-Aria- I took in the fresh breath of cool breeze as it blew gently on my face, my hair flying over my shoulders with the wind. It was great to have some peace and quiet, away from the reality of the life I had found myself in. Not like the one I was living before now was any better anyway. In a way, it was worse. I was a nobody. I was timid and weak and had no say. At least, I had some recognition here and a family. And at Moonbeam I had a terrible and horrifying end. Now that I think about it, the people I have here around me which I call family were not what they seemed to be. Take, for instance, Dante and Ariel, my supposed sister. Those two were enough to send me to my end if I was not careful. Then it returned to my memory that Jasmine was said to have taken her own life. But I had seen it in a flash that it might not have been what happened. That red stoned ring… was a pointer to something. Great, now I had to figure out another person’s life while I planned out mine. Arie
-Aria-As I walked back to my room, hand in hand with Prisca, I wondered if this was how clingy she was with Jasmine and how she had coped.I was not used to this, having someone all over me. I was always by myself. No one wanted to have anything to do with me anyway, and I got used to it.“So tell me,” Pisca turned to me with a big smile on her face. “I saw you staring at the alpha while he was on the training ground. Why were you looking at him like that?”She asked me, and I wondered for how long she had been following behind and watching me. And why had she not called or said anything till I had gotten to the end of the building? That was cringe, I thought but remembered she had been friends with Jasmine all this while, and this was just how she had always been.I swallowed the urge to ask her why she had been following me. Jasmine should have expected this from her right?“You don’t want to tell me?” She spoke into my thoughts, bringing me back to the conversation.“I just caught
-Aria-I would have scrambled up to my feet and scurried out of the room at Ariel's orders as if she were addressing me, but I had to remind myself that she was my sister, not a lord. However, I was not able to speak for Prisca, and she had to leave. She stood up slowly from the bed and walked out of the room, looking at me one more time before closing the door behind her. Prisca was a very expressive person, and her emotions were always reflected in her eyes, which I never failed to notice.I felt guilty when our eyes met before the door closed behind her. She was hurt that I did not say anything to stop her from leaving, but I did not know what to say.I jolted out of my thoughts when I felt a pair of eyes boring into my skin, and I remembered I was left alone in the room with someone—my sister, Ariel. My eyes quickly darted in her direction, and the glare in her eyes softened a bit. She had not wanted me to see the glare, but I had felt it when I was looking away from her. More lik
-Ariel-I struggled to keep the detest I felt for Jasmine off my face. If what I felt towards her should be displayed on my face, it would sure be nothing less than pure hatred. Why had she not died the last time?“Why did you do it?” I asked with as much concern as I could.“Do what?” She asked, shaking her head and I sighed. I hate having to repeat myself, and most especially this…I had to hold myself from scowling at her with my eyes, this being I was so unfortunate to have as my sister.“Trying to take your own life,” I said. “Why did you do it?”She looked at me as if I had just asked a ridiculous question or more like an obvious question I should have an answer to already.“Did you not think what it would cost us, myself and mother?” I continued when it did not seem she was going to an answer to the previous question. “Especially Mother, it would break her completely to lose you. Have you forgotten so soon all she had done for us?”“I did not mean to hurt anyone,” Jasmine said w
-Aria-I released the breath I had not realized I was holding. I had thought Ariel was here to speak about Dante, perhaps to throw accusations. But I was wrong.She was here acting all sweet and calm. Could it be she does not know about Jasmine and Dante? That she had missed their secret suggestive signs? No, it did not seem like it. Ariel definitely knew.Why, it was just but a few minutes she had been here and talked to me that I was considering she was really what she appeared to be. I had better not let myself be fooled by her acts. Ariel was as cunning and she definitely knew what she was doing.I can never miss those knowing eyes, they speak depths and volumes which I cannot ignore. She was up to something, I knew that.I did not need anyone to tell me Jasmine and her sister were not close, that was decided. So Ariel speaking about trying to build a relationship? No, absolutely no.I mean, it would not be bad if I had a sister I could share moments with. But someone like this an
-Dante-I strolled into Adonai’s room casually without minding knocking on the door and found him in his study with a stern countenance. Whenever he was at that table, he acted as if he was handling the matters of the entire universe and did not want any disturbance. I scoffed inwardly as I approached him.“What’s up?” I asked, standing before the table. He looked up at me briefly before returning to the sheet spread on the table.“What do you want?” he said directly and I shook my head.“Good morning to you too, Adonai,” I told him with a sigh. “At least you should greet me before asking what I want.”“As you can see I am swamped Dante,” he said without looking at me. “I do not have time for pleasantries and I do not like this interruption.”“You are always busy Adonai,” I smiled at him. “You should have a moment's rest. And talking to me would not disturb your work.”“What do you want?” he asked me again.“What are you working on this time around?” I asked back, peeping into the she
