RAVEN "I told you, didn't I? You belong to me. You can't be with another man," Hades growled, and annoyance surged within me. Who the hell did he think he was? Taking a deep breath, I went limp in his arms, and he immediately released me. I pulled away from him, worried that Aries might see him with me. "I don't know you. Stay away from me if you don't want trouble. I already have a mate. All of this is pointless," I said, and he clenched his jaw, his expression turning stone cold.Without waiting for him to say anything, I hurried towards Aries. He handed me one of the ice creams and took hold of my hand, using his free hand. "I didn't take too long, did I?" Aries asked."You didn't. Today has been nice. It's been only a few days since I arrived at your palace. Things are much different than I thought they would be," I stated as we strolled towards the park. I could see a few children running around the park while their parents watched them with fond smiles on their faces. Th
ARIES "Took you long enough to get here," King Hades stated the moment I joined him in the throne room. The mere sight of him was enough to stir up hostile feelings towards him. We've had quite a long history. "You went off the grid for several decades. I'm surprised you thought of visiting my palace right when you returned," I stated, and he smirked."I heard about your wedding with the only daughter of the alpha of the black claw pack," he said, and I eyed him with a blank look on his face."Is that the only reason you showed up here? It's not a big deal," I replied. "Come on now; we both know it's a great deal. I didn't think you would ever get married. It was surprising to hear that your marriage was an arranged one. It spiked my interest, old friend," Hades stated, and my right eye twitched.This bastard sure hasn't changed. We had been friends until he chose to join the witches to destroy my people. Yet, here he was, calling me an 'old friend'?"What exactly do you want?"
RAVENI was certain that my blood had frozen over in my veins. The moment Hades spewed those dreadful words, my airway constricted, and I couldn't breathe. Even so, I knew he was right. I was merely an imposter after all. Before the elders, I doubted that my mate would defend me. "Sienna West, that's your name, isn't it?" Hades said to me, and everyone gasped."Did you know about this, your majesty?" One of the elders asked, and that bastard smirked. It was clear that he was enjoying himself. "Of course he didn't. This situation can be easily remedied. She's merely a slave. Let me buy her. What do you say, your Majesty?" He said, and I went still. The smug look on his face was enough to spike my temper. But there was nothing I could do. And for a moment, a thought crossed my mind. Would Aries really sell me if he wanted to?I'd been sold an awful number of times, and each time I was sold, I ended up in a worse state. Although I chose not to show it, my fury was quickly becoming f
RAVEN Nathan's cold gaze met mine, and my stomach rolled. His hatred for me was as obvious as it could get. Alpha Declan walked up to Lily's side and placed a hand on her bony shoulder. Her expression did not waiver. "My rightful bride, you say?" Aries said, and Alpha Declan's gaze darkened. He lifted a hand towards me and pointed at me."That girl belongs in the dungeons. She committed an unforgivable crime," he stated.Aries turned to look at me with an expression I couldn't read. At this point, I suddenly wished I'd told him everything. He didn't know the whole truth, Alpha Declan would use it against me. "She's my wife now, Alpha Declan. I can't discard her just because my 'rightful bride' decided to show up," Aries stated, and rage exploded over Alpha Declan's features. The tension in the air had tripled. I knew that if things went on like this, the whole situation would take a drastic turn. "She is a traitor, your majesty," Nathan stated, and I swallowed hard. Aries st
ARIES Electric blue eyes. They looked familiar. But most of all, they were filled with fear, which was mostly directed at me. I could smell her lovely scent; it was the most pleasant scent I'd ever smelled. And at the moment, I desired to claim her as my own. I watched her as she stood there on the spot, torn between the urge to run or stay. But why? Why does she consider staying? "Your Majesty?" Without glancing at my Zeta, I waved him off. A flash of memory appeared in my mind's eye. I could recall seeing her in the garden."Who is she?" I said, rising to my feet. "She is your..." Cade stated to say but was interrupted by Icarus. "She is your wife, your majesty," he said, and I inhaled deeply, surprised by this new information. My wife? I've been married?"How long?" I said, and the woman lowered her head, clasping her trembling hands together. I could smell her confusion mingled with her fear. "It's been..." Cade said, and I waved him off."You. I'm talking to you,
RAVEN I'd seen it as an opportunity. Aries' condition had created a chance for me to use him as a leverage. If I wanted to survive long enough to escape from the palace and live my own life, I needed him to believe that I was a damsel in distress in need of saving. I'd been more than satisfied with the minor punishment he'd given to me. That was until I encountered Hades, who had taken the form of a guard to harass me. Again, he'd threatened to harm Aries if I refused to leave with him. Little did I know that someone had been watching. And somehow, Aries had the wrong idea about the situation. "Have you gone dumb?" Aries demanded. I could feel his claws elongate, his grip on my throat tightening. I didn't understand why he was mad at me. But I needed to let him know the truth. "Your majesty, I do not know that guard. He touched me without my permission," I said, and he narrowed his eyes, his blood red eyes clouded by rage. "Do not lie to me."A shiver ran down my spine. I'
