RaeThey said death was scary because It meant you would never laugh or cry or know what it feels like to taste your favorite food, but as I fell off that cliff none of those thoughts crossed my mind, all I was thinking about was how I would be reunited with the only man that truly cared about me—Damien.I felt alive and free as darkness surrounded me. Then suddenly, I heard the sound of a voice drawing me out of the darkness.“She’s finally awake.” The voice said. I pulled open my eyes slowly.My eyes landed on a man who was staring at me with a soft expression. “This is a miracle, Your Majesty. Most people that fall off that cliff don’t end up alive.”“I guess miracles do exist.” The sound of a familiar voice made me turn my head the other way and my eyes landed on Von.Why was he here? I was supposed to be with Damien.The doctor moved closer to me, taking one good at me before turning to Von. “She needs to rest, and please ensure that she takes it easy on her legs.”Von nodded, es
Von“Your majesty, you have visitors.” The sound of my guard’s voice caught my attention. I had been staring at the grave where my wife was buried. It was sad, that I never got the opportunity to give her a befitting burial and every day it haunts me.I sighed, turning to look at my guard who hadn’t left his spot since he delivered the message.“Who are these visitors you speak of?”He bowed his head. “The councilmen.”I sighed louder than before. I knew why they were here. They probably wanted to ask why I hadn’t given them the news of an heir. Bloody bastard, that’s all they cared about.“Tell them I’m not around!” I said, regaining myself. “And escort them out once you do.”The guard nodded. I made up my mind to give him a promotion if he ended up getting rid of the councilmen. I knew they wouldn’t leave until they had seen me. As much as I hated them, I admired their perseverance.I continued to stare at my wife’s grave, and some minutes later, the guard had returned. “Did they l
RaeThe sound of knocks pulled me from the deep abyss of my thoughts.I was curled in a ball, tucked under a blanket, as if their fragile embrace could shield me from the horrors of what had just happened. My body felt foreign, and I couldn’t stop the tears that stung my face.The knocking continued, and I ignored it, pulling the covers tighter, hoping whoever it was would go away. During that moment, the door opened, and I heard the sound of soft footsteps.“Rae?” It was Anna. I refused to look at her, my voice cracking as I yelled, “Get out!”She didn’t move. Instead, she took more steps forward.“I said get out!” I screamed, my voice breaking as fresh tears spilled down my cheeks.Anna stopped mid-step. “Rae...” she began, but I stopped her from saying more words.“Didn’t you hear what I said?” I snapped, glaring at her through tear-blurred eyes.But she doesn’t flinch. Her gaze shifted, and I saw her eyes land on the bloodstained sheets. Her expression changed at that moment.“Oh.
VonI was angry—no, furious—and that feeling burned through my veins like wildfire. I hated myself for what I had done. I was becoming like him.Calister’s voice echoed in my head.“You’re nothing like him!”“You’re Von! You’re different.” Her words continued to echo.Calister’s words seemed to do nothing. I was a ruthless person. Or in Rae’s words, I was a monster.The weight of my actions sat heavily on my chest, suffocating me. I couldn’t bear the feeling within me, so I turned to the one thing that could quiet it, if only for a while: a bottle of alcohol.I poured drink after drink, drowning in my thoughts. The liquor burned as it went down, but it wasn’t enough to numb the feeling. I kept drinking until the world blurred around me, and my legs felt like they couldn’t hold me up any longer.“I guess it’s time to call it a night,” I said, standing on my feet.I almost fell, but one of my guards who was standing close to me rushed to my side.“Your majesty.” He said, holding me up.
