Kira lay on the ground, her chest pressed against the dirt. She tried taking deep breaths, and each breath she took was a struggle that sent sharp pain through her ribs."F*ck," she said to herself but inwardly. She was even surprised she was able to still think. Blood dripped slowly from her split lip, pooling at the corner of her mouth and staining the ground beneath her. She remained on the ground, arms sprawled out beside her and unmoving, except for her chest rising. This was definitely not what she had envisioned. Kira squeezed her eyes shut, and tightened her lips as if trying to hold back from crying out in pain. She already felt embarrassed and defeated, that would just make her feel much worse.She let out a soft groan, her voice low and filled with hurt. Her fingers twitched slightly as she tried to see if she could get up on her hand at least, but she didn't have much strength to push herself up. She didn't have any strength at all, and she hated how weak she felt.Wo
Elara, seated near her sons, was already worried about Kira, her concern showing all over her face. She shifted in her seat, leaning in slightly as her gaze moved from the battlefield to her sons.Leaning closer to Bryan, she lowered her voice to a whisper, not wanting others to overhear. "Will you intervene and call off the fight? It is not looking good for Kira," she said, her tone filled with worry.She looked back at the field, seeing how Kira was held like a rag doll by that hair and her hands tightened slightly in her lap, "It really is not looking good, Bryan."Without turning his head, Bryan answered in a low voice, that was very much calm. "It is not supposed to look good. It is a fair fight, Mother. No one leaves until one has submitted or been knocked out. And from the looks of things, neither has happened yet.""But Kira is down," Elara pressed, her voice dropping even lower and sounding more urgent. "This would save her from much more embarrassment or pain," she added, he
Kira's cold gaze locked onto Tahila's, her lips parted slowly as if she was savoring the power in her words. Her eyes bore into Tahila's and the crowd held its breath, every eye on the two women.Before Tahila could react, Kira tightened her grip on Tahila's fist, her fingers locking firmly around it and as Tahila tried to pull away, Kira held her fist tighter, her grip stronger than ever.Unexpectedly, Kira then pushed Tahila off her with so much force that Tahila was sent flying to the other side of the field. Tahila's body slammed into the ground, dirt kicked up around her as she skidded to a halt.Kira got up slowly, placing one hand firmly on the ground before pushing herself up to her knees. Her other hand followed, steadying herself as she rose. Soon, her posture was straightened, her shoulders back and her chin lifted."Go, Luna!" Kira heard someone yell, their voice breaking through the noise of pack members talking, gasping, murmuring and so on.Another gasped, "This has got
The field, which was once silent, now roared with cheers as everyone clapped and cheered for Kira. The battle had indeed taken an unexpected turn.Kira slowly rose to her feet, brushed her hands together to clear the dirt before tilting her head to the side. Though she had won as Tahila had ended up unconscious, it was not over yet.She walked forward calmly toward Tahila, who lay unmoving on the ground. She stopped a few feet away from Tahila, looking at Tahila as so many thoughts crossed her mind. She then turned her head slightly toward a group of warriors who were standing nearby."Bring me a bucket of water," she ordered, her voice cutting through the cheers.The cheers started to falter as confusion swept through the crowd. The warrior who Kira had ordered didn't hesitate for a split second before he rushed to fulfill her command."What is happening?" Orion asked his sons, his curiosity at its peak.Bryan and Aiden exchanged knowing glances before turning to their father with id
Tahila knelt straight on the ground, her head lowered as she steadied herself, ready to face whatever punishment she would get for her actions.Without hesitation, Kira closed the distance between them. She stopped in front of Tahila, reached down and gripped Tahila's chin tightly, forcing Tahila's head up.Tahila flinched slightly, but did not resist. She may have had so much pride earlier, but at that moment, she was more worried about her life. She continued to stare into Kira's cold, angry eyes, not averting her gaze."You don't fight back now, do you?" Kira asked, her tone icy as she tightened her grip on Tahila's chin, making it clear who held the power."I am not the same Kira Valen you know or have heard of whatsoever," Kira declared, her voice low and filled with authority as her fingers pressed harder into Tahila's jaw. She was going to make sure every word sunk in. "You will respect me and keep my family's name out of your mouth. I demand respect, and I will get it."Then s
Kira bit down on her bottom lip, stifling the laugh that threatened to spill out. "Of course, he was," she thought sarcastically. Her eyes remained closed, and her face didn't betray how she felt inside although, the corners of her mouth almost did as it kept twitching upward."I swear, you enjoy this way too much," Bryan muttered, letting out an exaggerated sigh while shaking his head as he worked on her foot.Without opening her eyes, her lips curled into a soft smile. "Of course I do," she said, feeling victorious and her voice lilting with an amusement that was barely concealed. "I have got two strong Alphas as my personal masseurs. Who wouldn't enjoy this? I could get used to this."Bryan groaned, running a hand down his face dramatically. "You make us sound like servants," he muttered, though there was a smile on his face."Yeah," Aiden agreed with Bryan, grumbling from behind her as his thumbs pressed a little more firmly into her shoulders in playful revenge. "Servants get pa
