Djurek's POV I paced restlessly near the grand window of my castle, my reflection a blur in the polished glass. The weight of recent discoveries pressed down on me, making each step feel like I was trudging through mud. Dante's behavior had taken a turn for the worse, evolving from merely eccentric to downright alarming."What game are you playing, old friend?" I muttered, my breath fogging the windowpane.The pieces of the puzzle had finally fallen into place, revealing a picture that chilled me to my core. Dante, once a trusted ally, now harbored ambitions that threatened the very fabric of our society. He aimed to conquer the minor packs, to crown himself king of our lands. The audacity of it all made my blood boil.But that wasn't the worst of it. No, what truly set my teeth on edge was his new found alliance with the rogue clans. Those lawless packs, barely more than bandits, now stood poised to become Dante's personal army. The thought of it made my stomach churn."And Aurelia.
Aurelia's POV I woke up to the sound of a revving machine in a dark and eerie room. I opened my eyes wide and took a minute to register the noise and what could be making it but I couldn't get anything. The last thing I remembered was Nicolas at the moon fortress, then he was trying to pull me through the door. I stifled a groan as I raised my head off the floor and hurled myself to a sitting position. There were numerous scratches on my body and there was a chain around my ankle. I couldn't move around. I wiped the blurriness from my eyes and looked around, the acrid smell was thickening, gnawing at the depths of my stomach.As I was trying to straighten my back, I remembered Jaxon Jr and as a subtle realization that I had been separated from him hit my mind, I realized where I was immediately. The strange smell became familiar, the numerous chemicals lined on the shelf... I was in Dante's laboratory! I gasped, raising my body totally off the floor, and just as I thought, the rea
Djurek's POV A perceptible wave of anticipation descended on the atmosphere the instant I pulled into Jason's cobblestoned driveway. With each step I took towards the front door, my heart pounded in my chest and I tried to suppress it by saying silent prayers, Aurelia has to be here. If she wasn't that meant I had lost her, Jason was my last resort, I had nowhere or no one else in mind. "Good Morning Jason," I greeted as I rapped gently on the door, "are you awake yet?" The pounding in my heart continue, mingling with the rumbling ache in my belly but I continued knocking on the brown door. "Open up Jason, it's nine in the morning" But all that followed was silence, even after I leaned against the door and put my ear to it. Jason where are you? I mumbled under my breath. Where on earth did you keep Aurelia? I ran my hand through my hair and was preparing to leave when the door flung open, bringing him into view. He was clad in a black bathroom robe with matching flip flops. His f
Dante's POVThe nun's shrine was a medium-sized room with walls painted in a deep crimson. The instant I stepped inside, I was assaulted by the revolting smell of sandalwood incense. The left side of the room was lined with candlesticks, each bearing a red candle. A huge statue of the moon goddess stood in the center of the room, decorated with crepe myrtle flowers.Statues of the sun, moon, and stars dangled from the ceiling, along with tarot cards swaying gently in the stuffy air. The old woman—white-haired and skinny—sat in the center of the room, her eyes tightly shut as she prayed and chanted in an incomprehensible language. The atmosphere in the shrine was eerie, but I ignored it and took a seat on one of the cushions facing her. I was desperate for a solution, so at this point, it didn't matter who or where I got it from."Welcome, honorable Alpha," she greeted without opening her eyes.I tensed, my guard immediately up. How did she know who I was? I hadn't told anyone I was co
Aurelia's POV I didn't bother to ask Dante what nurse Griselda wanted to teach me. The idea of having someone else with me in the library thrilled me. I also kept my mind fixated on my plan to reach out to the Silver Septas and have them usurp Dante's reign. I continued my search, looking for more information about the book and the lady I had seen in the pictures. She couldn't have just stopped writing, I was hundred percent sure. I had been able to discover that she shared a good relationship with Dante and he was trying to keep her memories fresh in his mind by asking me to dress up like her. But my questions remained unanswered; who was she? Eloria didn't come to my room for three days after Dante announced that I would be taking classes. I also stopped receiving poisoned foods, Griselda also didn't come to check on me. During this time, I continued searching through the books in the library, but I still wasn't able to find anything else. Griselda showed up on the fourth mornin
AURELIA'S POV The words didn't exactly surprise me, I had once heard one of the nuns mention something about my rare purpose and identity but I didn't expect to be from this race of wolves. The announcement left me feeling scared and totally flustered. The history of the white wolves can only be found in old and ancient textbooks. The race had gone extinct decades of ago. The white wolves are said to be the moon goddess's children. History had it that the moon goddess once become bored of creating werewolves out of dust. She was also sad at the fact that she didn't have her own children. So she came into the world, and disguise herself as a regular werewolf. She became mated to a Alpha wolf known as Fenrir, and together the moon goddess delivered a set of twins, a boy and a girl. After few months of childbirth, Alpha Fenrir changed towards his wife, the Moon goddess, who kept her dentity under the name Evadne. Fenrir became an abusive husband, who took delight in assaulting his
