Rosalind's POVRivers turned back to face me. My breath slowed as I asked. "Can I check if I have it?"River's brows drew together in confusion. "Have what?"I swallowed thickly. "Magic."I know it seemed crazy. I was the crazy one for even thinking that I could have anything like that but being here had done one thing. It has taken my mind back to the Mirror of Reflection. The only time I had seen magic before being abducted. I had been unable to fully process it between being in the trials and seeing the princes I cared about due to its reflection. But now looking back at it, I recalled my scream and the corresponding crack in the mirror. It might have been a coincidence but I needed to make sure that it was. That I wasn't like these… rogues. River stared at me like I had taken leave of my senses. "Currently, only purebloods can wield magic and no offence but if you were one of us, you would have grown up here," Then he shrugged. "Or you would be dead."I rolled my eyes at him.
Killian's POV"Why aren't they here yet?"I was beyond anxious. It had been almost three days since Rosalind was taken. I didn't realize how much she had meant to me until her disappearance. When the ultimatum had arrived barely hours into the kidnap and subsequent search for Rosalind, I had wanted nothing more than to give them what they wanted and have her returned to me that very instant. But there were annoying things like procedures and council meetings that had to happen first because I wasn't crowned King yet alongside my brother. Once that happened, the first thing I would do would be to get rid of the council and do things at my own pace. The council has wanted to wait them out. Call the rogues' bluff so to speak in Arthur's exact words. "Who do they think they are? They only have one princess elect, we can get another, we will not negotiate with terrorists that put our palace in jeopardy with their witchcraft."I glared at him. If it had been his daughter that they had
Rosalind's POVI blinked in surprise at the possessive tone of Killian's voice. Initially, when he hugged me, I thought it was weird but I had just been kidnapped so I brushed it aside thinking that it was a heat-of-the-moment thing or even because of the people around. He wanted to seem like the perfect fiance u could understand that, this however, I couldn't understand. I moved forward, the door slamming behind me as I went to my wardrobe to bring out clothes to wear. "I went to see Cillian," I replied offhandedly as the tension in the room built.I was reaching for a dress when suddenly I felt Killian behind me. I turned to look at him but to my greatest surprise, he shut the wardrobe and then pushed me up against it, his hazel eyes flashing. "Why?"I looked up at him confused by his question and his proximity. "Because I love him. Why are you asking so many questions? This engagement isn't what you want either. I am just a whore, remember? A low-class whore you have no intere
Rosalind's POVTurns out I was worried about nothing because almost after his question, Killian dropped his lips to my neck and kissed it leaving me shivering in his arms. He was only staking a claim on me. He didn't know about the magic. I looked at River who nodded imperceptibly, amusement in his eyes. I cleared my throat. "Meet my fiance Prince Killian."River outstretched his hand respectfully."Hi I'm–"Killian interrupted him, barely looking at the hand he stretched out to him as he looked him over like he would a curiosity."You are a witch rebel who held her captive. I know your type. Stop trying to cozy up to Rosalind."River took back his hand, his pleasant air still about him as though he wasn't talking to his enemy of sorts. "I am sorry for the misunderstanding."Then he shifted his gaze to me, something soaring in his eyes. "It was good seeing you again." "Same here." When he left I was, I'm still thinking if what he told me or rather had been unable to tell me due
Rosalind's POVI was terrible at witchcraft. The first thing I had done was ask him how long I could stay here before it was morning. He has rattled off a calculation based on the inflow of time, the rise and setting of the sun, the seasonal patterns and the bias make-up and overlap-whatever that meant and told me approximately a day and a half. So if I managed to sneak out earlier then I would be able to spend up to three days training before I had to return. It was insane and had me in awe of how many days I could use to better myself instead of being stuck in my dreary princess lifestyle. That was until I actually tried to do magic.So this was the gist that River had given me. Pureblood usually had the power of controlling nature as the moon goddess/the Mother had granted to us. Including land, air, water, animals and light. These divisions also had subsects like fire, ice, lava, and the intersections between them that I would never learn about because I couldn't do magic.