-Aria-I woke up with a yawn and stretched on the bed. I did not know when I fell asleep yesterday and I wondered how I had slept for that long throughout the night.Well, it was a beautiful morning to be Jasmine yet again. I stood up from the bed feeling tired. It was just like the feeling you get, getting tired from sleeping for too long. It was a scam, I shook my head as I walked straight to the bedroom to freshen up.I washed my face and dragged a towel from the hanger on the wall. I walked back to the room cleaning my face when I noticed a shadow on the wall. Was there a ghost in my room or something? I cleaned my eyes again to be sure I was seeing well. There was no ghost, but someone was standing in the middle of my room like a ghost.“What the…” I exclaimed, jumping a bit. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my room?”“I am sorry my lady,” the lady bowed a little. “I am a maid here and I have come to call you out for breakfast with the alpha.”I looked her up and d
-Adonai-After Dante left my room I resumed my focus on the spread. His presence had been an unwelcome distraction. I had ordered the guards not to let anyone in whenever I was at my study but the law was limited to Dante of course and only because he was my brother.And he had come here to speak to me about, I paused trying to recollect my thoughts. He spoke about the alliance with Laban’s pack and then Jasmine.All those were matters that did not concern him. With matters concerning our pack and others, he could offer his suggestions, but with my personal affairs, I would not take ideas from anyone. I had tried Jasmine and contrary to what Dante said, she had not done much as a mistress, how much more she would be able to do as my wife.What business does he have with what I do with her anyway? I shook my head and tried to return my concentration to the work before me but no, the distraction had affected my focus and now I could not get it back.I was trying to draft out a plan on h
- Dante -I looked around at the faces of everyone present and all I could see was pity. Yet no one could stop Adonai, not even Damon.I did not hold it against my brother as I understood his feelings. He has been pushed to the wall and forced to retaliate.I take this as a punishment for all I have done to him and every other person. My only pain is that Sierra would have to die along with me for my crimes."You don't have to do this," She said, looking me straight in the eyes. "You don't have to die with me. I will face it alone.""You don't understand Sierra," I shook my head at her. "You did nothing wrong but loved. I have committed so many atrocities, and I believe I am paying for them. I thought it had all passed, but I was wrong. Just like I feared, I couldn't run away forever. So I should be the one, apologising for putting you in this.""Before we die, I want you to know that I love you," she smiled sadly. "I have never experienced this kind of love before. I grew up with a m
- Aria -"Are you sure about what you just said?" I asked her and she nodded."I did not see her face, but I am very sure she was the one dressed like that," before the maid could finish the statement, Adonai had bolted out of the room.Good thing Damon and his men had not set out. Adonai went straight to the guest building and almost broke the doors open."What's happened?" Damon asked."Where is your sister?" Adonai asked him icily."Is anything the matter?" Damon inquired."I have no time and patience, just answer the damn question. Where the hell is your sister?" Adonai shouted and by now, the entire royal house was awakened.Sierra appeared behind her brother and Adonai dragged her fully out."Where is my child?" He asked her and she looked puzzled."I don't know what you are talking about," she said with what seemed to be a feigned ignorance."Are you insane?" Adonai growled violently. "You came to my wife's room when she was not there, attacked the maid and took my baby away an
- Damon -Damn it! Damn it!!I hit my fist on the wall severally until blood gushed out of it."Brother!" Sierra called in alarm and tried to move towards me but I held out my hands to stop her."This is fucked. Fucked!" I half yelled. "I was humiliated and almost killed and those bloody warriors did not fucking show up.""Something must have happened, brother," Sierra said in a bit to calm me down but that angered me the more."What could happen on a day like this? "And you," I walked to her menacingly and she moved back. "I asked you to drug Adonai, didn't I?"I grabbed her by the neck with the last sentence and she choked."I did," she coughed, trying to get out of my grip. "That was the reason he was weak from the beginning of the fight.""Then what happened at the end, huh? Where'd he got that sudden burst of energy from?" I shook her violently."I don't know," she said. "But I did according to what you said. Madin was with me you can ask him."I loosened my grip on her and turne
