[Zeve’s POV] We reached the inn. While going upstairs, we met Zahir and Venus, who were also staying in that inn. “Oh! Are you two staying here, too?” Venus asked with a warm smile. “No, we are here for sightseeing,” Amor said mockingly. “Of course, this is an inn. Travellers come here to rest during long journeys.” Venus broke out into laughter. “You have such a great sense of humour. Of course, it was foolish of me to ask you that question. Have you two had your dinner?” She looked at us. “No,” I said. Zahir wanted to stop Venus, but she said out anyway, “why don’t all of us have dinner together? It’s difficult to find people from our culture in these foreign countries. If you two join us, it will be really amazing.” She looked at both of us with hopeful coaxing eyes. “Venus, we mustn’t disturb them…” “No. I think it’s a great idea. Let’s have dinner together.” Amor looked at me. I nodded once, and he gave them a confirmation nod. We sat in the lawn area of the inn on chairs
[Zeve’s POV] “Hmm, yeah.” Amor said with a slight nod. “Our Alpha has the same name. What a cruel coincidence.” “Alpha Amor Blaze. My goodness, I get chills just hearing his name. I have heard so many tales about his cruelty and mercilessness…” Venus said and Amor stopped eating for a while, then continued. He was calm even though they were talking about him.“But I think it is because of him vampires have come under control and our Arginieth, which was a hell because of those blood sucking creatures, is livable now.” Venus said.“That’s how kingdoms and rules of a kingdom work. Based on fear. Many have different opinions about him becoming the Alpha of such a large pack at such a tender age, but things he has achieved in just a few years of his rule are beyond commendable. Like his father couldn’t create a monolithic pack, but he did…” “But at the cost of so many lives.” Venus interrupted Zahir. “If you look from my point of view, nothing much has changed for women in our society.
[Zeve’s POV] I shifted back, “what do you want? You say you don’t want my body, so why do you keep touching me?” “Because I want you to stay safe. And I want to teach you self defence so that you wouldn't feel the need to call out for me to protect you. So remember a few things."I peered at him pressing my lips together. I tensed my brows as he started speaking."First, lock your room. Forget yourself, but don’t forget to lock your room. Be it while we are travelling or when we are in my palace."I literally had my heart in my throat while he lectured me. I placed my hand over my chest, feeling my erratic beats."Second, scan around the room when you enter. Sharpen your senses. Stop saying to yourself you can’t and start visualising yourself already doing it. If you are ever pinned on a bed forcefully by anyone — man, woman — anyone. Try to get on your side and curl your body in a foetus position…” He laid on the bed and then showed me how to do it. He laid flat on his back and the
[Zeve’s POV] The morning began, but what happened last night was like a stubborn hangover. His words kept on repeating in my mind. I was constantly thinking about him and it was annoying. His thoughts were supposed to fill me with rage, bitterness and an eternal bloodlust for revenge — they did. But something about those emotions building in my heart was strange, faltering and unfathomable. “Why did he teach me self defence out of blue?” I talked to myself. Questions were all over my mind, but I knew Amor wasn’t straight enough to give me a straight answer. He would make them twisted, might even lie. He was definitely not doing all that for me. Deep down, I knew he had some ulterior motives. How can teaching me self defence help him? I thought, peering outside the window as the grey clouds took abstract forms with the dark clouds. I was sitting on a chair. “It all started after I told him I wanted to see the day. Or maybe not? Tsk! Why is he doing what he is doing? Does he not
[Zeve’s POV] “What do you mean by if I trust them? They are so in love. They are a perfect couple. Why do you doubt them? They are just enjoying themselves, right?” I asked him. He kept peering at me for a long time, then said with a strange smile on his face. It wasn’t exactly sad, but painful in a teasing way. “Second question: who do you trust more? Them or me?” He asked as his gaze bound mine with his. “Who do you want me to trust? Them… or you?” I asked him. There was a smooth silence between us. A silence that felt as if every word we spoke reverberated into a fading abyss. We kept peering at each other, worshipping the silence until he said, “well played, Zeve Freedom. But it’s not about who I want you to trust, it’s about who could earn your trust. I think I know my answer, but I will ask this question again. Who do you trust, them or me?” “Them.” I said and a satisfactory smile appeared on his face. As if he was expecting me to trust them and not him. I don’t know wh
[Zeve’s POV] The next day, the four of us set out for Phantoria. It would be a long journey, so Zahir and Amor agreed to hire a public carriage. All Amor did was sleep for most of the journey, while Zahir was reading some kind of book. The book had a red cover with beautifully calligraphed golden words and design on its leather cover. It was in a language I didn’t understand. Venus kept talking to me about various things. Most of the time I tried dodging her questions and the other times I had to make tricky answers so that what I said wouldn’t be a lie, but not a complete truth either. I had learnt this from Amor when he answered about his profession to Zahir. We travelled for two weeks. Stopping now and then in inns and resting before setting off on the journey. I could tell one thing for sure — Amor might have said this journey was a pre marriage ritual, but all he wanted to do was sleep day and night. How could a man sleep so much? He woke up to eat, freshen up or to get me
