AsherMy attention was suddenly pulled towards the emerging figure of Lena. The fierce look on her face hinted at the determination in her heart. It was clear the small smile she had on her face was only a mask over the hatred in her heart.'Not now! I hope this one would not make the situation worse!' I reasoned within me and then drew in a deep breath to prepare myself for whatever was coming."Good day, old friend!" Lena greeted her, her lips slightly twisted as she stared at her. I could tell she was only trying to be courteous.The vampire queen, at her words, spun towards the direction of Lena, who was standing beside her.Her brows creased with small lines while I observed closely. "Good day!" She stressed, but from the look on her face, I could guess she was confused.Her next words confirmed my suspicion, as she bluntly spoke without any reservation. "Sorry, have we met before?" She asked.Okay. Now that was really weird. How could Xenra forget Lena?Lena, at her words, chuck
AsherSilence had descended upon us at her words, as nobody told anybody to mind their own meal, not after she had totally put I and Lena beneath her.I was lost in my own thoughts too, pondering her drastic change when Lena's words broke the awkward peace that hovered around us."Why are you not behaving like the vampire queen we used to know?" She asked, her eyes glinting with mischief, mirroring the mockery in her heart.The vampire queen's head jerked up at her words, and her brows drew together, but before she could say a word, Lena's words cut through, wrapped with amusement."Or is it that you suffered an amnesia or a loss of identity and self-worth?" She asked, without breaking her gaze off the vampire queen, laughing at her own words, which she had found funny.The vampire queen's lips curled into a small smile at her words, while Akira's brows furrowed together in clear annoyance, but before Lena's laughter could subside, Akira's voice cut through her laughter, "Not everyone
AsherPartly occupied with thoughts, I stood up to leave when Akira suddenly stopped laughing. "Not so fast, brother!" She called back my attention, halting me in my tracks.She got up and walked over to where I stood, with a broad smile on her face, and twirled her index finger at my face as she teased me. "I saw the way you were looking at the vampire queen all the time; I think you still like her." Her words wrapped with a warm chuckle as she spoke, staring at my face like she was indirectly saying, "You've been caught!"Like her? I couldn't stop the loud chuckle that escaped my lips at her words. Like, where the hell did she get that from?Typical of Akira, I knew she wouldn't stop insinuating whatever she felt, except her disbelief had been cleared."Oh please, Akira, not now," I told her, after my laughter had died down and I wanted to walk away."You're trying to run away from it because you've been caught, right?" She said as she broke out from behind me and stood before me w
XenraI emerged from the garden, carrying a basket of different varieties of fruits, just as Akira had instructed me.As I strolled towards the palace, my mind was partly occupied with the news I had heard about the arrival of the vampire queen. I was still trying to comprehend the logic when the voice of the reporting guard broke into my thoughts."The vampire queen is departing!" He announced with a loud, firm voice. His words snapped me back to the present and stirred a sudden sense of urgency within me. I halted in my tracks immediately. "The vampire queen, let me quickly hide for my life." I muttered beneath my breath. I had just taken three determined steps towards the other side of the flower rows when I halted in my tracks again. "No, wait! That's not right; why should I be running away from the impersonator?" I reasoned beneath my breath.As I tried to get myself to think of something to do at that moment, something dropped in my heart."Yes! I'm going to take a cover and
Xenra"Why me?" I yelled and kicked the broken fragments of the verse. My muscles tightened, and my body itched.I couldn't contain the anger brewing inside of me any longer. With every passing second, it burnt hotter like a furnace, and I needed to let it loose.With three heavy steps, I moved to the other side of the wall, where our clothes were hung on the rope, and yanked them off the rope. With that same determination burning within me, I threw them towards the door, screaming at the top of my lungs, which sent the clothes flying towards different directions.Yet, I wasn't satisfied at all. I went to my bed, and pulled the blankets off, squeezed them roughly, and threw them towards the cracked window."Why did you do this to me, moon goddess? Why me?" I shouted at the top of my voice."I hate you, moon goddess! You deceived me. I hate you so much." I cried my heart out, and at the same time turned towards my bed that lay bare and tried to push it off."You've brought shame and d
Leo"If she hadn't left the room or gone into exile that day, what then happened to her?" Raymond's question broke into the thoughts that had kept me busy.I snapped back to the present to find his fingers resting on his jaw, it turned out that he was only thinking out loud."As far as we know, Alpha, the lady that came here that day was Xenra." His voice came again, causing me to tap my fingers on the mahogany desk, as my mind raced with calculations,I was trying to reconcile my findings at the brothel, with what I had observed the day Xenra visited."Here!" I pointed at the rough sketch of Maltos' castle, which I had drawn. The rough sketch lay bare on the mahogany desk, and I encircled Maltos' palace with my index finger; it was the home of the Vampire queen."What really happened in there that night?" I pondered out loud, causing Raymond to lean closer as he took a closer look at the rough sketch, as if he could see some invisible inscription.I was still trying to get the sligh
