..............Evaki................................................Two days ago..................................."Ow! Ow! Let me go. Let go!" I yelp, grabbing Tory’s hand and prying it off of me. What the hell? Is she trying to make my heart stop? She laughs, and I smack her arm before scooting up on the sofa and letting out a breath of relief that is short-lived as the pain intensifies. What the hell am I doing trying to go to a party when I should be heading to the hospital?"I can’t go, Tory," I defeatedly confess, looking at my throbbing ankle. “Damn you, Paris," I exclaim in anguish, making Tory laugh again before getting up and heading out of the room, saying she'll be back. She’s cruel. A moment later, she returns with her foot spa, and I frown, looking at the purple stuff in it."What’s this? I’m not letting you practice any more voodoo on me. I need a doctor," I complain, narrowing my eyes at her as she places the foot spa in front of me before trying to grab my foot.
.............Evaki.............“Ah!” I moan, tilting my head to the side as his lips find the sweet spot on my neck. My hands move to his chest, and I undo his buttons with haste while his lips devour mine like it’s their favorite meal, our tongues fighting for dominance. I chuck the shirt aside but gasp in surprise when he suddenly pins my hands above my head and pushes me against the wall before resuming his sweet torture on my neck. My back presses against the cold paint, and I welcome its cooling sensation as my whole body starts to burn while the lace piece of clothing I have underneath dampens. My eyes flutter shut, but they fly open again when he suddenly turns me around to see a huge mirror covering the side of the wall. “You smell so good,” he growls against my ear, his voice sounding inhumane. I don’t know how he did that, but it covers my whole body in goosebumps, and I shiver, letting out another loud moan and tilting my head more to the side to grant him more access
.........Tory.........“Who is she, really?” Eva asks, stepping up to me before I can reply to her first question, and I swallow hard because, one, I don’t know how to explain the situation to her, and two, it’s not my place. “I thought you said he wasn’t seeing anyone,” she adds, and my heart clenches at the hurt look in her eyes.“He isn’t,” I start, still unsure what to say. I feel like I owe her since I got involved by telling her he wasn’t seeing anyone. I shouldn't have done that, but I couldn’t say I didn’t know since she already knew he was Anton’s brother; she would have known I was lying. Plus, I was too excited and happy they were mates. I was happy that my best friend was mated to a good man. She’s been through a lot and deserves all the love. So, the whole mess about Stefania flew out the window, and I started rambling, and now I don’t know what to say.“Don’t lie to me,” she says with teary eyes, and I take her hands.“I’m not lying. They aren’t seeing each other.”“Th
...............Stefania..............."I’m sorry, I-I will come back in the morning," Paris stutters for the first time in his life, turning to walk away, but I grab his hand, causing him to stop. "It’s okay; I wasn’t sleeping." I gently pull him inside, and he enters, the look in his eyes scaring me. I ask him if he would like anything, closing the door behind him, and he says he’s fine. We head to the living area and sit down.Paris and I are not mated yet, but we’ve been friends for so long I can almost feel his emotions. I can tell when he’s deeply troubled, and right now, he is. I’m not going to let him leave here until I’m sure he’s okay.He and I are getting married in ten months, and the kingdoms have begun to rejoice over the long-awaited union. Everyone is in high spirits – everyone except me. I’m dead inside, and every day that passes takes a piece of my heart with it. Our marriage is not out of love. Well, at least not on his part. Our fathers arranged it for differen
.........Tory........."Are you okay?" I ask Evaki seeing her staring at her phone, but she doesn’t hear me, making me worry even more. "Hey, Eva?" I call her again, and she looks up at me, apologizing, saying she didn’t get what I was saying. I ask again if she’s okay, and she says she is. "I don’t think I’m going to be able to go in tomorrow," she says, causing me to look at her again and ask her why not. "I’m not feeling well," she replies, looking away from me, and I ask what’s wrong and if she would like me to take her to the doctor, even though I know she’s going to decline. I know she’s not sick. I heard how fast her heart beat when she said that, and I think I know the real reason she doesn’t want to go. She’s scared she might bump into Paris. Eva hasn’t heard from Paris since their encounter, and it’s stressing her out, but she doesn’t want to say it because she doesn't understand the feelings she's caught. So she’s fighting them, thinking they make her seem desperate sinc
.........Paris .........Eva buried herself against the wall, shaking while still screaming her lungs out as I stepped up to her, and I shifted back to my human form, my heart breaking seeing her like this. “My love, I will never hurt you," I try to reassure her, taking another small step toward her, but she stomps her feet, freaking out even more, and I stop, raising my hands to show her I mean no harm. She tries to run, but there's nowhere to run and I open my mouth to try and calm her down again, but she lunges for the dresser and picks up a pair of scissors."Eva-" I start to say, but my eyes widen when she holds it against her neck. Goddess, why? I beg her not to hurt herself, stepping further away from her toward the door, not knowing what else to do. I open the door, so Tory can hear me say I will call her, scared she won't listen to me and hurt herself. I've never had to reveal myself to a human before, and I've never seen anyone as terrified as she is right now. She’s not
