Katherine’s POV“Hi! I am Kat– Kate, and this is my daughter, Trisha,” I said, with a smile on my face.My eyes met with Trisha’s who wondered why I lied about my name, while Elera turned to examine a patient yelling in pain. The patient was barely recognizable, half of their face eaten up, and they took deep and painful breaths; the breath of death. I looked at the horror before me and squirmed, while Elera administered a dose of anaesthesia to ease the pain.“The Night shadows did this to him, to all of them here. Fighting one is easy, but there is never fighting one. They move and attack in herds; cowards! Once you are within their grasp, you are dead. And when you manage to escape that grasp, you will wish to be dead, just like the young man here. I ask again, how may I help you?” Said Elera.“I want to help, here; the sick, the wounded. I can see you’re short-staffed, and having me will be of great help. I do not need payment, I just want a place for us to stay,” I said, placing
King Kai’s POV“Katherine?” I called out, my voice echoed through the hallway, but she remained silent, her gaze fixed on the door ahead. I quickened my pace, my footsteps following behind hers.“Katherine, wait up!” I called out again, but she didn’t flinch.She took to her heels the moment she got out of the clinic and I pursued after her. I weaved past pedestrians, my feet pounding the pavement in a desperate bid to keep up, but Katherine seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving me frustrated. My eyes scanned through the sea of faces for a glimpse of her, but couldn’t find her, making my quest to catch up with her end in failure.“Fuck!” I said in frustration.Elera met with me shortly after my return to the clinic, she had critical updates regarding the Night Shadows’ survivors.“Your Highness!” Elera said, her head slightly bowed.“Hmm!” I replied. “Did you take in someone new? I asked, as my curiosity piqued.“No, Your Majesty. These were the only patients brought in by the rescu
Kai's POVShe stood just at the entrance of the tent and I waited to see if Katherine was right behind her, she was not."Hello?" She said, waving to get my attention."I was a little bit carried away. Yes, I am the seer. Come on in," I said, gesturing to her to venture further inside. She took a seat opposite mine, then darted her eyes around the tent as if looking for something in particular."Where is your crystal ball?" She said, as soon as her eyes darted back to me."I have a crystal ball, alright," I said while trying to retrieve one I had previously put away. Azra's plan was for Katherine, I had to cook one up for the girl before me."So, how do we do this?" She asked, her fingers incessantly clicking on the desk."Tell me why you have come." I replied, trying to keep up with the pretence."Aren't you meant to know that already, seer?" She said, arching her eyebrows in skepticism."Haha," I laughed. "It does not work that way, little one. I am the seer not because I just see t
Kai’s POVFive minutes ticked by, and I remained standing at the door, my patience wearing thinner with each passing second. I rang the doorbell once more, the sound echoing through the silence. Muffled voices and faint noises came from within, a clear indication that someone was inside. My frustration grew as I waited, and I had to resist the temptation of forcing my way in. Just as I was about to press the doorbell again, the door handle began to turn and I froze, my hand hovering in the midair. I drew in a couple of deep breaths to brace myself for when the door would finally open and reveal the person before me.“Come on,” I said beneath my breath.The door creaked open, and Katherine stood before me, her beauty leaving me in awe just like the first day I met her. Her eyes widened in surprise and she took a few steps backward, her hands trembling slightly.“Kai!” She called.“Katherine!” I called as well, as I walked in to close the gap between us.“You are that fortune teller fro
Katherine's POVI slid down the wall, as I surrendered to the emotions that had been welling in me. Tears flowed freely from my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. I pulled and tugged my hair in frustration, leaving it messy. I gazed at Trisha through tear-blurred eyes, she approached me with the look of concern ."Did he hurt you, mum?" She asked, in a cracked voice."Oh, no, baby, he didn't." My voice cracked too. I opened my arms wide, my hands beckoning her to come closer. She hesitated for a moment, before rushing to my embrace, and she too began to cry. I held Trisha close, feeling her body shake with sobs as she apologized, her voice muffled against my shoulder."I'm so sorry I led him here, mum. I shouldn't have gone out, I should have listened to you and stayed home.""Don't you cry, baby. You did nothing wrong, okay?" I stroked her hair, trying to comfort her, as she sniffed back tears and mucus.Trisha nodded, burying herself in my arms again, while I cried silently. I didn't k
Katherine's POV"I know. I know. But, it was the best thing for me to do at that point. I didn't know how to handle my emotions being thrown at him like that. I was going to wait till I was ready before I met with him." I explained in frustration. Roma was right, I could have handled that better but when his lips crashed into mine, the only thing I could think about was the fact that I never wanted those lips off mine. "Talk to him. It's inevitable. Does he know about Trisha yet?" She asked me. "How do you think he found me?" I said and sighed. "He met Trisha?" She asked. "Yes. Apparently, he posed as some sort of seer and he was able to trail her from there. I wonder what she went to the seer for." I said, thinking about it. She has never mentioned that she was interested in those kinds of things. Maybe the shiny decor attracted her. I thought and shrugged. "Wow. Meet with him as soon as you can. This time Katherine. No lies. You have to be as honest as possible, you don't know
