Helen’s POV
I sighed as Caeleen’s words echoed in my ears and thinking about them made me feel the words pressing down on me. It was like a reality I couldn't escape and maybe that was it cause I knew I was already neck deep in this and there was no going back anymore.
Caeleen's voice was steady, calculated, like every move had already been decided long before I was even part of it. I wanted to speak, to ask if this was truly the path we were meant to take, but the look in his eyes left no room for hesitation.
So I nodded.
At the snap of his fingers, the maids entered. They moved around me quickly, pulling open drawers and unfolding silks, their hands quick and silent as they stripped me of my old dress and fitted me into something softer, something meant to tempt. Dressed for the event that was about to take place. My heart hammered in my chest, the tightness in my th
Nadia's pov The night was quiet, unnaturally so, the kind of silence that presses into your bones and makes your heartbeat feel loud. We had just cleared the first wave of attacks, our small group battered but unbroken. Two of my men had taken minor injuries, nothing that would slow us down but the tension in the air was palpable. Every rustle, every distant howl made me tighten my grip on my sword.“I want eyes on all sides,” I ordered, my voice sharp. “No mistakes. Not this time.”Elara moved beside me, her presence a steady anchor in the chaos. “Nadia… they’re regrouping,” she warned, her voice low, calm but urgent.I nodded, already scanning the shadows, trying to anticipate the next strike. And then it came the second wave.A mass of fur, teeth, and glowing eyes descended on us from the treeline. Wolves, larger than any I had seen before, their snarls echoing like a chorus of nightmares. The wind carried their stench sharp, raw, wild.“Form up! Circle!” I barked, driving my men
Caeleen pov I arrived at the old trading post just as dusk bled into the woods, shadows stretching like fingers across the ground. The place was quiet, abandoned, yet the walls of the wooden structure groaned faintly in the evening breeze. Perfect for a clandestine meeting no prying eyes, no witnesses.I arrived silently, letting my men stay hidden among the trees, just out of sight. Only Jalen remained by my side, alert but unassuming. Every instinct told me this could go either way: a parley or a trap.A figure appeared at the edge of the clearing. Greg. Alone, as he promised. I studied him carefully the way he moved, the tension in his shoulders, the cautious sweep of his eyes. He approached slowly, hands relaxed but ready, every step measured.“Caeleen,” he said, voice low, wary. “I received your message. I hope your intentions are clear.”I gave a slow smile, letting the shadow of my teeth flash in the fading light. “As clear as day, Greg. We’re here to discuss cooperation, noth
Caeleen pov The fortress felt different tonight. Quiet, subdued, almost too still. Nadia’s absence left a vacuum, and I could feel it in every corridor, every watchful glance that passed me by. Helen walked beside me, silent but alert, her eyes catching every flicker of shadow and movement as if reading the fortress itself.“This is our window,” I said, voice low, reverberating against stone walls that had seen centuries of loyalty and betrayal. “Every whisper, every glance, every command tonight, it bends to us.”Helen nodded, her hand brushing mine, a subtle anchor in the storm of thought. “They trust stability,” she murmured. “And we are the invisible hands shaping it.”I moved to the table where the orders had been prepared. Each sheet bore careful instructions: the reassignment of guards, the discreet promotion of loyalists, the strategic isolation of dissenters. Nothing alarming on the surface, but beneath it all, control shifted with precision.“See this?” I pointed to one set
Caeleen povThe preparations were simple, there was no fanfare, no unnecessary witnesses. I had chosen the chamber within the secret base for the ceremony. Its walls are lined with the dim light of lanterns flickering across the cold stone. It was a room that demanded attention, respect, and obedience, even from time itself.Helen stood opposite me, her dark hair loose, cascading over her shoulders, and her eyes fixed on mine. She wore a gown of muted silk no frills, no jewels, nothing to draw attention but the power in her presence. Every movement, every tilt of her head, reminded me why I had to secure her, why marrying her was no mere whim it was the next step in taking what was rightfully mine.I approached her slowly, letting my hand brush against hers. “Are you ready?” I asked. My voice carried the weight of command, of destiny, of plans long in the making.She nodded, silently, but her gaze was unwavering. I could see the understanding there, the acknowledgment that we were no
Caeleen pov I paced around in my chamber and Every tick of the clock reminded me of how long I had been trapped, restrained by Nadia’s relentless watch. Helen’s return and Nadia's disappearance had shifted something inside me, an opportunity I could no longer ignore.I summoned my most trusted men, those who had remained loyal even under Nadia’s scrutiny. They appeared silently, shadows in the corner of the room, awaiting my command.“Tonight,” I said, my voice low but sharp, “we create a diversion. The house must be thrown into chaos fire, smoke, alarm. Every guard was distracted, every eye turned away from me. Do it quietly, efficiently, but leave no doubt the chaos is real.”My men nodded, understanding the stakes. I could see the anticipation in their eyes they knew this was more than escape; it was the beginning of reclaiming power.Moments later, the distant crackle began. Flames licked the edges of the walls, alarms shrieked into the night, and shouts echoed through the halls
Caeleen pov I paced the length of the chamber for what felt like the hundredth time that day. I was getting sick of this place. The walls were pressing down on me and I just wanted to get out of this scenery as I walked through the familiar halls, the walls seemed to close in, thick with the suffocating weight of house arrest. My chest tightened, every breath a labor, my stomach twisting in protest. I could feel anger gnawing at me. A moisture of rage and helplessness that I couldn’t expel.Suddenly I heard a knock on the front door. I was close to it and my head snapped toward the door, heart hammering. Who was it? My guard, loyal and had always been by my side opened it just enough for a figure to slip inside. My breath caught.“Helen?” I whispered, disbelief slicing through my fatigue.She smiled faintly, eyes glinting with that same spark I’d always admired, and stepped fully into the room. She moved with grace, yet there was an urgency about her, a silent acknowledgment of wh