A day passed—a full twenty four hours, and I knew because I was being fed three meals a day. Which meant I'd gotten three meals by now—but I hadn't stepped a foot out of my room yet. I knew I should be worried about the prospects of being locked up in my room throughout Lily's pregnancy, but that seemed like a faraway thought.At least compared to the task I had at hand—feeding the poison to Damien. With the only person coming and leaving my room being Runa, who brought me my meals, the chances of giving Damien the poison were dwindling before my eyes. My mate wasn't even looking at, more or less kissing me. And as much as I hated Damien, I desperately wished he would come see me. The Serpent never told me what would happen if I didn't manage to dispell the poison out of me in record time, but I had an inkling of what would befall me. The poison inside me needed an out—something to destroy—anything at all, and
Or maybe, he was dying. Almost in the grave.A painful feeling like claws sinking into my chest and ripping out my heart expanded until my vision clouded. I couldn't remember what I did first, but I knew I was screaming—deep and painful guttural screams that shook my body. I pressed my hand to my chest, clutching my throat desperately, with fingers that appeared hazy in my vision. What was happening to me? I wasn't sure of it, but I knew something terrible was happening to my mate, and that was why I was in so much pain. It seemed that without Damien rejecting me, I could still feel somewhat of his emotions—or his impending death. From a distance, I could hear Runa screaming in panic, her hands reaching for me to soothe me, but I pushed her away. I rushed up and ran towards my bedroom doors, more desperate to get out, and—and what? Help him? The same monster who had killed me, but
My mate is between my best friend's legs. He's naked and his body is wet with sweat. Today was supposed to be the coronation of the lycan King, Damien Chris, a man who I have loved for so long. A man who I thought loved me just as much as I did. But oh, was I wrong. I stand at the slightly opened door of our chambers in the imperial palace. I had just come back from visiting his mother who was a very amiable woman. Only to come back to this. Damien and Lily. I can't see her properly; my mate's huge bronze body covers her frail one. I can see her dainty legs though; hanging in the crooks of his elbows as he rams into her. “Uhhh, yes! Ugh! Your majesty!” Lily is crying in ecstasy. With each moan, my heart drops a little lower. I must be dreaming. There's no way this is real. I'm in so much denial and shock that I have to push the door open to confirm. The both of them immediately look towards me. They're both naked; lily has so many bite and claw marks over her
Something is touching my hand; pinching and slapping. I feel myself floating far away; it's not peaceful here. All I feel is pain and hate. The pinching and slapping continues; it's a nuisance even in this horrible sea of anger. Everywhere is dark and wet but somehow, I feel the dry slapping on my hand. I start to hear a voice from far away. “Wake up, Lady Madeline…wake up!” In an instant, my body jolts forward, feeling as though I swallowed the ocean. I sputter out terrible coughs and heave for quite a while before I gain my senses. When I open my eyes, my whole world takes a pause. In front of me, is a very familiar face. My lady-in-waiting, Runa. Huh? I'm alive? I look about, observing the room. With each breath I take, my heart skips a beat. There are clothes and jewelry spewed everywhere, the chamber is in total disarray and an incense pot is sitting on my window sill. I remember this day but I'm not supposed to be reliving it. What's going on? On this particular
I keep my eyes on the oily looking face of Alpha Fred from Bear city. He's a bear shifter with a very imposing presence. In my previous life, he had tried many times to get close to me. But the first time he tried to do so, it was on this night. Before I can think more of him, I hear a soft and pitiful voice. Showtime. When Damien and I turn, it is Lily before us. She's in an emerald ball gown that is bejewelled from top to bottom. Her olive skin is flushed and her eyes are brimming with tears. “Your majesty, my lady.” Her voice is soft, polite. It makes me want to gag being in front of her. I remember her moans that day, the claw and bite marks over her body. All the images flash through my mind, fueling me to stay in character. In this life, I will not just stop at ruining their lives. I'll take the kingdom for myself. Not only had my mate and best friend wronged me— so had many others. No one wanted to see an omega wolf rule. Well, it's a pity because I
I lie on the floor, frozen; clutching what is left of my dress. The masked man tilts his head and rises from the ground. I'm still in shock and shivering from the night's cold. “That was stupid of you, my lady. You should have called for help.” It's the attacker who says this. He has come to stand over me and outstretches a hand. I take it slowly and rise to the ground. We're both wearing gloves so all I feel is cold from his person. “Uhm…we— we'll be in trouble…Thank you for your help.” I whisper, looking away from his masked face. The eyes that lie within are very intense, making me even more uncomfortable than I am now. I cling tightly to my dress. If anyone came out now, they'd see their Luna-to-be half naked with a stranger and a corpse on the floor. That'd be bad for my reputation. I had to leave this party. When I make to move through a hidden corridor, the man stops me, grabbing me gently by my arm. I flinch immediately and he lets go. “I wouldn't go down there if I
