I watched in awe as a group came from the city with a dozen rolls of thread behind their backs. A few carriages came in as well which seemed to be hauling a mass production of foam and wood. Standing under the shade of the roof to cover myself from the falling snow, Linda placed a palm on my shoulders.
"I cannot believe that Master Riftan bought these for us."
"Well, of course, why wouldn't he? You guys deserve a good rest since you've been working your arses off to feed everyone."
"Thank you."
I simpered a small smile which unexpectedly came out from my lips.
"We really appreciate this, Ruby. We are grateful."
"Make sure you get lots of rest tonight."
I trailed my index across the sharp steel. I see my reflection. Eyes dilating in fury and excitement, lips twitching- itching to laugh after I have reigned over my prey.This 8-inch knife would do me well. It is enough to reach the carotid arteries of these beasts and end them permanently.But I have no intention to kill this man.I just want a little workout since I haven't played in a long while."If you are truly Riftan's mate then where's your mark?" he raised a brow at me."Ask him about that. I don't even know what he's talking about. One day he just captured me and then, told me that I was his mate. It's not like I want to be his, though. I just want to get out of here."
ZEN RIFTAN"They have arrived, Sir."I close my eyes and yawn, feeling the fatigue leave my body. Putting the book aside, I lifted my head and faced my servant who came to relay the news."Who exactly?""Sir Vale and the others."Vale. The Beta of my pack. My right hand and my assistant. The boy my parents entrusted to ensure my well-being."Where is he, now?""He should be in the dining hall, taking his meal. Would you like me to come fetch him?"I waved my hands and declined, "No need. Allow him to dine. He must be starving after all the journey he spent. We should give him time, alone.""Sir Riftan!"I flinch, hearing that desperate cry resonate from the halls. Turning my head back, I see another servant of mine- face ghasted. I allow her to breath for a moment, before explaining the ruckus she had been procuring."We told you not to run in the halls, Linda!" my guard yelled at her. "How many times have we told you about that?! You never listen! You know that Sir Riftan is not very
RUBY VERMILLIONTo hell with Riftan and that pathetic, dramatic Beta of his!I grabbed my pencil and clenched it with my fists until the lead broke in half. How dare they humiliate and play with my emotions just like that?How dare they judge me like I was nothing?I swear to the heavens above that I won't let them break me again. May it be that darned Riftan or that little maid of his!"Ruby. Calm down... you'll open the wounds on your skin again."I looked at Linda with an annoyed expression and rolled my eyes, "I'll make them pay. Of course, you're out of it Linda."She heaved a sigh and sat beside me, "That doesn't make me feel anything better at all. You seemed to have hurt yourself a lot with Sir Vale.""I didn't lose though," I flipped my hair and shrugged my shoulders. "That weirdo was the loser who went crawling in the floor, first.""Yes, yes. Of course, you didn't.""He was weak in the first place! Didn't even get the chance to knock me out-""Who's weak?" a voice interrup
The taste of blood inside my mouth was strong. Linda and the others looked at me with horrified expressions. A few guards have come to view when their Alpha was injured by none other than me. The assassin destined to kill him."You may have taken me into your custody, Riftan, but it does not change the fact that I am the predator, and you are my prey."Vale dropped his sword and summoned the sharpest claws I've ever seen, ready to pierce me anytime. "I've given you shelter and food. You've made friends with my people. What else am I going to do to earn your trust?" Riftan demanded with a low and dangerous voice."Nothing," I gritted my teeth and crossed my arms. "There's nothing you can do to earn my trust, Riftan. Nothing. I'd rather die-""I won't kill you," he bellowed in firm words and gave me a stern look. "I can't kill you.""Well, then that makes my job even more easier," I smirked. "If you can't kill me then I-""You can't kill me either." A servant approached him and gave
"I want you to see me as a man, and love you. Even if it is forbidden."Our eyes locked for a few minutes. I could not hear anything else but the loud beating of our hearts. Riftan was dead serious about this entire mate thing. Is he seducing me? I can't tell! Someone! Please make me understand! "Why are you acting like this, Riftan?" I asked him, puzzled. "Why are you trying to mess with my feelings?""I am not messing with your feelings," he answered me instantly. "
