Celine“I-I am… I…” I started to say but I was at a loss for words, I quickly raised my hand to my face and wiped my tears away. “That doesn’t matter for now. What is more important is getting you out of here.”“Where are you taking me—“ she started but didn’t let her finish.I stood up straight and gestured for Kaiden to move closer to me. We helped her stand and though her limbs were weak from being unused, we could manage with it. She stumbled but Kaiden caught her and I steadied her, Kaiden looked away from us and towards the other coffin. “What about the other coffin?” He asked as he slightly nodded his head towards it. “It belongs to King Charles and he was the first alpha king. No one has dared to touch it for centuries.”My ears perked up at his words and I couldn’t help the curiosity that flickered inside me. “Let’s check it out,” I said as I looked away from him and stared back at my mother who was now standing by herself. “What if there is something important in there th
CelineI have been working as a slave maid for five years to earn redemption for a crime I never committed.At three p.m. today, my last shift ends, meaning I won’t have to be a slave anymore. My eyes landed on the clock, and I watched as it chimed three. At the same time, the invisible weight I had carried on my shoulders for the last five years was lifted. A tear slid down my cheek.“I’m free,” I whispered to myself as I got up from my spot on the floor. Today, I was going to see my parents when they came to get me. A smile widened on my lips again. I would get to see my mama again.“You still believe that they care about you?” my wolf spoke up and sighed.“They will come, Silver. You are so pessimistic. I may not be their real daughter, but I am still a part of their family.”When I was young, I never doubted who I was. I was the Alpha’s daughter. My parents loved me, and my brother protected me. I was their little girl in their arms, bringing them joy and happiness, until I failed
Celine The world tilted beneath my feet. “No… that’s not true,” I whispered, shaking my head. “They promised-” They promised to take me home after I was released from the palace. “They lied.” Sheila’s words cut me as sharp as a blade would. “They don’t care about you. They don’t even remember you exist. Honestly, you should thank me. At least now you know where you stand. On your knees, scrubbing floors. It suits you.” A tear slid from my eye. My parents lied about the service term. They were never going to get me after five years? “Please don’t do this to me. ” Sheila smirked, her eyes glinting with malice. “Oh, Celine, this is what you are good for. Now refill my cup, slave.” She sneered holding up her tea cup for me to fill. I sniffled back my tears as I took small steps to the chair she and Anya sat in, looking at me with hatred in their eyes. I didn't believe her words. Mother and father would never allow this. She probably brainwashed them like she did to Anya. The porcel
Kaiden After so many years, I stepped foot into my pack again. My mind link being set in place again. My men and I have been gone for so long, it felt good and warm to be at the pack again. Years ago, I wouldn’t have thought I would come to miss my kingdom, but after my brother and sister-in-law died, I had to take over, wear the heavy crown, and take care of my niece, who only had me. But due to the border rebellion from the nasty rogues, I had to leave her, too. And the minute I mind linked her that I was back to the pack, I could feel her excitement through the link. But something else caught my attention. As our pack tradition, when the king returned, the guards and maids lined up to welcome him. But that wasn’t what stole my attention. A maid, fallen on the ground, unmoving. The sight of her struck me like a bolt of lightning. Her soft features, the delicate curve of her neck, everything about her tugged at my instincts. My wolf stirred restlessly within me, a primal energy
Celine Shamefully, I ran away from the Alpha’s room like the coward that I was. I couldn’t recover from the look of disgust he gave me when I admitted to being a thief. His piercing gaze burned into my soul, making me feel smaller than ever under his stare. Why did I have to admit to being a slave? Would he have believed me if I had told him the truth about Sheila? My parents didn’t care for me, but why was I still helping them protect Sheila? I wiped away an angry tear that slid from my eye. I never thought my mate, not even the king, could be within these walls. But now, all hopes of finding a mate who would love me and cherish me had been dashed. My mate would rather die than accept me, a thief, as his queen. Approaching my sorry excuse for a room, I passed in front of the maids’ quarters... a huge room that all the maids lived in. They refused to let me live with them, casting me into a storage room infested with rats and insulting me every night I had to pass their room to get
Kaiden “How dare you run away from the pack that has been merciful to you despite what you’ve done?” I growled, my head roaring with anger, as I glared at the pair in front of me. How dare she run away? How dare he, a guard, help her escape? This infuriated me to no end as I watched them nervously shift under my gaze as they realized that they had been caught. “Kai- your highness…” Celine whispered, her gaze falling to the floor. “It’s not what you think-“ The guard pulled her behind him in a protective stance, and my gaze followed their enclosed hands. This caused my wolf to jump around in anger, begging for control so he could tear the little guard apart. “If you want to punish anyone, punish me. I am not sorry for doing this. She deserves so much better treatment than the treatment everyone in this kingdom has been giving her, especially your niece.” The guard all but spat in my face. A monstrous growl that would wake the whole kingdom tore through my lips. “How dare you talk t
