Chapter 64SheilaKaiden going rabid was not in my deck of cards, but that was not my worry. I did not even care for that, as I fought to contain my joy.But I couldn't show it right now, not when everyone was here, trying to make sure I was okay and safe.“The king has gone mad with grief.” Lord Vaughn sighed as he ran a hand on his face. “We cannot hide this from the whole kingdom. They already knew Something was going on with the guards rushing to and fro the past few days. They will start to ask questions and–”“Is that all you care about? The King’s reputation? He lost his mate and heir and the first thing you mention is that crap?” Damon interrupted Lord Vaughn, his eyes blazing with anger.Lord Vaughn’s face reddened. “No, not at all, Beta. What I am trying to say is–”“No one gives a shit what you want to say or what you feel you mean. I do not want to hear any reputation shit from you or any other council member until the king is fine. Tell the kingdom whatever you want to te
SheilaI wished I could save the memory of the blood on his face draining so I could watch it on a loop."You’re lying," he ground out, his voice scratchy and filled with hatred. "You always lie."A chuckle left my lips as I watched him desperately try to act like he wasn't scared that I was telling the truth."Oh, but this time, I'm not," I cooed, my fingers lightly trailing over the cold iron bars separating us. "Ask anyone. She’s gone. Kaiden lost his mate and heir in one fell swoop. " I let my smirk widen. "You should know, Neil, I always win."Neil stiffened, his eyes widening as he realized I was not lying. He stood to his feet and rushed towards me, his eyes blazing with anger.“You are lying. No, I mean no one, is that evil!” he yelled, pulling violently on his chain. “You deserve to die!” Mirena stepped forward, stretching out her hand to push me behind her to protect me, and her other hand outstretched.“I could cause you unimaginable pain if you do not step back this insta
[pChapter 66KaidenI didn't know how long I spent at the edge of the cliff, frozen and cold, unsure how to survive after everything I had lost. It was almost pointless to live when everything worth living for was gone. I lost count of the number of hours I spent at the edge, numb and unfeeling, staring into the abyss below, imagining how it must have felt in their final moments.A child born into this world just to be painfully taken away from it. I just knew she did everything to protect him. I wish she didn't run… I wish she didn't back me into a corner with the circumstances of Anya’s death, never fully telling me the truth.I wish she trusted me.No, I would never know what happened to Anya, or why she refused to admit she killed her, or how she killed her without a weapon. I wished I knew why doubted Celine could murder Anya. I wish I was more careful. If I was, my mate wouldn't have been taken from under my very nose. I always let everyone down, and I hated myself for that. I
Celine A gasp left my lips as I jolted awake, scrambling up from the bed I lay on in shock. I took in oxygen greedily, my throat scratchy from the dryness. My heart pounded wildly against my ribs, my body trembling from something I couldn’t yet understand.Where was I? I couldn't recognize the room I lay in. It looked like a room in the palace, but far nicer.My eyes widened as the realization set in that I was in a strange place, the last thing in my memory being the Dark soldier saving us, then opening a porta beneath my feet, and then.. a wild gasp left my lips as I shot up to my feet.My Arienne was no longer in my arms. Panic bloomed wildly in my chest I scored the whole room, my body trembling.“My baby. Someone took my baby!” I cried as I ran to the door, but before I could yank it open, it opened from outside and three women in uniform entered, their eyes wide with shock, and Arienne in one of their arms.“Your Highness! We didn't know you would wake up so early–” I didn't
Chapter 68CelineBridgette and Evelyn led me toward a private door to a bathing chamber, the air inside filled with the scent of lavender and honey. A grand bathtub stood at the center, steam rising from the water in iit It was the most luxurious thing I’d ever seen, the tub plated with gold and marked with markings.“You don’t have to worry, my lady,” Evelyn placed an assuring hand on me, as she sensed my hesitation. “The water here does not burn. It soothes, restores, and replenishes your strength.”I swallowed and nodded, stepping forward. As if they had rehearsed it a thousand times, Bridgette and Penny helped me remove the tattered remains of my dress, their hands gentle and soft I was too exhausted to feel embarrassment. Instead, I focused on the warmth that seeped into my bones when I sank into the water.For the first time in what felt like years, I let myself breathe. No running. No suffering… Just peace.I felt Evelyn put fragrant oils into my hair, her touch so careful it
CelineMy heart pounded loudly in my ears as I stared at The king in shock, unsure if I heard his words right. “What… what do you mean?” I stammered, my words jumbling together.He pulled away, gesturing for the seat beside his chair, “Please sit closer to me, Celine. We have a lot to talk about, many things that wouldn't make sense, but at least you would finally understand the truth about yourself and why you are different from others.”He sat at the edge of the table and stared at me as he waited for me to take my seat, but I was frozen in place, confused, and utterly lost.“Celine?” The king called out, knocking me out of my reverie. “Please, let me explain better. I know you are shocked.”I shakily took my seat, the food turning unappetizing despite the growling of the creature called my stomach. Just yesterday an actual creature was in it, but today, I felt almost no pain. It didn't make sense. And this man who was currently staring at me with concern in his eyes was the answer
CelineThe question had been one I wanted to ask since the beginning of the story and as I guessed, was more complicated than I could even Imagine.Hades sighed, rubbing his temple. "I never left willingly, Celine. By the gods, I tried. But Rosalind knew the dangers. She made me promise to stay away, to let her raise you as a werewolf. She believed it would keep you safe. And she was right. If anyone had known the truth about you..."His fingers curled into a fist, his jaw tightening. "You would have been hunted, Celine. Not just by gods, but by creatures who despise the balance between life and death. Creatures who would see you as an abomination, an error of existence that needed to be erased. I couldn’t risk it."I bit my lip, my thoughts spiraling. "But something changed, didn’t it? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be telling me all of this now."He nodded, his expression grave. "Yes. The veil of protection I put off you shattered, and Celeste, the moon goddess, found Rosalind. She was fur
CelineMeeting my biological father, the literal king of the underworld was nothing like I thought it would be. The bright side is that I knew why he gave me up, and I have closure on it. He sacrificed being in my life just to keep me safe. But on the other hand, I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he watched Rosalind, my mum, kill herself and do nothing about it. Did they not say love is sacrifice? Could the king of the underworld not risk chaos in the whole of Olympia, just to save the woman he loved from killing herself and putting me in that horrid family?But was it not also love, to sacrifice one love for another love? Was it not love when I sacrificed staying and convincing Kaiden to choose to love me instead of honoring his sister? Was it not love when I struggled to protect him from ultimately building resentment up in himself for himself?Was it not love when Niel sacrificed his and Mika’s safety just for my freedom?Was that not the point of it?I pushed the thoug
CelineThe cold was gripping and goosebumps had spread all over my body from how wet I was as we burst out of the cave and made it to the opening. My gasps were swallowed by the amount of water that was crashing into the cave around us. Kaiden’s hand was tightly wrapped around my waist as he held both me and my mother above the raging water as we fought to get to the edge of the hidden passage that had led us into the underwater cave. We had only barely made it out. I looked down at my mother—the woman who had gone against all odds to have me and had risked her life just so I could be protected. She was no unconscious in my arms from the exhaustion of running after only just waking up. Her dark hair was soaked and it clung to her face and I couldn’t help but stare at her and acknowledge just how beautiful she was. I had never thought I would meet my mother or a woman who truly loved me but now, having her in my arms was the best thing ever. “Hold her,” I said as my lips trembled,
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