The war is over ;)
ALEISTERShe stabbed herself. For me. Why am I not surprised? One moment Nirana was in control of her senses, but when she tried to hurt me, Agrona broke through. The next moment, she took out the dagger from under her dress and stabbed her chest. Without hesitation. Without giving me the chance to register her movement. Without waiting to think. “ As long as I live… ” She utters quietly. I move from my spot, approaching her with my heavy feet.“ No one…will hurt you, Leister. ”That’s what she said to me before, when we were children, when I sat on the throne for the first time, after I killed Clara. As long as I live, no one will hurt you.I crouch in front of her, my gaze flickering to the dagger in her chest. Agrona groans, shaking her head.“ She will take over again, Leister. ” She whispers, raising her bloodied hand towards me. It feels like I am not here, not in my body but somewhere far and it’s only happening in my imagination.“ The Princess can heal you. ” I grip he
AVERYNirana’s soul perished. With it, the darkness disappeared too. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the dark clouds parting. My eyes stung, my lungs ached, and my hands trembled as the light shone through the sky.I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I last saw light. But, I knew…it hurt to be in the light again. The sunshine, the brightness, the sun…it all felt foreign. But the warmth didn’t.The warmth felt familiar. The cold night ended, and the warm morning came again.It took the people, the brothers, and Aleister some time to finally come to terms with the new reality. The looks of disbelief on their faces told me everything I needed to know.The light was not new for me. I had spent my life basking under the sunlight, seeing the blue seas and feeling the warmth on my skin.But they didn’t.That’s why, I felt Aleister’s emotions fluctuating. The grief was pushed behind a wave of awe, as if he was introduced to a whole new world, as if he had served the purpose
AVERYAleister has washed the blood off his body and is now wearing a set of clean clothes—a black button-down shirt with black pants. Everything about him looks put together, even the coldness in his eyes except for the emotions he is hiding behind the hard exterior. I wrap my arms around myself and stand beside the doors, my back against the wall and my eyes on the man sitting on the throne. When the doors close, fear spreads in the air. Instinctively, people drop to their knees, showing respect to the King again.“ We apologize, My King. ”“ Spare our life, My King. ”“ Have Mercy, My King. ”Aleister’s cold gaze sweeps across the kneeling people until his eyes find me standing there, just staring at him. I expect him to look at me coldly too…because I did play some part in Agrona’s death.But, his eyes soften the same way they do. No one sees how vulnerability reflects in his gaze as he stares at me, as if asking me to come to him and embrace him.‘ I am here. I am not going an
AVERYIt took everyone some time to finally come to terms with what Aleister said. First, it was hard to believe.Then, it sounded like a joke.Finally, it dawned upon them.The King left the throne room. People were pushed out of the castle by the warriors.Outside the walls, Noelle helped them understand what Aleister’s order meant. He was not tricking them or trying to hurt them.He was letting them go.Once again, the people found themselves in disbelief. Until…One of them tried a magic trick they had only ever read in books. He turned the green grass to a funny blue color. And in the end, chaos erupted.They all could do it. I watched as the people laughed and cried and prayed for the King’s long life. Amidst the disaster that befell the Kingdom, this felt like a moment of celebration. But it was heavily tinged with melancholy. I couldn’t fathom if their tears were tears of happiness alone or if they cried because for the first time in their lives, after almost generations, t
AVERY“ You know how it goes, Princess… ” Aleister murmurs. “ I was not born to be anything special. From the moment I started understanding what life is, I was already told that I was to die when my brother became the King. ”He told me this before. But I don’t stop him as he speaks in a low voice.“ When the servants mocked us brothers, when the witches told us what they were going to our bodies once we were dead, when our father shot us cold looks as if he couldn’t wait for us to die…Drew, my brother was the only one who said that it didn’t matter. ” Aleister sighs and leans closer.“ It might sound strange but…The world I was born in…didn’t teach us hope. When I was told that I must die, I thought it was my destiny. It was scary and cruel…and it hurt…but I never thought about fighting it. The previous Princes were killed. And so I didn’t even find it odd. ”I swallow, and place my hand over his forearm. The detached tone he is using doesn’t sit right with me because it doesn’t mat
AVERYAfter a heavy pause of silence, the temperature drops in the room. Clara opens and closes her mouth several times but no words come out of her mouth.“ You couldn’t have gotten pregnant if you did it once. ” Aleister mumbles in a trance. “ How long…How many times…Why… ”His questions remain incomplete. It feels like he is filling the blanks on his own, not allowing her a chance to lie to him again. “ I am sorry, Leister. But we need to end this between us. ” Clara whispers, folding her arms around herself. “ End what? ” Aleister laughs mockingly. “ end what exactly? The fact that you have to go behind my back to fuck my brother? Do we need to end this so you can do it openly now? ”“ I already told you. I need him, Leister. I need him to make a change. I have no choice but to sacrifice my love. ” She cries out. “ You are so sure that he will survive. What if he doesn’t? What if Father doesn’t let him go either? What if he is the one who dies? ” Aleister’s voice turns cold and
