DIMITRI'S POVI continued to stare at her body. I didn't know what to do. I didn't have any idea how to move on from this.I had figured I would hurt Milana with my choice, but I didn't expect it to end up like this. I never wanted it to end like this."Milana," I whispered, hoping it would turn out to be just some bad dream."Wake up, Milana." I urged, shaking her limp body. It was stiff. Her head was blue and drained of blood. I felt a hand grip my shoulder, and I turned to face the figure. It was Neal. He had that look on his face. The one that was supposed to tell me that everything was okay. Only this time, it wasn't fooling me. "Dimitri, I think we should take her to the morgue."Hearing the morgue made me visibly angry. The morgue would mean this was permanent. The morgue would mean that Milana was not coming back. I shook my head, refusing to accept what Neal was suggesting. "No, we can't just take her to the morgue like she is some lifeless object," I snapped, my voice lac
EVA'S POV"What do you mean Milana killed herself?" Was the retort that came back.I remained silent, allowing myriad thoughts to collide within the man. I barely knew him; our interactions had been few and far between, leaving us as mere acquaintances. Yet, I understood he was a rational man, making this perhaps the most dangerous game I played.But I tried not to dwell on how quickly a shift could happen. It didn't matter if Dorian Legrand was a man of science. He loved his daughter. Love, I noticed, was irrational. "I don't know what else to say. She was found this morning. She... She hung herself."A chuckle escaped my lips, but I masked it as a sob. I was that good."Why would Milana do that?" The pitch of his voice kept rising. "I know my daughter. She is not like that. If she was... If she were suicidal, I would have known. I, of all people, would have known. I talked to her two days ago, and she seemed fine.""She seemed fine to me, too," I whispered, acting like the words we
CAMILLE'S POV"Beta Neal," the sentinel bowed in response. But Neal had his eyes trained on me. "You can leave," he told the sentinel.The sentinel immediately obeyed, leaving just the two of us."I received news of Eva's servant's arrest on charges of accessory to murder, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, accessory to bioterrorism, and manslaughter. With such substantial allegations, it's certain that Eva will face significant time behind bars. Why hesitate to act?" Neal inquired."Because I worry about Dimitri. He is currently grieving the death of Milana. He thinks it is a suicide now. I just want to make sure he can manage the truth before I spill that Eva murdered her. This is someone he trusted. I'm not sure how he will take having his whole world crumble before him. I have been through that hell once, and it is not easy to recover from.""Wouldn't leaving Eva to roam free be more dangerous? I always had a bad feeling about the woman, but I never got anything solid. This reve
CAMILLE'S POVShe was the one who gave me my name. I reached for her face, hoping to comfort hers. But my hands wouldn't bend to my will.As quickly as it came, the sight in front of me began to dim. "No... No..."I watched helplessly as the memory of my mother's gentle face and her loving words faded into most. The sense of disorientation that washed over me while it happened was the worst. The comforting warmth of the past dissolved into the cold reality of the present.I was blinking back tears while lingering traces of the vision vanished. The light covering my body slowly dimmed, and slowly, the familiar surroundings of my bedroom came back into focus.I lay there for a while. Coping. Whatever my wolf hoped to achieve by showing me that memory, it was working. I did feel better. It was nice not to feel so alone. "You've always been with me?" I asked my wolf, knowing very well she could as well bury herself in my subconscious again. "Always." She replied. "The dark cannot e
SPECIAL CHAPTER THREE: ABIGAIL AUTHOR'S NOTE: Special chapters serve to shed light on the perspectives of minor characters, providing insight into their roles in the unfolding narrative."The merging is near. If the stillborn is the reason for this, I will allow her breath for now," I mused, more to myself than Ophelia."What?" The girl seemed genuinely horrified by my stance. My eyes shifted back to her as she fidgeted with her phone before meeting my gaze. "Camille does not sound alright. She needs us."I chuckled. "Don't make me laugh. You speak as if you're her family, as if you care for her. Yet, you're merely spying on her for favors.""I'm not claiming to be superior. But Camille seems to be going through hell, all because of your vengeful vendetta. If you hadn't brought that forsaken child back to life, Camille wouldn't be enduring this torment.""Vengeful vendetta?" I scoffed. "The mother of that girl killed my daughter. She orchestrated Bo's unnatural death. I couldn't even
CAMILLE'S POV"What?" Was Ophelia's reply. "Camille does not sound alright. She needs us."I couldn't move a muscle. Who was the other party? What was the merging? What was this about?"Don't make me laugh." The other voice retorted. "You speak as if you're her family, as if you care for her. Yet, you're merely spying on her for favors."Hearing that damning sentence caused my blood to run cold. Why would Ophelia be spying on me for favors? I was the one who found her. Our meeting was fated. Except... Except it wasn't. "I'm not claiming to be superior. But Camille seems to be going through hell, all because of your vengeful vendetta. If you hadn't brought that forsaken child back to life, Camille wouldn't be enduring this torment."Forsaken child? What was going on? The shouting outside my window became even louder, coupled with knots that were forming in my head. Eva was the reason for my torment. Was that who Ophelia was referring to? Why was she implying that Eva was brought to l
DIMITRI'S POV My eyes were on the flower when I heard multiple footsteps approach Eva and me."Protect his Majesty!" The Sentinel of the first guard ordered.Coming from the older man who protected my family for generations, I knew this was serious.I immediately pulled Eva behind me and surveyed my surroundings. The guards present formed a circle and kept their weapons loaded and ready. The ones with spears prepared to fire, and the others with guns placed their firm fingers against the trigger."What is happening?" I asked the first sentinel.If the Sentinels were going all out, I figured it was a group of traitors prepared to kill me for the throne. My bet was on my distant family name. Only their lot would be this emboldened."Dorian Legrand is here." The man replied, unsheathing his sword. "He and a few radicals managed to force their way through the gates, killing twelve sentinels."Eva gasped. "Goddess."I held on to her, assuring her it was alright. "This is my fault," she
CAMILLE'S POVSurely, such an old and barbaric-sounding law would have no legal standing. But the sight unfolding before me seemed to be turning out very differently. Neal, who had been holding a gun to Milana's father's head, seemed so shocked by the challenge that the weapon dropped from his hand. His gaze shifted to Dimitri and then the others. He seemed just as surprised as I was that nobody seemed to be resisting the duel that had been thrown at Dimitri.From the safety of my window, I looked at Dimitri, and the look on his face was perhaps that was the biggest shock I had gotten in my life.I knew resignation when I saw it. Dimitri intended to give in. If this were happening any differently, perhaps I would not have any issues about it. But Dimitri has just survived a violent attack from the curse. His body couldn't have fully recovered. Not to mention, his opponent was a Lycan that could somehow shift without the full moon.Lycans were not usually in control when the beast