[Zeve’s POV] “Amor. What happened earlier was not because of them… I-I don’t know why I panicked…” I said. He looked at me with tensed brows, “are you blind or you just don’t want to see?” “See what? What are you talking about?” I said, trying my best to not offend any of them. Amor sighed and looked at Venus and Zahir, “you will speak on your own or should I tell her?” Zahir and Venus looked at each other. The frenzieness in their mind was clearly visible on their faces. Zahir dropped his gaze and looked at the floor. Venus was sweating and gulping again and again. Both of them didn’t say a word and restlessly pondered into nothingness until Amor spoke again. “It was somehow related to the winner of the Black Light festival, right?” He asked, leaning on the back of his chair with his hands crossed across his chest. Both Venus and Zahir looked at him as if he had caught their darkest secret. Venus was breathing heavily, fidgeting with her fingers and biting her lips. I understo
[Zeve’s POV] Venus stumbled, got up, then rushed to Zahir. She stood in front of Amor before he kicked Zahir’s chest. “Please stop!” she begged. “Out of my way, Venus. If you don’t want to get hurt… out of my way.” Amor warned her, his eyes were glowing neon blue. The memories from when Amor attacked my pack came crashing into my head. Recalling his destructive powers, I got up and rushed to him. “Amor, stop! Please!” I held his hand. Amor looked at me. “You are stopping me? They hurt you more than me and you come to stop me. Huh! I can’t believe you.” “It’s not important that you hurt the person who hurt you. Violence will solve nothing. Let’s just leave, ok?” I said in a coaxing voice. He jerked off my hand. “No, now I want to see where they would have taken us. No one parting ways with anyone. Take us — take me where you were going to take me. It was a trap for me, right? So not a problem. As long as Zeve isn’t involved, I don’t care what you plan against me. I would also lo
(This is a free chapter. You won’t need to pay for it. So, please do it read it until the end.) Dear readers, So this journey had finally come to an end! First of all, THANK YOU so much for reading this book, investing your time, and giving it so much love and appreciation. Your every gem, your every comment, your every review has brightened my day and uplifted my spirit in my hard times. This is my first book on this platform and I couldn’t have ever imagined of getting so far. But you made this possible and I am super grateful for all your supports, lovelies. I know this book isn’t perfect and nor am I, but I always try my best to better my craft and create a world where all of us could unite. So, don’t forget to tell me who your favourite character/s was/were in this story? If you enjoyed the book, a review on the main page of the book is much appreciated. It really helps with the growth of the book. And so do your gems and comments. Thank you for coming on this adventure w
[Zeve’s POV] As I plunged into the magma, I had no thoughts in my head. My body was being consumed by the flames, while my heart almost stopped. It was cold inside the volcano. My clothes and armour melted away, but neither the flames nor the magma touched my skin. They flowed inches away from my skin. I held my breath. The bright red glowing magma flowed magnificently inside the volcano. It was scary how I could feel its heat yet not get burned. It was like one of those dreams came to reality, except this time the one to be burnt in flames was me and not Amor. The magma behind me started taking some kind of form. I felt Amor’s presence and my heart skipped a beat. I felt hands warped under my waist and knees. I shut my eyes with a shudder. The next thing I remember was I was sitting far away on the ground and watching the magma, ashes and rocks explode out of the volcano like fireworks. There was a dazzling figure hovering above the volcano, suppressing it back into the ground
[Zahir’s POV]Why don’t you smile?Why don’t you cry?Why don’t you fight?Why don’t you get angry?Why don’t you get scared?What the hell is wrong with you?You are my son, and you cannot be the monster they say you are.Feel!Feel something!Feel anything!Feel everything!‘If nothing, then feel the pain!’That face of a person I was supposed to call my mother.Those glowing eyes floating in sheer darkness.Those words were like pure acid, pouring in my ears.Those snarls of pure hatred and screams and cries, those slaps and whips.The dark bathroom flooded with water everywhere and blood dissolved in it through my veins.I remember.Maybe I felt nothing but cold. It was unbearably cold.That time, that’s all I felt. A cold that made my spine shiver.I wanted to feel, but how?Everything I locked up within me and in the magic and key core came back.It all came back, but I think it never left in the first place.Even after hundreds of years, I could still feel her presence by the s
