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
LeoRight in my chambers that evening, I couldn't stop wondering why Lena had excused herself earlier, shortly after we had just finished talking about Asher.Although I had earlier believed she didn't blow her cover, I just couldn't shake off the nudge at the depth of my heart that something was amiss."No, I need to make sure everything is still in order," I said to myself as I sprang up to my feet.Without a second thought, I marched towards Lena's room, and after the second knock, she asked me to come in."Hey Leo, what's up?" She asked, with a small smile on her face after she had opened the door."Nothing much, dear sister; you've been gone for some days. I just wanted to know how it all went with you and your MATE." I answered emphatically, after which I snorted in derision."So tell me, how was the visit?" I asked as I settled into her throne chair, spreading my legs beside each side of the backrest.Lena's lips at my words curled upwards into a small smirk, "Like I told you e
Asher"Quickly, let's go," Xenra said to the guard that supported my other arm, and they both led me into the secret passage.As we walked through it, I kept hearing the loud wails and screams of my people, conveying their agony and distress.The sound of metal clashing against another filled the air and made my heart ache. That was the cry of my innocent citizen, and the fact that I had to hide to save my life broke my heart.As we walked through the dimly lit passage, my heart kept bleeding as their voices filled the whole space.Deep within me, I knew I had to do something; I knew I shouldn't be the coward who abandoned his people and flew to safety while his people were being sacrificed in their home.Filled with that determination, I halted in my tracks, refusing to be led farther away from my people, who were sacrificing their lives for our clan.Xenra's head whipped towards me, but before she could say a word about it, I swiftly began to speak:"This whole thing will lead to ev
Xenra"No," I shook desperately as I stared at him, "I can't leave you." My words tumbled out in a determined rush.Seeing him getting weaker and weaker was already a painful sight, but what I couldn't bear to do was to leave him alone just as he had requested."What is wrong with you?!" Asher said, more like a statement than a question. "I'm asking you to leave now. Do you want Lenhandro to kill you again and have the last laugh?""He's your worst enemy, and we both know you'd forever be uneasy if you don't have your revenge against him tonight," Asher added, his voice firm and resolute.Asher's breath finally stabilised, but then I knew it wasn't something to rejoice over, since that was the nature of the poison. My clan's mate had always referred to it as "the poisonous deceit."I knew it was the last gathering of strength that would last for just twelve hours after the person had been injected, before his eventual demise."As you can see, I'm getting better and can take care of my
AsherI could feel my spirit gradually leaving my body as I lay there. The whole of me felt heavy; I was tired of struggling, and my vision began to blur.Vaguely, I heard Lena hiss and saw her walk away from the room. The victorious smile I saw on her face jabbed at my heart even as it dawned on me that I wouldn't be able to save my people and defend what I had always held dear.My mind began to reel with countless thoughts, a chaotic mix of thoughts that made my mind run wild as I sought a solution.But no matter how much I tried, I just couldn't get my mind to focus. The intense pain I was feeling inside wouldn't allow me to focus on a possible solution, and I began to wonder if that was how I would die.My chest was tightening within me, and my breath grew short. Gradually, I began to gasp for breath.Outside my room, I could hear the footsteps of soldiers running towards the entrance. I could also hear the heavy thuds of soldiers on the marbled floor outside the mansion as they r
Lena"Get your hands off me; I don't know what you're talking about!" I declared, my voice heavy with determination.I had realised that acknowledging his words would make it more difficult to execute the rest of the plans.So I knew I had to deny having anything to do with it. But Asher scoffed as soon as she heard my words.It seemed he had really laid his hands on a little evidence, but I was going to give him the satisfaction of finding out that he was right."Do you think you can fool me?" He scoffed, his eyes blazing with wrath. "You can't fool me!" "The only thing stopping me from sniffing out the breath from you right now is because I want to see how your brother and whoever he's coming with will be defeated; that's the only thing that's stopping me from squeezing the life out of you." He growled, his words tumbling out in a fierce intensity.His grip on my neck got a little tighter, but I managed to hold my ground. Deep within me, I knew if he continued like that, I'd surel