AVERY“ She was right. ” He murmurs over my lips. “ I wished death upon him. The day I found out what he did to me, I wished with all my heart that he died. And…he did. He died. ”“ No. ” I snap, cupping his cheeks again. “ How can you believe it’s your fault?! You were right to be angry, Aleister. ”“ No. I— ”“ Look at me. ” My voice rises, as anger surges in my veins.Slowly, he blinks his eyes open and stares into mine. My heart drowns as I find the pain reflecting in his gaze.How could they do this to him? I always thought the woman he loved must be an angel, but she was the worst devil to exist. How could she blame him for anything when she was the one who went around cheating on him with his brother?How could he be blamed if his father decided to kill his brother?“ Did you do anything to make your Father hurt your brother? ” I whisper, as my eyes burn.Aleister shakes his head. “ I would never. Even if he had taken my life, I wouldn’t have…done anything to him. ”“ Then ho
ALEISTERI couldn’t say anything to her after what she said to me.There is light in you, Aleister. It’s beautiful and I love it.Her words kept echoing in my ears as I held her throughout the night. She didn’t push me to continue, and didn’t say anything as her fingers ran through my hair, her eyes soft on me.After a tiring while, she fell asleep and her body relaxed in my arms. But I couldn’t even blink.I had told her that I murdered so many people—my brother, my father, the woman I thought I loved. And she still slept so peacefully in my arms as if she was not scared of me at all.It’s true. She will never stop surprising me. When I think she won’t be angry, she becomes a ball of fury and when I think she will be angry at me for keeping things from her, she tells me that I am beautiful instead.I can’t understand her. So, I admire her. I love her. I respect her. And soon, I will make her my Queen if she will have me. If…That word scares me.The doubt about her is killing me. I d
AVERYLife is unpredictable, they say.I caress the cheek of the newborn, my finger trembling softly. I am awed and reduced to a teary-eyed, half-conscious woman with nothing more meaningful in life than the bundle lying on the bed beside me. So, I believe now…Life is unpredictable. If someone had told me that I will give birth to a beautiful girl, with glassy grey eyes and a sharp cry…I would have told them that I didn’t need them to fool me into believing things that would never happen.But it has happened.“ You have the right. ” Aleister lays on the other side, watching the girl lying between us with similar expressions. He looks dazed as if he is in a dream and scared of touching this beautiful creature.“ We decided on that. You will get to name her if it’s a girl. ” I pull my knees to my chest, trying hard to forget the pain I felt during labor yesterday. People say something else too—they say giving birth is no easy feat. It’s like dying and coming back to life after seei
AVERY“ Was this really as necessary as you make it out to be? ” I ask, moving across his room, smoothening down the non-existent creases in the dress.It’s the same gown that I wore to the festival. Back then, Aleister sent me away without even looking at me but he carried this dress with him wherever he went when I left him.Now, he wants me to wear it on my initiation. I told him it’s unnecessary, but he insists that I must wear this.“ I can get you a new dress if you want, my Princess. ” Aleister says, stepping out of the dressing room and pulling me into his arms immediately. I notice the dark suit he is wearing, the material fitting every bulging muscle and making him appear bigger than he already is. Our eyes meet and warmth spreads in my insides—It’s instant and soothing. “ How do I look? ” I whisper, reaching up to press my lips to his mouth gently.“ Like my Princess. ” Aleister tilts his head, connecting our lips again. “ Like the greatest star in the sky or the beautif
AVERYIt was not as bad as I imagined it. Aleister did stick out from the others, but no matter how wary they were, they couldn’t say anything about it or him anymore.We had breakfast together, and then I showed Aleister around. As expected, Dustin gave us a side eye whenever we stumbled across him but he couldn’t do anything about it which left me giddy.For the first time in my life, I have my own team. Aleister and I are together, and I don’t care if the whole world is on the other side. He is enough for me.But I like that my former friends and acquaintances have accepted him as my mate.“ You have been smiling from the morning. ” Aleister mumbles, pressing a kiss to my neck from behind.“ Do you not like it when I smile? ” I inquire playfully.“ Of course, I love it, Princess. ” He trails a path of kisses up my neck as his hand rests on my stomach, caressing it softly. “ I want you to keep smiling like this forever. Will you do that for me? ”“ If you don’t make me mad, I will. ”