Leo"I almost blew our cover today," Lena's voice pierced through the satisfaction I had derived from the deep-seated resentment she had for Asher and the vampire queen.My brows furrowed as I snapped back to the present. I fixed my gaze on her, to find her gaze turned inwardly, with an unreadable expression on her face; it was clear she had drifted into thought.Her words made my heart skip a beat, and with every passing second, I felt a growing anxiety within me."What did you tell him?" I asked, my words tumbled out in a rush as I stared at her, echoing the rising desperation that had settled in my heart."I almost couldn't hold back," her words came again, dripping calmly; a total contrast to the desperate swirling within me."What happened? What did you tell him?" I asked again, my voice a little firmer this time around, my gaze fixed intently on her.At my words, she turned towards me, and her lips curled upwards into a small smile, but it was empty. It was meant to reassure me
AsherI kept pacing to and fro in my room space, the scene of how I had responded to Akira, replaying in my head like a haunting ghost that wouldn't let me be.The fact that I had raised my voice at Akira for the first time ever made me miserable.Seconds stretched into minutes. Ten and then fifteen minutes had passed, yet I couldn't get myself to focus on anything else, apart from the words I said to my baby sister, Akira."Well, she deserved it," I argued with the thoughts that had gotten me busy.I wanted to convince myself that she deserved the way I had spoken to her and the words I had said to her, but then, there was this nudge at the depth of my heart that kept hitting on the walls of defence I had erected ag
LenaAs I brooded over my wrath, an unexpected voice broke out from behind me, "I'm sorry for what just happened, my lady." The voice calmly apologised.My head whipped towards the person who had just spoken, and my gaze fell on Asher's beta, Royce, who was standing behind me, and my brows furrowed."What are you doing here?" I asked, glaring at him, "What are you sorry for?"But the words had barely left my lips when Royce began to speak, "I saw what happened at the dining hall, and I'm really sorry that the Alpha and his sister had to disrespect you all because of an ordinary maid." Royce boldly responded.His audacity irked me, and I wondered what gave him the nerve to think he had the right to interfere in my business.As I stared at him, I felt my anger boiling within me, and I was determined to put him in his place so that next time, he wouldn't dare speak when he wasn't supposed to."Before I came to this pack, I did some background checks, and I heard about you, Royce," I bega
LenaI was filled with disgust as I watched that fat maid stand close to Asher, and a great sense of anger surged within me as she served the meal she had prepared for dinner.My fists clenched beneath the table as I stared at her. If only I could sniff her breath off her nostrils, I would have done that already.The fact that I had to see her at every meal made me so angry.Akira and Asher were busy chatting about some random topic, but I was so immersed in my surging wrath and hatred for her to pay attention to what they were discussing."This meal smells good," Akira's compliment finally caught my attention, and I turned towards her to find a wide grin on her face as she spoke to Asher.Asher nodded his head in response, a flicker of excitement in his eyes, which alone was like fuel to the rage swirling inside of me.As if that wasn't enough, he continued, "You need to taste the soup pudding she made the other day." His voice was calm and approving.Asher's words dropped into my he
LenaMy steps were heavy with determination as they carried me out of Asher's room. Deep within me, I was seething.The fact that Asher wasn't even certain about when he would take me as his mate greatly infuriated me."He's so nonchalant about it and isn't even ready to take me as his mate." I said to myself, my voice heavy with anger.I didn't need anyone to tell me about it; I could see how unprepared he was to do the right thing, and I knew I had to do something."If he continues like this, it'd greatly affect my plans of revenge and that of my brother's as well. I really need to do something about this." I muttered beneath my breath.My fists were clenched tightly beside me in a matching determination as my steps carried me out of the palace.I wanted to seek out a quiet corner where I could pour out my frustration and anger, and so I headed straight to the hall that led out of the palace.As my anger propelled me forward, I recalled how I had caught Asher staring at that fat mai