[Zeve’s POV]“Mother, stop!” Killian yelled.“Venus, calm down… we can make things right, ok? Trust me. Put down the blade…” Zahir coaxed Venus into his manipulative tone.Venus distanced the blade from her throat as if Zahir’s words were controlling her on a mental level. Her hands were shaking as she held the blade to her throat.Her eyes were frozen, as if she was in Zahir’s control. She shook her head with a gasp, “no, not anymore. You can’t control me anymore…” her voice came out hoarse and shaky.And she put the blade against her neck again, this time cutting her skin and bleeding.“NO! NO! Stop!” Zahir panicked and stepped back from Venus, raising his hands.“What the hell is going on here? Venus!” I called out and was about to go to her when Hikari held my hand.I looked at him and frowned. Hikari shook his head.I looked at Venus again and the blade was Hikari’s katana.“Your katana?” I felt a strange fear take over me as I stared at Hikari for an answer.“I must have dropped
[Zeve’s POV]‘I see him burning and these nightmares just don’t stop. Day after day, it’s always the same thing. I try to save him, but the flames always find their way to him. His body… it’s like it’s melting. I couldn’t get these nightmares out of my head and it’s disturbing. A lot. So, I came to you for guidance. Do these nightmares mean something?’‘Dreams are often a window for the future. We just need to interpret them rightly,’ priestess Melantha said when I met her in my third year in Phantoria. ‘For a seed to turn into a sapling and then into a huge tree, the seed coat needs to break. He’ll burn for you and this world.’‘No, he won’t. I won’t let death touch him, not because of me — especially not because of this world.’ This was what I told her, and then she replied with a subtle smile.‘What is the definition of death for you, luna?’ She asked.‘I don’t know. Death for me is what it’s for everyone else. Bad, painful and gloomy and… end.’‘When the right time comes, you will
[Zeve’s POV]There were two souls active inside Killian. One was of Derek and another of Polaris. Killian decided based on the soul that dominated him at a time.That was the only sane explanation I could give to why he was using Celeste as a hostage when Killian saved her, risking his own life.“Fine,” I said, calmly. “Let them go. But I don’t know how to get the core out of my body. Extract it yourself.”Killian frowned. “No hidden tricks, Zeve. I don’t have time for that.”I raised my hand to my shoulders as if I was surrendering myself. “I am telling you the truth. I was born with this core and never took it out. I am not playing any tricks.”Killian thought for some time and then stretched his palm towards me. Four black magic circles appeared around me. One above my head, one below my feet, one in front of my chest, and one behind it.“I am already stuck here. I can’t escape. Please let them go now,” I said. The hellhounds backed off from Lucella and Celeste.The suction from
[Zeve’s POV]The sound of gunshots, along with screams of the knights getting attacked, mashed up with the howls of the hellhounds dominating the road. Killian coughed vigorously and threw out the broken pieces of rock with his teeth and blood from his mouth. “Oh, I know what devilishness it takes to create a utopia. But you really piss me off whenever I see you…” Killian snarled at Amor.Killian created a dark energy ball between himself and Amor, who was pressing him against the ground. The energy ball exploded, flinging Amor far away from Killian.Amor jumped back to his feet and drew out his sword. The armour worked. Amor wasn’t hurt badly. But I could just stand and wait for him to be hurt.I looked at the sky with my apprehension increasing with every second.On the training grounds, the screeches of shadow eaters were tackling the fire wall, keeping them locked within the magic circle. It was as if their screams were summoning the rain because heavy clouds had started looming
[Killian’s POV]Dark clouds stirred over the ruins of the Aura palace and its training grounds. The land had prepared to devour the souls and vomit a curse in the darkest shade of black to open the portal to the dark world from where the creatures of hell would flood the land, turning it into their grazing field. They would feed on souls and lock them in timeless gloom — in a world of nothingness and doom. Their minds were under my control and their souls on my command would set themselves ablaze on the magical ground.I was prepared and so was the enemy.Heavy military and army of hundreds guarded the boundaries around the precinct of the Aura palace and its land. The knights were armoured and ready with their swords, defending the boundaries of the palace from outside.Warriors were ironclad in their wolf forms. The wolves of darker colours were standing on the front lines and surrounded the training grounds.The soldiers created a wall of shields on either side of the criminals’ p
[Zeve’s POV]“Should I take off this gown now?” Celeste asked, walking to me and then standing beside me as we peered at the air where Killian stood seconds ago.I looked at Celeste and caressed her cheek. “I know it’s uncomfortable, sweetie, but wait a little, hmm?”Celeste looked into my eyes and nodded once.“You did a good job. I am proud of you,” I said.A week without the key core and Celeste already looked so fragile. I had to get back the key core from Killian after the plan played out the way I wanted it to.I looked at the sky. The chess board was laid out, the only thing left was the game to begin.“Zeve, I don’t like this at all. You are pregnant and even if everything goes according to your plan, it’s still dangerous because we don’t know what might happen when things actually start happening,” Amor said.I looked at Amor and smiled.“I have heard kids take after their parents. I want my child to be brave, and for that, I have to be braver today. I am going to be a mother