DUSTIN“ What are you thinking now? ” Lenora asks curiously.“ That’s not the right question, Lenora. ” I tell her and place my palm over the edge of the window. The sea appears calm today, or maybe, it’s just me. I am calm, inside out. There is no noise inside my head right now. After seeing Avi genuinely happy, I think I will be better for some time. “ Did you always know that King is her mate? ” She inquires and stands beside me.“ Does it matter? ” I wonder. Why does everyone make a fuss about it? If I know, so what? Does it change anything?The loser thinking makes me want to roll my eyes. If you jump into the ditch after knowing that it’s not deep or you jump without knowing it’s not deep…it’s all the same. In the end, you still have to jump in the ditch. “ How did you know? ” She turns her head and studies me curiously.“ Moon Goddess told me. ” I vowed to not lie to Lenora before, so she gets all the honest answers.She snickers. “ I am serious, Dustin. ”It’s another thi
ALEISTER“ Levian…can tell when someone is lying. If you had stayed back, he would have found out about your child. You don’t realize how brutal he can be when it comes to getting what he wants. And right now, it’s not the time for the war. It’s time to hide that you are pregnant, Avi. ” Dustin explains to her.“ You want to hide my child? ” She huffs. “ that’s not happening. ”“ That’s why I didn’t tell you before. Now that your mate here has told Levian that you are not pregnant and that he is not allied with the other three Kingdoms, Levian is not desperate to snatch your child. He will wait. Because he believes we are weak when we are not united as the four Kingdoms. ” He says and wipes the dried blood from under his nose again. “ He will wait for you to find your mate. ” I conclude neutrally.“ He will wait for me to break and join him. Or he will wait for a mate to come to break me and get me to lose my mind like the rest of you. ” Dustin replies, and smirks. “ but that’s never
ALEISTERI have a hunch that Dustin Landric—the twat let me hit him intentionally. I would have preferred if he fought back. I don’t enjoy hitting those who want to get hit.“ Aleister. ” My Princess nuzzles into my neck, and peer at me with her puppy eyes.My throat feels heavy as I stare into those eyes. I came here to be mad at her. Her friend sent me a letter and informed me that my Princess hadn’t left me and it was all her brother’s plot. He drugged her and kidnapped her.But she could have let me know about it.And she didn’t.I was mad, but what do I feel right now? The heaviness in my throat increases. She loves me, she is carrying my child and she is showing me that she cares about me without giving a fuck about the watching eyes.It’s like I am in a dream. Maybe, I lost my mind back in the South and this is a part of a beautiful imagination.If it’s that…I slide her stray hair behind her ear and watch as she smiles at me brightly. Her blue eyes are moist, and they still l
AVERY“ Once we are done, do you want me to give you a visit to the Wolveshire Citadel? ” I wonder, clinging to Aleister’s arm.He glances at my eyes, slowly looks down at my arm wrapped around his bicep, blinks, then looks away. From where I walk beside him, I can see his neck turning slightly red.“ I don’t think your brother would like that. ” Aleister grumbles under his breath as we step into the sitting area.“ I think the same. ” I nod quickly. “ but I don’t mind. He can be broody about it and go sulk in his room. ” My eyes wander off to my brother who is standing in front of the window, his back to us. “ Ava. ” Nora squeaks, grabbing my attention.I look to my right and find the rest of them standing beside the couches stiffly. Their wary glares filter towards Aleister, making me frown.Subtly, Tyson pushes Amelia behind him and stands in front of her protectively while the girl looks as horrified as a dying fish. Nora and King Striker are beside them, all in their defensive s
AVERYI fake a gasp and roll on the bed. Instantly, Aleister halts and turns to me worriedly.“ What happened? ” He asks, approaching me hurriedly.I clutch my head until he is standing in front of me. When he leans in, I grab his shoulder and sit him on the bed again.My eyes narrow. “ I liked what we did but I don’t want anyone to see this view. ”I point towards his abdomen before rolling out of the bed and grabbing his pants to throw them at him.“ You faked it? ” He rolls his eyes.“ I know what works with you. I just used that information. ” I shrug, searching for my dress. The look of disbelief comes back on his face. He leans back, dropping the pants on the floor again.“ I am not wearing them. You wanted to fuck me in your room. Now you can’t hide me, Princess. ” He chuckles, balancing himself on his palms.“ First of all, we didn’t do what you said we did. We— ”“ Made love? That’s the same as fucking. My cock goes in and out your— ” A knock silences him. Gasping, I drop t
AVERYI am getting worried now. Aleister hasn’t said anything for like an hour after what I told him.I am comfortably lying on top of him now, and I am so tired that I want to sleep. But the hundred different emotions that keep surging back and forth in my mind keep me wide awake.I yawn, snuggling into his neck. “ say something. This silence is irritating me now. ”Silence meets me as a reply again.I huff and draw my face out of his neck just to glare at him. But he looks lost and his eyes see right through me.“ Are you that shocked? Did you not want— ”“ You said…it’s not possible. ” Aleister finally mumbles, his heart beating like a loud drum under my palm.My gaze meets his wide eyes as I sigh. “ Well, my Mom lied about that. I am perfectly fine. I confirmed with a Healer. ”“ What? ” Aleister whispers, his eyes still holding disbelief.“ Yes, Mom lied and made me believe I couldn’t get pregnant. ” I shrug, dropping my head back. “ but who knew…her lie would get me pregnant mor