INICIAR SESIÓNOscarThe warriors and I sit feasting in the mess hall in the Oceana castle, not long after our most recent battle. I’ve been making new friends here. Every one of these warriors is dedicated to protecting our kingdom, and it’s an honor to be one of them.I’m not one to be a picky eater, but the food provided to the warriors here is some of the best I’ve ever had, with Mother’s home-cooked meals being at the top of that list, of course.“I just want to get out there again and kick Assanan’s ass,” a man beside me boasts. “But I’ll keep my distance from our Alpha King. His prowess in battle is terrifying. I fear he’ll turn it on me if I make a wrong move.”“Aye, we’re best fighting on the outer line,” a female warrior agrees, and this sparks a larger discussion among those at my table.Everyone keeps talking about how cold and cruel Alpha King Cassian is, but they don’t seem to understand how well he treats his people and runs the kingdom. If he were truly cruel, we’d be living under th
MaggieThe knocking echoes in my head, severing me from a dream I’ll never remember. I can’t help but open my eyes when the sound repeats several times over, though it seems to get a little fainter each time.A cacophony of activity follows: doors opening and slamming shut, footsteps down the hallway, voices shouting over each other.By now, my eyes are open, but I haven’t quite worked out what all the fuss is about. There aren’t any livestock to feed anymore. Cooking breakfast is barely a chore with what little we have here.Then it hits me.My Goddess. I’m not at home anymore.Marion, Camila, Belinda—their words reverberate through my mind. My life is here now in Oaktree Manor, and I’m about to miss breakfast if I don’t get dressed and down to the kitchen in time.I rip the thin sheet off me and fumble through the darkness. It must still be nighttime, and perhaps the moon has set already since barely any light seeps through the high window.I’m thankful that I had the presence of mi
MaggieAll my words are trapped in my throat as the tall, intimidating woman stares me down. I know she asked me a question and that I should answer, but all I can do is gaze back up at her, my eyes wide.“This is the new maid, Maggie,” Belinda answers for me, her voice just as shaky as mine would be if I could manage to spit out any words.“Hmph.” The woman’s cold gaze trails down to my shoes and back, and when her cold gray eyes lock on mine again, I shudder. I know she saw the movement, because the ghost of a smirk rises in her face, but only for a second before her frozen stare returns.“Th-this is Camila,” Belinda says. “She is the head chef of the Oaktree Manor.”Years of politeness training from my parents kicks in, temporarily overriding my fear, but only long enough to say, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” My formal curtsey that follows gives me a chance to break eye contact with Camila, and relief washes through me, even though I’m still stuck in this woman’s commanding presen
OscarMy adrenaline races through my veins as my paws drum against the ground, my eyes locked on the wolf who is about to attack one of the other warriors, a Royal Guard rookie like me who is too busy dealing with the other enemy in front of him to notice he’s being flanked.The cool breeze licks at my fur as I make a final leap toward the enemy, my claws extended and my fangs aiming for his neck. Luckily, he’s so convinced he’s being sneaky that he hasn’t noticed me, and I knock him over as I land on him, my fangs quickly sinking into his carotid artery.It’s not my first kill, not by a longshot, but I’m still not used to the coppery taste of blood on my tongue. I only keep my teeth in long enough to do the job before releasing and jumping back, watching the enemy wolf’s blood pool on the grass beneath him.Hank, the rookie whose back I had, shakes off his own kill with wide eyes. ‘I didn’t even see him,’ he tells me in the mind-link.‘That’s why I stepped in.’ Hank is a competent wa
MaggieDusting was the easy part, except for the twenty minutes I’d spent trying to find a ladder so I could finish the “ceiling” part of “floor to ceiling.” It turns out there was one in a storage closet in the room.But now it’s time to mend the curtains, and I can’t even find a flaw in any of them, certainly not on the ones Marion nodded toward when she gave me the assignment. None of the other curtains look damaged either, so I head back to the long ones that open to the terrace to check them over again.Finally, I find a small tear in the hem. I wouldn’t even notice it had I not seen the two threads jutting out just slightly. So, I get out the mending supplies and get to work, glancing up at the General’s grandfather clock just to realize I only have about an hour left before sundown... to scrub the washroom and get the warm water brought up from the mysterious kitchen, wherever that is.What will they do to my family if I don’t get this done in time?I shake my head, deciding I
MaggieAfter such a long ride, and since I wasn’t prepared to go anywhere when they took me in the first place, I feel filthy inside this lovely home. The furnishings are all new, mahogany wood, I think, glistening with a mirror-like shine.The fabrics in the curtains and upholstered furniture are the finest I’ve ever seen, though that may not be saying much since I’ve never been inside anything but a country farmhouse.Even the scent in here is luxurious, something like clean linen, only crisper, maybe with a hint of citrus.Whatever it is, it doesn’t calm my nerves or lighten the rock in my stomach as we make our way down the massive hallways.Who are these people? Why do they want me here?Finally, we reach a set of double doors that the man pulls open. The parlor is just as well decorated as the rest of the house... and it’s huge.But I don’t get a chance to notice much of the décor because the people in the room draw my attention. A man stands by the marble fireplace, his temples







