didn’t like my Omegas, and I couldn’t blame her. Any man or woman would feel jealousy if their mates were with other people. Although by then, there had only been one I was addicted to but I had stopped being intimate with her to
ZEDKIEL. The day of the final few trials has arrived and those with the heaviest crimes will stand to hear their judgement today. The last few days have weighed heavily on Evangeline. It has taken longer as more people than we initially assumed had ended up playing a part in the crimes committed against the Pack and Kingdom. Some were stripped of rank, others exiled, and some were imprisoned. However, today Danciana, Maryka, Draven, Drystan, and a few of the council members will have their crimes publicly stated, and given the correct punishments that they deserve. Maryka… She had been the one to kill our father. Ragnar had been ready to kill her himself but had to be restrained. It had shaken Chasyn to the core. Yes, it had been glaringly obvious that she did play a huge part but the extent of her part in all of this was huge. She had been planning it with the traitors of the Night Shade Pack for months, and when she had figured out Jeremiah’s plan after Chasyn had refused to fi
EVANGELINE. Zedkiel is at the king’s grave, and I have decided to go visit Lucia who is still in hospital. Although she is much better, due to how badly she had been injured, the doctors want to keep an extra eye on the baby’s health and with it being common knowledge that it’s Chasyn’s the risk to her health is greater. I was paid respect by everyone I pass; I have easily become recognised as the Queen, but rumour has also travelled that I am a goddess. I do not feel like one when I can’t even save my own child. Every night, I pray and plead for our child to be returned to us, but there is never an answer and I know I will not get one either. I slow down as I reach Lucia’s room. She’s been moved into a private room by herself, and I now knock on the door and enter after she gives me permission. “Hey…” I say softly as I enter, slowly closing the door behind myself and walk over to the bed. “Hello, Evangeline.” She says smiling, she looks better today. Her bruises are all healed,
ZEDKIEL. A cool wind blows past me as I stare down at the tomb before me with a heavy heart. The funeral was yesterday for all those who passed and for our king… I stare at the engravings on the tombstone. ‘HERE LIES THE BODY OF A JUST KING, A LOVING FATHER, AND A RESPECTED ALLY. SUPREME ALPHA AMBROSE VILKAS’ Father… Four days have passed since our return and there is a lot to do and a lot that we have already done, but we all needed time to mourn those we have lost. We have suffered, and we have all lost someone that we loved. They will not be easily forgotten. I crouch down before the tombstone and look at the flowers that adorn the ground around the grave. Father… I wish I could have told you this when you were alive, but… I want you to know that I appreciated everything you did for me. For the trust, you kept in me. Thank you for treating me as a person and not as a monster… I love you, Father… I close my eyes as I allow my sorrow to wash through me. I lower my head, Maryk