My heart sinks.What bad luck I have. Runa tries to stop the warriors.“The Lady is still improper! If you will just wait outside for her to get dres—”They don't let her speak, shoving her to the floor immediately. They're even rougher with me, grabbing my arms and pushing me so I walk.I don't bother to struggle; it's no use anyway. I am taken into a carriage while Runa screams bloody hell after us. The carriage begins to move in the direction if the courts.My heart is pounding fiercely. How had everything turned upside down so suddenly?One moment, I'm sure I can evade all the unfortunate in my last life; the next, I am labelled a criminal.The warriors take me to the lycan courts where many have gathered to watch the spectacle. Lots of whispers are flying around. They're talking about how callous I am.Having slept with one man and tried to seduce the other before he mysteriously disappeared. What should I do?I'm losing my own mind thinking of how to escape this situation. N
My stomach is in knots. I don't know why I expected Damien to have even a little hesitation. I expected too much of him then… Before I can plea or beg, the bear shifter begins to walk out the palace. I kick and scream for help but no one— absolutely no one stands up for me. They all watch as I'm taken away, biting and shrieking for help. My own mate stands there, comfortable with the safety of his throne. A throne handed over on a plate of gold by his mad father. He would do anything to protect it; even if it meant sacrificing me. Who was I kidding? Damien had done the same thing in my previous life, killing me off to protect his image as lycan King. I'm whisked off, out of his sight and on top of a muscular giant horse. “Can you ride, m’lady?” The bear shifter laughs, assuming I'm too weak to do so. His name is Angus, only brother of the dead Bear Alpha. Before I can nod, he puts me in very long shackles that he can hold from a meter or two. “You better hang on, eh? We
Or maybe, he was dying. Almost in the grave.A painful feeling like claws sinking into my chest and ripping out my heart expanded until my vision clouded. I couldn't remember what I did first, but I knew I was screaming—deep and painful guttural screams that shook my body. I pressed my hand to my chest, clutching my throat desperately, with fingers that appeared hazy in my vision. What was happening to me? I wasn't sure of it, but I knew something terrible was happening to my mate, and that was why I was in so much pain. It seemed that without Damien rejecting me, I could still feel somewhat of his emotions—or his impending death. From a distance, I could hear Runa screaming in panic, her hands reaching for me to soothe me, but I pushed her away. I rushed up and ran towards my bedroom doors, more desperate to get out, and—and what? Help him? The same monster who had killed me, but
A day passed—a full twenty four hours, and I knew because I was being fed three meals a day. Which meant I'd gotten three meals by now—but I hadn't stepped a foot out of my room yet. I knew I should be worried about the prospects of being locked up in my room throughout Lily's pregnancy, but that seemed like a faraway thought.At least compared to the task I had at hand—feeding the poison to Damien. With the only person coming and leaving my room being Runa, who brought me my meals, the chances of giving Damien the poison were dwindling before my eyes. My mate wasn't even looking at, more or less kissing me. And as much as I hated Damien, I desperately wished he would come see me. The Serpent never told me what would happen if I didn't manage to dispell the poison out of me in record time, but I had an inkling of what would befall me. The poison inside me needed an out—something to destroy—anything at all, and
"What? What do you mean by that?" I croaked, hating the desperation that was seeping into my tone. He couldn't mean that, right? Lily wasted no time in getting up, and leaning into my mate, who all but melted into her. "Alpha, I want her punished for it." She said the words softly, like a caress, but Damien's eyes were still on me. There was such vicious hate in them, that I wondered if this man and I could possibly have any ties to each other, if my existence was just an uncomfortable reminder to him that I was his mate. Maybe they would have still killed me even if I hadn't caught them in my past life—merely because they hated me. Why did I think I could relive a life with a man who hated me so much? Did I forget the look in his eyes before he took my life in the past? "No need. The maid disrespected me by coming into my room without my permission, I will deal with her." Horror filled me, and I gasped. "She didn't come in. She didn't see anything. I swear on it. If you want