Kira was standing by the bed, slipping into her silky nightdress when Bryan and Aiden rushed into the room, water dripping everywhere as they hurriedly moved towards her. They froze in their tracks momentarily, their gazes on her and how her nightdress clung to her curves.Noticing them, Kira raised a brow as she glanced at them. "You both better not be dripping water all over the floor," she said, crossing her arms.Caught off guard, Bryan and Aiden looked at each other sheepishly before turning and going back to the bathroom without a word. They muttered something under their breaths as they grabbed towels to dry off.Kira shook her head, laughing softly as she got on the bed. "Am I raising grown children now?" She asked herself, finding Bryan and Aiden's behaviors funny.Moments later, Bryan and Aiden returned. They had dried up and were now dressed in only loose night shorts. They found Kira already lying in bed on her back and her head on the soft pillow with her eyes closed as i
The night was peaceful, the room silent except for the faint sound of breathing. There was a faint glow of moonlight that filtered through the window as they slept.Kira was nestled between Bryan and Aiden, their chests rising and falling as they were all completely at peace. However, Kira's sleep was interrupted by the constant gentle taps on her shoulder.She stirred, groaning softly as her eyes fluttered open. "What is it?" she asked sleepily, turning to face Aiden, who had tapped her. "Mmm? What is it?" She asked again, her voice thick with sleep."Wake up, you have to go!" She heard him say, and immediately her gaze sharpened. She was fully awake now.There was this urgency in his voice, like something was going on, and it didn't take her a second to sit up."Aiden? What is it?" She asked, looking at him with worried eyes. "Are you okay?" But he didn't answer. Instead, his eyes twitched unnaturally and his face… there was something about his face. It contorted in a way that made
Lucinda raised her hand to blast Kira again, but even as she ran, Kira reached out with her mind and blocked it, but Lucinda was relentless.Immediately Kira blocked it, she tried to hit Kira again with as much force, not letting a second pass by, but Kira was fast and dodged it, using one hand to slam it down as she kept running.Soon, they were close, which was exactly what she wanted."You don't understand!" Lucinda screamed, her eyes wide and angry. "My sister deserves justice, and you are getting in the way of it.""This isn't justice," Kira shouted back. "You are not doing yourself; you're not doing anyone good by holding on to this pain! You need to stop!""You need to die," Lucinda said with so much detest and swirled her arms around, sending another wave of dark energy towards Kira, but Kira moved fast and sent hers back, their powers clashing midair and causing both of them to stumble backwards."You are trying to break the curse," Lucinda said angrily, her voice sharp. "I w
Saying that, Kira stood up slowly and closed the book, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of Lucinda's magic, just in case she had already located them and done something."The witch? Lucinda?" Aiden asked."Yes," Kira answered, giving a quick nod."Why is she here?" He inquired, the confusion clear on his face. "You haven't even started doing anything.""I'm not sure," Kira responded. "But like I said earlier… ulterior motives. I believe she knows I will still go ahead and try my best to break the curse, despite her warnings and threats. So I guess she's here to stop that from ever happening… Like forever.""Okay. Okay," Aiden took it in, already getting ready to spring into action. "I will get the warriors ready…""No," Kira quickly interrupts. "No. It's best if we don't do that. Tell everyone to stand down and stay in their homes. I will try to talk to her again, even though it will end up with us fighting.""Sending our warriors there," she explained. "Will get them all kille
Blinking once, then again, Kira saw that the place where Lucinda had been standing all along was now empty.She turned around in the room, wondering if Lucinda was still in the building, eyes searching, but the whole place was quiet with no sign of her."Seriously?" Kira said, raising her brows while staring at the empty space in disbelief. "How rude.""That is very rude," she muttered again to herself as she left the building, the way Lucinda had just left her standing there, still shocking and definitely rude."It's my fault, right?" She said as she got into her car and started the engine. "It's my fault for coming.""Can you imagine?" She spoke to herself some more as she tapped the steering wheel with her fingers, already forming a plan in her head, although it was a plan that was unrelated to Lucinda disappearing just like that."But it's fine," she muttered one last time and drove back home.Parking the car and stepping out of it as she reached back home, Kira looked around the
