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 “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
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
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 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
AURORA'S POVIt was cold. Very, very cold. The air seemed made of ice and every breath I took in was torture. The hard floor on which I sat was also cold and the coldness seeped through my flimsy clothing and into my skin but I could not move nor stand from my position and even if I could, there was no space to shift to. The cell that I had been thrown in was filled to the brim with young girls that were no more than my age. The only difference between me and them was that I had stopped crying ages ago. Tears hadn't stopped them from throwing me out of the only place I had ever known.When my rejection and banishment had just taken place, I had cried and cried, thinking that perhaps my tears would move my former pack members and mate, but it had been for nothing. They had thrown me out and turned their backs on me.I turned into a wanderer, a rogue with no roots. Days and nights had passed with me crying at the edge of our pack borders, hoping and praying they would take me back. Hopi
Mate,” growled Nicolas as soon as our eyes met each other's and my heart began to thud as a ray of hope spread slowly over it.Maybe something could go right for me afterall. Maybe there was hope for me and I wasn't to live the rest of my life alone. I would have a partner, a companion. The mating ceremony party between Brie and Gabriel was now well underway and everyone except me was having the time of their lives.I had stepped out from the hall to take a break from the gyrating bodies and loud music and had immiediately being slammed with the smell of rain and lemon. I had thought that perhaps it was my nose playing tricks on me. It hadn't rained in a while around here and we had no lemon trees either. It was not until I caught sight of Nicolas and the smell grew stronger that I knew he was the source of the smell.My wolf began jumping inside of me, as if threatening to tear its way out of me, excitement and joy holding me tight in his grip.Mate, mate, it began to scream.Nic
Wolfsbane was the most deadly thing to wolf. Within minutes, it could shut down the organs and kill a wolf. Thankfully, Brie must have taken only the sip of the wine, that was why she was developing boils.“Wolfsbane?!” someone in the crowd was saying, bringing me back to earth. “Wolfsbane?! How did she get access to wolfsbane?”“It wasn't me!” I was finally able to scream. “It wasn't me!” I repeated.“Then who?” came the voice again. It was Josh, Gabriel's beta, and I could see the hatred in his eyes even from afar. He had once tried to force me to have sex with me. I had been able to fight him and break away, but he had kept coming until I pried out a small nail from a wood on the wall. He had bled from his cock that day.And it was clear that he never forgot that day.“The wine was a gift from Gabriel to her.”“You mean Gabriel tried to poison his mate?” I didn't know when Josh came towards me until I felt the pain of his arm on my cheeks.“You lying witch!”He raised his hand and
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