Cyrus' POV
I was shocked at the extent of damage that had been done to her body and even more surprised that I had not caught on earlier. I had a strong sense of smell as a werewolf and even more because I was Alpha. How had I failed to notice this? How had I not perceived this? The drinking from yesterday? Was that it?“Who did this to you?” I asked again when I received no response the first time. My question seemed to evoke fear in her as her eyes betrayed her emotions.“Agnes?” but all I got in response was a whimper of pain.“Please say something,” I said to her. I needed to put a name to the rage that was brewing in my chest. This was an insult; someone had dared to lay a finger on what was mine and I had a mind to make the person suffer, whoever it was.“No one, I… I did this…did…this myself,” I could tell she was lying. She was lying and she was doing so out of fear. I wanted to tell her that no matter how scary this person w“I'll show you,” there was no point hiding the whole truth from Theo. More than anything I needed my right hand man to understand that keeping Agnes alive and well was not because I had feelings for her but because she was useful. I led him to the room where Agnes painted and there on the canvas was a new painting. It was of Theo staring across a crowded ball looking intensely at Adrianna. The scribble below read, Theo. Adrianna. What did that mean? Was it a warning? Were the two planning something? They were among the few persons I trusted in Ghysem. If I doubted them then I doubted pretty much everything. “How is this relevant to Agnes?” “She painted them and if you look at the bottom of each painting, you'll see some words in green,” I told him. He looked doubtful but he did as I said. “It could prove that she's dangerous. This… this painting, what does it achieve? This could be a setup so you start second guessing the people you trust”. “I have seen her when she does the p
“What is this about?” I was face-to-face with the Gamma, Lord Harold. He did not look pleased and I had not expected him to but I had an errand I had to deliver. “Lord Harold, I come under a royal command. The king was poisoned in your home and has ordered that your house be searched and… and your household come to the palace to be interrogated,” I said the words reluctantly but they had to be said. “This is preposterous and I am going to tell the king just that!” the man thundered and I agreed with him. I was almost certain there would be nothing found in the man's home and even if the beetroot was found, I was sure it was a mistake of the servants. “Lord Harold I…” “Search all you want! You are going to end up with nothing! absolutely nothing. I can assure you that I and my family lead our lives as befitting of our nobility.” “Father?” it was Adrianna; I looked away. “What is this about Theo?” she asked looking confused at the soldiers that all stood behind me. “The Alpha bel
Cyrus' POV I hated people who thought they could manipulate me. Audrey was one of such persons. I was not certain what she hoped to happen by the things she was saying but I was not going to play into her hand. What troubled me however was Adrianna. How much had she known about her sister's plan? Had she just gone with it or was the mastermind or she was completely ignorant? I hated being in situations like this one; situations that made me doubt the persons that I trusted deeply. “In Adrianna's room?” I quipped. “Not exactly; she was at the door, she looked as though she had just come out or something but I could be wrong but I saw her…” “She was seated outside the room because I asked her to,” I said without giving a reason even though Lord Harold looked confused. It took a while before he understood what was implied and more so the fact that I was not going to acknowledge it. Lord Harold looked at his daughter in disappointment. He slapped her across the cheek; Adrianna took
I woke up the next morning hugging Agnes. For a split second I was confused until details of last night flooded my memory. What had I done? I had let passion rule over common sense and had taken advantage of my slave. I disentangled myself from her body and dressed her as quickly and gently as I could. I felt like a bad person. Clearly, Agnes had not been in control of her senses yesterday; I should have known better than to make out with her. We had gotten far but there had been no intimacy because at some point she had suddenly fallen asleep. “Good morning, Your Majesty,” her eyes fluttered open. I was glad I had put on her clothes but I was not quite with clothes yet.“Huh? I… I am going to… uhm…” this had to be the stupidest moment of my entire life. I was stuttering and doing so for a human? “My uhm… legs feel so much better. Thank you,” I could see that her face was blank; she did not remember a thing. “It was nothing and she is being punished, you do not have to…” “Who
Agnes POV Something was happening to me that I could not explain. It was like the painting; I had no memory of painting; and had never learned to paint and yet it all felt so familiar, it came so easy. When I held the brush something magical seemed to happen to me. It was this overpowering feeling that I was something much more than I knew myself to be. It was as though a part of me that I had kept repressed had suddenly come to life. Sometimes I found myself struggling to remember something or my body did things that were strange to me but seemed familiar to me. For instance today I wanted to go and sit by the east garden while watching the moon take its full form. I could not think of any logical reason I wanted to do this almost to the point of banging at the door to be let out. Then I began to sob, despairing that I would not get to see the full moon tonight. I paced the entire length of Cyrus' quarters until I came upon a safe. My hand seemed to have a mind of its own as it p
Salmon's POVI woke up in a strange room. It was not my house nor was it the palace where the king has kept me. I tried to stand up but it was futile; my hands and feet had been bonded by strong ropes. I tried to think of a possible explanation why this but could come up with nothing. If the Alpha had decided that I was guilty he would have tried me and told me the reason he thought so before trying me. Besides if I had been found guilty I would be sent to the gallows immediately. The door opened and in came a man that I knew so well; one that I had shared many pints of beer with and had eaten several times with; his name was Larog. His name was Larog. There was only one possible explanation then; the king had found me guilty. This made my heart sink in my chest. How was that possible? Of course, if I was guilty I must have been framed because I had a clean conscience. I had not known that my nephew had been stealing government money and hiding funds in the South pack. Althoug
Cyrus' POV I led a confused Agnes back to my quarters. When I had shut the door behind us, I checked the entire room just in case there was something suspicious, I found nothing. “You need to remain here until the full moon passes,” I made her sit on the bed. “What is happening to me, Cyrus?” her eyes sparkled with shock after she had called me by my name. I smoothed her hair with my hand and said, “It's okay, we'll figure this out.”“We?” “Yes. But I need you to remain here. Some ugly things are wandering the palace, I do not want them to hurt you, okay?” I quipped; the confusion on her face had not dispelled but she seemed to understand me. “Are Audrey's friends in the palace?” she asked. It was the first time she had mentioned the name of the person who had hurt her. “It doesn't matter, okay? You will be fine. I will have more people guard this place.”“Will you be with Adrianna tonight?”“I… Adrianna was a mistake. It will never happen again,” If it were not for my duties a
Larog was right.I did begin to regret it after I had been bent over and beaten forty straight times on my buttocks. I was certain I would never be able to sit again in my life. Afterward, I was dragged into a cell. The moment the gates were shut, the world turned black around me. It was several hours before I regained my consciousness but my body was numb with pain; I could not move at all. However I felt the presence of another in the room My mind was sent to instant panic, was this another round of torture? How long before the Alpha found out that I had been kidnapped? “Lord Salmon?” at least it was not the voice of Larog but what confused me was why the voice sounded like my nephew, Claudius. I summed it up to the pain, I must be delirious. “Father? It is me,” Claudius had grown up in my home and was like a son to me so he had always addressed me as father and I addressed him as a son. “Son? Do you hunt me now?” I responded to the hallucinating voice speaking to me. “Father?