Serena's POVI woke up to the sun shining brightly and birds using their beautiful songs to usher in the new day. Activities of the day was already on full swing which prompted me to get ready for my own day. The day of my last task.I got myself prepared for the day thinking about how far I've come. I wasn't a helpless weak palace servant anymore. That's all behind me now.I got a message from Rachel wishing me good luck with the task today and I smiled. I know I might probably have to take on Rachel or Alpha Zone truly, they have been more than friends to me. I would have lasted another agonizing day without them.I wore my training clothing and I looked in the mirror satisfied with what I saw then I made my way to the palace.The palace was packed full with people who were going to watch today's last task. My heart raced with both anxiety and excitement but I couldn't tell which was more.I met up with Rachel and she looked ready as ever and completely calm."Today's the big day."
Serena's POVAfter the task, I went to the locker room and freshened up. I was given a guard uniform to wear and I never for a million lifetime would have thought I would be Adren's personal guard. It's like I was doomed to forever be bound to him. I got into the academy to be free from him. Now, I'm even closer to him than before.I am glad Alpha Zone helped me out but this was not the reward I had in mind. For all it's worth, I'm no longer a lowly slave but a higher authority that still objects to these orders and commands.I came out in my uniform and I admit I look very nice in it but I certainly didn't feel that way. Both Rachel and Alpha Zone were also given uniforms also and we were to report to the Adren."Hey, are you okay?" Rachel whispered as we walked."Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?" I let the lie flow like water but I know she can tell I'm not okay."Even deaf humans can tell you're lying." Alpha Zone said with his voice even and eyes front. It looks like he is as up
Serena's POVWe sat in silence and I kept looking outside the window to avoid any form eye contact with him. I tried my best to look as formal as possible but I couldn't help but think that he was sitting in front of me, with very little space between us and there's no much a girl can hold on to.I snapped out of those thoughts. Rachel and Alpha Zone said I should stay away from him or at least be as official as I can be with him."Why are you always looking out the window?" I asked."Pardon?" I asked like I wasn't listening to him. All a ploy to act like I'm uninterested in him."Why are you looking out the window?" He asked again."Looking out for rogues. We might never know when they'll plan to attack." I said firmly.He barked out a loud and long laugh. "It's so funny how you have been beaten more times than I can count and you are acting all big and tough." He said."I apologise for not seeing your safety as a funny game." I said with my tone as dry as possible."Touche" he said.
Serena's POVAs soon as we got down from the carriages, Sylvia excitedly walked up to Arden and planted a long kiss on his lips. It's either she did it to spite me or she is truly deeply in love with him. I believe it's the former.She eyed me carefully, probably wondering why I was here and, most importantly, why I was in a guard's uniform."Serena, Zone, I want to personally congratulate you on your successful course in the academy." She said she was a saint.Alpha Zone and I simply bowed in response like we already practised how we'd respond to her."Shall we?" Arden asked."Not yet, my darling." She said, then walked to me. She held my hands like we had a previous rapport, and she would like to rekindle our friendship."I know I haven't always been nice to you, I am truly happy for your progress and success." She said, but I could feel everything she said was a lie. This was all a facade.I forced a smile. "Thank you for your kind words." I said as nicely as possible."When do you
Serena's POVI listened to Alpha Zone attentively as I am fed up with all Arden put me through and as for what he did tonight, I am getting fed up with and there is so much I can take even for a resilient person. So if he knows a way for me to leave this place for good, I will be more than willing to take my chances."You have the opportunity to get out. All you need to do is complete your three year tenure." He said.I sighed in frustration. "Three years. That's a lot of time.""But at least you're not a servant anymore."He made a fair point, but I was thinking I would be able to get out as soon as possible.I don't understand Arden. He prevented me from leaving when his mother granted me permission to leave. Now this? This is getting too frustrating."Crap! I am always this close," I walk up to him and hold my forefinger and thumb close with very little space in-between them. "This is close. But he ruins everything for me. It's getting so unbearable." I ranted."But there's a brigh
Serena's POVAfter what felt like hours, I finally heard the door click. I stood up from where I was sitting and stood upright. I waited for a while but no one came out of the room.This is the most impossible job ever.My feet hurt from standing for so long. I've endured training exercises that can be really exhausting but it's better than standing here and enduring the sounds of them while having to be uncomfortable all the while it happened.I heard footsteps in the room and low mumbles but I didn't know what exactly they were talking about and if I'm honest with myself, I'd rather if I didn't.I wish I had my phone with me. I would love to do something to keep me busy and also to know what time it is. But from the moonlight, I can tell it's somewhat around 3am.It's almost morning and I haven't gotten any shut eye. I guess this is one of the things I need to let go as long as I am going to be Arden's guard.I wondered if I should go to the training ground to meet with Alpha Zone b
