LOGINARDEN I was pulled out of sleep by something shaking me. My eyes fluttered open to find Calla hovering over me, her hands gripping my arm and her face pinched with worry.“Mommy, Mommy.”Her whisper was urgent, but not loud enough to disturb Rowan, who lay beside me in the bed. He’d had such a long day, and I didn’t want to wake him if it wasn’t necessary. I rubbed my eyes and propped myself up on one elbow.“Quiet, honey,” I murmured, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Your dad is sleeping.”She nodded but didn’t relax. Instead, she looked at me with wide, serious eyes.“Aunt Arden,” she said, merely two words, but I heard the urgency in her tone. I frowned, tilting my head. “Do you miss your Aunt Arden?” I asked gently, thinking maybe this was one of those dreams that clung to children, something she wanted comfort from.“Yes,” she answered honestly. I thought it would end with that. I was prepared to comfort her, but she spoke once more. “She’s in trouble.” My brows
ARDEN “Have I gotten fat?”The question slipped out before I could stop myself. I sat on the edge of our bed, one hand resting on the bump on my stomach, the other fiddling with the hem of my loose dress because none of my other clothes fit now. My reflection in the mirror across the room made me wince. My face looked fuller, my ankles had disappeared weeks ago, and every part of me felt swollen, stretched, and heavy.Cade turned to me from where he was buttoning his shirt, his brow lifting just slightly. Then a small smile appeared on his lips. “You’re not,” he said gently. “But even if you are, I’ll still love you.”I pouted, crossing my arms like a petulant child. He always knew the right words to say, and somehow, that annoyed me as much as it comforted me. Gosh, being pregnant was not easy. My body didn’t feel like mine anymore. Some days, I swore I could hear my bones creaking under the weight of this child.I thought about Tessa and how she had gone through this without her m
ZARIA“You’re lucky my mother didn’t actually fling your body to the river.”I lifted my head to look at the man who practically worshipped the ground Azalea Rose walked on. How strange. A son usually wouldn’t go to such lengths for the approval of their mothers—unless he was also born by trauma that he couldn’t shake off, no matter how hard he tries.“I’m way too precious to be thrown away,” I said with a smirk, sitting up on the bed in the room they had provided for me.He shook his head and closed the door, and in an instant, he was right in front of me.I wasn’t fazed.After all, I had seen these things before…Kyle narrowed his eyes at me in confusion. He probably didn’t understand why I was so unfazed. “Are you serious about what you said?” he asked suddenly. “About your sister’s weakness?”“Of course,” I said with a smile. “You would know that siblings have a connection that is unlike anything in the world.”“You are born with a connection by blood. However, they are also your
TESSAI felt restless. Even my wolf, who would usually calm me down at this moment, was pacing back and forth inside my mind. The deadline had passed when I was supposed to meet with the powerful witch from Montrose. However, nothing has happened. I didn’t know whether that was a good sign or not. Should I be happy? Or should I prepare for something greater? I felt someone press their finger on the creases of my brow. “You’re frowning again,” Rowan muttered, leaning closer to place his hands on my shoulders to give them a light massage. I bit my lip and turned to him. “I can’t help it, love,” I said. “What if she has something bigger planned?” He frowned, conviction seen in his eyes. “That would not happen,” he said.“I will not let anything happen to you,” he said, his lips brushing against my temple. “We’ve strengthened everything. Even the faintest trickle of magic will reach me. We’ll be safe.”My arms wound around his neck, clinging to the comfort only he could give. When h
ZARIA “Let me go!” I shrieked. They gripped my wrists like I was some filthy thing that’d been picked off the bottom of someone’s shoe. Way to make me feel more worthless than I already felt! After my reputation was tarnished in the South, I was now being overlooked here. Is this going to be my life now? I won’t let it be this way. “I am important,” I spat at them. However, they only tightened their hold on my arms. Their faces were blank as they led me inside a large palace-like infrastructure. They looked like they had seen every kind of treachery in the world and had grown tired of being surprised.From somewhere within the stone-walled manor, a scream rose. It made the hairs on my forearms stand up. Woah. Whoever that person was seemed to have a lot of pent-up anger. I can’t blame them. I have a lot of it buried inside my body, too. I mean, the world was getting more complex yet somehow stupid, so it was just expected.I was actually intrigued by such anger, making me hasten
TESSA After establishing her beauty and where she came from, I noticed another thing. She looked a lot like Kyle. She had the same geometry in her cheekbones, but there was a sophistication layered over it. When her eyes met mine, I felt a chill run down my spine. This had to be Kyle’s mother. Another person from the Rose clan. “What are you doing here?” I asked, lifting my chin so as to not be intimidated by her. “Speak now before I wake the warriors and have you taken.”She smiled, and it was a small thing that carried no warmth. “Come on, Tessa,” she said. “You know you wouldn’t be able to do that. It’s simply impossible, don’t you think?”I narrowed my eyes. I was guessing she had some type of teleportation magic. Wizards and witches had their signatures, after all. Those with pure blood carried a unique gift, some strong and some weaker than others. Aside from that, they had the ability to understand magic on a deeper level. This woman, despite not knowing her name just yet,







