All eyes danced around the Alpha Prince as he strode into the room, his shoulders held high with regal poise. The sound of his boots echoed against the floor, and his face was as stony as always."I do not think she deserves those questions, Alpha Maverick," he said suddenly when he got to the head of the table.The people expressed surprise, including Maverick, who wondered if Czar had heard his words.In a tone as cold as an arctic wind, Czar added: "Lady Masha here is a wife to this family; she should not be embarrassed that way."He lowered himself to a seat, dropping the jaws of half of the people in the room.Masha's cheeks warmed up in surprise. Did Czar just speak up for her? Again?Edgily, she took a seat. But Alpha Maverick was greatly offended. How could Czar counter him in public? A little boy he had carried in his arms when his sister birthed him. All of a sudden, he's now a man and feels he can talk back at him.He clenched his fists under the table. Enough of the humili
"You really want to pay?" Arabella asked, amused.Of course, her brother was rich enough to buy the entire market if he wanted; she was just surprised because he hardly ever cared.Czar glanced at Torak, who had disappointment all over his face, before turning to Mace behind him."Pay for it.""Yes, My Prince."Masha wanted to thank him, but he walked away before she could."Do not feel bad, Torak. There's still a lot I'd like to get from here," Arabella beamed.When Mace was done paying, the seller packed up the jewelry, and they all left happily."Why don't we try out some nice meals? I am sure there's a lot you would love," Arabella suggested."Sure, I have been salivating since we got here."Masha looked around and spotted Czar at a different cart, staring at some fabrics. It was obvious he hated mingling; it made her wonder why he had come all the way with them.Mace followed them, and this act angered Torak a lot. He knew Czar was intentionally keeping a trail on him to prevent
Masha's chest tightened, as though an invisible weight was pressing down on her. She couldn't think properly. "Masha?" Arabella held her hands, looking very worried. "What is wrong? Why are you acting this way?" She had no idea Masha was eavesdropping on the Alphas' conversations. Blinking several times, Masha forced herself back to reality and looked at Arabella, but her throat was too constricted to speak. "Hey, talk to me," Arabella added in a hushed tone. Masha was too petrified and did not know what to say. Why would the Alphas be plotting such a thing against the King? Why would they want to kill him? Arabella held her hands and shook her one more time, but she couldn't bring herself to say what her ears had heard. How would she even reveal to her that her uncle and the rest of the Alphas were plotting against her father? Wouldn't she look stupid? "It's nothing," she swallowed hard and said. "I um... I will just go to my room now. I need some sleep." Before Arabella could
Masha could feel the weight of everyone's eyes on her. Her heart throbed nervously and her legs had began to shake. "What's she talking about?" "It's poisoned?" "How could the King's drink be poisoned?" Murmurs and whispers rippled through the crowd. Masha forced her gaze down as she couldn't bring herself to look at anyone in the face, especially the Alphas. "What are you talking about, Masha?" King Gregory asked. "My drink is poisoned?" He chuckled and looked around. He was surrounded by his most trusted people. Who would possibly think of poisoning him? "Who would dare poison me, Masha?" Masha couldn't say a word. She was beginning to wonder if she made the wrong decision. How does she go ahead to expose the Alphas? "You need to speak up, young lady," one of the Alphas grunted. "You just disrupted a very important moment. How is the King's drink poisoned?" Expectations were high, Masha realized she had to spill the truth or get implicated. Besides, why should murderers l
NIGHT NATION COVENThe only source of light in the room was the flickering candle on the wooden desk, casting shadows on the wall. Lord Galadriel sat on an old wooden chair, his heart nervous as he held the scroll in his hand.The previous day, he had gotten a letter from King Gregory, demanding explanations for Jaha's escape. And today he got a letter from Jaha.Lord Galadriel was disturbed. Although he had expected Jaha to reach out to him soon, now that it was finally happening, it got him worried.Taking a deep breath, he opened the scroll and scanned the words on the parchment, and his brows furrowed as he read through each line. What?"Lord Galadriel, I had expected my first letter to you to be about war."But I believe that is the reason we have children to save us in times of difficulty."Earlier, I encountered your precious daughter, Masha, and took an interest in her. Unfortunately, she is married to a wolf - our enemy."But I do not think that should be a problem. I wish to
"I need an explanation, father!" Torak gritted as he stood before Alpha Maverick in his room. "I need you to tell me why in the name of Selene you tried to poison the King?!"The room was dim, and Alpha Maverick ha rti look out the window to me sure no one as around. He walked back to his son who had so much fury in his eyes. "You need to calm down, Torak. I will explain everything...""Well, you better start now because an innocent lady is locked up there because of you!" He half & yelled, then took in a deep breath when he realized that was dangerous. "If you were not my father, I would have said I regretted helping you out in the first place" he added huskily with so much resentment. "Watch your tongue, Torak. I had my reasons," Maverick hissed. "What reason? Because the Kind has an agreement with the vampires? You have always been against it, father, but I just do not understand why! If I had not showed up this morning and advised you to really get rid of the poison, you woul
Alpha Maverick hated the fact that he was trying to prevent Masha's execution. If it weren't for his son's demands, he would have fought against everyone to make sure the vampire got killed. He'd have made sure of that.Damn Torak!"My King," Alpha Ace, faced the King. "I strongly advise you to ignore everything being said by these people right here. They are her friends. No matter what they say,it doesn't change the fact that Lady Masha committed a great offense by accusing all four of us of attempted murder. The evidence is clear, and if you let her go unpunished, this will give others the mindset to do worse!""He is absolutely correct," Alpha Ryker added. "Our loyalty will die with you. How dare a mere vampire accuse us of plotting against you? It is clearly impossible! In my opinion,she is simply here to cause confusion and disunity, like she's already doing. Before her arrival, was there ever a day when Prince Czar stood up against his own uncle and called him a man capable of m
Masha didn't know how to react when she heard that Czar had sent for her himself. She didn't know what exactly to battle with—her fears or her shame?She watched as Mica expressed displeasure over the issue. But of course, there was no way she could refuse the prince's orders. Disgruntled, she turned to Masha."The prince wants you to bring a jar of water to his room. You should hurry." She spoke with a scrowl on her face.Masha swallowed hard. The rest of the servants threw glances at her like she was the greatest offender. She could imagine their thoughts.'Even the Alpha Prince wants to humiliate her.''Imagine being a servant to her own husband.'Forcing herself to ignore them, Masha reached for a tray, where she set the jar of water and a cup. Then she headed out of the kitchen.She overheard them mumbling and whispering behind her back, but paid no attention to them.Her back and legs were hurting a lot. She knew the guards had dipped the whips into some kind of poison before la