The neighing of horses can be heard from afar. A large party of soldiers are approaching the Crown Prince’s palace, stopping in front of the dark gates.
“Stop!” One of the gatekeepers alerts them. “Who are you?”
He watches as the leader of the troop gets down from his horse and walks towards the gate. The man is of heavy build and quite tall. He is wearing a large armor while the emblem of the Costa family is carved on the brooch stuck on his chest. The man stands tall, walking proudly towards the palace gates.
Slowly, he takes off his helmet.
Soft blonde hair is shining under the sunlight, the rays falling on his exotic features. The man is tanned with boyish looks even though he is well into his twenties.
“You should have thought of that when you killed my mate,” Damien says. “Remember Yana? Or did you forget about her too?”A long silence ensues between the two men as they angrily stare at each other. Lavi stays silent but Damien is not going to spare him.“How funny!” Damien laments. “The Crown Prince goes unpunished for my mate’s murder while I suffer for the rest of my life!”He lets out a mirthful laughter.“I see that your mate’s death did not turn you into an empty shell,” Lavi notes.“It did…”Damien’s anger is mixed with deep melancholia, his heart wrapped in a literal pa
Damien is outside the palace with his men, waiting for Lavi to come out. From afar, he can make out the thin frame of a girl walking towards them. He recognizes her as the same girl whom he met outside of Lavi’s office. She seems to be having some problem with walking because her movements are slow and she is trying to find her way to the gates. He gets down from his horse and approaches her. Anna feels his presence as he comes nearer and slightly bows before him. “Sir Wilde,” she greets. “I will be accompanying the Prince on the journey.” “Are you sure you want to accompany us?” Damien asks in a kind tone. “The journey is long and not so easy. There might be rogues out there who can attack us.” “I have to obey the Prince’s orders,” Anna states.
The horses are galloping along the deserts of Pir while the hot sun blazes in the sky. Only half the day has passed and they still have a long journey ahead of them. Lavi is on a black stallion, looking haughty and unaffected by the sun but the men around him are already exhausted by the heat. Even Damien seems to be feeling the heat.Anna, on the other hand, is used to the hot weather and is calm. She can feel Lavi’s gaze on her every now and then but she cannot read his mood at all. It feels strange to be the object of his attention as if he will attack her any moment but cannot do so because of Damien.The knight has a protective grip around her, keeping her safe in her seat but Anna barely notices. She is more focused on memorizing the route in order to execute her plan. They are taking the southern road which means that they are going to pass by some
Lavi drags Anna into the room, shutting the door behind him. Once inside, he turns on her.“You will return to the castle,” he says. “Now.”“Huh? You are the one who brought me here!”“And now I am telling you to leave. I will take you there and then return-”“No!”Anna is adamant. She refuses to leave because if she does, Lavi might escape. Moreover, by staying close to him, she will get more information on him.Lavi, however, is not going to back down either. “You must leave,” he stresses. “I should not have brought you here when-”He trails off
Anna is anxious as she paces back and forth the chamber. She is trying to use her senses and link with her pack members but everything is coming at a blank. It is as if she is still in Lavi’s palace where the magic prevents her from contacting her guild members. But they are not in the palace now so she should be able to contact them.Then why can she not do it?“Magic?” she ponders. “Is there some sort of magic here?”Did the Emperor lure Lavi into a trap? Why did he not tell her? Surely, Damien or someone from the Royal guard would have told her. The Emperor must have planned this…She unconsciously takes off her shawl, feeling too hot. For some reason, she is feeling a little too warm after their arrival. It is strange because she
Lavi throws Anna on the bed. She winces as she lands on her back, feeling feverish by the Heat.“You should have listened to me and returned to the castle!” He barks at her. “Listen to me for once!”Anna is irritated by his nagging and becomes defensive.“I did not know that I was in Heat!” She snaps at him. “I never felt like this before!”The Heat is a state which only the female counterpart will experience once they find their mates. If they are not marked or rejected, the Heat will affect them every month.“Tell me your name and I will reject you,” Lavi offers. “You will escape the Heat then!”
Lavi quickly looks out of the window and sees several men who are lighting the inn on fire. He catches a glimpse of Damien who is standing with them. There is no doubt that the plot has been hatched by Phillippe and the men standing with Damien are not soldiers but rogues from the area who are going to kill him.He swiftly turns back at Anna who is coughing hard. She is looking confused but is determined to get out of there as well.“Did you know about this?” he demands.“No!” Anna claims. “I had no idea that there is a plot to kill you tonight!”“Lavi, I think she is speaking the truth!” Airen says. “If she was lying, she would not have stayed behind when you told her to leave.”
“Watch it!” Lavi scolds Anna when she nearly stumbles on a branch.“I cannot ‘watch it’!” She sneers. “I am blind, remember?”“You manage to walk around my castle just fine!” He snaps back.Anna takes a deep breath. “That is because I have the place memorized,” she says in a way as if explaining to a child. “This oasis is new to me. It will take me some time to memorize.”“Quite bold of you to trust me in this place,” Lavi mutters.“Trust? Absolutely not! I just happen to know that if I am hurt, you will also be hurt. Which means you have to keep me safe.”Lavi scowls but An