로그인Gasps of horror rippled from the lips of the crowd. The boy’s mother surged forward, her knees slamming against the ground.“Have mercy, Your Highness! I promise I will watch over him. Please, for the love of the moon, spare him!”Kallias shifted a glare to his soldier.“What are you waiting for?”The mother cried harder, tears flooding her face. “Please, my great prince. Punish me instead. Kill me if you must!”Eryndra fidgeted, clearly not expecting Kallias’s judgment. She waited for him to retract his words, but he stood there awaiting the little boy's doom with a calm expression.As the soldiers grabbed the child, Eryndra fought within herself not to interfere. The prince had warned her a moment ago. She made things worse between them.But as the soldiers stretched the little boy’s arm, the words burst from her.“Stop!”The executioner’s axe froze in the air. Eyes flicked to her. The murmurs drowned. The air stilled.Taking a deep breath, Eryndra took the child from the soldier, t
ERYNDRA.Exploring the pack was one of Eryndra’s favorite activities. That was one of the reasons why she had mastered the art of sneaking out.Her sister, Ishara, always covered for her.She learned a lot from the realm. Learned their ways of art and what was needed.She even used her mother’s resources and savings to help solve her pack’s problems.Now that she was to be the Grand Queen, she would solve larger problems.As the carriage gravelled down the road, Eryndra grinned ear to ear when she saw a group of men playing her favorite game.“Do you like games, Your Highness?” Eryndra turned to ask the quiet male beside her.“I’m too occupied to like games, Lady Tarianne,” his reply was curt.“Do you sometimes explore the realm? Move among people? One that doesn’t involve a carriage?”Kallias gave her an unreadable look. His answer was firm.“No,” he said, studying her. “You seem like the kind who does, though.”“I am,” she admitted, a small smile forming. “I’ve always wanted to see
Theron sighed at the sight of numerous male servants lined up in the hall. He’d thought Zarin was exaggerating, but it turned out he was not. He stepped in, finding Kallias seated in a reddish-brown royal robe for his royal stroll, wine in hand and expression too calm enough to know the prince might have woken up on the wrong side of the bed today. And there was the witness from last night supervising the male servants, with three guards helping to coordinate. It was almost like one of those questioning sessions at a crime scene, only this crime had too many suspects. “We need to talk,” Theron said to Kallias. The prince stared long at him before rising from his seat. They stepped into a quiet room where they could only hear each other. Kallias folded his arms and rested against the desk behind him. “What are you doing?” Theron exhaled. “What does it look like I’m doing?” “That,” he pointed at the door. “Was very unexpected of you. I understand you’re trying to help
“Eryn.” Kayara’s face was streaked with tears. She wiped them off immediately, sniffed, and cleared her throat.Eryndra stepped close in worry and dismissed the maids outside.“Talk to me.”Kayara broke into tears and sat on the bed like her world had shattered.“Did you hear the rumors? Theron has a mate.” She choked on the last word, hot tears streaming down her face. For a moment, the world spun.“I heard, but… rumors can be wrong at times.”“No.” Kayara shook her head. “Not this one… How could the gods be so cruel to me? I… have spent almost half my life loving him. Praying, begging for the gods to bind us together. My heart bleeds for him, and now he… is mated to another.”“He is not!” Eryndra’s voice rose more than she intended.Well… she wasn’t wrong.Eryndra sat beside her, a hand on Kayara’s shoulder.“If he is truly mated to someone, then… why hasn’t he introduced her to the prince? Why let a rumor be his announcement?”“I don’t know, Eryn," Kayara sniffled. “I have a bad f
As the sun rose higher, the news of Theron's mate spread like wildfire. When it came to a hot lord in the Citadel, it was sure to be on almost every female’s tongue.‘The Grand Marshal has a mate?’‘He denied it last night.' 'But we can’t be certain Prince Aeris is telling the truth.’‘What if it is true? What if he really does have a mate… and that mate could be that servant boy!’‘Oh dear. Why be mated to a boy instead of me?!’‘I know, right? Why in the world would the gods choose a male for him when every female is dying to be in his bed?!’“Every female?” one of the female servants asked, brow raised. “Speak for yourself. Not everyone wants to be wrapped in his sheets.”“Who is she?” the tallest female servant scoffed hatefully. “How dare you speak of him like that?”“What? I never said anything bad about him.”“She’s new here. Don’t speak to her. She’s disgusting to look at,” the one on the right glared at the auburn-haired servant.“Yes. Why would she dare count herself among
Kallias opened Eryndra’s bedchamber, and just as his guard had said, it was indeed empty. His brow creased. Where could she have gone at this hour? Spinning on his heel, he decided to check the surrounding grounds. When he reached the garden, he saw her seated on the garden swing, a book in her hands. