Priam leads me into the forests. A million possibilities fly around in my head. What if he’s lying about Alizadeh and this is just a plan to have me killed? He could kill me right now and bury my body in these woods, but he would never get away with it. As scary as Lyros is, he’s also capable. I saw that in the house of the Lycan King beyond the border. Images from that time flash past my eyes and I see him once again, on the phone, a smile on his face as he speaks to someone. Things were bad at that time but not as bad as they were now. “Watch the snake.” My blood freezes over and my stop is instantaneous. I have a foot raised and beneath it, slithering ever closer, is a creature that makes my breath catch. It almost makes me suffocate at the same time. There are snakes in these woods? “You can keep on walking. She won’t bite.” SHE. Priam knows this reptile on a personal level. I don’t know if I’m to cling closer to him because of that or flee as fast as I can. “How many p
King Alizadeh proves to be useful over the next few days. To begin with, he’s one person Lyros doesn’t look like he can hurt. It strikes me as odd, the fact that these people are actual kings and it seems to have eluded me at some point, but I remember it fully now. They rule kingdoms and have subjects loyal to them. I don’t know how strong the loyalty in Lyros’s kingdom runs, but I believe it’s just enough that he doesn’t flip out when I keep on spending time with Alizadeh. The other king doesn’t seem to mind either. If anything I feel he’s going along with it, as some form of revenge against Lyros. The reason for that should be Cain, and I believe it is, yet I feel there’s an angle to all this I'm not seeing. Cain doesn’t come to train me for the next four days and when I ask Lyros about it, he tells me to my face it’s because of me. According to him, Cain is being punished for seeing me. Cain should have chased me away. He should have plucked his eyeballs out if it meant h
The King and I engage in a stare off and I can see the surprise in his eyes.“Why do you think I would do that?”“It seemed you had a moment ago.” When his frown deepens I decide to stop with the attack and tow a more friendly path “If you have, I’m not calling you out on it because I’m angry about it. This wouldn’t be the first time it’s happening so don’t beat yourself up on my account.”King Alizadeh of Blessed Sight furrows his brows and my heart skips a beat.Four days with him have made me know that is never a good sign.“What’s wrong? Is something happening?”Experience should tell me even if anything was, he would probably just shake his head and tell me all is well while he walks off to deal with whatever it is that’s wrong. But it doesn’t stop my pulse from racing and my heart from hammering into my chest.Has…. Lyros finally snapped?“You’re beginning to act more like him.”I feel my anxiety drop in the most anticlimactic way ever and I cock a confused eyebrow up at the Lyc
I hiss at the red burn I now have on my hand and direct a silent glare at my instructor.Alizadeh looks perfectly at peace with himself. Despite the fact that he may or may not have just used the sun to burn me.His voice is calm when he speaks.“Imagine your mind as an infinite space.” With gritted teeth and a still slightly angry-pissed heart, I do as he says but instead of closing my eyes, I keep them open.My parents were disappointed when they found out I was of the omega rank, and even then I wasn't a pure omega. I haven’t gone into heat once in my life, I don't have a wolf because having one who never shows up doesn’t count. I have no speed or supernatural strength.I have nothing that is an asset to parents who wanted a fierce daughter to carry out their plans of domination by marrying into a stronger pack and killing off her husband so her father could swoop in and take over.The only way my father would think I could accomplish that was by selling my body out to those men,
“Are you sure she’s doing it on purpose?”I look at Rafie and see his form leaning against the window, his face to his kingdom.The anger that boils in my blood is hot and potent and my fist clenches at how he sounds so unconcerned.I hate to say it, but he’s right to be unconcerned. People of our caliber don’t fall in love after losing it. I shouldn’t be annoyed at the fact that I can't read Adelaide’s mind anymore. I shouldn’t be pissed at the fact that she refuses to talk to me and now has cut off the only route I can take to know what she’s thinking.I should be angry at the fact that she thinks she can hide her thoughts from me, the lowly werewolf that she is.I shouldn’t feel angry at the fact that she’s hiding her thoughts by thinking about Cain all the time.When she came to the room last night, it was Cain.In her sleep, it was Cain.There was a brief moment when she was dazed this morning, but that only lasted for a moment. She looked to the side and saw me facing her, her
My heart twists when I hear Lyros’s words. It’s not exactly the words he uses but it’s more the tone. Lord Lyros sounds a touch broken, no, he could never be broken. He’s just masking his annoyance with this act. Considering the fact that he has me backed up against a wall, my neck in his hand, and my heart pounding an erratic beat in my chest, he doesn’t seem broken. He’s annoyed, and as I realize that, pleasure flows through me. My mental wall is still up. It’s been barely two days since Alizadeh taught me how to create one yet I've done much with it. I took the initiative to create the strongest wall I could, but instead of just guarding my thoughts, this wall has one other purpose. I meet Lyros’s eyes and my gaze is defiant as I look at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Lord Lyros.” Lyros’s grip around my neck tightens just a bare inch, but it’s enough for me to feel the lack of oxygen gradually ensuing. Lyros stares at me and his face contorts between two emot