I am still in complete shock after the incident last night. I brought my fingers to my lips and caressed them, while looking myself in a mirror. I am still in a dilemma as to how Riftan had caught feelings for me, even if I was this messed up.And so do I.I was also in a dilemma as to why I was in denial to accept Riftan's confession. Ever since I was caught, the male did not do anything to me. And it was probably the other way around. I was the one who kept hurting them. I could not help myself. No matter how much I tried to forgive them.No matter how much I convinced myself that not all of them are the same.No matter how much I tried to see the beauty in them,I could still not find a way to look at them from a different perspective.I was aware that there were good Weres and bad Weres. And in every moment of my life, I always seem to meet the bad ones. I was taught how to punish and prevent them from hurting other people- by hurting them.The Phantomcrescent pack exceeded
The carriage dashed upon the sea of frozen trees. Though it was snowing outside, the carriage remained warm inside. My eyes were almost closed, preparing for a long slumber, but I forcefully tried to keep them open.Riftan was before me, eyeing the windows with a bored expression. Riftan looked aristocratic and princely. Those dark suits perfectly matched the male's tanned body and snow-coloured hair. Well, it is safe to say that whatever Riftan wears—whether rags or sacks—he triumphs over them and brings them to their best image. Any outfit would look good on him. He shifted his head to me and crossed his arms, "Nervous?" I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "What would I be nervous about? It's just a celebratory banquet, isn't it?""A celebratory banquet of all the influential Weres in this continent," he added. "It is not just a mere dinner. Many alphas, just like me, are going to be dining with us at the same table.""Well, that is not something I should be scared about. Afte
"It seems like you have caught the person that we wanted the most, Zen."Riftan resumed his meal while I froze. I could not even move my utensils to dine. Wariness won over me while locking my eyes on the Alpha, who spoke to me like I was a fish baited to land."It was only a coincidence that she had planned to make me one of her newest targets," Riftan replied. "But unfortunately, They captured her just as she reached the base. She was already weakened by snow and her illness."I grit my teeth at Riftan. How dare he talk about my illness in front of everyone else?"The infamous Little Red Riding Ho
Thick, bright red liquid ran through my arm as the blade pierces against my right shoulder.Memories rushed through my head as my body stiffened.'Is this it? Am I finally going to die?'I fell to the floor, my eyes slowly shutting-convincing me to give in to the hands of death."Ruby!""Lady Stella, stay back!" the guards leaped in front of her and readied their lance at the stray rogue who wore a bright yellow outfit.At first, I thought: 'He must be a complete idiot to wear such a bright color in open places like these. Surely he would be caught.'"Ruby!" I felt the woman's touch as she cradled me into her arms. Tears streamed down her cheek as she ripped the portion of her beautiful dress to cover my wound. "Stay with us, Ruby!"It was painful.The pain I felt was too painful.Any moment and I am sure I would see the grim reaper standing before me to collect my soul.Any moment, and I
"Ruby, I want you to know that not all of us Weres are bad people. There might be some who had the chance to consume human flesh, but there are other packs like mine who doesn't. And so does the Phantomcrescents. I want you to know that the man who is chasing for your hand is a good man and he will never hurt you."Her words played inside my mind a million times.I sat there, unsure of what to say.True, that the ordeal between the Weres and Humans has been impossible to resolve. Or rather, I shall say: never going to be resolved."Thank you so much for your kind words, Lady Stella. I keep that in mind."There was silence between us."By the way, Lady Stella, would you mind to tell me what you did when your husband, an Alpha, revealed to you that you were his mate?""Not at all." She smiled.I made myself comfortable while listening to her mellow voice."I was an omega." She told me. "I work on the farm and one day
