Clara and Flare rubbed their chins together. They couldn't look me in the eyes, showing how guilty they were for their past sins. "What did the two of you do, huh? Why did you say you were also the reason Zenith died? Did the two of you push her to her death?"Their long silence told me they were not ready to answer, but I wouldn't say I liked their closed lips. I wanted to know more about Zenith."Clara! Flare!" I exclaimed, grabbing their attention, held them both in their arms, and shook them. They gulped. "Were you her murderer?"Their eyes kept darting back and forth. Oh, Moon Goddess. I did not know how I would react if they were indeed murderers. That would be too much to handle. "Please don't make me overthink any longer. You're only making it worse."As if they were sharing a mind link, they nodded and faced me. "It's not like that." Gathering courage together, they said, "We also were against their relationship, just like anyone here. We bullied Zenith. We told her ha
After a few minutes, the twins, nearly bathing in their sweat, returned and informed me that the carriage was already waiting for me outside. "River, do you want to change your mind?" Clara and Flare asked in unison after checking if I had forgotten something. Their eyes were still in worry. "You don't know how dangerous it is to travel alone.""I have the coachman," I joked, trying to appease their mind. "Stop fussing for me. I can do it perfectly.""But….""Nonsense. Why don't you cover for me, and if the alpha king happens to arrive first and looks for me, tell him I am running an errand."They looked at each other. "Are you sure about this?"With all honesty, I was not that certain if I could pull it off. Going back to the slave auction house brought many painful memories not worth keeping, but I still had to go. "I'll come back if I will gain nothing from there.""Do you know whom to look for, River?""Master Henderson, the one who was supervising the auction house." The man al
I felt terrible for Delta Isagani after what I said. He wore the saddest expression he could muster while looking at me. I was tempted to take back my words, but I was certain no one was telling him he was already making a fool out of himself. "I am aware I am a coward when it comes to Lady Juliana, River." Quite the opposite when it comes to rogues. He was one of the bravest warriors of the alpha king, but when it came to his mate, it was the opposite."And it is time to change that, Delta Isagani. Or you can accept the two of you have no chance at all as long as Lady Juliana is still after the alpha king.""I will wait for Lady Juliana. I know she will realize my importance."I rolled my eyes at him. "It will never happen. She's greedy for power. And if I were you, I would no longer associate myself with that kind of woman. You deserve better than her.""Lady Juliana is the only one for me."There we go again.This conversation was over. There was no way I would get another fruitfu
Master Henderson's eyes twinkled, watching the bag of gold. I smelt his greed, making me smirk."Ah. This is getting heavy. I wonder who is the luckiest person who will hold this for me. I still had a lot stored under my clothes."I touched my shoulders and made circular motions while silently looking at him."Woman. You know how to make a bargain.""Money can move mountains, Master Henderson.""We are on the same page, woman. Why don't we talk somewhere...private?" Master Henderson said in the end.I beamed and motioned for him to lead the way. "That would be lovely."His eyes narrowed, and he said, "Follow me. Hurry."I ran after him. His steps were long and fast as if someone was hunting him.When we reached his office, I was sweating like crazy, and the shawl wrapped around my shoulders was not helping. However, I could not take it off. "That was a long walk. And sweaty."I stifled a laugh when he faced him. He was sweating worse than me. His shirt was dripping with sweat. And wi
Master Henderson put his hand on his chin and scratched it. “You are not in the position to get furious here, milady,” he said. “Remember you need me.”Leaning closer, I could smell his stinky breath. “But you need my money more than I do, Master Henderson,” I retorted. “Tell me how much she is and we are done. It’s sickening how you treated Dawn as if she is nothing but a dog.”He threw back his head and laughed. “She is a dog. My lap dog. I owned her. I bought her using my money. I wasted my money for her.” My hands shook. Those words. Alpha Wade uttered them to me, reminding me I was nothing but his possession. “She is also part human. I want to buy her.”Do you have the means to buy her, River? You’re also dirt-poor. It's funny how confident you were uttering those words. Something falls on the shelves. A record. Dawn bent and grabbed it. That must be Zenith’s record.“Milady, being kind will not make you a saint. However, since you remind me of my past, I will give the bitch to
A record keeper? If Dawn was indeed one, her statement was the most reliable of all. Not only was she Henderson’s servant, but she was also there at every auction. She was the best candidate to ask for any information about what had happened in the previous years during her stay at the auction house.However, I had to make sure. "Are you the record keeper? Then why did Master Henderson let you go easily like that?" Only a few slaves had a high level of education because only a few masters had allowed their slaves to have some education. "Everyone is replaceable, master.” I cocked my eyebrows. Master? That was ridiculous. “He kicked me out because he believed I was no longer useful to him. And my looks.""River. You can call me that. Not master. You're giving me goosebumps. But I do not believe everyone is replaceable. Take Zenith, for example. No one could replace her in the alpha king’s heart.” No. I was not bitter. Dawn smiled at me, but it was more than a grimace. “Hey. You were
River WilliamsMy heart hammered against my chest. Suppose I positioned myself in the wrong place. One single mistake, and I was bathing in my blood by now. Gulping, I looked up. The man pulled out the sword, which only meant one thing—they wanted us to die!Get out! Run! my mind screamed. I cannot move my fucking feet!But even if I had to, my foot was already rooted to the ground. This was no simple robbery. They wanted us dead after robbing us. The carriage shook, signaling me that whoever it was above, he was already planning for his next attack. I could no longer hear the surroundings outside. All I could hear was the fast beating of my hands. Move your butt, woman!The person above moved and mustered all the strength I could carry, and I forced my feet to move. And I did. I managed to get out of the carriage, losing my footing and falling to the ground. I coughed as I ate the dirt. Looking up, the coachman was fighting against one of the bandits. They were all huge an
Alpha King Maxxwell “Your Majesty!” Valentine exclaimed. “Why are you wasting your time on that woman, huh? She is nothing! Let Isagani find her and you can sleep. You need to rest. How will you handle the palace affairs if you get sick? We are not invisible to any sickness, Your Majesty!” My eyes darted back to ‘Find her, Maxxwell!” Denaro demanded one more time. When the beast wanted it, he would not stop pestering me with his demands until I gave in. What an irritating bastard. ‘I hear your thoughts,’ he said, glaring at me while baring his fangs. Rolling my eyes inwardly, I said, ‘My apologies, my alpha king.’ He fell silent, his anger directed toward me. ‘Don’t act mighty with me. You are nothing without me.’ That was Denaro. Thinking he was more powerful than me. However, being with him made me adjust his behavior. He did not know we were connected. He would not exist without me. Clenching my fist, I added, ‘Let me handle it.’ ‘I’m giving you until morning to find her