Katherine's POVA week had passed and I struggled to come down the rocky plain that led to the palace. For the seventh time, I was told that Kai had gone on a business trip and would be back soon but no one knew exactly when."Didn't meet him again today?" Elera asked me as soon as I got into the clinic."No, he is still not back," I said and sank into the settee in front of her.Now that we were close, she didn't seem as intimidating as she had been the first day we met. Trisha loved her and wouldn't stop demanding to see Aunt Elera. Elera in turn spoiled her silly and even treated her better than anyone else she probably knows."I'm sure he will return soon. King Kai never leaves his pack for so long, whatever he has gone for must have been really important if not a matter of life and death." She said to me and closed her eyes."You look tired. When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?" I asked her, seeing the size of eye bags she had and how red her eyes were."You know
Katherine's POVKai was taking too long to get back and everything I did to calm myself down was not helping. Even though I buried myself in work and made sure that I worked till I could barely feel my bones, nothing stopped my thoughts from always wandering to Kai all the time. There was not a single moment that passed by without me thinking of how amazing Kai and I would be when we finally got back together."You have a smile on your face, a penny for your thoughts?" I heard Dr. Dexter's voice from behind me.Ever since he started working here, he has been after me, chasing me everywhere around the clinic. I tried my best to avoid him and would have told Elera to send him away if not that he was awfully good at taking care of the shadow hunters' victims. He was also good at helping everywhere else and to be fair, he didn't let him chasing me around interfere with his work."Go away. I'm busy" I said and faced my front, refusing to turn around to meet his gaze."Why? I could help you
Kai's POVThe cold steel of the balcony railing bit into my palms as I absorbed the latest news. My mind was a turbulent sea of thoughts and decisions. Every one of my instincts screamed that we were on the brink of something catastrophic. The shadow hunter attack was a stark message, and I could not afford to underestimate the threat.“Azra,” I call out, my voice cutting through the tension of the hospital morning. We had barely slept until we were sure that Roma was in stable condition. He turned to me, his expression taut with concern. “I need you to secure the citadel immediately. No one in or out until further notice.”Azra’s eyes widened slightly, but he nodded without hesitation. “I’ve already taken the liberty of informing the guards. What else do you need, my king?”I took a deep breath, my weak attempt to quell the rising sense of urgency. “We need to find the warlock. If he’s under the shadow hunters' control, he’s a crucial part of their plan. His location could lead us to
Kai's POVThe hospital balcony was cold, the metal railing biting into my palms as I stared out into the night. I should be inside, with Katherine and Trisha, but my mind refused to settle. The weight of recent events presses heavily on my shoulders. My thoughts were a chaotic swirl of anger and frustration as I tried to piece together who was behind these attacks. I needed answers, but every lead seemed to turn into a dead end.The city lights below flickered like a constellation, indifferent to the turmoil in my heart. A gust of wind blew through, making me shiver. I pulled my coat tighter around myself, trying to ward off the chill that seemed to be more than just physical. As I grappled with my thoughts, I heard hurried footsteps approaching.Azra ran to the balcony, his face etched with tension. His usual calm demeanor was replaced with urgency, and it immediately set my nerves on edge. I turned to face him, keeping my face as neutral as possible. “What’s going on?” I asked; my
Roma's POVThe palace felt eerily silent, like the calm before a storm. My mind raced as I paced the room, glancing nervously at the door. Katherine was still at the hospital, and King Kai had asked us to return. I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that clung to me like a second skin.Claire sat across from me, serene as ever, her fingers tracing patterns in the air. She always had this way about her, a kind of stillness that made it seem like nothing could ever shake her. But I was different. I wasn’t like Katherine or Claire, who were born with power, forged by destiny. It was just me. And right now, “me” felt helpless."Roma, relax." Claire’s voice broke through my anxious thoughts. She looked up from whatever spell or divination she was working on. "The safest place for us right now is here. In the palace."I frowned, biting my lip as I stared at her. "Are you sure? What if... what if the person hunting Katherine’s friends comes for us too?"Claire’s gaze softened, and she stood