Serena's POVAfter having just four hours of sleep, I was up again and ready for the day's work. I looked in the mirror as I got ready and I realized I had dark eye circles and my hair was a little unruly. I styled it in a messy bun because I didn't have enough time to properly style my hair.I went downstairs and I quickly had breakfast. I wanted to avoid some of the maids as much as possible but I couldn't because Emma was there."Good morning," I said to her."Good morning" she replied back.I went back to my food but I noticed she was looking at me. Her eyes ran along my body trying to take in me in my guard uniform and I could tell what she was thinking.I drank a glass of water like my life depended on it."Thank you so much for the food. It was delicious." I said to her and turned to leave."Thank you," she said. After a bout of silence she spoke again"Congratulations." She said faintly but her voice sounded sincere.I gave her a small smile and thanked her.I went outside and
Serena's POVStill filled with excitement from standing up to Sylvia, I ran into the palace to find Rachel. I could feel my insides bubbling with excitement. I haven't been this excited in a long while and I can't keep this excitement to myself. I need to tell her what happened.I entered her room and she already wore her pants but not her shirt."Um, a little privacy here." She said flatly."Oh please, we shared the same locker room." I said."Because we had no choice." She whined."If you really wanted privacy, you would lock your door." I said factually.She rolled her eyes. "What do you want? I thought you were guarding His Royal Majesty, King Arden." She said mockingly.I don't blame her. I have been pretty annoying with how much I do my job. If I were her, I'd mock myself too."Shush. I have something to tell you." I said in excitement.She stared at me for a while before snapping, "Well, what is it?""I talked back to Sylvia and put her in her place."She furrowed her brows. "I
Evelyn PoVAt first, I had not thought that Gilly's story would turn out to be so tragic. I thought I was merely doing my mother a favour: I was releasing a spirit and giving peace to the pack. But every single step I took in the direction of solving was heavy with shadows that just threw more secrets in my direction. I could feel the darkness circling in, twisting me into a hangman's noose.The old records of the pack were dusty and brittle, worn yellow with age. Weeks I spent in the archives bent over a desk deciphering the scribbled handwriting and cryptic notes. Draven helped where he could, his fingers dancing over ancient texts while I pieced together, bit by bit, the fragmented history of Gilly's downfall.It started innocent enough. Gilly was loved; with those attributes of kindness and strength, she was never really a natural leader. Somehow respect turned to jealousy, and jealousy turned to betrayal. The swirling in the ancient documents held very hostile stories of a family
Authors PoVThey started like whispers in the night.In the stillness of sleep, they forced their way into her brain to take her through dark and twisted visions. Some shadows curled around her, cold and snake-like; their touch glided over the rippling skin and left frosted impressions behind. The dreams picked their way through her nightmares the same way—her pack in chains, expressionless and with eyes like black pits; there was someone ahead, a person cloaked in shadows.The figure's face shifted and distorted; at one time it would be reminiscent of Gilly with her soft features, at another of Gloria, with that awful smirk. She would desperately attempt to run, to scream, but either the land would crumble beneath her feet, swallowing her whole in the world, until she woke up gasping for air.The dreams haunted her daily, tormenting her with the reality of the world outside the realm of sleep. Gilly's spirit seemed to linger in the edges of reality sewn into the very fabric that woul
Evelyn PoVThe truth sat heavy on my chest, a stone sinking into dark waters. Gilly's voice lingered in my mind, a soft, desperate whisper threading through my thoughts even as I went through the motions of daily life. The blood of the betrayed will break the chains.Those words had been haunting me ever since the ritual with Draven, every syllable a jigsaw puzzle piece that refused to fit. What betrayal? Whose blood? The answers I sorely craved could only be unearthed by digging deeper into Gilly's past, the life which she had led before Gloria's darkness swallowed her whole.I started my search among the old documents located in the pack's ancient archive building where old books and fragile scrolls blended their aged scent with forgotten tales. For hours I studied the pack's historical records that included birth and death records as well as political alliances and loyalty breakdowns. Being careful with my page turns made me sharply conscious that the sound of crinkling pages carri
