“AGH!” Roseanne groans in pain. Her hands and feet are tied tightly. She struggles to be free but it is almost impossible to move. Roseanne’s amber eyes are covered by a dark cloth and she can hear the gleeful voice of a man.“This one’s a beauty!” one of the men is saying. “She’s gonna bring us a fortune!”“Let me go!” she demands but someone slaps her across the face. The sound of the slap echoes throughout the dark room where she is kept. Her captor hit her with such force that she can feel drops of blood flowing down her cheek.Roseanne curses the Crown Prince. Ivan Vissarion is a vicious man who made Roseanne’s life miserable at the royal family. Cruel and s
Roseanne is crying hard, lamenting the life she had once lived. Alexei...her love Alexei... All her life, she has been treated like dirt. Humans are the target of all kinds of supernatural creatures. Whether werewolves or vampires, it did not matter. They hate humans and even the low level omegas can stomp on them. Her lips break into a small smile as she recalls her childhood. Things were simpler then. At that time, she was living with her father in a small village in the hills. Her mother died in childbirth and her father had hidden himself in that village out of fear. The war was over but the hunt for humans like them was still going on. But one day, a messenger came and they were forced to move to the Capital of Ezealyra. She was only six years old when she moved to Vinesgrad, the capital, with her father Mikhael. At that time, her father was summoned by the previous Emperor Nikolai Vissarion and his wife Alexa. They had heard of his abilities and
“Move!” one of the guards growls at her. Roseanne’s reverie is broken and she is back to reality. Her captors pull her along and despite the blindfold, she can feel lights shining down at her. The guards tied her to a pole and yanked the cloth off her eyes. She is almost blinded by the bright lights and struggles to regain her vision. Blinking hard, Roseanne looks ahead and pants in fear. Hundreds of alphas and nobles are present to see her humiliation. Their lustful gazes are trying to disrobe her and she holds her breath in fear. Never did she feel so scared and vulnerable, not even on the night when the coup took place. Roseanne is aware that she is wearing a plain white rug which all the human servants are forced to put on at the Royal Household. It is not revealing but the fabric is thin. She heard man
“Rosie!” Alexei is calling her. “Where are you?”He is looking for her in the vast garden behind the palace. It is a bright summer afternoon. The sun is shining in the sky, showering the lands with its golden glory. Colorful flowers are blooming in the Emperor’s garden, beautiful and picturesque. The pond is sparkling like tiny diamonds and the warm water is soothing to touch.The neatly trimmed garden is glowing under the summer sun, amplifying the beauty of the gigantic castle which surrounds it. Long stone towers reach high as if touching the sky. Set across acres of land, the palace stretched throughout the highest mountain. It looks down on the towns below like a godly creature, its towers twinkling. The lively castle is the pride of Ezealyra, an astounding architecture which houses the Royal Family of Visserion.
She is stirring in her sleep. Her eyes are stained with tears and her heart in an inexplicable pain but she cannot fathom why she is feeling so sad. The uneasy sleep is uncomfortable and she vaguely realizes that she is moving in her slumber.Roseanne slowly wakes up. A bright light blinds her and for a moment she panics. The memories of the auction return to her and she backs away in fear, feeling as if she is back at that accursed place.“Ah!” she yells and scrambles to a corner. To her surprise, she is inside a carriage which is unlike anything she has ever seen before. As a servant at the Royal Palace, she has seen many carriages but never rode in one. Now that she is riding in one, her eyes marvel at the beautiful golden calligraphy which adorns the interior. The artwork is abstract but precise and the carriage is qu
As the carriage keeps on venturing deeper into the Frosty Forest, a chilly mist settles around it. Everywhere Roseanne looks, she only sees white fog which is gradually shrouding them in its arms as if like a possessive lover. She can make out the dark silhouettes of the tall trees in the forest but that is all. There are no animals, no sounds and no life in this strange forest.She never visited the forest before but she has heard many stories about it. Humans do not dare to step into it after dark because all the supernatural creatures roam around this place at night, free to do whatever they want. If an unfortunate human strays into the path of a rogue wolf, they may be assaulted or worse, killed. There are stories of women being forcibly taken away by the rogues or even vampires.Vampires have been hiding in the shadows ever since the Great War ended.
Roseanne’s heart is thumping loudly against her chest. Everywhere she looks, it is only pitch black darkness surrounding her. The starless sky above her is shrouding the earth like a dark blanket, inviting them into its midst. Long shadows loom over her as they walk deeper into the forest.She shivers with cold. The Duke has put his coat around her but it is not enough to fight the coldness of the night. The Lycans around her are not affected by the mist but she is shivering. They have a natural affinity to the weather because their bodies keep them warm. For humans like her, the extreme cold is a curse.A hand wrapped around her shoulders. Startled, she looks around to find herself being cocooned by the Duke.“This will put you at ease,” he said to her but Roseanne is defensive. Even if the
Her eyes widened in awe. The first rays of the sun are falling on the land, slowly illuminating the dark sky. As they float along the river, several balls of tiny blue lights emerge from the grounds. The little balls mode in random motion, colluding against each other but floating merrily in the air.Everywhere Roseanne looks, the balls follow her gaze. They are playful and with minds of their own. One of them comes close to her as if to study the blonde haired maiden out of curiosity. Roseanne gasps.“Fairies,” she realizes in wonder. The fairy near her is a tiny little doll-like creature with delicate features of a small girl. It watches her with curiosity and then smiles widely.Beside her, Dmitri is lazily watching his mate. She might be reserved but her eyes lit up with glee when she saw the b