Katherine’s POVThe sterile white light overhead blurred as I blink my eyes open. For a moment, everything seemed distant, like I was floating between worlds. The antiseptic scent of the hospital filled my lungs, pulling me back into reality. The beeping of the machines was steady, matching the rhythm of my breath.I turned my head slightly, and there he was, Kai, seated by my bedside, his elbows resting on his knees. His eyes were wide open, bloodshot, and heavy with exhaustion. It looked like he hadn’t slept at all, and I could feel the weight of his worry pressing down on me, even in silence.I tried to sit up, but my muscles screamed in protest. Kai noticed instantly, springing to my side before I could adjust the pillow beneath me. His face softened with relief as he leaned down, his voice hoarse from what must’ve been a sleepless night.“Katherine,” he whispered, brushing a stray lock of hair from my forehead. “How are you feeling?”I opened my mouth to respond, but the words wo
Kai's POVThe hospital hallway felt like it was closing in around me, each second stretched by the uncertainty of what lay behind those doors. I pushed through the waiting room, not caring that I'd been told to stay put. Katherine was in there, and that's all that mattered. "His royal Majesty, wait!" one of the nurses tried to stop me, but I brushed past her, the need to see Katherine overpowering everything.The doctor stepped in my way just as I reached her room. "Your Highness, you need to calm down," he said, his voice steady but strained. "She's stable, but you can't go in just yet. She fainted, and we're trying to""Trying to stabilize her? She fainted?" I repeated, my voice incredulous. "That's not enough. I need to see her." My pulse pounded in my ears. Katherine never fainted. She was strong—too strong for something like this.The doctor's eyes flickered with nervousness. "We're running tests, but it looks like she's just stressed. Shock, perhaps, but she's out of danger."I
Kai's POV I missed Katherine already; she had gone to see Elera today so they could talk about everything. I sent some of my guards to secretly watch over her because I knew that if she knew, she would refuse it. A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. It was Azra. “Enter,” I called, already knowing that whatever news he brought wouldn’t be easy to swallow. Azra had taken Claire to see Elera after Dexter’s murder. He’d been gone for most of yesterday, and now, as he stepped into the room, his face was as grim as I expected.“Your Highness,” he said, bowing slightly before taking the seat across from me.“What did you find?” I asked, my voice steady, though I braced myself for the worst.Azra sighed, running a hand through his dark hair before meeting my eyes. “It’s complicated, Kai. When we arrived at the pack clinic, Claire immediately sensed something... off about Elera’s wolf.”I tensed. “Off, how?”“She said Elera’s wolf was troubled, restless, but pure. Her relationshi
Katherine POV. Elera was waiting inside, and I knew the confrontation that awaited would be anything but easy. My fingers clenched at my sides, my nails digging into my palms. I had faced down terrible people like Alpha Jackson, but nothing had ever made my stomach twist in knots the way this did.With a deep breath, I pushed open the heavy wooden door. The air inside the prison was thick and stale, laced with the faint stench of old blood and fear. My footsteps echoed down the narrow stone corridor, the guards at either side barely sparing me a glance. They knew who I was, and none of them were foolish enough to cross me. But today, it wasn’t their judgment I feared; it was Elera's.Elera was kept in the farthest cell, isolated from the rest of the prisoners. She was dangerous and unstable after everything that had happened, and I couldn’t blame her for that. Not after Dexter. Not after what she had done.The cell door came into view, and I felt my heart lurch. I hadn’t seen her sin
Claire's POV The night was unnervingly still. I could feel it. It was darkness creeping closer, something greater than any predator we’d ever faced. My instincts told me it was more than a hunt for Katherine. It was a hunt for power, for something that could rip the world apart if it found the right hands. Or the wrong ones.I was still staring out at the horizon, trying to pick apart the shadows for answers, when I heard the door creak open behind me. The footsteps were familiar, even before I turned around.“Kai,” I said, not bothering to look at him.“We have a problem,” he said, his voice tight.I finally turned to face him. Kai’s face was lined with tension, and his jaw set in that grim way that told me whatever news he brought was worse than usual. I raised an eyebrow, waiting.“The shadow hunters,” he continued, “they’re moving into the lower cities. Faster than they have ever done.”My heart skipped. I had been dreading this. The shadow hunters were ruthless, a merciless band
Elera's POVI had been loyal to King Kai for years, through wars, betrayals, and the rise and fall of alliances. And now, this? A prison cell?The iron bars seemed to mock me, a reminder of how easily trust could be shattered. I had given everything to Kai. Every decision, every sacrifice, was made in his name. And now, here I was, a prisoner in the very kingdom I had helped to protect. My breaths came in shallow, angry bursts as I tried to make sense of it all.I didn’t hear the door creak open until it was too late to compose myself. Azra stepped into the dim light, his expression unreadable. The sight of him only fueled my anger further. He was the one who had brought me here.“What is the meaning of this?” I demanded, my voice echoing off the cold walls. “What the hell is going on, Azra? Why am I in jail? What crime have I committed?”Azra raised his hands in a placating gesture, his usual calm demeanor doing little to soothe the rage burning inside me. “Elera, you need to relax.