AsherAs I stood beside my window that day, peering into the distance, I couldn't take my mind off the soup pudding prepared by Xenra.The taste of it made me nostalgic, and a reminiscence of my past with Xenra, the vampire queen, began to flood my mind.No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't shake the fact that it tasted exactly the same as the ones I'd eaten years ago, so unique and different from that of the chefs in my palace."The only person that had made a soup pudding that way was Xenra." I admitted it.Although Xenra, the vampire queen, never liked cooking, she made soup pudding for me every time I visited her and anytime she came to my pack.As I pondered it, something about the unique flavour and their similar taste got me curious, and my attention shifted to my maid Xenra."Why are they so similar?" I couldn't help but ponder aloud.As my thoughts lingered, I began to compare their personalities, and despite the fact that one was a queen in her palace and the other a
RoyceSince it was the beginning of a new season; that time of the year again when the maids would be reshuffled to different departments, I got to the open patio where the Alpha was, to prepare a new roster for them.As I went about my business, allocating them to different departments according to their names on the register, the Alpha swiftly interrupted me as soon as I mentioned the name of that fat maid."Put her in charge of my meal," he ordered calmly.My head jerked up as soon as I heard his words, and my brows furrowed in confusion. No matter how I thought about it, I just couldn't understand why Xenra should be in charge of Asher's meal when she wasn't even a chef."Why, sir?" My question tumbled out of my lips even before my brain could follow. I was too confused to pay attention to the difference between us.The words had already left my lips before I realised I was being too blunt with the Alpha again."I mean..." I swiftly continued, "There are many qualified chefs in th
LenaA wave of disgust hit me as soon as I saw that fat maid standing so close to Asher, and a mix of anger and hatred surged within me.As soon as Asher saw me, he stepped away from her, while I stared at Asher, whose face betrayed no emotions."You can serve the soup," Asher instructed her, who quickly turned towards the dining table and began to serve what was inside the dish.As I stood, I caught a final glimpse of Xenra; my anger burnt within me. If only I could just sniff the life out of her nostrils.I pulled my gaze from her and forced a small smile to my face as I stepped into Asher's royal private dining hall."Hope everything is alright?" I asked as calmly as I could, even though deep within me, I was seething."Yes," Asher firmly responded, "why did you ask?" He enquired, staring at me now.But I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head in nonchalance. "Nothing," I replied, "I'm just surprised to see you standing so close to the maid.""Hope there's nothing wrong?" I asked
XenraMy steps were heavy as they carried me to the royal kitchen, to the private space where Asher and Akira's meal was made.My face was tight with anger as I reached for the door. No matter how I thought about it, I just couldn't comprehend why Asher would ask me to make soup pudding for him, even though I didn't work in the kitchen.The fact that I had to make it for him greatly annoyed me, but since I didn't want to get into any trouble with him, I knew I had to do it."Where is the damn pot?" I asked frustratedly, even though there was no other person in the royal kitchen.It seemed Asher had given them orders to vacate the kitchen as well; that was the only reason I could find for why the royal kitchen was empty when the chefs were supposed to be getting ready for dinner.After angrily scanning through the shelves, I saw the stack of pots and swiftly carried one of them.As I placed it in the sink and filled it with water, I began to ponder that absurd task again."But wait, wh
XenraI swiftly shut my door behind me and rushed towards my bed, where I had hidden the book beneath it.Deep within me, I could feel a surge of energy twirling within me, and I wanted to be certain of what I was feeling inside.What happened in the field had only opened my eyes, and I needed no one to tell me it wasn't a mistake.I had to find answers to what was happening; I wanted to be sure it was my powers coming back to me.I opened the book and started flipping through the pages when the rattle in the door snapped me off from what I was doing.In that instant, I quickly closed it and slid it back under the bed, wondering who it could be at that hour of the day.I knew it couldn't be Zara since we had separated earlier for her to go do her duties.As soon as I opened the door, I was shocked to find Akira standing before me. After about three seconds, I quickly regained my senses and rushed out of the room."My lady," I called with a small bow, "Greetings, my lady!""Greetings,
AsherI stood beside my window that day, my gaze fixed on the garden beside my room. Although my gaze was fixed on the peach blossoms, my mind had pierced through them and had drifted far away, back to that night.Gradually, my mood was affected again, and a great sense of sadness settled in my heart, as I began to ponder Xenra's attitude towards me ever since then.I didn't need anyone to tell me she had deliberately been avoiding me. The fact that she didn't turn up for her duty all through the previous day only confirmed my initial suspicion, and the fact that I hadn't seen her for days made my veins itch.As my thoughts lingered, I found myself muttering beneath my breath, "But what did I do to her? Why's she really avoiding me?"The realization that I didn't have answers to those questions almost sent me into a well of depression.I was so lost in my thoughts and I didn't notice that Akira had snuck up on me again. "Is someone lost in thoughts?" Her voice sliced through the thi