Celine For the first time in a long time, I woke up on a soft bed, the warmth of the blankets cocooning me as a small smile tugged at my lips. I snuggled deeper into the comforter, savoring the softness, the safety, the quiet peace of the moment. But as my mind slowly began to clear, the memories of last night came rushing back, and my smile faltered. I sprang up, panic clawing at my chest as I realized where I was... Kaiden’s room. The events of the previous night came flooding back in vivid flashes. His eyes, burning with possessiveness. His kiss, was fierce and claiming. The sensation of being claimed, of being made his. Over and Over again. My face flushed with embarrassment, as I noticed the absence of Kaiden. The room was still, quiet, and yet there was a lingering tension in the air, as if his presence still held dominion over every inch of the space. I hastily wrapped the comforter around my naked body, suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable, despite being alone in this lar
Celine's POV My legs carried me as fast as they could, and I almost tripped a million times as tears blurred my vision as they flowed in streams. The minute I got into my room, I fell onto the floor and shook uncontrollably as I wailed. Could Anya be telling the truth? No, she couldn’t. It could just be a huge lie to pull Kaiden and me apart. But my chest throbbed with doubt. I was just a slave. Why would a king want me? If Anya wasn’t lying, why on earth would Kaiden make me vulnerable just to abandon me? Was I that worthless? Did last night mean nothing other than him getting pleasure from his useless maid? The thought of that caused me to sob harder. Everything hurt. But there were no answers on my room floor. I had to see for myself if I was just a tool to Kaiden, and the only way was going to do my duties as a maid at the party. Just then, my glance darted to my bed, where a flimsy black dress lay. It was the uniform of the day and every bit of it was designed to make the
Celine“I-I am… I…” I started to say but I was at a loss for words, I quickly raised my hand to my face and wiped my tears away. “That doesn’t matter for now. What is more important is getting you out of here.”“Where are you taking me—“ she started but didn’t let her finish.I stood up straight and gestured for Kaiden to move closer to me. We helped her stand and though her limbs were weak from being unused, we could manage with it. She stumbled but Kaiden caught her and I steadied her, Kaiden looked away from us and towards the other coffin. “What about the other coffin?” He asked as he slightly nodded his head towards it. “It belongs to King Charles and he was the first alpha king. No one has dared to touch it for centuries.”My ears perked up at his words and I couldn’t help the curiosity that flickered inside me. “Let’s check it out,” I said as I looked away from him and stared back at my mother who was now standing by herself. “What if there is something important in there th
CelineOut of nowhere two guards walked closer to us, their steps far and their boots silent against the rocky floor of the cave grounds. I was scared and I hid behind Kaiden almost immediately even though my mask was still hiding my face but my body was exposed from the torn parts of my clothes and I couldn’t risk it.The weight of everything that had been happening pressed heavily in my chest and I couldn’t wait to see all that was hidden beneath the surface of the cold and possibly cursed cave. Kaiden walked away from me and the guards stood at attention as he addressed them. I had no idea what they had discussed or the other he had given them but with a single wave of his hand, the guards bowed and turned away without a backward glance.He walked over to me and flashed me a bright smile. “I told them that I had important things to do here and being the one in charge of the key to the cages, they didn’t question it,” he said in a soft tone, slightly gesturing towards the inner are
Celine “So you have superpowers?” He asked as he couched an eyebrow at me. I shrugged in response. “I mean… it’s not like I can fly or anything but I can tell when something is wrong. I can feel the lies in someone’s words. Turn into a ghost and walk past people without being noticed and many more. It’s not what I expected but I was more than happy to discover them.”“That’s not fair,” he said under his breath, pretending to be angry and offended. “I only just got better at swordplay and being part of a team.”I laughed, really laughed, hard and aloud. Then he grinned like he hadn’t seen me smile in forever and he was happy to see me smile again. And honestly, he hadn’t. Then, the smile slowly faded from his face and his voice became quiet once again. “Anya. What really happened between the both of you…”I nodded as I let out another sigh for the umpteenth time. “Like I told you, I have powers that I didn’t understand then and that time she put my life at risk so the soldier that