RaeWhen I saw Von, my chest tightened, and every nerve in my body screamed at me to run.Without thinking, I turned to flee, but his strides were longer and faster, and in no time, he caught up to me.His hand gripped my arm tightly, and I froze, too angry and too afraid to fight.“You had me worried.” He said in a firm voice. “I don’t want you wandering off ever again. Do you not understand that you’re mine now? My breeder.”His words ignited a fire in me, and I laughed bitterly, shaking my head.“I will never be what you want, Von,” I said. “Never.”His eyes darkened, and a cold smile played on his lips. “After what happened yesterday,” he said, in a stern voice, “you already are.”My breath hitched. The audacity of his words made my blood boil.“How can you talk about yesterday so casually?” I hissed, glaring at him. “After what you did to me?”For a moment, just a fleeting second, I see something flicker across his face—regret? Pain? But it vanished as quickly as it appeared, rep
VonThe minute my eyes landed on Rae my expression changed.“What are you going here?” I yelled. “I thought I told you to stay in the car.”“I didn’t feel like.” She snapped. “I have the right to do whatever I want don’t I?”My brows furrowed as I matched in her direction. Without hesitation, I roughly grabbed her in my hands, leading her towards the door.My face twisted in my friend’s direction mouthing to him that I would be back soon.The minute we were out of the building I came across my driver who was heading in my direction, “I told you to watch her. What were you doing?”The driver’s face paled as he stammered, “My lord, I tried. She ignored my warnings. I did everything I could.”“Clearly, it wasn’t enough,” I snapped, before facing Rae, my fury barely contained. “Why don’t you ever listen?”Rae lifted her chin and met my glare with one of her own. “I don’t take orders from you,” she said in a thick tone. “And if you must know, I was going to expose you. I planned to tell an
RaeThe next morning, I woke up feeling a bit lighter. I wasn’t sure if it was the sleep or the temporary sense of peace I felt being away from Von. I found myself in the kitchen with Anna, and for the first time in a while, I felt like I could breathe.We were laughing, joking about old stories we’d heard about Queen Calister.“I heard she once made a servant scrub the floor with their shirt because they missed a spot,” I said, grinning.Anna frowned. “I remember when that happened. It was a horrific moment.”“I could only imagine what that poor servant went through,” I replied.“It was a sad experience, but not as sad as when she made the chef cry because he undercooked her meat. The poor man couldn’t show his face for weeks!”“That’s terrible!” I exclaimed. “Sometimes I wondered what made her so cold.”“She married a cold man what did you expect? The king ruined her.”I muttered. “Just like he wants to ruin my life.”My voice wasn’t as low as I thought it would be, and Anna happene
Rae The hallway stretched out in front of me as I increased my steps, only to stop when I felt a slight pull on my left arm. “Not so fast.” Kayla’s voice rang out behind me. I couldn’t believe she followed me. Why wouldn’t she let me be? I turned to meet Kayla’s eyes which were blazing with anger. Her presence immediately set me on edge. “What do you want, Kayla?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, though I could feel my pulse quicken. She stepped closer. “What do I want? After all the damage you’ve done, you have the audacity to ask me that?” “I haven’t done anything to you,” I said defensively, though I knew my words would do little to calm her rage. “You ruined Damien’s life!” she spat. “You killed my best friend and ended the Alpha’s legacy.” Her accusation hit me like a slap, but I didn’t let her see the effect it had on me. “I didn’t ruin Damien’s life, Kayla. The rogues killed him. I lost him too.” Her expression twisted into something cruel. “If Damien
Rae I stared at Anna in disbelief, my lips parted but no words coming out. I couldn’t believe what I just heard. I felt like I was in a nightmare. I managed to pull myself out of the haze staring back at Anna. “You’re saying… I have to die to save the kingdom?” My voice cracked as I spoke, and my legs felt unsteady beneath me.Anna gave a slow nod, her eyes filled with sadness.“I don’t understand,” I said, forcing myself to stand. “Why me? How am I the reason for the curse?”“I don’t know, Rae,” she replied gently. “But Von might. He’s been keeping everything to himself. I think he knows more than he’s saying.”I shook my head. “This can’t be real. I refuse to believe it.”My heart pounded in my chest. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The walls were closing in. A thousand thoughts ran through my mind, crashing into each other. I didn’t want to cry, but tears burned behind my eyes anyway.Anna stepped closer. “Please calm down. Landon’s looking for a witch. He believes there might b
RaeThe dim light crept into view, it was blurry and soft at first, like a distant memory trying to settle into focus. My head felt heavy, and my body… foreign. I blinked a few times, trying to ground myself in the space around me. Everything was unfamiliar. I was disoriented. My arms ached, and when I looked down, I noticed wires—tubes—stripped across my body. I couldn’t tell if they were for healing or restraint.Then suddenly I heard soft sobs which broke through my haze.I turned my head, and my eyes landed on Anna. She was hunched over in a chair across the room, her shoulders trembling. Her voice cracked as she muttered to herself, “I think I’ve made a mistake… I shouldn’t have let him go…”What was she talking about? And why was she crying?“Anna…” My voice came out hoarse, it was low and if she wasn’t sitting close by. I was sure she wouldn’t have heard it.Anna’s head jerked up after those words left my lips. Her eyes widened like she’d seen a ghost. “Rae?” she gasped. T