The voice wasn't my mate's voice, so I ignored it and stepped further into the room. Runa came running behind me, barely stepping a foot in before her eyes widened. Shame burnt like an avalanche crashing on me when I realized just what she was seeing. My mate—his limbs all tangled up in Lily's, as she pressed her soft skin to his, practically cooing in pleasure. I wanted to rip her away from him, and throw her out of his arms—his room—this palace. I wanted to drag her hair and stomp on her until—until all the violent emotions I was feeling were appeased. But one look at Damien and I knew he would have my dead instantly if I touched his mistress. So, I curbed all these very rational anger induced thoughts, and flashed Runa who was behind me, a bright smile. Even the smile hurt my face, but I struggled to maintain it. Just a little while. Damien would be dead, and I would throw his shameless mistress out of my life for good. She would regret not even trying to maintain a false
The pale look on my lady in waiting's face spelled of doom, even before those words leave her lips. I could feel my lips parting to tell her that I was fine, but I couldn't really hear myself. "My lady, are you alright? You don't look soo good. You're frightfully pale." She inched closer, pressing soft fingers to my cheeks. I flinched unconsciously, still a little rattled from the attack, despite my survival. Shaking my head, I mustered a smile I hoped reached my eyes. "I'm fine. Did you say there's been an issue?" I repeated her words to her. That was more important than the state I was in, so I probed further. A frown married her face, and she took a step back, keeping some distance between us, as was customary of lady's in waiting. "My lady, it seems miss Lily has done something scandalous." She sounded frightful and restless, but she seemed to watch her words. Did she think I wasn't aware of the rumors? Almost everyone in the kingdom was aware that I had lost favor in my
My mouth fell open in surprise when more of the green fluid poured from my attackers mouth. Before I could blink, he slumped forward and landed on my body, causing me to shiver in disgust. For a moment, I just closed my eyes—panting and trying to take deep breaths in. I have just been attacked by some kind of poison induced corpse. This was the main reason Damien's father wanted us to move to the north, and it had already gotten so bad. It's not until someone cleared their throat that my eyes met his. They widened. What is he doing here? I peered behind him, hoping no one else could see him, even though my life had just been in danger. "I see you're going to the north." His deep and familiar voice rumbled through the air. My skin prickled with heated awareness like it always did whenever he was close by. I hated it. Struggling to get to my feet, I took a step closer to him, half wondering if he was just foolish enough to be seen in broad day light. But why would he care?
My breathing hitched in my throat, and my limbs suddenly felt too heavy to move, despite my brain urging them. Move. Run. Get away. All these commands seemed to fade away when my eyes met the monster's in front of me. I wished it was Axel, the Serpent. It wasn't. This was much worse, because I couldn't tell who it was—what it was. The figure took another step closer to me, his eyes hard and set on mine—his skin a pale green shade that appeared sunken the closer he came. Sunlight from the blinds reflected on him, but it didn't deter him for a moment. I placed a hand on my throat, as if by some unforeseen miracle that could calm my raging pulse. It didn't. There was only one thing I could do—one thing I needed to do, and I knew what it was. I had to do it. Run. This time my brain didn't ignore the command, but it was already too late. The moment my feet tried to lift off the ground, the figure approaching me knew it. He tilted his head to the side, his gaze hollow and pi
My eyes widened, and met Susan's, but she wasn't even looking at me—but at Lily's body sagged against Damien's. Something akin to disgust flashed in her eyes, before she looked away, as if considering herself above such emotions. Wasn't she the one who said she didn't care who her son slept with? It felt good to know that she might be regretting those words right about now, but why was she helping me? Or maybe she wasn't helping me at all. Maybe this was just another ploy to not look like she had given in to her son's demands. The poison in my veins seemed to thrum at the direction my thought had taken. Whatever her intentions were, they would serve to my favor. All I had to do was hope Damien wasn't too much in the mood to continue going against his mother. But from the way his shoulder's sagged, and the tired look in his eyes, I had a feeling he wouldn't be doing that. There was just so much a person could fight off, and Damien had already done more than I expecte
Damien was gritting his teeth, his eyes flashed with annoyance, but he held his tongue. I opened my mouth to speak. "Mother—" "Don't speak without being spoken to, Madeline." Susan's sharp voice cut me off. My mouth fell open, and I could only stare at her blank expression in belligerent wonder. What was my mother in law playing at? If she didn't want Lily to go with Damien, then didn't we have somewhat of the same goal? Except I was underestimating just how devious Susan was. She wasn't the one desperate to save her life. No, everything she wanted to go well for her had already gone well. I was the one who faced death in the face and came back to life. Only I could understand and accomplish my own intentions, even if it seemed like they were headed in the same direction as Susan's. Lily smiled fully when she saw the way Susan had quickly dismissed me, but I didn't pay her any mind. Her plans to take Damien from me would be ruined if Susan had her way, and it was increasing