Aurelia's POV The question made me remember Emily's reaction and her decision to stop working for me afterwards. She told me Dante made everyone in the castle live by his laid down rules and principles, most of which were awkward. I had no murderous intent, but Dante's decision to have me and every other person, including the lady who wrote the diary, irritated me. Nurse Griselda advanced closer to the door, and was going to open it when the devil descended on me. I charged at her and pulled her away, pinning her to the wall and placing the knife to her neck. “Please don't do this,” she cried. “Don't hurt me. I beg of you.” “No,” I answered, pressing the knife tighter to her neck. “You conspired with Dante to destroy my life and render me useless,the same way you ended the life of the first person who came here. I feel no pity for you Griselda,” I clenched my teeth and pressed the knife closer to her kneck. “Tell me the truth now, or bid the world goodbye.” Griselda had
AURELIA'S POV “Vegetative state?”“Yes,” he answered, slowly, ignoring my widened eyeballs. “We got into a scuffle and I mistakenly injured her.” He heaved another sigh and walked to stand by the window. “I caused some injuries to her brain, and coupled with the opium addiction, She fell into an abyss of lifelessness. It's been a year now, and I haven't been able to get over her, or love another person. I knew you had seen me sneaking into the bedroom far end of the castle at night. Yes, I visit Melissa every night and tell her everything happening in my life. I know she can hear me because her heart still beats. She can feel my touch, she can see me. The only thing she does not have is the ability to move her body, and it is because her body has become dead. She can never have strength again in her body. The body has been condemned. The only thing Melissa has left is her soul. Her soul needs a body.”He turned away from the window then, and threw a glance at me. “That is where you
Aurelia's POV I thought I was dreaming, lost in the maze thoughts and images which had come to haunt me, but then it wasn't. I was simply in Djurek's bed, unclad, when the morning sunrise landed on my face baptizing me with heat and warmness. I squeezed my face and move to my face away from the window as I tried to sit on my back. The sheets fell off my chest immediately, revealing my bare breasts. Memories of what had occurred the previous day flooded my mind. I came into this room to defend my calls and prepare for the next move to make in regards to my life, but what a shame, I got swayed. Djurek's flowery language got to me, disarming me and weakening my resolve. I remember them limping of the bed and walking towards me with that predatory expression on his face. A knew what he was doing, or rather he knew the way around me and my insistence. The words to utter and the seductory moves to make. I am reminded of the whores on in the brothels, of which Djurek actually frequente
LAND OF THE ANDALS Justin's POV As I stared deeper at the piece of paper, the words written on it seemed to grow feint, causing me to furrow my brow, an attempt to suppress the confusion which clouded my mind. I didn't know anyone. But this message seemed to have been written by someone who knew the royal family well enough. The tone was personal, suggesting that the person might know me well. Heaving a deep sigh, I put the paper on the table and rose to my feet, the chair grazing the tiled floor. My gaze fell on Eliza immediately, the sound of her breathing becoming the only thing I could hear in the room. Her stomach which was now protruded, fell and down with life. She had had to go through an awful lot these twelve months. Sometimes I was forced to wonder if she would have been better off without me in her life. Perhaps she would have been well off, well protected and even happier. I took a few steps closer to the bed and dropped a kiss on her forehead, savouring the el
Aurelia's POV Nothing could have been more stupid than arguing with Alison at that moment, so I spun on my heels and headed straight to Djurek's bedroom. Melissa followed behind me, every breath she drew radiating fear and discomfort. The hallways had grown quieter now, bearing a sharp semblance to a graveyard when, in reality, ugly secrets breathed into the confines of these walls. I was not particularly excited or confident enough to want to meet with Djurek after what had occurred between the two of us earlier in the day but the items in the chest meant life to me. It was true that I no longer had the right to possess the jewellery even though I needed them, but I still have to find the chest because I had kept the messages I got from Luna Gladys in it. “Stay out of trouble, I mouthed to Melissa as I steeled myself and faced the door. Melissa merely nodded like an obedient cat and I flashed a small, shaky smile at her. I rapped gently on the door, reminding myself faintly