..........Evaki.........."No," I shake my head, tears streaming down my cheeks, and it moves closer. I tell it to stop, but it doesn’t listen, causing me to look around in panic while burying myself more against the door even though I know there's nowhere else to go."I don’t want to be your queen. I want to go home, please. If you let me go, I swear I will leave this place, and I will never tell anyone about you or your father," I beg, turning my face away, unable to look at it. But I gasp, feeling the familiar warmth spread across my chest before covering my whole body in goosebumps when it places its hand under my chin. My heart starts beating faster as I slowly look up and lock eyes with it for the first time since this happened."You are my soulmate, Evaki. You are my heart—my gift from the Gods, and I would die before I hurt you," it says, taking my hand and placing it on its heart while I seem unable to take my gaze away from it, and I believe it. I don't know how and I don'
..........Kyros ..........When I returned to my room, I had told myself I was going to wait until I got home to ask my father, as I felt this wasn't something to be discussed over the phone, but I couldn’t wait. If there was a chance he was my brother, I had to know then. Plus, I couldn’t think of anything else, so I called him. At first, he didn't want to talk; he said we would talk when I got home, but to me, that was already an admission, and I grew more impatient. So, I forced him to talk, and he said the guy was my brother, and even though everything told me he was, I was still shocked. I didn’t look like the woman I knew as my mother. I look like my father, but instead of black hair, I have blond hair. My father told me my mother was a human. After he met his mate, he took me from my mother. He said he and my mother decided it was better that he raised me since my mother knew nothing about wolves. He told me she was also still living with her parents when she had me, and it
.......Tory.......My heart skips a beat and my eyes widen before tears quickly fill my eyes, taking in the breathtaking sight that greets us as we arrive at Antonis' father’s kingdom. I look at him to see a surge of emotions overwhelm him as he looks at me, his eyes mirroring mine, reflecting a mixture of joy, relief, and gratitude. The people have come out in droves to welcome us. The king and council pardoned Antonis, but we weren’t sure how the people felt, especially since they had been under the rule of someone with ulterior motives for so long. Dimitris might not have been the official ruler, but he still ruled, and many were born under his rule.We step out of the car and onto a raised platform, where we can see the sea of faces in the crowd. There are men, women, and children of all ages smiling and waving enthusiastically. I can feel the love and admiration radiating from the crowd, and a tear slips from my eye at the genuine warmth and acceptance we are receiving.Overwh
........................Author's POV......................................................Two months later..............................As the sun sets over the picturesque landscape, Evaki and Paris stand in awe of the serene beauty that surrounds them. They are attending a private wedding ceremony as witnesses, a momentous occasion for the brides and grooms. The couples look radiant, their eyes filled with love and excitement for the future.Evaki is wearing a silver gown with a regal silhouette that exudes elegance and grace. Paris stands next to her in a silver tunic tailored to exude sophistication and prestige, his hand resting on her lower back as they stand side by side. They are honored to be part of this special day, supporting their friends and family as they embark on their journey as husband and wife. Maia looks like the queen that she is in an exquisite masterpiece crafted from the finest burgundy silk, the color of Antonis's house. Kyros stands next to her in a g
........................Author’s POV......................."What’s happening Paris, please? And don’t tell me it’s nothing. Why do you reek of blood? What’s all this?" Evaki bombards Paris with questions, and Paris cuts her off, saying it’s Stefania. Evaki’s heart immediately accelerates, her eyes widening as she asks him what’s wrong with Stefania, her voice trembling with fear. Ever since she arrived, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong, and after her mother-in-law told her she couldn't see Stefania, she became more alarmed. Her mind starts racing. Is Stefania dead? Did she die in childbirth? Did she not wake up from the Lycan process? She starts asking herself but her thoughts are cut short by Paris’s voice, telling her that Stefania was not who they thought, confusing her."What do you mean?""She lied, Eva. She manipulated me; she hurt you. She…" Paris chokes on the lump that quickly inflates in his throat, and Eva cups his face, but Paris quickly turns
