CAMILLE'S POVThe guards had an issue letting me in. Especially since I had told them I was visiting the Hector Menard. But after a lot of back-and-forth bantering, the resolve of the first sentinel guard cracked, and he granted me access on the condition that I would only have a limited time inside and that I would be under strict supervision. I agreed to his terms despite knowing how stifling that would be.We descended into the dark, musty crypt. I noticed the air grew colder with each step, sending shivers down my spine. But it wasn't probably the chill air that was giving me goosebumps. It was seeing Hector again. Except this time, he would probably know who I was.I wondered what he would think. Would he regret putting me through all that pain? Did he regret his choice? Would he wish he could turn back the hands of time and make a better choice? The faint glow of torches lined the walls, casting eerie shadows that danced across the stone floor. When we reached another section
SPECIAL CHAPTER TWO: AMITYAUTHOR'S NOTE: Special chapters serve to shed light on the perspectives of minor characters, providing insight into their roles in the unfolding narrative.My life became the mess it was when two insignificant people decided to heed the bond of the goddess.A Phi and a renounced sentinel fell in love and had a child.My mother watched the pups of great wolves, a job for the lowest of lows, while my father, once a respected sentinel, flew too close to the sun. His demotion threw him to the rank of omega.By birth, I would either become a Phi like my mother or an omega. Fate and the goddess were unkind to me, however. The sins of my father found me, and I came into the world as the lowest of runts.An omega.The bullying was relentless. In a world where your rank determined who you were and the weight your words carried, why wouldn't I be tortured?Everyone wanted that power. To command another and have them obey without question.But I worked my way up from t
EVA'S POVHow did she know? How did she fucking know?!I was stressing out, and I hated that I couldn't show it. I wanted to throw that pain out there, not swallow it. It only made things worse.No, the worst part was how stuck in my head I became. Camille was clueless before. Before she touched me, all our argument was about was past grievances. But the second she touched me, something shifted. I saw the way the demeanor on her face changed.As if somehow she gained the information from touching me. Did the healer have more secrets?I scoffed at the thought. What blessing had the heavens thrown into her lap this time, and more importantly, how was I going to silence her?Killing her would be the easiest route. But Camille was currently a hot topic. Taking her out, especially with Milana already dead, would raise questions. There was no telling how far the abilities of the granddaughter of Abigail De'Crescent could go. I mean... five years ago, I watched her get drowned in a rubble o
CAMILLE'S POV"Amity, isn't it? I've been expecting you."Facing someone just as volatile as Eva, I couldn't throw caution to the wind. Everything about Amity told me she was trouble. She seemed a lot like Eva, perhaps even worse. I watched the maid's face morph from fear to curiosity."You planned this?""I cannot plan the actions that people take, but I can do my best to predict them. My prediction just happened to be dead on."The girl nodded, taking one look at the guard, who still had his gun ready for her before returning her gaze to me."And why were you expecting me? Am I the card you want to use against your sister?""You are no ace to me. You are probably just as bad as her," I retorted. "You knew the sins that Eva had committed, and you stood by her side? Where was your loyalty to your Alpha and your pack?""Loyalty?" The girl scoffed. "Where was the pack's protection for those of us that were deemed runts? They demand from us when they give us nothing? I do not think so.
CAMILLE'S POV"What the fuck?!" The guard mouthed, clocking his gun even closer to Amity's face. "Did you just admit to being an accomplice of murder?"Amity's eyes were fixated on mine, not the man who had a gun in her face. "Call your man to order.""He is not my man," I replied, a chuckle almost leaving my lips.The guard felt offended by her statement. His gun grazed her neck, the silver-plated machine searing her skin from mere touch. "I am a first guard sentinel of the fourth division. Loyal only to my king and my superiors."That confidence, that cockiness disappeared, and I watched her stumble back. "You tricked me...""Did I?" I asked.I didn't wait for an answer. I simply continued. "I gave you the choice to stand by me or against me. You chose your own stand. You chose yourself. Not me or Eva. I didn't ask you to ramble about aligning yourself with the genocidal maniac. That wasn't me. That was all you. Your cockiness was your downfall. You have freed Hector of the charges
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