Cillian's POVI knew Rosalind was hiding something although I couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was. We might have reconciled after her kidnapping but she felt distant and she seemed to be keeping something from me. I didn't push her because even if she claimed she was treated well there, I had no way of knowing if it was the truth or if she simply wanted to put me at ease so that I wouldn't worry so much. We had also managed to circumvent the whole talk about her being engaged to Killian but still seeing me on the side. It felt like an impossible situation so we avoided talking about the elephant in the room for as long as we could. Upon entering the meeting room, I was immediately put on edge by the fact that I couldn't see Killian. This meant this meeting had been called especially for me and I had a good idea why. I settled on my chair seemingly without a care in the world."What is this about?"Arthur spoke first of course being the pacesetter that he was. "It is time for yo
Rosalind's POVThen he laughed with a deep bass sound that went straight to my core. "Is that true, Rosalind?"Just the other day, it had been Cillian suspecting my whereabouts while now it was Killian. I wondered if I was so bad at sneaking in or if the two brothers were just so damn observant that they seemed to know exactly where I was and what I was doing all the damned time.I folded my arms irritatedly."What are you getting at Killian?"I needed a hot shower to relax my muscles then a quick nap. Even though I had slept there, I still felt tired. Even though River had warned me about how difficult it could be for my body to acclimate to the time zone I never expected it would be this bad. It was as though my body was constantly trying to orient itself to wherever I was. Killian tilted his head and stepped inside my room, closing the door.He took a step towards then another and another until he was a step away from me then before I could register it, his hand shot out and he
Rosalind's POVI paced my room. I just came out of the shower, to wash off my arousal so as to prevent triggering any violence when I went to see Cillian.The look in his eyes as he left my room deeply bothered me and I wouldn't feel good until we had gotten a chance to speak to each other. I heard a knock on my door and I hurried to it. The maud I had sent to check if the council was still in session stood outside. "Are they done?" I asked her. She bowed and nodded. "Yes Princess, Prince Cillian is in his bedchamber currently.""Thank you. You may leave."I checked my reflection in the mirror one more time before heading away towards his room. As I approached the door, I heard the sound 9f raised voices making me to pause midstep. I wasn't the people I was expecting who were arguing. From the sounds of it, it was Adelyn versus Cillian. "Why are you doing this to me, Cillian?" Adelyn sounded frustrated and in pain, her voice thick with either annoyance or tears or both. Cillia
ROSALIND'S POV"I will not stand by this." This is just not…Councilman Arthur was saying."This is not just what, Arthur? Spit it out." Killian dared. His eyes flashing menacingly at the older man.Arthur shook his head and sat back down. He glared at the high priestess who had her normal expressionless look on. He faced the elders.They too were short of words. "I love Rosalind, she is my mate and I will marry her." Cillian said unexpectedly and for a second, I thought I would scream out. My legs shook at those words. His sheer determination alone was so sexy.Cillian held my hand in his as a way of showing that no decision made there would stop him from doing what he wanted. I almost melted from his warm touch. It took everything in me to still keep my composure and just smile when he looked at me lovingly.Killian stepped forward as well.Dear Councilman, Rosalind is betrothed to me so there's not really much you can do. I intend to marry her and I will. Not just because she won
CILLIAN'S POV She looked at me with hatred in her eyes when I walked in but said nothing.Her chains rattled. She was muttering something under her breath, a spell. But the chains neutralized everything. "What do you want?" She asked.I looked at her, at the chains and then at her palm. Suspicions were correct. I had seen the same mark on Rosa's palm earlier. A mark that appeared after she was taken by the rogues.I bent and grabbed Estella's hand."What are you…?"I brought out the silver dagger and slashed at the black mark in her palm.She winced in pain and cursed me but she was still in chains. Nothing happened. There were drops of blue blood before red blood oozed from the wound.I gave her a towel to stop the bleeding "Your days are numbered." I said.And without another word, I left the dungeon.ESTELLA'S POVThe pain from that silver cut still stung even after he left. He had broken the magical bond I formed with Rosalind to siphon her powers. I was so angry. How did he k
CILLIAN'S POVAfter some time, the sapphire stopped glowing but it was already confirmed. Rosalind was one of them. I didn't know exactly how I was feeling. The elders were all looking at me, waiting for my input on what to do next.The law was clear. Wolves with magic were abominations, they were unstable, unpredictable and very dangerous. They always went rogue. They were threats. But this was Rosalind, my Rosalind. She couldn't hurt a fly. How the hell did she have magic and I didn't know all this time? I didn't sense it or anything. Was I that blind or did she just hide it so well?So many questions were floating in my mind. It was a mix of pain, betrayal, helplessness and anger. I did not know what to do. Rosalind stood before us with the now normal looking sapphire on the table, waiting for me to say something. The elders were still murmuring and having side talks.Councilman Arthur cleared his throat and decorum returned. I knew that whatever he was going to say would not be i
