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
Asher"Tell me, brother, was my maid the reason why you were treated the way you were? Is she the reason why Xenra rejected you?" Akira's words came again, her question piercing through the fog of confusion that had settled upon me, but more than that, it stirred something else within me—anger.I pulled my gaze from her as my lips twitched with a restrained anger, even as her words hit on my nerves."Answer me, brother!" Akira demanded with a sharp, shrill voice."Akira, enough!" I said in a matching intensity, even as I wanted to end every conversation about her annoying maid, which was the reason behind the misunderstanding between us."It's not enough, brother. All you did was transfer your aggression upon my innocent m
XenraIn the cold, dark dungeon of Asher's pack, I sat on the freezing, dusty floor. My legs were pulled up to my jaw, and my hands were tightly folded around them.Somewhere around me came the squeaky sound of rodents as they scuttled and scampered around. Just when I felt I was at death's door, it turned out that I wasn't totally alone.The lonely, deserted cell was tightly secured with iron bars, and as I sat there, I recalled the words of the guards who had sent me in."You better start saying your last prayers, because there is no room for escape for you." He advised, his words dripping with mockery, but if only they knew I had no single desire left in me for life, they would have left me alone in the open.Even if they had left me alone, I probably wouldn't have escaped, as I never stopped wondering if it was better I had died that night, the night Lenhandro had betrayed me.My tears had long stopped flowing; there was not even an iota of strength left in me, and with every pass
Royce"Just wait and see what I'm about to do." I answered, my voice firm and steady, echoing the firm determination that had completely overwhelmed me.Without waiting for another second, I turned towards one of the guards, who was standing at his post some steps away from us, and called, "Number four!" My voice, bouncing off the space.In that instant, number four turned, and with a matching intensity, he ran towards me. He halted at a considerable distance and bowed his head. "Yes, my Lord," he answered."Go get me the Chief Slave Officer!" I ordered with a firm voice."Yes, my Lord," he answered, took another bow, and with the same haste he arrived with, he ran out of my sight."What are you really planning to do?" Sylvester's question broke into the fog of determination that had surrounded me, his voice tinged with a mix of surprise and curiosity."I'm going to do what I ought to have done all this while," I answered, my jaw clenched, a reflection of the fierce determination burn
Royce."Still thinking about it?" Sylvester's voice sliced into the thoughts that had gotten me busy, snapping me back to the present.I turned to find him standing behind me, and from the expression on his face, I could tell he was satisfied with how I had handled the situation.I pulled my gaze from him and said, "I'm suspicious of that lady." My voice mirrored the certainty in my heart."Which lady?" Sylvester swiftly asked, his voice as surprised as the expression on his face.But it was clear he wasn't really asking because he didn't know who I was talking about, as he continued almost immediately, "You mean Xenra?" Disbelief coating his tone.I totally ignored his disbelief. Deep within me, I was certain about what I said; I knew there was something more about her, even though I just couldn't wrap my fingers around it."There's something about her," I continued in a firm voice, "Although I just can't place it, I can tell she's not ordinary. She's more than what we've seen." I vo
RoyceThe gazes of everyone were heavy on me, waiting for the verdict that would convict her of the accusation.Deep within me, I felt it was a perfect opportunity to remove the perceived threat to my path of revenge, and I knew I shouldn't let it slip through my fingers.I was still pondering how to go about it, when Sylvester's facial gesture caught my attention. As I fixed my gaze on him, he tilted his head from side to side and back, and I understood that he was asking for an audience.Before I could get to my feet, he began to walk away, while I stood up and followed him to a secluded corner."What are you trying to do?" He asked me as soon as I stood beside him. Without waiting for my response, he continued, "Are you planning on telling the Alpha about it?" His voice was tinged with a mix of surprise and curiosity."Of course!" I swiftly replied, my voice firm and steady, echoing the firm determination that had settled in my heart.As far as I knew, I shouldn't miss the opportun
RoyceThe gazes of everyone were heavy on me, waiting for the verdict that would convict her of the accusation.Deep within me, I felt it was a perfect opportunity to remove the perceived threat to my path of revenge, and I knew I shouldn't let it slip through my fingers.I was still pondering how to go about it, when Sylvester's facial gesture caught my attention. As I fixed my gaze on him, he tilted his head from side to side and back, and I understood that he was asking for an audience.Before I could get to my feet, he began to walk away, while I stood up and followed him to a secluded corner."What are you trying to do?" He asked me as soon as I stood beside him. Without waiting for my response, he continued, "Are you planning on telling the Alpha about it?" His voice was tinged with a mix of surprise and curiosity."Of course!" I swiftly replied, my voice firm and steady, echoing the firm determination that had settled in my heart.As far as I knew, I shouldn't miss the opportun