It’s hard to believe what I'm hearing so I do my best to keep a straight face and appear unaffected. I can see this for what it is.Lyros doesn’t do anything from the goodness of his heart, he isn’t being benevolent by doing this, this is a business deal. He’s giving me something I want because there’s also something he wants. We lock gazes and I prepare myself for his request. It could be anything.He could ask me not to see Cain anymore or spend all my days with him. I’ll find a way out of it if I need to, but that might also be at the risk of Cain being hurt again and I don't want that.“Two kisses.”The wheels in my head come to an abrupt halt and it’s so sudden that I stare at him for a full minute, totally lost.Lyros smirks and he nods. “Two kisses, Adelaide. A small price to pay for me releasing Cain. I will decide when and where these will happen and if you agree, I’ll leave you to focus on your mission here,”The mission HE sent me on.Is he causing all these problems so
The doors to the dungeons open up with a creak and my body tenses.I feel feverish.I have ever since the day Adelaide came and hallucinations are just one part of it. My head hurts, my heart spins, my stomach roils and I have retched so much that it stinks now that it’s dried.Rafie’s dungeons have panels of silver lined into them, pure unrefined silver alchemized to hold just a touch of wolfbane.Wolfbane is a lethal poison to most werewolves, and silver doesn’t help either. Together, they can keep a full Lycan at the brink of a near-death sickness.Their body will react so violently to the effects of the combined elements and it leads to blood convulsions when exposed to weak wolves.The strongest Lycan might encounter madness when exposed.The protective platings must have been pulled off on just a small section after Adelaide visited.Adelaide is a constant thought in my mind and I think she’s one of the reasons I haven't gone mad yet.I always imagine that she’s with me, free a
Cain grabs onto my waist and kisses me, hauling me up and plastering me against him. His voice is a rough husk in my ear as he whispers “You did it, Adelaide.” Tears run down my eyes and he hugs me, holding my body to his as I sob into his chest. I don’t think I'd believe what just happened if someone told me it would a few months ago. All I wanted was to be free and run off to hell knows where, but I'm glad for what I did. Now I know I have parents, parents who loved me and a mother who would have done anything for me. I’m not just the pack omega destined to be maltreated and beaten for all of her life. The suffering I went through changed me. It gave me tougher skin and with the power of my heritage… I've just won back my kingdom. Freedom is mine if I want it. Freedom, and power, and love, if I want any of it, and all of it, and I do. I really do. I kiss Cain again, just to cement the fact that we are a thing now. We’re more than a thing. I’m wearing his ring. He’s as much
Lyros is no longer the all-powerful Lycan lording his majesty over the weak populace. We are powerful in our own right now.And in the face of real power, the Lycan king can only do one thing, cower, like a coward.Lyros attempts to run but almost like he knows it’s futile there’s no spirit in it. Lycan speed might have given him a chance, but running was just one final way of making a dash for his life.I flash and slam Lyros with my sword, the blade slapping the side of his face and drawing blood as he tumbles to the ground. I lean down and whisper close to his ear,“I don’t intend to kill you Lord Lyros.”I feel his heartbeat intensify as my words graze his ears but I continue confidently, “I intend to make you pay for all you’ve done. For the young girls you plucked from weak werewolf packs, only to kill them after torturing them, their dreams ended and hopes cut short because of your wickedness. I intend to make you pay for the cities you’ve attacked, the people you have killed,
I rip through the fabric of space as I burn.I feel the Lycan’s flame coursing through my being and it sets me on fire with the force of a supernova. I feel the strength of a thousand stars in me. The flames lick at my dress, burning it short and tattered, turning me into a version these men see, but which they don’t see at all.I wonder how many times Lyros has looked at me and seen nothing but skin. Nothing but clothes in pieces, flesh for the taking, a body to be claimed, and a mind to have fun with.I wonder how many times he’s seen skin and ignored the fire that rages in my heart. Ignored the love I have for the simple things. Ignored the fact that I am more than just skin and flesh, that I am heart and brains and emotion. That I am not his plaything.I am a Queen, and this Kingdom is mine.I kill the King beyond the border first. The battle with him takes less than an hour.In my hand is a sword hot as flame and solid as diamond. Rafie attacks me next so I slay him too.Raymel