Asher Xenra's words dropped into my heart and filled me with a heightened sense of determination. But before I could get myself to respond to her, the trumpet sounded again. It was an indication that the enemies were already near, very close to our pack. As soon as I heard it, I fixed my gaze back on Xenra. "I promise you, I'll grant you that request," I said to her, my voice firm and urgent. "Brother!" Akira called, her voice desperate, laced with urgency as she stared at me, her heart banging hard against her ribcage in a mix of fear and urgency. The word had barely left my lips when Akira rushed into my arms again, and as I held her tightly in my embrace, I said to her and Damian, "There's no time to waste anymore; you should leave now." My voice rang with the urgency that had settled into my heart. In that instant, I pried her hands away from me and handed her to Damian, who quickly answered with a vibrant "yes, Alpha," and began to pull her towards the secret door, while A
AsherSuddenly, we heard the sound of the trumpet, the sound that has always called for the gathering of my troops.My eyes widened as the realisation of what was coming dawned on me, and I swallowed hard, knowing there was no more turning back.It was the announcement of war, an inevitable war that was about to erupt in my clan.That was the first time ever, another clan was invading my home; the first time they dared set their feet in my clan with their weapons, calling for a war.Xenra's head whipped towards me as the sound of the trumpet covered the whole of my territory.In that instant, I turned towards Xenra, whose gaze had never departed from me, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt a great sense of uncertainty settling within me."Okay," I said, my voice laced with emotions, "it's time for war." I heard myself say to her as though she didn't know what the sound meant.Even though I tried to maintain a calm facade, my heart kept banging hard against my ribcage. B
Xenra"I'm sure you know you can't relent now," I said to Asher as soon as I got to the window where he stood. "These people indirectly called for war.""I know," Asher swiftly replied, nodding his head. "I know," he repeated, a small frown on his face as he spoke."Lena's trying to poison me is already an indication that the war has started already." He added, his voice tight with annoyance."I'm ready; I'm ready for the war, and I'm going to make sure I deal with them just as they had wanted to do to my sister and me." The determination laced in his words was undeniable as he spoke, his gaze bored into space in a fierce intensity.His lips curled upwards as anger burnt within him, and I could see just how much he really wanted to consume his enemy in his burning wrath.His mood had greatly been affected by the shocking discovery; the fierce determination etched on his face was undeniable as he resolved to get back at them.But then, I knew he was yet to grasp the gravity of what he
LeoAs soon as the guard who had just whispered the news to me left, I turned towards Lenhandro, who was seated in the open patio with me."Good news," I announced, beaming. "We'll be attacking tonight. I have just received great news that my sister has successfully poisoned Asher, so it's time to carry out the finishing plan," I stated, my voice laced with excitement as I stared at him.I had expected Lenhandro to be as excited as I was, but his brows furrowed instead.He looked rather surprised than excited, "Are you certain about that?" He asked, the furrow on his brows etching deeper.As soon as I heard his words, a light chuckle broke out of my lips, coupled with his stunned expression, which only added to the excitement I was feeling inside."Asher is not just any other Alpha; I'm sure you know how meticulous and tough he could be. Are you sure he had really fallen for your sister's game?" He asked, his tone dripping with scepticism.As if that was enough, he continued, "What if
Asher Xenra's lips curled upwards as soon as she heard Akira's words, and she scoffed. The surprised look on her face gave way to a mix of calm and hurt. "If I wanted to hurt him," she began to say, "I wouldn't have wasted my time to come down here and tell you about their plans." She said, her voice, although calm and steady, oozed the hurt ingrained in it. "I would have allowed them to do whatever they wanted to do to you; after all, nobody would've been able to do anything to me," Xenra's voice grew firmer as she spoke, her lips curled upwards into a barely noticeable smirk. As soon as she was done speaking, she turned towards me, a barely noticeable smile on her face. "You can go now," she said, her voice calm and steady, "don't worry, I've sealed your tongue." After staring at her for about five seconds, I turned towards Akira, whose worry was still deeply etched on her face, and I nodded at her, attempting to ease her of the worry that had deeply settled within her. "Yo