ARIES "You really don't know anything about the curse." Icarus' statement pulled me out of my slumber. "Tell me. Tell me everything you know about it. Right now," my mate said, her voice tinged with desperation. I was torn between doing nothing and preventing Icarus from telling her what he knew about the curse. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that she was better off knowing what she was dealing with. Right from the start, she'd been reluctant to stay by my side. If this was the final straw that would make her flee from me, so be it. "Well, it happened several centuries ago. Aries doesn't quite remember, but... he made a costly mistake and earned himself a woman's spite," Icarus said. It didn't surprise me. It was quite typical for me to do that, considering the number of women who were constantly hovering around me. Even so, it was embarrassing to know that I'd angered a woman to the point where she'd decided to curse me. "Was she a lover, perhaps?" Raven asked, a
RAVEN A few hours before, I quickened my pace as I left Aries' room. The emotions I'd felt while staying around him had swelled to the point where I desperately wished for some space. I needed to think. I had to process these feelings.However, as I made my way down the hallway, I sensed an ominous presence following after me. I had a feeling that it was Hades.So I hurried out into the garden and froze when chills ran down my spine, my vision blurring at the edges. Pain speared through my temples, and I dragged in a shaky breath as a memory surfaced in my mind.The cold wind ruffled my hair as I stared down at Aries, who knelt before me with a blank look on his face. He was covered in blood that was mostly not his. Clenching my jaw, I brought my sword to his throat, bitterness surging inside of me. "Do it," Aries spat, and I growled, lifting the sword in a bid to strike....I blinked back into reality at the sound of Hades calling my name. Bleary-eyed, I looked u
RAVEN It felt like something out of a nightmare. I wanted to believe that what I'd just heard and seen wasn't real. But, I was also painfully aware of the fact that I would only be lying to myself. "Why did you do that?" I asked when I finally found my voice. She chuckled, clearly amused by my question. "If you're talking about why I tried to attack the Lycan king, then I must tell you this. I hate him. Deep down you hate him too, don't you?" She said, and I brought my hands to my face, tears clouding my vision. "I don't understand. Why...why are you here? Why are you trying to take over my body?" I said, my voice trembling. "Don't you get it? I am you, and you are me. That monster is destined to die by our hands," she replied. I shook my head in disbelief, nausea creeping into me. "Why do you hate him so much? Isn't it enough that you cursed him?" I croaked, and her eyes darkened, her face contorted in rage. "He killed my people. He led them to their death! He has to suf
RAVEN I'd been waiting for this moment for the past few hours. Yet I was burdened by crippling anxiety. I'd spiked my mate's tea with the truth serum Lily had provided me with. A part of me was worried that there would be side effects. And the look of absolute terror on Aries face was not helping either. Did he recall something terrifying? I couldn't help but wonder. "Do you remember something, your Majesty?" I asked, and he pulled away from me, his face twisted into an expression of anguish. He was fighting the effect of the serum. "Do you remember seeing this necklace?" I asked, and he turned away from me, rubbing his temples. "Did you spike the tea?" He asked, and I froze. When I still didn't say anything, he nodded, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "I guess I have my answers now. I understand that you're desperate, but you really didn't have to do that. Do you really wish to get rid of me that badly?" He said and stormed out of the room, leaving me to stare at the do
ARIES Raven's expression slowly morphed into one of absolute terror, tears filling her eyes. Maybe it was for the best. I didn't want her to grow too attached to me. That way, she wouldn't be so heartbroken on learning that I was involved in her father's death. There was no evidence yet. But I wasn't confident that I was innocent. "How do you know that? By chance, do you recall--" Her voice trailed off when I lowered my gaze."You're not sure. You're only making assumptions," she said, her voice laced with hurt. I squeezed my eyes shut, my mind in turmoil. Even if I was indeed not her father's murderer, was it really okay for me to stay by her side?I was slowly wasting away. And no matter how much I yearned to be with her, wasn't it selfish to let her feel the pain of losing me? Perhaps, it would be better for her not to get attached to me. "Is it really okay for you to be with someone who might've killed your father? Wouldn't your father feel betrayed?" I said, and her ey
