All Chapters of Rise of the cardinal: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Xander POV They took her… They took Ida. My mate was now in the hands of Osprey. I wanted to shift into Lycan form and jump into the swarm of knights and decapitate every last one of them. However, Gideon’s silver chain was still wrapped around my arm, preventing me from raining chaos among those I wanted dead. Gideon kept shoving me back, using all the strength he must have had. I was stronger than him, but he was more stubborn than I would have liked. Gideon kept pushing and grabbing my shoulders, forcing me down on the ground. He put me down on my stomach, placed his knee on my neck, and twisted my left arm behind my back. He dislocated my shoulder when he pulled harder. I could barely feel it. I was high on adrenaline and couldn’t feel anything. Ida… “You’re no good to Ida if you’re dead, Alex. Hold it together until we figure something out.” Gideon hissed while repositioning himself on me. His voice sounded out of focus and was barely audible in my ears. “I didn’t see Diana

I woke up in the dark. The humidity had seeped through the walls, coating my skin and my now torn dress. My wrists were bound by metal cuffs hanging over my head, chafing my skin and making it raw. I could barely see the outlines of my confinement, and there seemed to be no windows that could let me know the time of day. I had no clue if they had trapped me there for hours, let alone days. My body ached. My muscles were numb, and my bones hurt like they had rattled me and tossed me on the ground multiple times. I tried to lift myself but slumped after my attempt. I felt my knees were too weak to raise myself. I tried to get up again, but the sudden rush of blood made my head ache, and the dizziness I felt made me retch the little content I had in my stomach. The bile burned my throat, making me gag, and I twisted my body sideways to prevent myself from spilling the coming up-chuck on myself. I had to admit that the smell inside the room was rancid, as if years of urine had never been

“It’s ‘King.’” Osprey corrected. “I no longer go by Duke or Lord. You should know that by now.” He moved closer and went to take my arm. I flinched and pressed closer to the wall beside me. Osprey stepped forward again and took my hand, gently pulling me into the center of the room. He gestured to take a seat and returned to his desk. Once he sat down, I looked towards the door and wondered if I would make it out before his long strides caught up with me. He must have understood what was going through my head; he simply smiled and placed a hand under his chin. “You’re free to leave my company, Cressida. However, I think you would rather have mine than Shrike’s. He can be a stubborn man, which is exactly why he works for me. People usually respond better with a little motivation.” I had mixed feelings. Of course, I didn’t want to return to Shrike, but I didn’t want to be in Osprey’s presence either. He folded his hands in front of him and set his piercing green eyes in my direction

I woke up drenched in sweat and shivering. The wounds on my back had healed to some extent, but I feared they had gotten infected, not allowing them to heal right. The fever sent me vivid dreams, but the most recurring one was regarding a white dove bird landing on a wolf, then taking off and disappearing into the sky under the howling cries of the wolf. I thought it was connected to Xander, somehow. My hosts had kept their word and had not fed me for days. The only thing I had in my stomach was the vial's content that incapacitated me. Shrike or Harrier came two times a day to give it to me. Whether I obliged or fought, the liquid slid down my throat and numbed my whole body. It left me in an unresponsive state, yet still able to feel the cold and uncomfortable floor that served as my bed. I didn’t know what exactly was in that vial. It wasn’t water, but at least I was getting some liquid inside of me. Had I not had that, I thought I would not have lasted very long. Diana had mentio

Xander POV I had thought losing Ida to Osprey’s goons had been a living hell. Had I known what was to come, I would have thought less of it. Whatever they did to her, I could feel it as though it were happening to me. The first time I felt something through our mate-bond, it had been like a big slap on my ribs and back. Cold sweats later overtook me, and I could feel how hurt and cold she was. It broke my heart when I understood she was being tortured, and I couldn’t do anything to help her through it. That feeling alone made me go out of my mind and hate myself. I felt like a total failure. That first few days had been hard on me, but it wasn’t as bad as what happened after. When the shocks started without warning, I fell from my horse, shaking and convulsing uncontrollably. The last shock spike prevented me from breathing to the point where Gideon had to take Leo and Denis away, not wanting them to see what came over me. My shifter friend had said I had turned purple in the face