I had thought that Dante's guards would grab me by the shoulders and throw me straight into the appointed prison, but they didn't. Instead, they did something worse and utterly unexpected. They indeed grabbed my shoulders, and they held me in place, so that the barber would be able to cut my hair. I screamed my lungs out. Fighting the pain which clutched my heart as every lock of my precious hair fell to the floor. After the sacrilegious deed had been done, I expected them to release their hold on me and have me go my way, but they didn't. They held me to the wooden chair all through the time, the barber dipped his hands into a bowl of thick dye and smeared my hair with it. By the time Dante finished ruining me, my throat had become a whole red sore, making it hard for me to swallow down saliva. The dress I was also wearing was ripped into pieces with scissors.Then I was led up to the cluster of dungeons in the palace and pushed into one of the cells. right after I was nudged into
"You are asking the nuns in the moon temple to come to your aid? What sort of disruptive move is that?" Dante squeezed his face as though the words tasted like gail on his tongue, clenching his teeth and balling his fists. I took a few steps backwards, but he sensed my intention and closed the gap between us with another stride. “Answer me Aurelia,” he said, his eyes flashing with so much anger that I thought it would burn me from the inside out. "Answer me!" I shot back at the sound of the sudden scream, but my resolve wasn't shaken. I had no desire to stay in this place and I was desperate enough to employ any liberative move, no matter how disruptive it may be. “I called on the nuns to command you to set me free. I have requested for accommodation, I am ready to live the rest of my days in the temple as a nun, no husband and no children.”Dante stared at me incredulously for some seconds then he scoffed. “So that is the best plan you can think of?" He chuckled mockingly. "To w
Unknown POV The trees in the small clearing in the forest danced gently to the song of the wind, their hips swaying so rhythmically that Elio couldn't stop but wonder at their beauty and the freezing cold that accompanied their jibe. He tucked his hands into his pockets, adjusted his cardigan and walked on. With each step he took to his unratified rendezvous, twigs cracked and broke under his legs, intruding the myriad of conflicting thoughts in his mind. The shadow pack were a small clan in the lost island of the eclipse wolves, the least of them, but notorious for their brute strength and extreme scheming prowess. They had always wished to be noticed and honored just as the children of the remaining packs were treated. They wanted to be significant and utterly indispensable in the affairs of all the werewolf packs in the land. And so he did it, he approached Dante with the demeanor of an angel while his heart was full of venomous spite. To the wolves of the shadow pack, deceitf
Djurek's POV It was an understatement to say my patience had worn thin. My whole body had become besieged by a deep emotional malaise, which has left me grumpy, cantankerous and depressed. Everything annoyed me—my bed, my house, my work and even my own shadow. My heart had become a rock in the middle of my chest, dragging and slowing me down. My wolf wouldn't stop purring, yearning for Aurelia, everywhere felt cold, it was as though it was raining in my world. Standing in my office that windy afternoon, my mind wandered to her and her whereabouts, as I leaned on the window and watched the ocean waves tossed about in ripples. Didn't she feel that I was looking for her, wasn't she even thinking about me? Did she now hate me that much. No matter how repulsive the answer to the question was, it wouldn't make me stop searching for her. After a while of absent-minded staring, I sat down behind my desk and dialed a number on the receiver. A couple of minutes afterwards, the door ope
Aurelia's POV I went to sleep that night with the old dagger under my pillow. I was alert, ready to strike my victim to his death, ready to break out of this dungeon and proceed to a life of freedom.I was unable to go to sleep easily. I kept tossing and turning around, thoughts of the evil plans Dante had towards me swarming in my mind. He didn't look like he was joking, and the prospect that he was serious with his words sent shivers down my spine. As that thought crossed my mind, I remembered Djurek; his castle and his awkwardly cold demeanor. I made a mistake agreeing to leave with Dante,I could have begged him to let me remain as a servant with his maids, and life would have been good. All in all, I hoped that my plan worked, and that I didn't incur any stumbling blocks on the way. I woke up the next morning to golden rays of sunlight, piercing through the windows. I rolled off my back immediately, and jumped off the mattress. Without further contemplation, I dipped my hand
I lifted the long gown and ran as fast as I could, but Dante was quicker than I imagined. He rolled on his back and grabbed my leg, all to force my leg out of his grip proved abortive, and he dragged me to the ground with one heavy pull. The moment I hit the ground, Dante snaked his hand around my neck, pinning me to the ground. An unexpected surge of defiance coursed through me, giving me the temerity to claw at Dante's face and throw punches at him. But it all faltered into dust when he suddenly raised his hand and landed a slap across my face. My eyes exploded into my head instantly, a dizzy wave of malaise coursing through me. Invisible stars suddenly appeared around my eyes, dancing as the pain paralyzed me. “What the hell is your problem!” Dante screamed into my face. "How dare you!" Before I could respond, he grabbed the fruit knife and placed it to my neck. "I am going to kill you again, you will die and suffer." He raised the knife high above his head, but when he broug
Aurelia's POV When my buttocks started feeling numb, I adjusted my sitting position and placed the book in between my laps, flipping through the pages of the book to see if the writer had written more stuff between the pages. But unfortunately, there was none, the novel contained only the diary page. Quickly, I placed the book aside and started rummaging through the remaining pile of books beside me, scattering them and putting them aside in spite of the dust it caused.I opened every book, peering deep at the pages as I flipped through them. But there was nothing more. Oh no. What should I do now? The short notes seemed to be the only thing that can enlighten me as to who Dante was, and the motive behind his erratic behaviors. What has happened to the lady? She claimed to be the love of Dante's life and Dante had addressed me by her nickname. Maybe these few notes were what she was able to write, maybe she didn't write more. I drew in a deep breath then, straightening up and wipi
The crazy maid stayed in the room with me that night. She put a chair at the entrance of the room and leaned on the door, arms folded across her chest. The impact of the needle stitch became so immense that I had to remain on the bed and hang the hand aside, limply. Many thoughts swarmed across my mind, weakening me the more. When she first made the statement, she'd placed her hand akimbo, spread her legs apart, and scrunched her face menacingly. She had clearly been hoping that I would argue with her, or refuse to accept what she had said, so that she could throw another tantrum, so that she could call me names again. I merely acted as though I hadn't heard her words, closing my eyes and clenching my teeth as the stitching needle pierced deeper into my skin. I felt the heat of the maids' cantankerous gaze on my body, but I kept my eyes shut, ignoring. When I opened my eyes, I found her at the back of my reading table, peering at the mountain of scattered books. “Is there a reaso
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