VonThe moment, I saw Landon move I halted my steps, trying to figure out where he was heading. He directed his horse towards the side of the river while he rested on one of the stones. He was facing me now, but because of the trees I was well hidden and I couldn’t be easily detected. I kept watching, waiting for the opportunity when he would finally turn his back. Eventually, he did, and just as I was about to launch myself at him, my horse let out a sharp, loud snort.Landon jerked his head up and during that moment his eyes found mine. I wondered if he had seen me, but the moment I saw him reach for his horse I got the answer to my question.Landon pulled his horse out of the river in one fast move, climbed onto the saddle, and kicked hard. The animal responded instantly, racing through the shallow water, splashing and tearing through the trees.“Landon!” I growled, then yanked my reins.I mounted quickly and dug my heels in. My horse moved forward, its hooves digging into the t
VonI stared at Anna with a coldness that could freeze fire. My eyes locked onto hers, searching for answers, for some kind of remorse, but all I saw was silence. Her lips stayed pressed together, and it was clear she wasn’t planning on explaining anything anytime soon.My anger ignited. It roared up from my chest like a beast unchained. I hit her against the cage once again.“You dare remain silent?” I growled through clenched teeth. “You set him free and you stand here with your mouth shut like it means nothing?”Her gaze flicked to mine, and finally, she spoke in a soft tone. “Even if I explain things to you… you’ll never understand.”I scoffed, tightening my grip. “Did he promise you something? Huh? Is that it? Did Landon feed you some sweet little story?”“No,” she snapped back. “He didn’t promise me anything.”I let out a humorless laugh. “Then why? What in the hell made you think this was a good idea?”She yanked her arm out of my grasp. “Because he said he wants to help this c
Von The night had arrived.I sat in my chambers, wide awake. My sword rested beside me on the table, a sharp glint catching the flicker of torchlight from the wall. I hadn't slept, not even for a second. My instincts told me tonight would be the night they'd try it—the traitors among my guards. Anna’s warning had been clear, and my men were ready. My loyal guards were stationed throughout the palace, hiding in shadows, crouched in corners, armed to the teeth.I paced slowly across the room, boots echoing faintly against the stone floor. Then—just as I paused—came the sound. A low grunt. Then another. It started outside my door. The fight had begun.I moved quickly into the shadows, pressing my back against the cold wall. I could hear the scuffle grow louder. Then came footsteps rushing toward my chamber. Someone was coming for me.I didn’t move.I waited.The door creaked open. I saw the silhouette step in, sword drawn. He didn’t see me. He thought I’d be asleep.He took three step
Von The room was quiet except for the steady ticking of the clock on the wall. I had taken my position at the edge of the bed, my hands resting on my knees, the weight of everything pulling at my chest. Anna stood by the door, her brows furrowed, her lips pressed in a tight line. “Are you going to speak or not ?” I asked, my voice hoarse from lack of rest.She stepped closer, looking over her shoulder like she was afraid someone might be listening. “I don’t know if you are ready to hear this.”I sighed. Nothing else would surprise me, for the past few weeks I had watched my life go for bad to worse to wise. I knew nothing she would say would make a difference in my life.“Just say it, Anna!” I tried to keep my voice neutral trying not to lose my cool.“They’re plotting to kill you, Your Majesty.” Anna finally said.My eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”“I overheard the guards talking with a few locals,” she said, her voice low. “They’re working together. They want to overt
Von The deaths in the kingdom had not stopped. Every day brought another body, another cry for help. And in the middle of all that, the truth I had learned clung to me like a second skin. Rae—no, Rose—was my sister. That revelation shattered something in me. It was like a rope had snapped. The very bond that once tethered me to her had been sliced clean through.I no longer looked at Rae the same. Her smile, her voice, the warmth in her eyes—it all haunted me now. I dared not to think of our memories, the feeling of me thrusting into her, the sound of her calling out my name. It felt like a nightmare. I forced myself to think of something. It wasn’t easy and to make things worse I started having dreams. Horrible, violent dreams. In them, I killed her over and over. Sometimes with my hands. Sometimes with a blade. Sometimes I just watched her die, unable to stop it. Every time I closed my eyes, those dreams returned, more vivid and terrifying than the last. Sleep no longer gave m
Von “Shall we leave now, Your Majesty?” one of the guards asked. His words felt distance it was like I was in another world and I was disconnected from my body. I couldn’t bring myself to reply I just stood staring at world around which had suddenly lost its light.“Your majesty!” A voice called out and this time I realized that the voice belonged to Roy. He was moving closer to me. I could hear his steps but I couldn’t see him. I was lost in my mind.“Are you fine your majesty?” He asked. “Do you want us to attack?”I was sure he must have thought the seer did something horrible to me, little did he know that she had no hand to place in this. I was just shocked by the truth.“Your majesty!” His voice returned and I knew it I didn’t reply they are going to be hovering around her and they might end up going in to attack the seer.“I’m fine Roy!” I finally said. “Don’t attack.”He didn’t look fully convinced but he nodded.“Shall we leave?” He repeated and I nodded. We got into the
Von The night air was cool and still, as we set out on our journey to see the seer. The drive through the forest was smooth, quiet, almost too quiet. Trees blurred past us like silent watchers, and inside the car, my thoughts raced. I kept staring out the window, pretending to be calm, but my mind was anything but that. My stomach churned as I thought about the fact that I was closer to the truth.What if the seer tells me something I can’t handle? What if there’s no going back after tonight?For a second, I considered turning back. Doubt crept in, whispering its poison. But I clenched my fists and shook the thoughts away. This wasn’t the time for fear. I had made it this far. Rae—no, everything—depended on this.When we arrived at the seer’s place, the guards approached first. The hut was small, isolated deep within the woods, lit only by the dull glow of moonlight and a single flickering lantern hanging from a crooked pole.The lead guard stepped up and knocked twice on the wood