Dorian's POVThis couldn't be possible. No one was that careless to forget their own birthday. Even if it was possible, it couldn’t be Stacie. Birthdays were a big deal for her, and she always chose a theme for her birthday months ahead.What on earth was going on here? What was I reading? I looked at the diary over and over again, but the words were written in clear black ink on brilliant white paper. There were no mistakes. The handwriting was crystal clear.I grabbed the picture, diary, and tax documents and headed to my room as fast as I could. Something wasn't right, and I was going to get to the bottom of it, even if that was the last thing I did. I got to my room, slammed the door firmly behind me, and walked to my calendar that hung on the wall.Was it even her 16th birthday that this happened? I checked for everything that I could possibly think of, but there were no mistakes. In the diary, it was written that April bullied her on her 16th birthday and that she left her outsi
Chapter 79April's POV I woke up the next day and rubbed my eyes sleepily. I had had the weirdest dream about Dorian that he was holding me close and caressing my face as if he was my long lost lover. It felt so real. I could hear his soft voice whispering in my ears, and he told me how much he loved me and wanted me.I shook my head and cleared my mind of the thoughts. Dorian didn't love me. He was selfish and cruel. It was just a dream; none of it was real. I stroked my neck and found out that the stinging had disappeared, and I was feeling much better. What had happened last night? I looked around the room to find Azura and caught sight of her sleeping on the couch at the far end of the room. She seemed to be very comfy, and from the way she lay down, I could tell that she had barely stirred the entire time, which was odd because I could have sworn that I felt her licking my neck while I slept. It was the only logical explanation for why my neck was wet. Maybe she did lick my
Dorian's POV Despite giving them all the necessary instructions, I hadn’t been to the infirmary since the attack, and I was startled by the number of casualties that were there. The tent for the makeshift infirmary had been erected, and it was buzzing with activity. Nurses, doctors, and volunteers were rushing around, trying to give as much aid as possible to the sick and injured.The whole tent smelled strongly of disinfectants, and stretchers lined every wing, with dozens of people standing beside the beds of their loved ones as they received treatment. If this was what the tent looked like, then I could only imagine the situation inside the infirmary. I sighed deeply and shook my head. Ivar stood beside me, and we both continued to watch the buzz of activity."This is worse than we thought," Ivar said solemnly. "What's your next course of action going to be?"Before I could answer, I caught sight of April rushing around the infirmary, helping the nurses with stitching injuries a
April's POV I had dashed away and hid from Dorian and his glare. From my hiding spot, close to the door of the West Wing, I could see Ivar and Dorian talking.A shiver ran down my spine, and I began to panic. Maybe he was telling Ivar to find me and bring me to him so that he could do whatever despicable things he had in his mind to me.However, after the talk, Dorian walked away. I was stunned, and I slowly crept out of my hiding spot. What was going on? Why did he leave?Unconsciously, my hand went to my neck, and I felt the bruise. There was no way I could have healed so fast. Did Dorian do something about my neck? Was he the one that..?No.I shook my head and dismissed the thoughts. It wasn't even feasible. He hated me; why would he even care to do anything about my injury? He was the one who had caused it, and I could still remember the glaring anger in his eyes when he grabbed my neck."April?"Hearing my name startled me, and I jumped in fright, and my thoughts went down the
April's POV “What on earth is going on? Why is my father's room locked?”I tried the handle again, but it was hopeless. It was firmly shut. It only made me wonder why it was locked. No one has been here since he died. Who would want to lock it now?I exhaled, but a smile crept on my face. It didn't matter. I was going to get in one way or another. It was probably Dorian that had the room locked so that I couldn't go in. I dashed to my room and tore my drawer open.“Where is it? Where is it?"I searched the contents frantically for a while. Each second I wasted narrowed my window for looking for the pictures.Luckily, I found it and held it up to my eyes. I had planned for something like this in case I was ever locked out of Dad's room; I had taken one of the keys to his room. My smile came back and was wider than before.If Dorian really thought he could lock me out of my father's room, he had another thing coming. I hurried back to his room and jiggled the key in the lock for a wh
Dorian's POVIt didn't take long before I reached the Royal City. I could see the tall and magnificent buildings and a golden one that towered above the rest. It didn't take a genius to know that that was the Royal Palace.As I approached the boundary of the Royal City, I was stopped by a few of the royal soldiers who questioned me on who I was and what my business was in the Royal City.Since they could sense that I was from a pack under the Empire, I gave them a random excuse of coming to trade and was granted entry easily. Although I could have gotten in by stating my identity, I didn’t want to expose myself yet. After all, Conrad was on my list of suspects regarding the attack.I gave the guards a polite nod and went on my way with a small smile on my face. If this was the type of security the Royal city had, and the rogues decided to strike them, I doubt they would put up a good resistance.I shook my head, continued to drive, and headed straight for the palace. All the administr
April's POVI began to search Dorian's room carefully. I made a mental note to put everything back the way they were. I couldn't risk him knowing that I had been here. I could only imagine how angry he would be if he found me snooping around his things.However, after a few minutes of searching, I began to lose hope. I checked his drawer and shelf but couldn't find any pictures.I checked his wardrobe as well, and my heart swelled in excitement, but it all soon came crashing down in an instant.I found three pictures, but they didn't have Stacie in them. They were pictures of Dorian and I. I looked at pictures and remembered the good days I had with Dorian. I wanted to cry all over again, but I stopped myself and pushed back the tears. I had to find these pictures, and I had to find them fast. If there were pictures lying carelessly in here, then there had to be more. I continued to search a little more rigorously. I did find more pictures, but they were either pictures of Dorian,
April's POVMy brows furrowed as my chest tightened, and Lyra whimpered softly. Something was wrong with Dorian. I quickly arranged his room, put the pictures back and rushed out of the house as fast as I could.It was actually quite late, and he wasn't back yet. It was past 5:00 pm, and his car was still not in the compound.“Where could he be? Why wasn't he home?" I decided to go to his office and check on him. Even if I could see his car parked outside, I would know that he was okay.I walked as fast as I could down the street and looked around me frantically to check if I could see him on the road, maybe talking to someone or heading back home, but I saw nothing.The uneasiness continued to dominate my heart and mind, and I felt even more scared. I felt this darkness looming, and it felt worse and scarier with every passing minute.It took a while, but I soon made it to Dorian's office. My heart sank even further; his car wasn't parked outside. What was going on?Maybe he was in