We all stand in wait for her.Me, Rafie, Alizadeh, and Galan, all four Lycan kings, we wait for a weak omega female and something hollow rings in my chest. It was stupid to think I could find love.Even before the truth of Elara’s betrayal was revealed to me, I already knew. I already knew something was wrong with my heart and that I couldn't love properly anymore.I should have left it out of the cards, left love to those foolish enough to crave it but instead, I had to go ahead and try to keep her. Adelaide made me imagine something hot and exciting between us, something fiery and passionate, but at the end of the day, she’s expendable.She’s always been. Only I matter.A kingdom rests on my shoulders.“Is she on her way?”Rafie’s voice grates against my nerves but I nod. I’m not angry at him anymore. He’s doing what I didn't have the strength to do.Galan chortles where he stands and I feel my hands clench. I should kill him for using his trickster magic on me, but he saved my life
“How sweet.”Cain’s hand stops immediately and my foggy brain can’t even make sense of what’s happening. Has Cain taken me to the point of release this morning? Yes.I’m worried I might be a horndog.I turn to see Safira leaning on the doorframe. Her dress is so pretty, it drapes over her body like liquid and damn, I almost forgot how pretty she was.She smirks as her eyes meet mine, “Should I leave?” Cain answers sweetly before I can and his reply makes me chuckle. He goes “Yes please.”Safira’s hand twitches and a pillow launches itself at the back of Cain’s head. I let it hit and burst into subdued chuckles when he lets out a slight “oof.”Safirs sighs and shakes her head “You have a meeting in like six minutes. Will you be down?”Cain smirks lazily and shrugs. Safira’s gaze darts to me and she fixes me with an inquisitive stare, “Will he be down?”I nod because despite how much I want him to stay with me and kiss me silly, he’s already explained to me how things are here.He has
Diane visits me one last time in my dreams. She smiles at me and though my heart breaks, I smile back at her.I know this is the end. This is the last time I will see her, and as we stand on the sandy beach, our eyes locked on each other and the resemblance undeniable, I let her embrace me as a mother would her child, and I cry so bad my heart feels like it’s going to break.Diane kisses my forehead and wipes my tears, “You’re stronger than your pain my love. You know that right?”I want to nod. I desperately want to nod. The moment I saw Cain, the reality of what had happened to me seemed to come crashing down on me. The moment I saw Lyros instead of him, saw flashes of me and him behind my closed eyes each time I blinked….. How do I live with that?How do I live with the knowledge of all the things I did with the man I hate? A man who used me?I wish I could forget.“This is fire Adelaide,” I clutch Diane closer as she pats my hair down, tears still streaming down my cheeks “Like g
Anger makes my teeth crack as Adelaide asks me a question. She looks up at me, uncertainty in her eyes, her expression scared and bleak.“Would you still love me, if I showed you what Lyros and I have been doing these past few months?”Something threatens to snap in me but I know what this is.I’ve seen this before. I’ve done this once.I nod and Adelaide’s shoulders shudder. I can see how fervently she’s trying to control herself. How ferociously she’s attacking the emotions that are surging forth.Something’s happened, and when I ask her, she tells me everything.Trapped in a memory chain of the Lycan King’s making for three months, her magic being the thing he used to fuel that spell, Lyros turned her magic into her trap, and then she tells me what the memories were about. Entire years' worth of memories of her waiting for him patiently in the fortress.Memories of how he saved her from her pack and brought her to a better life in his care, Memories of how she became his personal p
Cain and Safira comfort me and tell me it’s okay. I can feel Cain’s concern for me like eyes at the back of my head.He’s always staring at me. He looks at me with such intensity that I feel all the things in my stomach churn and my thoughts go filthy. Memories flash past my eyes each time I close them.Memories of me and him in this world.Memories of me and him in a cave, happy sated smiles on our faces and our bodies totally unclad. We’re nude, and we’re comfortable.I see memories of deep and easy loving. Love that took me to the peak of pleasure, and threw me off the edge of my climax, again, and again, and again.My body begins to warm and Safira hits me on the arm, “For skies’ sake, Focus Adelaide. Are you sure you’re okay?”I turn to her and at the sight of familiar deeply tan skin and obsidian black eyes, a smile lights up my face. “I haven’t spent a day here and I’m already being mothered.”Safira grins and chuckles at that, and I feel light in my heart.She and Cain give
My heart melts with each passing moment i listen to Cain’s words and I almost can’t believe this is happening.My mind tells me if I blink he’ll go away, so I keep my eyes wide open, and I stare at him. I know it’s real when he stares at me in that same way.The lines of Cain’s face look new to me now. His warmth feels so familiar yet so alien. There’s an air around him that I can’t place, but I love every bit of it.I love it the way I love him, and when he leans in to kiss me again, I can feel the desperation in his touch. He’s as scared of me leaving as I am of him not being real in this moment. Finding him shouldn’t be this easy.It shouldn’t have been this easy, yet it was and I can’t seem to believe that.A sudden scream makes me cling to him like a frightened puppy until my brain realizes i know that voice.I know the texture of that squeall. I’ve heard that feminine tilt before.Safira’s scent invades my senses immediately and a warm body plasters itself to mine. She’s sobbing