로그인~Valeria~
Caius waved us over to the west side of the altar, and honestly, the fact that we'd made it this far without anyone dying felt like a minor miracle at this point.
~Valeria~Lysander had been quiet. Which should've been my first clue.While the vines were concentrated on the other three, while the stronghold was busy making its ultimatum, Lysander had been slowly moving to the side of the platform. Watching the way they moved, the pattern of them, where they were paying attention.He looked at me once. The one that meant I know what I'm doin
~Valeria~We were literally standing right in front of it. My mom's badge. The last piece of everything. And instead of, I don't know, having a plan, the four of them had turned into this."I should grab it," Alerion spoke up. "My Alpha power can suppress the vines long enough to pull it clean.""You’ll be humbled by this place in just a matter of seconds." Zane laughed. Not
~Valeria~Lysander moved first. Spun around the corner fast, dagger raised, and I saw the exact moment he recognized who it was because his arm was already swinging and he had to throw his whole body sideways to stop it.Zane.Limping, Caius's arm around his waist, both of them frozen in the doorway staring at the dagger that had stopped about four inches from Zane's face.
~Valeria~The stronghold was exactly as described, the entrance warning us to head back. Right above it there were these old carved words in some ancient language.We all stopped. Alerion pointed up. “Caius, what does that shit say?”
~Valeria~I couldn’t take it. “Stop! All of you! I don’t know who to trust anymore.”I glared at Dad. “You brush off everything like it’s nothing. Caius shows proof and you accuse him of working with Cassian? What the hell?”Then I looked at the guys. “And you, jumping to call him an incompetent? He’s my dad.”“And as for you, dad. So now you’re sending me on a suicide mission? Do you even love me at all? Mom hid this thing knowing it could kill me, and you’re standing here telling me I have to go?”“Why wasn’t you man enough to tell your people about your affair with the maid, my mom? Does that mean I’m illegitimate? That’s why the council members and everybody else keeps accusing my bloodline of being a fraud, and you just stayed quietly without telling me anything? You let them call me fake while you sat back and did nothing!”“I don’t even care about your explanations anymore because you are probably going to lie. So fuck this. I quit. I’m done with all of you.”I turned and storm
~Valeria~I was already on the couch with my legs up, heating pad stuck to my shoulder, scrolling through random reels to distract myself from the dull ache. I didn’t even look up. Alerion was already moving toward the door before the chime finished.I heard the low voices outside. Dad’s voice first, then Alerion second. “No. She’s not in the mood to see y
Valeria POV“Seems like you had a great night!” It was not a question.Zane murmured coming out of the shadow to stand on the porch, blocking off its rays.As usual, his presence overwhelmed me but I stood my ground, I didn’t want to talk to him, to spoil the joy I felt deep within my soul. I didn’t th
Valeria POVThe late afternoon sun cast long shadows through the café window as I wiped down another table, my muscles were aching from hours of work.I pulled the apron tighter around my waist, as I glanced around the bustling café. This was a perfect escape from the chaos of my life at home and the
Valeria POVSome seconds later, Zane returned, carrying a small, white plastic bag.“Valeria!” he motioned to me. “Come here!”There were people at the counter, waiting in line for their order. I glared at him.“I’m busy!” I said through gritted teeth.“Do you want me to come carry you or will you come w
Valeria POVOver the following weeks, I found myself increasingly surrounded by unexpected kindnesses from Zane.Like now, Zane stood in front of me, holding a bouquet of flowers in front of the café. The bright yellow blooms contrasted sharply with the dark autumn sky behind him and I could only star







