TALIA'S POV
Mother shakes her head in denial for the hundredth time. She refuses to believe that Evan wasn't part of his mother's plan to destroy our family. I didn't want to believe it either at the start. Letting go of the hate is hard when you have been through the hell each of us has been through."He told you that he didn't know and you believed it?" She questions, looking disappointed.We didn't tell her much last night because I wanted her to finally have a peaceful night as a free woman. She is eager to know everything before we head back home. We have an escort of Miles's ten soldiers to go with us. Not that we needed them but Miles insisted that it will be the perfect show of our alliance. Good Alphas like him are rare, I am glad we ended up allies even though I have not been exactly looking forward to being a Queen.Alpha Owen earnestly apologized for having hosted Miles's father together with his hostage in his palace. He offered Miles five good horsesEVAN'S POVI knew this meeting was going to be fun, after all, Talia herself was so terrified of me the first time I appeared in her rented room. She didn't immediately forgive my mistakes and I didn't expect her to. But she reasoned like a sane person. Her sister is totally different, she reeks of witless hostility. She has been through hell and she is a teenager. Her cold demeanour is understandable. You don't live in a dark room for half a year and come out stress-free and amicable. "Go be a slave for three years then come back and say that you're sorry!" She yells, her eyes glowing with rage. She is clearly struggling to force the words out. She is still in pain and physically weak. Days of starvation have left her body emaciated and bony. I imagine her outburst is only fueled by anger, not strength because she can't have much."I don't need to experience what you have been through to understand your pain. But there is no way of changing the past so I am t
TALIA'S POVI told her that I couldn't have saved her, Michael or Taylor without Evan's help, and those are the first words she says to him?! What happened to her reasonable and diligent mind? Can anyone be more thankless?Evan's beautiful face doesn't show any signs of annoyance, he looks totally unfazed by even as she takes a couple of steps back and glares at him. I wish I have the same control over my emotions especially when I know someone is acting irrationally. The fact that he isn't taking her mad raving seriously doesn't mean he is totally fine with it. He is annoyed, of course, his face is, however, good at masking it. Michael looks terrified as he looks up at his mother who has a tight grip on his arm. I imagine this isn't the happy reunion he has been looking forward to, she isn't acting like the incredible mother we knew. "Stay away from my family! We have had enough of your evils!" She again snaps at an unbothered Evan. The beta shakes his head in ast
TALIA'S POV"Please quit trusting him too much. He is no different from his mother. Don't forget that her evil blood runs in his veins." Her venomous words make my stomach churn. Not because there is any truth in what she is in them, but because the bitterness in her voice is too much that I am afraid she may never be able to see the truth and admit she is wrong. I take in deep breaths and blink away the tears before turning to embrace my mate and my little brother. "What happened to our mom? She doesn't want us!" Michael cries as I hug him. I force a smile and cup his face. "No sweetie, mum still loves us. She is just . . . a little confused right now. She will come back and stay with us soon." I soothe even though I am not sure she will ever accept to return back here. I know she loves us, she would never abandon us forever unless she really doesn't have the chance to be with us. "She thinks you're bad," Michael says looking up at Evan. My stunning mat
TALIA'S POVI yawn and stretch out while still laying flat on my bed with my eyes closed. I can already feel the rays of the sun warming the room through my bedroom window.I rub my sleepy eyes before blinking them open. Everything surrounding me looks different and I gasp in shock. The room I am in looks nothing like my bedroom. It's fancy and colourful, two things I have never been a fan of.The curtains that now hang on the window are pink and larger than the tiny blue ones I used to have. Several framed pictures hang on the walls making the room look like a small, overly decorated gallery.I try to think about what may have happened. Then all the memories come flowing in. The match, the soldiers, King's council. . . The execution! I stroked my heart, feeling the rush of energy to make sure that I really came back to life. I had been beheaded, yet the memory of the pain was still fresh in my mind. I looked around, trying to figure out where I was, and then I remembered everything.
THIRD PERSON'S POV"They smell so f****** delicious! Evan will definitely be impressed." The Queen approved as she takes the plate with the omelette from Talia's mother. She smiles gratefully as she sets the plate down on her tray next to the bow with pieces of chicken and soup."Won't it be awkward for him to be the only one eating eggs at the dinner table?" Talia's mother questions."He got a small issue to solve so he will be very late. I am going to give the food to his servant to take to his room." The Queen wears are forced smile as she answers. "Thank you so much for coming to help, you cook just as good as you fight." She compliments, still wearing that fake smile. Talia's mother smiles back and shrugs her shoulders. "Training and cooking are some things I do every day, you shouldn't feel less capable because you have less time to do them. Being a Queen is a lot better than knowing how to do any of those things.""Thanks for trying to make my useless ass feel better. But I ne
TALIA'S POVThe council always sides with the king. I have heard people say it before, but now I am watching them do it in reality.It's clear they are set on declaring our chained and abused young mother guilty without giving her much chance to defend herself. The queen on the other hand has got all the attention and stands to speak whenever and for as long as she feels like it.Seeing bruises and tears on my mother's face makes my jaws clench with anger. She sits on a wooden chair being guarded by three soldiers despite having all her limbs chained. Her expression is a mixture of anger and despair.I can only imagine how mean the soldiers have been to her considering how much everyone adores the prince, a powerful man leaning on the wall while standing a little too far away from the Council.One would think he would see through the lies of his mother. Apparently, he has been fooled alongside everyone else.He lost his servant and I can see the rage in his eyes. He is probably the pe
TALIA'S POVI can't tell what day it is. The air in this dark room does not change to indicate sunrise or sunset. No one opens the heavy metal door that is locked from the other side since I don't get fed or checked.I am so thirsty and hungry that I doubt I will survive for ten more hours. My head also hurts, probably because of dehydration and overthinking.Somehow I feel like I wouldn't mind if I die right now. It would save me from enduring more pain. My lips are so dry that they have begun cracking. I would exchange anything for a drop of water right now. this really hurts more than the hanger.The feeling of misery is intensified by the lack of anything in the room to distract me. I keep thinking of my family and where they may be now. Have they been sold already?It's hard to believe that my family is now completely ruined and not because of a crime we actually committed. My heart pounds harder every time I imagine little Michael as a slave. Can he even survive the work?There
TALIA'S POVI keep dreaming about my execution and it's the worst of nightmares I have ever had. Life has never been this harsh. My body has become so weak that I can't even pull myself up to stand on my feet. I would definitely die on my own if they let me stay in here for a day longer. But I guess my five days of imprisonment are already over.I am now counting seconds with a racing heartbeat before soldiers walk in through the door to get me. There is no good way of preparing yourself for an execution. Doesn't matter how many times I keep telling myself that it's better than dying slowly of thirst in here.I just hope that whenever my young siblings are they can at least eat and drink. They will have no one to look after them even when they fall sick. I really wish I can go back to that moment when we let mum accept the Queen's invitation. I would spit on that messenger's face and tell him to tell his Queen to f off. it's too late for that now.The sound of the heavy doot clicking