CelineThe sun was starting to set and starts were beginning to litter across the night sky. Kaiden hadn’t let go of my hand ever since we sat down on the blanket he had placed on the rooftop. And I didn’t want him to, not yet. Maybe not ever. He kept stealing glances at me like he couldn’t belive that I was real or even alive. Maybe I couldn’t either. After everything that had happened, being here together in the quiet after the raging storm felt like I was waking up from a nightmare and walking into something that felt peaceful and out me at ease. I still couldn’t believe that not only had Kaiden sent the dress to me, he had also planned out a picnic for us to bond and talk. I owed him the truth. All of it without holding any bit of information back. “I hve to tell you everything now,” I finally spoke up, my voice that was barely above a whisper slicing through the quiet and silent night air. “No more lies or hiding.”His hand tightened around mine, squeezing it reassuringly. “I
Kaiden“Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear what I was saying?” Lucan barked. I didn’t listen to him, I couldn’t hear him over my raging anger. “Let’s go,” I said as I turned to Celine, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her towards the door. I paid no attention to him, not his bedding, not his cursing nor the malicious words he spat out as we walked out of his room. Nothing mattered to me except the woman whose hands shook in mine. Her breath was coming out in soft shallow gasps and the beautiful mask on her face was out of place with her dress torn. Seeing her so silent and shaky broke my heart into a million pieces. Lina. Celine. She was real. Alive and in my hands. And I had almost lost her again to the stupid man. I barely knew where I was headed nor did I notice the staircase that we stepped on as I led upward—past the chambers set aside for kings and alpha, the meeting halls and through a hidden door that no one else but me knew existed. It was a shortcut I had used to esc
Celine I ran away from the ballroom breathlessly, bumping into anyone who stood my way as I turned the corridors, wanting to get as far away as Kaiden as I could. “I’ve always loved you and had hoped you were still out there…”His words echoed in my head and no matter how much I tried to stop it, it didn’t. My heart was pounding and I was terrified, Kaiden knew. He had known all along even when I had tried my best to hide it. And worse than that was the realization that the time that I thought I had was slipping out of my hands. Stop! Focus Celine, you have to get the key before we’re exposed, the tiny voice at the back of my head echoed. I stopped running, my heart was still racing as I tried to catch my breath. I had run as far away as I could and I needed to remain level headed and calm for the next step in my plan. There was absolutely no reason for me to barge into Lucan’s room out of breath and anxious, he would definitely think something was up and I couldn’t risk it. I
KaidenCeline and I glided across the dance floor, we were in sync like we were born to do this. We fit perfectly and I couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she looked in the dress I had picked just for her. I knew she might have been wondering who had sent her the dress but I could tell realization had dawned on her and she knew who it was when she set her eyes on me. I felt a strange sense of tranquility settle over me. For the first time in months, I felt complete and I felt at peace. The music played on and we kept dancing but I didn’t want the night to end, hell I didn’t want to stop dancing with her. There was something about the way she moved and the way her finger trembled slightly in mine. It made my chest ache, not from pain but from joy and familiarity. I had underestimated just how much I had missed her and now that I had her back in my arms, I didn’t want to let go. Not for anything. Her fingers slightly trembled in my hands and my chest ached with familiarity. I
CelineI walked into the grand halls, my steps were light but filled with purpose. The room was decorated beautifully and as I stepped further into the room, the light radiating from the chandelier caught into the sun themed design of my dress. It was golden, amber and radiant and I couldn’t help but admire the intricate designs of the gown. I felt and looked both elegant and powerful. I was unrecognizable, even to myself and if I couldn’t recognize myself then no one would. Focus on finding Lucan and not admiring yourself, a tiny voice at the back of my mind said, reminding me of what I was truly there for. I couldn’t help but feel nervous as I went over my plan of seducing Lucan, getting every information about the key and cage from him and then going to release my mother so we could escape. But despite my anxiety, I was determined to follow through with my plan. Letting out a deep breath, I walked to the corner of the room and my eyes started scanning the length of the room. It
CelineIt was finally time for the ball. I was standing in front of the mirror, staring at myself while I adjusted the final touches on my dress for the ball. The dress was elegant and it fit me perfectly which only made me wonder who had sent it. Who could have known my perfect size and just what I liked?When I had left Kaiden’s room, I had gone to the kitchen and grabbed something to snack on with water, placed them carefully in a basket and made my way to my room, not bothering to look back as I took quick steps. My mind came back to the present and I turned to look at Sybil who was staring at me with anything but malice for the first time since I had met her. She knew she was at my mercy and I would punish her if she acted out but what she didn’t really know was that I was merely threatening her and I would never bring myself to hurting her.I walked over to her, looking at her as gently as I could, trying to make her calm down but it was futile. I leaned forward and placed my