Evelyn PoVWas this a mere figment of my imagination?… Gilly’s voice had become an echo that trickled into the stillness, catching me unawares. The torment did not even allow me peace in sleep. I would close my eyes, and her voice would take me into shadowed dreams-corridors layered in darkness, chains clanking in the distance."Evelyn."It now sounded weak and soft, no more than an echo but soon merely a whisper grazing my skin. Jerking upright in bed, I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders."Wh-What do you want from me?" I whispered back, my voice lost in the dark.Silence.I woke up abruptly from my bed before drawing the blanket closer to protect my shoulders."What do you want from me?" I demanded quietly. I managed to answer him but my words vanished into the darkness.Silence.I clenched my fists. “If you’re real I need to see you to be sure.”The air moved through the room as the window remained closed. The candle flame moved in an unexpected sideways wave as though
Evelyn’s PoVAs I came to stand amidst the rubble of Odessa’s fortress, there rioted smells of smoke and blood. The bodies of both friends and foes lay scattered on the ground from a battle that, to me, seemed less a victory than a doomsday. My body screamed for peace, and the tightness of every muscle felt unbearable; yet it could hardly compare with the turmoil within me.Finian stood a few paces away, his eyes piercing into mine. His expression was inscrutable-somewhere between hope and acceptance. His knuckles were bruised, his hair caked with dirt, and yet still he seemed the bedrock I have leaned upon during my stay with the pack at Odessa. He had saved me countless times, and now, standing before freedom, I no longer knew where we stood.And then there was Marcus.He emerged from the smoke like an apparition. Relief, pain, and something else—something much deeper, something older, much older—were stamped on his face, making my chest tighten. The last rays of sunlight broke thro
Author PoVBefore sentries had time to alert their camp the arrows struck their targets. The wolves crashed into each other while they shifted as their howls unified their counterparts.Inside the fortress, Evelyn felt it. The vibrations of battle were within her, through the stone walls, deep and low; she felt a low hum settle deep into her bones. She was clasped in silver chains burning against the skin, watching Finian about to die.One of the guards entered the room quickly, his face extremely pale. "We are under attack!"Odessa's face hardened, "By whom?""Callum and his people… he’s alive my alpha. And the Red Blood Moon pack."Odessa's lips twisted into a snarl. "Then they have come to die." She turned toward Evelyn, handing her a dagger she had drawn from her belt. "I ought to kill you. But I will save you for last.”Evelyn then looked into Odessa's eyes, her fear burning away and replaced by determination. "No, I will save you for last.”Then the ambush began. Callum and Ryan
Author PoVThe woods was dark as Marcus and Luca passed through the underbrush in silence. Marcus’s heart thudded against his ribs, with a steady caution. He glanced toward Luca, who had graduated from one stern face of determination to intent.They had been trudging through the woods for hours on nothing more than scraps of intelligence and the stubborn pull of hope. Ryan's rogues had pointed them in the right direction but were ultimately not adventurous enough to try to approach the Red Blood Moon pack directly. After all, Odessa's territory was a death trap of sorts. Even the most adventurous rogues knew better than to cross her borders without sufficient cause.The moonlight was just enough to see the outlines of makeshift tents and some shadows on watch. Marcus motioned for Luca to keep it low and crouched behind some ferns to take in the camp."Do you see her?" Luca whispered in a voice so faint it was almost a sigh."Not yet," Marcus ground out, struggling to make each breath
Serena’s PoVTears stung my eyes, and I woke up in a start with broken breath as the persistence of the dream clung to me. In this muted room, shadows danced upon the wall; for a second, I was hardly certain of where I stood. The dream had borne the reality—Odessa, her eyes bright with evil gleam, standing atop a heap of bones. Her army, a roar of growling rogues and defiled creatures spread out to the last sight. And then there was Evelyn... Evelyn was there, firmly standing by the side of Odessa, the empty look on her face an undercover of madness.I put my trembling hand over my forehead, it was sweating. This dream wasn't just a figment of imagination; it was a warning.I pushed aside the thick furs, stood, and went to the unbarred window. The pack grounds lay quiet, a deceitful calm before a storm. My instincts screeched like a mother's intuition that something far worse than what we had imagined was in the making.If only I could make Ardan see it too.But Ardan... he was no lon
Evelyn’s PoVThe dagger felt heavy and cold in my palm. Odessa’s cold demand rang in my ears. Kill Callum. Bring me his head. This wasn’t a test or ,twisted game to see how far I would go to prove my loyalties. I just had to do it. I knew I had to do it.If I turned it down, she would turn against me. If I carried out her order, I would lose the only ally I had managed to win over. Either way, she would win.Not this time.Finian walked beside me as we traveled through the thick forest. His expression was a mixture of concern and determination. He had not questioned me for warning Callum. He had not hollered when I insisted we needed to fake a death, to give like a disguise for the purpose of tricking Odessa into believing I had done my job. Instead, he nodded, affirming my sense of loyalty."Are you sure it will work?" he asked softly."It must." I responded. "If Odessa realises we lied to her, we would be dead."