AVERY“ What did you do with Draven? ” I mumble, standing beside Aleister.He is sitting on the wing chair in the living room of the little cottage while we wait for the warriors to bring Nellie, Sara, and Marco, the village head. “ For now… ” Aleister glances at the door. “ Nothing. ”I shoot him a side glance before following his line of sight. Nellie and Sara are being dragged inside by the warriors with Marco following shortly after. They don’t fight to break free. Instead, they have this proud look on their faces, one that is void of any guilt or fear—It’s a symbol of their self-confidence, a belief that whatever they did is right. Most of the rebels always have this look on their faces. People don’t risk their lives for a cause they don’t believe in, not when they are going against a Lycan King, a ruler chosen by the Moon Goddess herself.“ Did you forgive him? ” Nellie turns to me.“ I thought you hated the King, Avery. ” Sara mumbles under her breath. “ you were scared when
AVERY“ Noelle is the one who made sure we didn’t end up without food. But you Lycans claimed all the production too.” Noelle scoffs.Aleister narrows his eyes. “ Why do you think I would claim the production? What do I gain from it?”Noelle frowns, sharing a confused look with Marco and Sara. I purse my lips. I can sense something is not sitting right here.“ Your men...they come and take everything, then they divide ration among villages. The food they send us is not enough. That’s why we have to starve. We work double hard to make things work but in the end, they still take everything. Why are you acting like you are not aware of it? ” Marco asks, his tone changing into a much lighter one.“ Who does that? ” Aleister inquires. The temperature in the room drops, sending a shudder down my back. .“ Your men...do, My King? ” Sara doesn’t sound sure anymore.“ Is that what these men said specifically? ” Aleister rises. Shadows sneak up the wall, slowly darkening the living room again
AVERY“ I will go personally and catch them in the act.” Draven huffs, taking a seat on the couch opposite Aleister. Aleister shoots him a pointed look. Draven gulps before getting to his feet again. I fold my arms across my chest and take a look at all three brothers. Declan is the only one who seems unfazed by whatever is going on while the other are in an awkward state.“ I am going. They used my name to oppress MY people!” Aleister says through his gritted teeth.“ A King going out to take care of some bandits?” Draven’s eyes twitch.“ Some things need to be taken care of by the King himself.” Declan replies instead of Aleister. “ If they are using his name, they can’t be ordinary bandits. There is something big going on here. Stealing food by taking the King’s name can’t be about just stealing food from the villagers.”“ I agree with Declan.” I nod thoughtfully. “ Whoever is doing this knows how sentimental the witch clans get about food and water. Yet, they stole from them and
AVERY “ Why are you staying behind? ” Sara comes to stand beside me. Earlier, Aleister let the three go. As expected, they let their squad know about the misunderstanding and sent word to other rebels about the change in situation. The rebellion is over with an unexpected turn, with no more deaths and a desire for revenge. Aleister took a step back and stopped everything at once. “ Didn’t you two get back together? ” She asks when I don’t reply. I can see Aleister and Draven leaving in the distance, with their warriors and Marco in tow. They will stay close to the warehouse and keep an eye out for those traitors. As I watch him, there are many things that I am forced to think about. I didn’t respond to Aleister’s plea to stay and he didn’t ask me about it again. It’s like we have a silent agreement. I can leave if I want, but not before saying goodbye. “ I…think we are…still in the trial phase. ” I nod, staring at Aleister’s back. As if aware of my eyes on him, he glances o
AVERYAleister caught the men and returned after three days. The men refused to admit that Agrona was behind the whole fiasco but Aleister got inside their heads and made them confess. As expected, it is all that witch. She truly kept pushing Aleister in the ditch so he had to get her help every time he faced trouble with the witches and wizards.This incident is not my main focus though. The rebellion has been managed and Aleister now knows that Agrona must be dealt with. But according to Declan’s intel, the witch won’t go down easily. After Aleister kicked her away from him, she managed to crawl back to the castle.By now, she must have prepared another ditch for Aleister. “ What are you thinking about, Princess? ” His knuckles run down the side of my neck as he asks from behind. I blink, shifting my focus away from the window and glancing at him from over my shoulder. Aleister’s deep eyes are fixed on me, soft and affectionate. I sigh. After everything, did he need another bet
AGRONA “ They caught our men. The King made them confess to everything. He knows you were behind them, that you made them steal the rations so you could turn the people against him for starving them. ” Nash reveals with a grim look painted across his face. I hum, sitting back in the chair. It doesn’t sound as unsettling as I thought. If Aleister knows, he should know he brought it upon himself by pushing me to the edge. “ You can go now. Take over all the responsibilities once Draven asks you. You will be my last step to victory. ” I wave my hand in the air, dismissing him carelessly. He nods, “ We will get rid of the Lycans. Once and for all. ” A smirk tugs at the corner of my lips. There is a limit to stupidity. The people of this Kingdom, werewolves and witches and wizards alike…they always push that limit and prove that they are extraordinarily stupid. “ Of course. ” I whisper. Nash steals a glance my way before strolling out of the room. My lips press into a line as the d
AVERY “ Well, what do we have here… ” Aleister mumbles, pausing on the bridge that leads to the crystal building in the distance. My breath catches in my throat as I gawk at the black glass. This is the most beautiful castle in all four Kingdoms, glass and crystals weaved together to make it appear like a part of a dark fairytale. This is the second time I am getting the chance to admire it. And no doubt, if I can look at it a little longer, every day, I won’t mind at all. From the corner of my eyes, I see the water in the lake rippling. My heart misses a beat as I direct my gaze towards it. A shiny tale moves under the water rapidly. It crosses the lake under the bridge and appears on the other side. Her head pokes out of the water. She blinks, her eyes creasing as if she is smiling at me before she turns and swims away, her beautiful tail moving underwater mesmerizingly. “ Darskin. ” Draven murmurs from behind me. I cast him a skeptical look over my shoulder, earning a n
AVERYThose who claimed to be brave and wanted to rebel…their screams echo in the throne room. Chaos intensifies, as they run for their lives, and darkness surrounds them. Amidst the wave of dread, the Beast’s predatory glare zeroed in on me. The deep black in his eyes feels like an endless abyss of malice. For a moment, the world pauses. I hold my breath, my eyes caught up in his. I don’t fear him like others do. He shouldn’t come after me. Then, why is he not even sparing anyone else a glance? And only watching me? The Beast steps down the first stair, the thump resonating throughout the hall. The voices become sharp, as if one step fueled their fear. He growls, sending a shiver down my spine. And then, he is just coming towards me. There is no hurry today. It’s like he wants to chase me, but slowly. “ Kill her! ” Agrona shrieks. “ Yes! Kill her! Kill her! Kill her! ”She chants continuously. The Beast picks its speed, rushing towards me faster as if he can’t wait to do what