ValerieI ran from Xavier’s study as fast as my legs would take me. I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t look into his eyes anymore and see the sorrow in him. The sorrow in my own reflection.I could not do it.I returned to Alyssa’s room, my mind a blur, my lungs heavy from the long run through the winding palace halls. Chills crawled over my flesh like goosebumps, and I could not settle the sick feeling in my stomach.I threw open her door, tears stuck to my lashes and blurring my vision. Alyssa was on her bed, delicately brushing through her golden locks with a wooden comb. She paused and looked up when she saw me. “It’s him,” I blurted, before she could even ask. “I’m certain it’s him. It’s Caeser who killed my parents.”Alyssa set down her brush and stood, a stony, serious look on her face. “What are you going to do?”I didn’t have an answer. What would I do? Perhaps Caeser was not an Alpha anymore, but he was still a man of high caliber. A man of royalty and reputation. I couldn’t po
Alyssa Mistress Amelia led me to the back of the mansion, where a lovely table had been set out in the center of a vibrant garden. I was not the only guest, it appeared; several other young ladies dressed in lush gowns and laughed easily with one another, the gentle clatter of teacups in the air. “Girls,” said Mistress Amelia, waving a hand to me. “Princess Alyssa has arrived. Princess, this is Claudia, Janice, Tulip and Milly.” The girls waved giddily at me. They all looked so cheerful, so easy to get along with. They waved me to their table and nearly dragged me into a seat, desperate to learn about me. To know what it was to be a princess. I did not have much experience with girls my age. My father never cared to allow the exploration of friendship among the nobles. I was only allowed to socialize with the children of his business partners, who were usually far older than me and far less interested in the things I enjoyed. But I found it easy to talk to these girl, and I fell
Valerie I woke in a damp, dark place, a cold wall at my back. For a moment, I wondered if I was still back in the Cell. If the last several years of my life had simply been a dream, and I had never left the confines of this cramped prison. But even The Cell was in better condition than whatever this hellish dungeon was. I sat in a puddle of wet, something damp dripping from the ceiling above and landing on the nape of my neck. It was too dark to make out the details of my confinement, but I immediately found several others, sitting in the darkness. Someone to either side of me, and a handful across the room, rested against the walls. Humans. Tied up, just like me. I turned to my right, where a boy sat, slouched forward in a miserable position. His eyes were closed, but there was no way he was asleep. It would have been impossible to get any rest with the way he was sitting. “Excuse me,” I whispered, nudging him with my shoulder. “Sir? Where are we?” He did not answer. He did not
XavierI should have been working. I had papers to sign, orders to make. But I could not take my mind off of Valerie. Off of the tears in her eyes. The pain on her face.The way she wouldn’t look at me. Couldn’t look at me.Certainly, a resentment was growing in her heart. A hatred for me. For the blood of my father, pumping through my veins. I could not blame her.I had kept it from her. The real reason why I’d chosen her in that dingy shop.But truly, I did not know if my father was the one responsible for their deaths. And I did not know how I found manage to unearth the reality of what happened without any official documents on the matter. Valerie was right; I had tried once before and failed. Why did I think I could change things now?I had been so deeply lost in my thoughts, I was jolted when my study door swung open.Alyssa appeared first, Ralph and Amelia at her heels.I rose, surprised by the intrusion. More surprised even, by the sight of Amelia. “Amelia, what are you doing
Valerie It felt as though the walls of this dank dungeon cell were closing in on me. I was frightened. Frozen in terror. But angery. I was so angry, I hardly felt the fear rile within me. I felt only red, hot rage. “Who is your Lord?” I demanded. Of course, they did not answer me. “Where are we?” I tried again. It was quiet for a long moment. Then the wolf muttered, “A place no one will find you.” I had never felt so much hate burning in my chest as I did in that moment. This horrible creature who had stolen away with Ava—who had tortured her for all these years…he had taken me now. And I did not suspect that my fate would be any better. The man in the mask took a single step closer. He looked hesitant to approach me, but I supposed he was a particularly high-rank human if the wolf was accepting his help. “Why have you been following him?” he asked. My body trembled, but I tried not to show it. I braced myself against the binds on my wrist and explained with my chin held high,
Valerie The only sound within the cell were the occasional footsteps I could hear overhead. It was a loud, hollow sound—like there was a room located above us. But the people within it did little to hide their presence, which made me think it was not connected to the cells at all. Rather, the room simply sat beneath it. And then, of course, there was the never-ending patter of water dripping from the damp ceiling. The cloth that had been tied around my mouth burned hot against my skin. Already, it was damp with saliva and sweat. It would not be taken off, I was informed, until it was time to eat. And when that time came, I took every opportunity to speak out. It was the wolf himself who came to feed me. He knelt beside me with a bowl of porridge and yanked the cloth free from my mouth. “Eat,” he said. “And don’t cause a fuss. There’s nothing magic in here. Just some shitty gruel cooked up to keep you alive.” I ate every spoonful he offered, thankful for the watery porridge. It wa
Valerie“Innocent?” The man laughed again, muffled beneath his mask. “How would you define innocence? All we do is by design. Our path is drawn by the hand of our God, and our message and purpose is wholly by his design. It is only right to do as God compel me to.”The porridge did not sit well inside of me. It curdled, thick and heavy like turbulent waters. I felt sick at his confession, but I could not allow myself to vomit up what I’d just eaten. I didn’t know when I’d get the chance to eat again.Still, it felt like maggots crawled around in my belly. I tasted bile in my throat.“If your God told you to sacrifice the life of a young human girl like Ava by making up such a stupid curse, what kind of God would it be?” I asked. “And for what purpose? God does not need coin—that was all for you.”This seemed to get beneath his mask. Under his skin. The man stiffened. “A moron like you would never understand. I serve a greater purpose. I heed God’s word and honor his blessings. And it
Xavier Every minute that ticked on wore me down to the bone. Every minute with Valerie in my sights was like a saw, cutting through me tooth by tooth. This was my fault. I shouldn’t have allowed her to leave my side when she ran off, anger and betrayed by my lies. I shouldn’t have lied to begin with—or rather, kept the truth from her. I should have told her the day I met her, why I had purchased her from that shop and what my intentions were. But I was not expecting that she would stay by my side. I was not expecting that my heart with split at the seams for her. I was not expecting that I would somehow put her in harm’s way. I ordered guards through every corridor and into every room. I sent out hounds to find her scent, using her bed sheets from the maid’s chambers. I ordered a count of the maids, ensuring that Valerie was the only one missing. And then I sent out another sweep of the city. But after an entire day, the search resulted in nothing. Not a hair had been left behi