Xenra"What worked?" Zara's voice broke into the fog of excitement that had surrounded me, her words laced with curiosity.Without waiting for another second, I turned towards the path, determined to rush back to the room and check the book that had unsealed that power.I wanted to begin my search for answers and investigation on what to do as soon as possible.I had only taken two steps from where I stood when I saw three elite wolves walking towards me, which halted me in my tracks.The smile on my face froze immediately, and just then I realized that every single person present in the field was staring at me.As my gaze darted to their faces, I saw the fear in their eyes. Some of them even had their jaws dropped and eyes wide open.They seemed not to have recovered from the shock they had felt.My gaze fell on the hefty guard who was still struggling to get up from where he had landed, but as soon a
XenraIsabella came to a halt before me, her girls clustering behind her, while Zara drew closer to me.Then a short, empty laugh escaped her throat, after which she began to speak."So you think you can escape my hook after embarrassing me the last time, huh?" She said, her voice dripping with mockery.She had a smirk on her face as she stared at me with a mix of excitement and determination glinting in her eyes.Without waiting for me to say something, she pressed on, "I've been waiting for you, and now I've seen the perfect time to deal with you." Her words tumbled out in a rush."I'm so going to make your life miserable so that when you see me next time, you'd be afraid of me." She glared at me, her words heavy with hatred as she spoke.From where I stood, I could hear Zara's ragged breathing and the fear flickering in her eyes, and I understood she was scared—scared of them, scared of what they had planned to do to us.But there was no iota of fear in me, nor did I flinch at all
Vampire QueenI puffed out a deep breath as soon as I closed the door behind me, and then I sighed in relief as the weight of fear gradually lifted off my shoulders."That was close, so close!" I muttered to myself, my voice breathy as I dwelled on how I had almost embarrassed myself.As I walked towards my bed, Hannah swiftly jumped down from the bed and rushed towards me. "Goodness," she exclaimed. "That guy is really cute." Her voice bubbling with cheerfulness as she closed up the distance between us, the excited glint in her eyes was unmistakable.It was her words that snapped me out of the thoughts that had kept me busy, and I couldn't help but join in her infectious excitement."Yeah!" I answered, nodding my head in agreement to what she had just said."I have to admit, Hannah, Xenra really has an eye for cute things," I admitted with a matching intensity. "Even Asher is so cute and enchanting.""The vampire queen really enjoyed herself because these guys are so hot," I giggled
LenhandroMy heart was greatly uneasy as I journeyed from my pack to Maltos' Castle. Although I hadn't lost my confidence, I couldn't help thinking about the possible probabilities.Among all the questions swirling within me, one thought was deeply seated in my heart: what would Xenra's reaction be?The more I tried to figure it out, and the more I tried to reconcile Xenra's character to her possible reaction, the more I felt greatly disturbed.I was faced with an insurmountable mountain, not sure of what lay ahead of me, but one thing I was sure about was the fact that I was going to end her life again."You were lucky the first time, Xenra, but you won't be lucky this time around!" I muttered beneath my breath, my lips curling upwards with a fierce determination.After a while, I snapped out of the thoughts that had kept me busy and turned towards my brother, Randy, and personal assistant, Jerome, who were both on the horses beside my chariot."When we get to Maltos' Castle," I bega
LenhandroMy hands were folded behind me as I stared at the throne where I had once occupied. After a very long time, I was back to my pack, and as I fixed my gaze upon it, I felt a renewed sense of energy coursing through my veins.The emerging figure of Jerome walking towards his post caught my attention, but he wasn't the gallant, ever-ready Jerome I had always known.He was reduced to a mere shadow of himself, trembling all over like a weakling, with his fingers held beneath his stomach. He couldn't even meet my gaze.After a while of staring at him, I tore my gaze away from him and fixed it back on my golden throne, with its soft white cushion and lion-head armchair.As I pondered my next course of action, my brother Randy's voice rang out from behind me, "Brother!" He called, his voice ringing with excitement.As the soft thud on the wooden floor drew closer, I turned towards him, a broad smile clearly plastered on his face."I've missed you so much, brother!" Randy exclaimed, h