RAVEN A few hours before, I stared at the hooded figure standing by the door of the bedroom, my eyes narrowed in suspicion. Reaching out a hand to grab the intruder's hoodie, I pushed it off their head. My eyes widened as I registered the intruder's familiar face, my jaw dropping. She lowered her gaze, pushing her hair away from her pale face with trembling fingers."Lily?" I said, confused."It was you all along?" I breathed. She grimaced, keeping her gaze fixed on the floor in front of her. "We need to talk," she mumbled, and I frowned, my confusion soaring. I'd been so certain that she wasn't on my side. Was all of this a plot to turn me against my mate? Or did she know something I didn't?"I have to go now. I can't be seen by others," she said and started to turn away from me. I grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her from leaving."Do you really expect me to believe that you haven't been trying to deceive me?" I demanded, and she let out a throaty cough into h
ARIES "Your majesty?" My eyes snapped open at the sound of Ariella's voice. She was standing right in front of my desk, watching me with concern in her eyes. The remnants of the haunting memories that had just flooded my mind faded away, leaving a dull, empty feeling in it's wake. I could barely remember what the memory was all about."Are you alright? You're sweating..." She said, and I ignored her statement. "What do you want?" I asked and she heaved a sigh."I miss you. I miss the old you," she stated, and I gave her a blank stare."You should leave if that's what you're here to talk about," I said, and she pouted."That's not why I'm here. I fainted two days ago," she said, and I furrowed my brows at her, puzzled."Of course, you didn't know. You were too busy concerned about Raven," she hissed."Stop whining about that. It's getting old," I retorted."I'm pregnant," she deadpanned, and I blinked at her.Did she really think I was gullible? "And?" I said, raising a brow
RAVEN Without thinking it through, I crumpled the paper and slowly turned to look at Aries with a false smile on my face. His brows knitted into a frown as he reached out to cup my face. My stomach churned as the dreadful words that I'd read replayed themselves in my head. Questions surged within me. I had no answers for any of them, it only worsened my growing doubts. "Did you have a nightmare?" Aries asked, and I nodded, leaning into him to prevent him from noticing the knife on the nightstand. He held me close, stroking my hair slowly. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling sick to my stomach. For the rest of the night, I couldn't sleep. When he left me alone in bed, I pretended to be deeply asleep. I felt him press a kiss on my forehead, and once I was sure that he was no longer in the room, I sat up in bed. I proceeded to freshen up and leave the room. I didn't know who to talk to about the strange note I'd received. Even worse, it was alarming to think that someone had snea
RAVEN Several Hours Before, I still couldn't wrap my head around everything Hades had told me. If he had been married to me at one point in my past life, it didn't mean that I would belong to him in my present life. According to Hades, Aries was our mutual enemy in our previous lives. Even so, I was conflicted. Aries had only ever treated me well. He was married to me now. Unable to get some sleep, I left my assigned room and headed downstairs to get myself something to drink. However, before I could get to the bottom of the stairs, I heard Hades speaking with someone I couldn't see. "I plan to make her take part in the bonding ceremony. There's a high chance that she will remember her old memories," he said, and my heart sank. I had enough on my plate at the moment. The last thing I wanted was to put up with memories from my past life. "What about her unborn children? A pregnant woman isn't allowed to take part in the bonding ceremony," I heard the strang
ARIES "Your Majesty? Are you alright?" At the sound of Cade's voice, I lifted my gaze and found him staring at me with a worried look on his face. Puzzled, I glanced around and found myself in the courtyard. I couldn't recall leaving my study. "What happened?" I asked, clearing my throat. "You've been sitting here since the meeting with the generals ended. It's been three hours," he pointed out, and I furrowed my brows in confusion. The meeting was supposed to take place in an hour. Was he insinuating that the meeting had already taken place?"Do you not remember attending the meeting, your Majesty?" Cade asked, and I heaved a sigh. "It's been happening a lot lately. It's getting worse," I said, rising to my feet. "We have to do something. Anything at all. If this keeps happening, rumours might spread. We can't let the werewolves learn about this," he continued. He was right. If the werewolves gained knowledge of this weakness of mine, they would take advantage of it right
RAVEN A few hours before, I quickened my pace as I left Aries' room. The emotions I'd felt while staying around him had swelled to the point where I desperately wished for some space. I needed to think. I had to process these feelings.However, as I made my way down the hallway, I sensed an ominous presence following after me. I had a feeling that it was Hades.So I hurried out into the garden and froze when chills ran down my spine, my vision blurring at the edges. Pain speared through my temples, and I dragged in a shaky breath as a memory surfaced in my mind.The cold wind ruffled my hair as I stared down at Aries, who knelt before me with a blank look on his face. He was covered in blood that was mostly not his. Clenching my jaw, I brought my sword to his throat, bitterness surging inside of me. "Do it," Aries spat, and I growled, lifting the sword in a bid to strike....I blinked back into reality at the sound of Hades calling my name. Bleary-eyed, I looked u