"You're not allowed to get inside, assassin. You are strictly prohibited from being present at the meeting of the Alphas."Damn it.Riftan took a deep breath while Dreyar laughed. "Sorry about that, Vermillion," he told me. "We'll be discussing very private matters, so I suggest you wait here if you can.""Are you telling me to leave this assassin unattended?" Riftan raised a brow at him, crossing his arms."As much as I want to introduce her to the other Alphas, I don't think I can allow her inside. You do realize the risk of letting Miss Vermillion attend the conference, do you not?""Of course, I do." Riftan sighed and looked at me. "Will you be fine if you stay here and wait? We won't take too long."Dreyar smirked. "I'll rush things so that both of you can return to each other's arms as soon as possible."I scratched my nape, disappointed I couldn't get more information about their dirty secrets. I peeked at the pavilion behind t
ZEN RIFTAN It was evening.I had decided to bring the assassin along with me to the meeting, though she wouldn’t be stepping foot inside the pavilion. The topics were too sensitive, and I wasn’t about to let her overhear matters that could put our plans at risk. Instead, I arranged for Lady Stella to keep her entertained. It was the best alternative—I couldn’t have Ruby wandering off and causing problems while I dealt with more important affairs.Inside the pavilion, the Alphas of the continent sat at a vast table, tension thick in the air. Their expressions ranged from hostile to wary, but none of it surprised me. Every leader at this table was only loyal to their own pack, willing to tear each other apart if it meant expanding their power. The only reason they were all here was the treaty.Six years ago, Hector Dreyar and I had forged this alliance, changing the balance of power among the Weres. Before then, it was a bloodbath—Alphas constantly at war, packs torn apart. But when I
RUBY VERMILLIONThe bed was warm. I could feel Riftan's warmth as his arms were wrapped around mine the entire time we slept. Wait what?I immediately rose up at sat on the bed. My sudden movement wakes the male. "R-Riftan?!""Ugh... what?""W-What did we...""We didn't do anything."The sunlight peered from behind the curtains, and we could hear the sound of cogs and wheels. I stared at Riftan. He was shirtless and had a huge wound on his lower torso. I
"Sir?!"I felt a cold hand grasp me. My eyes instantly opened as balls of sweat streamed down from my face.There was a woman before me, holding a mop on her other hand.My breathing became uneven, I gasp for air as I sat straight."You were having a nightmare, Sir." A nightmare.That's right.It was only a nightmare. It isn't real. Nothing is.
ZEN RIFTANMy body felt so heavy.I remember waking up in a vast flowerbed of daisies and dandelions. The warm sun gently bestowing me with its ethereal light. As my irises focused to grasp my surroundings, I slowly lifted my self up and probed around.I remember this place.Where was I exactly? What was I doing? How did I end up being there?All of those, I can remember.
Run. I sprinted across the snow, trying to get back to the inn. I regretted my decision to meet with Sir Dreyar. Everything became much more worse!I could see the door from our room. I reach out to it and opened the door. I went inside and locked it behind me, and then took the time to breathe some air.'He was just toying with you. None of that matters now. Tomorrow will be your last day here in this place. Just stay close to Riftan and-'
Riftan lay on the couch, eyes heavy from the alcohol. I chuckled as his head hit the cushions with a soft thud. Poking him did nothing—he was out cold."Weakling," I muttered, amused. Who knew one mug of beer could knock him out so easily?As I stared at him, a dark thought crept into my mind. Kill him now.The voices in my head told me.I could end him, use the lamp to stab him... But then what? I'd be hunted before I even got back to the palace."No," I breathed, shaking my head. "It's not the time. Don't mess this up."Taking a deep breath, I crouched and lifted his arm over my shoulder, dragging him to the bed. He groaned in his sleep as I tucked him in."Let's get you to bed," I whispered, more to myself than him. He was out for the count. I had the whole day to myself, and an unsettling memory of Dreyar’s offer lingered in my mind. Evening came, and Riftan still hadn't stirred. I watched the golden clock tick away the hours, then sighed. Waiting for him to wake up wasn’t an opt