- Aria -The entire pack was gathered outside for the fight, and my heart beat along with the drums that played. Damon walked to me just before the fight began."So you choose to do this the hard way," He said into my ears."You will not have the better of me," I replied. "I believe in my husband."He smirked and walked away."Did you keep the warriors at hand?" I turned to Zafa and Loveth who stood behind me."All set and ready," they affirmed. I had asked them to prepare the army in case something went wrong. I cannot risk it. They had advised me against it as that would be cheating, but if Damon wanted Adonai dead, then I would bypass every traditional rule to save him.I did not sleep all through the night and I was sure Adonai didn't either. In the early hours of the morning, he had crept up behind me and spoken into my ears."I hate to admit that I fear as much as you do. But I wouldn't hide my face from this. Even if I die, I would die trying to preserve our love. I need you to
- Adonai - Damon took his time before answering that, and I knew his every move was intentional and to get me upset as well. "It means that she would have been my wife," he finally said and I charged at him. His men were immediately alert and stood before him to counter my attack. My men also stood ready, but Dante and Zafa held me back. "You watch your mouth you demon," I warned angrily. "Don't you dare sit to my face and tell me shit! You don't speak about my wife in that manner while I am here." Damon did not even move a limb, and his eyes remained on me steadily. "I'm not going to forcefully take your wife," he said, raising his hands in mid-air and throwing them back. But she is going to have to choose between me or you. And the prophecy speaks of us ruling together. I don't see how that is going to be possible if she doesn't get married to me." I was fuming with anger but had to remain calm. I sat back on my chair. I was pissed more at Aria, who just sat there and li
Aria -I sucked in a deep breath after Damon was done talking."I cannot leave my husband for you," I told him."And you cannot bear to have him dead. Look, either way, I would still have you. That is the only reason I am killing Adonai, to be with you. You will be a widow after his death and you cannot be alone. You see, I'm a very open person. I would have harboured this in mind and done it, but I am telling you now so you can have a choice of saving him or not."He waited for an answer, which I did not have."I think your husband is coming," he said, his voice low. "You have the whole of this night to decide that. Goodnight pretty."He walked away and Adonai appeared behind my back. He held my waist."What was he telling you?" He spoke into my ears gently."He wants to convince me to willingly give in to him so he doesn't have to fight and kill you. He intends to kill you if we insist you fight with him.""And what did you tell him?""I did not give him a reply...yet," I told him.
Zafa -I lurked around the guest's building, hiding in the dark corners and looking for someone I would like to have a conversation with.Luckily, not long after, I saw him and approached him just before he made a turn into the open."We meet again," I said and his eyes widened."Zafa," he called my name."Madin," I called back with an unsmiling face. "Beats me what you are doing here.""The same goes for you," he threw back and I scoffed."You cannot say that because you are the traitor," I told him. "So this is where you have been all this while. You ran away to be with them.""No I did not run away," he corrected with some traits of pride in his voice. "They came for me.""So you knew about them all these while and did not say anything to anyone," I was boiling with anger."Now why would I tell you when you kept associating yourself with the other packs and not sticking to your assignment? You know more than everyone else what the other werewolves did to us. Their bitter hearts di
- Adonai -"And then what would happen to me?" I asked as I walked in on the conversation and they all turned to look at me. I knew there was more to this visit than what they had spoken out there in the courtroom and this just confirmed it. "So you knew more than you were saying in the courtroom?""Alpha please don't get this wrong," Zafa said pleadingly. "We never planned for all of this to happen. "Just like I told the Luna, this came as a surprise to me.""Adonai, we'll handle it," Aria said."So what do you expect me to do? We are still in the dark about everything that's to happen. I need you all to come out clean about these people and what they are doing here," I said impatiently."Please be calm," Aria placed her hand on my shoulders. There was always a way her touches had effects on me. "We'll find out everything but we need to take things slow to be able to do that.""Now you tell me what we are to do," I demanded, but my voice was softer than it was before."They are our v
- Aria -I had just put the baby to sleep with the help of Diane when Loveth walked in with a long face. I sighed wearily because I thought this was a usual bicker with Diane. Ever since I had my baby, the two had been acting like cat and rat."Something's wrong," she said before I asked."What may it be this time around?" I asked."You have visitors," she told me and I stopped what I was doing."What visitors," I wondered aloud."Visitors from Moonfill," she said and I raised my brow questioningly."Never heard that name before," I said with a frown, but Loveth did not look like she was going to give me more information, so I assumed that was all she knew about them."So where are they now?" I wanted to know."Adonai was attending to them, I came here to tell you," she said. "But they are here specifically for you.""Oh," I mouthed and turned to Diane. "Please watch over the baby. I will be right back.""Sure Luna," she said hurriedly. She was listening to the conversation between me