Once again, the silence fell heavily on them after Lucinda was done talking, and Kira closed her eyes for a little moment, taking in a deep breath and letting it all out.Her chest rose and fell slowly as she absorbed everything, right from the pain she saw in Lucinda's eyes, the loss, her bloodline, and everything else. She didn't rush to speak. Instead, she let the silence stretch a few more seconds as she grounded herself and also wanted to find a way to reason with Lucinda.After the few seconds passed, she opened her eyes, her gaze locked onto Lucinda's, who was currently watching her with a blank expression. As for Kira, her eyes had no anger, just calm, and a deep, aching empathy.She couldn't lie, she understood why Lucinda was doing what she was doing, but for Bryan and Aiden to suffer for it also didn't seem fair to them."I am truly sorry that you both had to go through all this," she started, her voice warm and gentle. "I know my words aren't enough to heal you from that
Kira's face, which initially had the expression that she had guessed right, twisted to shock and from shock to visible confusion, her brows drawing together and her eyes darting over Lucinda's form as though she was trying to put the pieces together.There was a long stretch of silence between them, which Kira broke as she asked a question slowly and unsure. "I don't understand. Her twin sister?""Yes," Lucinda answered simply, watching Kira's confused state.Kira gave a short, humorless smile, not one out of amusement, but the one that was more like one of those reactions when something becomes too complicated to make sense."Even though you are her twin sister," she said. "I still do not understand how you are here. What exactly is going on? And why are you here?""I know that you know the answer to that question, and what you are thinking is right," Lucinda confirmed. "This is my revenge for my sister."For a good three minutes, Kira didn't say anything and just stared. Then she
At the first light of dawn, Kira's eyes opened, and she got up from her bed.The night before, after leaving the living room, she had headed upstairs, but then remembered she had to go get her weapons, and so, she made a quiet detour and went out to go see her horse."Hey," she whispered as she brushed her hand along his mane, smiling gently while looking at him.Kai responded with a low grunt and nudged her shoulder, happy to see his rider.Tied to his saddle, was a dark leather roll—her weapons pack.A warhorse like Kai didn't just carry a rider; he was also trained to carry a small arsenal for her, and Kira was genuinely grateful that no one had touched her stuff, as she rubbed Kai's mane for a little longer before taking what she needed.The leather roll was fastened to the side of his saddle, just behind the stirrup. It contained her bag of knives, her quiver of arrows, and her sword.Kira unhooked them carefully, one by one, checking each with her hands in the dim, stable light.
Kira folded the small paper and slipped it into her trouser pocket before she took one last glance around the marketplace, which was now busy again.Everything and Everyone had returned to normal, and with nothing much to do there, she walked, leaving the place.The boutique door swung open, the chime sounding above as she stepped inside, her eyes looking for Elara, who she finally saw near a display of long coats, holding up a deep burgundy one and checking herself in the mirror."There you are!" Elara called when she turned at the sound of the door and saw that it was Kira. "I almost went looking for you," she said, half laughing and half worried.Kira smiled and walked toward her, leaning in as she gently pecked Elara's cheek, a soft, affectionate gesture."I'm sorry, Mum," she said sweetly, brushing Elara's arm. "I'll explain everything later. Promise.""That's alright," Elara nodded, although she was clearly curious. "As long as you're okay.""I am," Kira assured her. "Now let's
The first boutique Elara and Kira had gone to was a cozy one in a quiet spot tucked between two larger stores. It was the kind that smelled of fresh clothes, freshly printed tags and soft perfumes. It wasn't too big, but it was a lovely place to shop in.Elara was currently admiring a dress she had found, twirling in front of a mirror, while Kira, who had gotten most of what she wanted from the boutique, carefully folded the items into their shopping bags.As they rounded up, they made their way to the door, their hands full of what they had bought. Taking a deep breath, Kira let the outside air clear her head—the gentle breeze needed.She was about to close the boutique door behind her when something, or rather someone, caught her eye.She noticed that it didn't sit right with her and that someone was watching them, but she didn't let it show and pretended to know.She remained calm, not bothered, and was simply observant of the person watching them as she dropped the bags into the
Kira, who was already done with her meal and was taking the last bite, paused, her expression shifting."He's dead," she said, setting her fork down."But how?" Aiden inquired. "He was old but didn't seem like someone who could be easily killed.""Well, he was killed. Easily," Kira chuckled sadly and then went on to tell them everything from when she first met Baba Razz to how he died, how he was nice to her, and his role in her meeting the elves."I felt strangely comfortable around him," she admitted. "I'm not sure how to explain it, but I don't know. His death was painful, and I did blame myself, but I knew he wouldn't want me to do that, so… yeah.""I'm sorry," Aiden muttered as he and Bryan leaned in on each side and pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her head."May his soul rest in peace," Elara added quietly. "And I'm sure he will be very proud of who you are today."Blowing Elara a kiss, Kira agreed and decided to change the topic, not wanting their happy moments to be sour.