Aurelia's POV “I am sorry Melissa, but you are going to have to get off the bed. “ I walked towards the bed, grabbed her hand and tried pulling off the bed softly. I could sense that the sound of the name did a number on her emotions as I saw a flicker of fear flash across her face. I could see the horrible night I spent in the library replaying on Melissa's face but then we could not waste any more time. “Why do we have to go to Dante's place very suddenly?” She croaked. “I thought we were going to move to a place around the lake; I thought you said you already found a cottage we could manage.” “I understand that you are afraid, Melissa, but our journey and everything ascribed to our identity seems to be a big puzzle, but now that you have mentioned Jolene, I think we are about to make a big progress.” I stretched my hand, hoping to pull her off her back, but she flinched, her eyes growing wide with consternation. “I don't want to set my eyes on that dreadful monster.” Sh
Melissa’s POV “Did you truly assault your husband?” “Husband?” Aurelia spun around immediately, her brows creased in confusion as she faced me. “I was referring to the Alpha; I thought you people were engaged to be married, or am I mistaken?” Aurelia stormed into the room some minutes ago, reeking of sweat and dripping with blood. Her long gown had been ripped into shreds, bearing a sharp semblance of rags. She did not say anything to me for a long time, and I was not able to hear the news until my messenger came to deliver the news of the Alpha and his council. I had not known Aurelia for a long time, but one thing was obvious: she was stronger than me. She possessed qualities I would never have dreamed of having. If she had been married to Dante, she would not have ended up in this kind of horrible situation. “Djurek, I can't believe I used to be in love with him.” “You are still in love with him,” I said as slowly as I could, trying to placate her. “He is you
Aurelia's POV “Who?” I asked. "Who are you referring to?" “It's a woman,” Melissande answered slowly, eyes squinted in calculation. “We're quite familiar with ourselves, but she doesn't know a lot about me. Hmm wait, I'm trying to remember her name.” She placed her hand on her chin and started stroking it. “Who is it?” I waited as she kept trying to remember, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, the door was suddenly flung open. “The Alpha Regent has requested to see you.” A tall and burly guard announced. “The Alpha Regent? Who is that?” The guard's refusal to answer the question brought the realization to me then. “But when did Djurek become a regent? Wasn't he just an Alpha before?” “You are not allowed to speak the king's name.” The guards snapped, eyeing me contemptuously. “And yes, he will be crowned king of the kingdom very soon. The heir's mother has even begun to plan his coronation.” “Oh really?” “Of course” I squeezed my face and twitched
Aurelia's POV My heart turned to ice in my chest, sending waves of shock ripping through me. I stopped in my tracks, face contorted in disbelief as I slowly turned around. “Aurelia!” she called out again, attempting to raise her head off the bed. “Melisande” I muttered slowly, my voice betraying me in a whisper. “Yes.” She answered. “I have been looking for you.” “How come you know me?” I asked, feeling the weight of the question on my lips. “How come you recognize me?” “You're my sister,” the pale and sickly woman answered. “I have been looking for my whole life.” My ears still had issues believing in these words, and my brain struggled hard to process them and make meaning of them. Melissande, the comatose puppet I met at Dante's castle, was my sister, not only just a sister but also my twin sister. These realizations felt like a dream or the climax part of a movie where all the events just collide and hit themselves. My name is Aurelia; I knew that for sure but an
Aurelia's POV I Rose from the chair I sat on and leaned towards Melissa taking a closer look at the earrings. It was true, the earrings were the same. She is wearing the same earrings as mine. But how could this be? A part of me wanted to discard this question because it was possible for her to have also bought the earrings, but it was unusual since women fashion trend were usually common. In other words, you could buy a dress or a piece of jewellery and see the exact type of it with another person on the same day you bought it. Other times, you might even see that hearing or whatever you bought with more than seven women in one day. I have never seen my earrings with anybody in my life. And when I was growing up in Nicholas's castle, I was usually told him that my earrings were very valuable. There were occasions when I nearly lost them to thieves. During the times of my financial hardship, it never occurred to me to sell my earrings for food because they were the only items I
Aurelia's POV “Enough of that Aurelia!” Djurek said again as he started moving closer. “Don't ever open your mouth to say that again. You don't know anything that is going on in this castle, especially the political aspect.” My shoulders fell in disappointment as I slowly turned my head to look at Djurek. He was dressed regally which meant that he had not been home ever since I left his chambers, with his hair glittering and sparkling. “I and Alison's parents have made a truth to assist ourselves in achieving our goals.” The gods made their way as they arrived at the scene, while Alison went to throw her arms around his neck. “It is true that the Darnish rebelled against me and joined forces with my enemy, but they are still very much important to my pack and the growth of my coast.” He leaned in towards me, his eyes mirroring the tension and uncertainty in the atmosphere. “The Darnish are going to help me look for the unknown Queen. They are gifted with adventurers, a