.........Evaki.........Confusion clouds my thoughts as I struggle to comprehend what's happening. My brother is supposed to be dead, buried in the ground, and yet here he is, standing in the flesh before me. My thoughts spiral into a whirlwind of questions while my heart pounds in my chest, echoing loudly in my ears and causing my hands to start trembling. I stare into the eyes that mirror my late brother’s. The same unruly mop of blonde hair, the same sharp jawline, and the same mischievous smile that used to light up our childhood memories. It can’t be."Everett?" I whisper again, my voice barely above a whisper, and my eyes wide with confusion as he takes small, cautious steps towards me, his eyes fixed on mine. His hand reaches out slowly, tentatively, as if afraid I might disappear if he moves too quickly."Hello, sister," he says, his voice choking with tears as I lean into the familiar touch. "My name is Kyros. I never met our mother, and I just found out that she never tol
.........Evaki ........The grandeur of the palace looms before us as we step out of the car, and my eyes widen with a new sense of wonder. My transformation into a wolf has heightened my senses beyond anything I could have imagined, making me see the world with a clarity I have never experienced before. The colors are richer, the textures are more defined, and the scents are incredibly distinct. I can even identify the faint scent of humans, which surprises me as they are nothing like what I imagined. Wolves can always tell when a person is human before they even see them, and I thought that meant humans had the same scent, but it turns out they don't. Humans have different scents, with the only common denominator being the strength of their scents, which are very weak compared to those of wolves. Everyone smells good, but Paris smells divine and intoxicating. I even found myself sniffing him on the plane.I look at him as we make our way toward our quarters, and my brows furrow
........Tory .........I look back as we enter the forest, even though I know the house is sealed and the baby is safe. I also have a monitor and will be able to check on him if he wakes up. I didn't want to bring him out here, but I couldn't miss witnessing this very special moment as my friend joins me on the supernatural side. Paris sets her down, and the elders walk up to check on her. We are outside in a clearing in the forest at the back of our place. The gods need to witness her first change and release their blessing upon her, so she had to be brought out here and make her first shift under the moonlight that is shining brightly above us, as though also celebrating with us. It's also the only source of light.I take a deep breath, the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves filling my nostrils and creating a sense of contentment deep within me. I love the fresh and earthy smell of the forest. I was terrified when Paris arrived with the two elders since Eva began this journe
.......................Author’s POV .......................Dimtris is still standing by the window, his mind racing with thoughts of his elaborate plot to usurp Veseleios, when the room's door clicks open. He turns, quickly fixing his face as he does, ready to shower Veseleios with a fake compliment about something he saw in the fields, but his breath catches in his throat when his eyes lock with Maia's.He doesn’t even register the uncannily Evaki look-alike next to her until a second later. "Daughter," he mumbles, his body turning cold, the look on Maia’s face sending shivers down his spine as it screams his worst fears. He wasn't kind to her the last time he saw her, and he knows she killed Charon.He quickly composes himself while thinking of how to get out of this. Charon was supposed to mark her and tell her who she was. His eyes quickly trail down to her neck, and she doesn’t have a mark, which means he didn’t mark her, but what about the truth of who she is? He can see in he
...............Stefania...............My heart races in my chest as the elder leads me to the room, and I look at my father, who's being escorted by the king to another room. He nods at something the king says, carefree with no worry in the world, while I'm dead inside. My mind is a whirlwind of anxiety, fear, and pain—the pain of losing my brother and mother. They never wanted any of this, and now they are dead. I only asked my father what killed Charon because I didn't need to ask what killed my mother. I already knew that losing her son killed her. He said he didn't know; he's waiting for the guards he sent to Red Lake to get back to him. But I knew he was lying to me. He knows because he said we can't let their deaths be in vain, which means my brother was killed doing his dirty bidding for this stupid plan that has now ended our family."This way," the elder softly says, gesturing for me to go down the stairs, and I can feel my palms growing sweaty as I clutch onto my skirts,
..........Paris ..........Antonis's voice booms over the phone. His eyes are burning with urgency as he barks orders to the guards, telling them to close all exits and stop King Dimitris and Stefania from leaving. My father and I stand frozen in shock, listening to him."Antonis, what's going on?" Father demands again, walking up to him. "Why are you closing the airport? What madness is this?" Father grabs him by the shoulders, stilling him."He's a traitor. All this time, he's been planning to kill us all. He wants to become a Lycan," he says, shocking us and Father asks him what he's talking about."You are not making sense; what are you saying? Who told you this?" he asks, now cupping his face and Antonis says it's the maid's daughter, Stefania's adopted sister."How? When?" Father asks, and I ask if she was the one mind-linking him, since this is all happening after the mind-link. He says yes, confusing us even more. Father demands that he sit down, take a breath, and then tell