ESTELLA'S POVI was bound in silver chains, I couldn't save myself, couldn't defend myself against these pigs, I could do absolutely nothing as I stood before people eager for me to die. I had never been more powerless in my entire life.But I knew what to do. The key was the princess that they loved. The prophesied link. Irony and poetry mixed in one. It was so ironic that I didn't even know when I burst out laughing until I noticed that the noise had died down completely.My laughter usually had that effect on others. But to think of it, I was going to die but my niece whose magic I siphoned to do the things I did, gets to just watch and do nothing?That was insane. They needed to know how powerful she was. It was time for these pigs to know the real truth. It was time for them to hear it.I stole a glance at the prince. All the blood had disappeared from his face, his eyes were wide open, staring at me in disbelief. He would never believe me. I had to keep speaking. I was going to
KILLIAN'S POVI didn't remember much from what happened before I got to the hospital.I had felt someone by my side throughout the period when I was unconscious, taking care of me, humming to themselves. Always quiet and caring. It was all a bit weird, I knew I was unconscious, and I knew I had to wake up, I just didn't seem to have enough strength to do so. I could feel people around me and I could vaguely hear what was going on around, like conversations and monitor beeps and footsteps. My wolf could detect people's presence but it just couldn't jolt me up.I tried everyday for what seemed like eternity but I couldn't, so I did the only thing I could;Wait.The time spent waiting gave me an avenue to think, to go through everything that had happened over and over again, to spend time with myself and try to see something I hadn't been able to before.I had tried to replay the events of the fight in my head but most of the time, it was all blurry and unclear. My own thoughts and memo
CILLIAN'S POVI watched Killian fall face down. There was blood, and he wasn't moving.My chest caught fire and I went full primal again. The rage I felt was like none other. I combed through the enemies, crushing them in numbers. Estella was my target but she was surrounded by too many people.She opened a portal and disappeared into it. Oh no you don't. I leapt over the crowd and chased after her but the portal was already closing slowly. The witches swamped around me, attacking from all angles. Casting spells and poking me with weapons. My necklace glowed brighter and brighter.I couldn't take it anymore. I roared with everything in me and I felt a great surge of energy encapsulate me and then…Boom.There was a big blast. When I looked around, all the rogues were on the ground. Dead.I ran to that portal, it was almost closed but I could still get in.I turned and saw Killian, still in the same position and not moving. I looked at the portal again, and I jumped in. I grabbed the
KILLIAN’S POV“This is wrong, your highnesses, you cannot lead a war from the frontlines. It is never done. As the only offsprings of your father, you are the heirs to the throne. It is just too risky!”Councilman Gordon kept on whining like a baby.“And if we refuse to heed your advice, are any of you going to stop us from fighting for our pack?”The silent murmurs came to a stop. The councilmen in the Great Hall, devoured by their selfish interests, were looking for a way to stop Cillian and I from leading the battle. Typical fools.“My prince, you just need to understand,” Arthur began in his sweet tongue.“I know that both of you are seasoned warriors and your prowess remains a thing of awe in Southern Paw, your father made sure of that. But if anything should happen to the heirs of the throne while fighting, even for the right cause, it will pose an enormous problem for the pack. That is what my councilmen are looking to avoid. Unless maybe one of you has a child that we are not
CILLIAN’S POVI sat at the council meeting as we deliberated on the next step with the councilmen of the pack. It had been almost two days since Bast was taken and up till that point, there still had not been any development whatsoever on what to do. I wondered how Rosalind would be feeling. I started to fantasize but shook it off immediately. There were serious matters arising, I needed to focusAcross the long table from me was Killian. He just sat there with a straight face. Probably with his mind already made up for what he was going to do when the time was right. “...But they could harm the little boy, it's risky.” I heard Councilman Gabe say. Probably a reply to someone's comment. I was not paying full attention, my mind also was troubled with thoughts of what the high priestess had said before. Many things didn't make sense at this point.“That's true. Although it could just be a bluff, these creatures still have to be taken care of nonetheless.” Said Councilman Arthur.I coul
ESTELLA’S POVI was back in my chambers after going for a walk when a visitor was announced to. I told the guard to let them come in and shortly, to my surprise, Malia walked into the living room.The guard refused to let her come in with her staff at first, but she was adamant, classic Malia.I waved to him that it was okay and he reluctantly let her in and left us alone.“I've come to talk, Estella.” She said, without much expression on her face.“How long has it been since you last visited, old friend? Twenty five, twenty seven years.” “I believe it's been about thirty years. You have set up the place quite nicely.” She commented, looking around.“I see you still wear your bracelet all the same and…”“I have come to talk, Estella.” She said cutting me short.“Not small talk, but real talk.”“Oh Malia. Always so uptight. When was the last time.you did anything fun, like a party or even sex?”She stared at me with a strange expression and continued;“What happened in Southern Paw wa