COYOTE.

VESPERA.

"Wait! You are serious?" I inquired from Madam Gracia who laughed at my expression and eyes which were growing wide from shock.

"Yes dear, you thought I was kidding?" She threw back the question at me and I went speechless not knowing exactly what to say. 

I couldn't believe it. She used to be a pole dancer in a club in her early twenties to late thirties.

"Wow!" A surprised gasp escaped from my mouth, my lips parting from astonishment.

After Lord Kieran treated me like some kind of pest, immediately after our sex session, I decided to stop crying and get my mind off it.

I made Jessica, take me to the Palace's Kitchen which was filled with tons of servants, some I didn't even recognize as they all scurried around, trying to prepare dinner for the royal family.

I came to the kitchen in hope of seeing Madam Gracia so we can have a conversation or so while I helped her with preparing the meals.

"You sure you can do this?" Madam Gracia asked me, her brows furrowed, creasing her forehead with lines of worry, as she hesitated whether to hand me over the knife or not.

"Ofcourse Madam Gracia. I did everything in my home before I was brought here, remember?". She looked at me for awhile, still hesitant, before finally letting out a weary sigh and handing over the knife to me.

"Be careful" She warned and I nodded before proceeding to work, then suddenly she brought up a discussion about her old days in some strange town I had never heard of.

"What is the name of this wonderful town you so speak of so delightful?" I quizzed, as I leaned forward, my face titling and head cocked to one side.

A look of hesitation crossed her face as she stroked her chin thoughtfully, her eyes squinting in deliberation.

"You sure you want to know?" She teased, her head tilted with a smile and I immediately took my hands to my mouth, to stiffen a giggle.

"Hesperia" She finally said and my brows furrowed at her.

"Hesperia?" I repeated and she nodded.

"It's ancient Greek also translating to evening star, li..."..

"Like my name" I cut in with a gasp, wondering if this was a coincidence or it meant something more. I looked up at her to notice her piercing, green orbs, roaming over my features filled with a quiet intensity.

"Exactly, just like her" She muttered so low, that if I didn't pay real attention, I wouldn't have heard it..

'like who?' I pondered, my heart nudging at me that there was something amiss, something relating to me and she knew. I was just about to ask her, when a maid came running in.

"Miss Vespera" She called and I nodded at her.

"His highness, Kieran, wants you in the courtyard" She reported and my heart skipped a beat, racing, my face on it's own accord, crumbling into smiles.

"Then we shouldn't keep him waiting". I was about to leave with her when Madam Gracia caught me by one of my hands, casting a lingering gaze, filled with suspicions on the maid, her lips pursed in disapproval.

"Aren't you one of Lady Lily's maids?" Madam Gracia asked and the maid stiffened, fidgeting with her hands.

"How come you were sent to call her?" Madam Gracia queried and the maid's hazel irises drafted around the room, looking everywhere but us but I just ignored it.

"S-she a… and I w-were with him when he called" The maid stuttered, explaining herself, her eyes to her feet now. 

I believed her, the excitement bubbling in me not making me think straight.

"It's Okay, Madam Gracia" I assured with a smile as I released my hand from her grip. She looked hesitant to let me go.

"But we are discussing?" She reminded me but I just winked at her before leaving with the maid, trailing behind her towards the courtyard but then noticed it wasn't the pathway we were taking.

I was about to speak up when I heard a loud howl and turned only to let out a shriek at what I saw, my entire body rigid with shock, as my mind reeled, trying to process what I had just seen.

Without thinking, I dashed towards the almost dead coyotes, covered in blood. A creature just like wolves or Fox, covered in thick grayish-brown fur with white underbelly.

I took it into my arms and realized it was a baby. 

Tears gathered at my eyelids as it whimpered due to pain, a knife was shoved into his belly, I immediately removed it and blood splashed everywhere, before he let out another howl and died, his dark eyes closing.

My heart shattered, I found it hard to breathe. Who could be so cruel to hurt such a cute creature?

I was still wondering when I heard a very, dangerous growl and out of nowhere, a creature pounced on me, pushing me to the ground and leading me to drop the dead, baby coyote on the ground.

It was another coyote, but huge and terrifying with his grayish-brown fur, like the baby coyote, pointed snout, erect eyes and a bushy tail. 

Then I realized it was the mother of the coyote and probably thought I was the killer of her baby, with the way it was sneering at me.

Before I could talk to it, the coyote scratched me on my arm, making me let out a cry of pain, as agony went through me. 

The spot began bleeding and more tears gathered at my eyes, about dropping.

The coyote moved to scratch me again, this time, aiming at my eyes but I instantly caught her claws with one of my hands while holding her heavy body with another. 

It felt like my hand was about to break for she was struggling seriously to be let free.

Fury running through it. I knew I had to do something fast or scream for help, otherwise I would be killed.

"Elsa, get off her" He commanded, his voice low, but scary. 

The coyote growled in response and refused, still wanting to hurt me when Kalisto snapped.

"Are you deaf?" His tone, had no hint of playfulness and Elsa saw this before getting off me and moving to her baby, the rage disappearing as her eyes softened before she howled, bending towards it and nestling it into her embrace.

"I always knew you were a callous, pretentious bitch but are you this cruel?" Kalisto probed, his nose wrinkled at me in disgust.

"To murder an innocent baby, coyote for just no reason". 

I wanted to speak up but couldn't. I was just trembling from the realization that if he didn't come in, in time, I would have been dead. The tears dropped, one after the other, streaming down my cheeks.

Just then, the ground shook as footsteps sounded on them. I knew whom it belonged to.

"What is going on here, wh...........?" He suddenly pursued, probably seeing the dead coyote.

"What the fuck happened here?" He cursed, before dashing over to Elsa who was still nudging her baby, to wake up but sadly it wouldn't.

"Our breeder here, killed it" Kalisto replied and I turned sharply to face him, my jaw dropping, unable to believe what he just said.