AVERY“ I will go personally and catch them in the act.” Draven huffs, taking a seat on the couch opposite Aleister. Aleister shoots him a pointed look. Draven gulps before getting to his feet again. I fold my arms across my chest and take a look at all three brothers. Declan is the only one who seems unfazed by whatever is going on while the other are in an awkward state.“ I am going. They used my name to oppress MY people!” Aleister says through his gritted teeth.“ A King going out to take care of some bandits?” Draven’s eyes twitch.“ Some things need to be taken care of by the King himself.” Declan replies instead of Aleister. “ If they are using his name, they can’t be ordinary bandits. There is something big going on here. Stealing food by taking the King’s name can’t be about just stealing food from the villagers.”“ I agree with Declan.” I nod thoughtfully. “ Whoever is doing this knows how sentimental the witch clans get about food and water. Yet, they stole from them and
AVERY “ Why are you staying behind? ” Sara comes to stand beside me. Earlier, Aleister let the three go. As expected, they let their squad know about the misunderstanding and sent word to other rebels about the change in situation. The rebellion is over with an unexpected turn, with no more deaths and a desire for revenge. Aleister took a step back and stopped everything at once. “ Didn’t you two get back together? ” She asks when I don’t reply. I can see Aleister and Draven leaving in the distance, with their warriors and Marco in tow. They will stay close to the warehouse and keep an eye out for those traitors. As I watch him, there are many things that I am forced to think about. I didn’t respond to Aleister’s plea to stay and he didn’t ask me about it again. It’s like we have a silent agreement. I can leave if I want, but not before saying goodbye. “ I…think we are…still in the trial phase. ” I nod, staring at Aleister’s back. As if aware of my eyes on him, he glances o
AVERYAleister caught the men and returned after three days. The men refused to admit that Agrona was behind the whole fiasco but Aleister got inside their heads and made them confess. As expected, it is all that witch. She truly kept pushing Aleister in the ditch so he had to get her help every time he faced trouble with the witches and wizards.This incident is not my main focus though. The rebellion has been managed and Aleister now knows that Agrona must be dealt with. But according to Declan’s intel, the witch won’t go down easily. After Aleister kicked her away from him, she managed to crawl back to the castle.By now, she must have prepared another ditch for Aleister. “ What are you thinking about, Princess? ” His knuckles run down the side of my neck as he asks from behind. I blink, shifting my focus away from the window and glancing at him from over my shoulder. Aleister’s deep eyes are fixed on me, soft and affectionate. I sigh. After everything, did he need another bet
AGRONA“ They caught our men. The King made them confess to everything. He knows you were behind them, that you made them steal the rations so you could turn the people against him for starving them. ” Nash reveals with a grim look painted across his face. I hum, sitting back in the chair. It doesn’t sound as unsettling as I thought. If Aleister knows, he should know he brought it upon himself by pushing me to the edge.“ You can go now. Take over all the responsibilities once Draven asks you. You will be my last step to victory. ” I wave my hand in the air, dismissing him carelessly.He nods, “ We will get rid of the Lycans. Once and for all. ”A smirk tugs at the corner of my lips. There is a limit to stupidity. The people of this Kingdom, werewolves and witches and wizards alike…they always push that limit and prove that they are extraordinarily stupid. “ Of course. ” I whisper.Nash steals a glance my way before strolling out of the room. My lips press into a line as the door cl
AVERY“ We shouldn’t be out here. Let’s just go back, Princess. If your brother, the King finds out we sneaked out and ended up here, we will be so dead. ” My friend and helper Renee whispers in my ear.I shake my head and shoot her a glare. “ What did I tell you before, Renee? ”Her dull blue eyes move towards the building in front of us before she looks back at me, “ You told me to call you Ava when we are out. ”“ Yes, that’s right! Tonight, I am just Ava. ” I point my forefinger at her. To my surprise, I see two fingers instead of one.Perhaps, all the alcohol is finally kicking in. “ Ava. ” I mumble, and lower my finger to avoid the embarrassing state of my mind. “ let’s—let’s just go inside. ”It’s a big mistake. A small voice in my head keeps whispering but I can not pay attention to that. When your heart is crushed and your spirits are beaten down, maybe, you simply can’t bring yourself to care about anything else. That’s what must be happening to me. I don’t seem to give a
AVERYWhen I near him, the man turns his head slightly. I halt, trying to see his features through the hood covering his head but it is impossible.Shaking the drowsiness from my mind, I approach and slump on the seat opposite him. He picks up his head and casts me a curious look.My breath hitches. A pair of deep grey eyes peer back at me, as his lips morph into a quirky smirk.Unconsciously, I hold my breath and stare at him without moving a single muscle. I have seen my fair share of handsome men in my life, but something about this gruff and muscle-packed man screams a certain kind of sex appeal. I swallow the lump forming in my throat and focus on his grey eyes. I narrow my gaze on him.“ Are you from the South? ” I huff, my voice coming out slurry. Grey eyes are the symbol of people from the South, the enemy Kingdom—the same place where I am supposed to be shipped to, a week later.The people from there reside behind a magical wall that they raised in their defence, and they a
AVERY“ N—No. ” My back arcs.“ Ask my name. ” He demands in an amused tone.I can’t focus on whatever he wants. I can only feel his hand in my hair and on my breast. Calloused fingers kneading my skin, and making me breathless.“ Ask me. ” His lips press onto mine again, just enough to make me yearn for more.If I know his name, will I…seek him again?I…can’t. “ I don’t want to know. ” I shudder helplessly. “ What do you want, Princess? ” His breath hits my cheek before sliding to my exposed neck.He pulls at my hair, making me arc more for him. His lips press into the crook of my neck, sending chills down my spine.“ I just want you to, Ah…make me feel good. ” I blurt hesitantly.He chuckles against my skin. My fingers dig into his muscles, feeling the hardness and imagining his body over mine.The tingling sensation between my thighs is driving me crazy. I open my mouth to demand him to hurry up but his hands behind my back stop me.With a tug, he rips the back of my dress. Butto
AVERY Everything hurts. I groan, shifting to my back only to get the bright sunlight to burn my face. For a few moments, I keep my eyes closed and try to understand why it hurts. But then the events of the night flash before my eyes and I sit up in the bed. The stench of alcohol and sex still lingers in the air but the atmosphere is cold now. The warmth is gone. I open my eyes and look around to find the room vacant. The man is gone. And I— I look down at my body only to find myself still naked and bearing the marks from last night. My breath hitches in my throat. Did I just give up my virginity to a stranger when I was supposed to keep myself pure for my future mate? No. This can’t be. Dustin will kill me when he gets to know and if he doesn’t and I end up in the South, Aleister Anasazi will know. If he finds out, he will consider this treachery. Fear grips my heart and twists it painfully. What do I do? Why did I do this? Why did I lose my mind when I saw this man? W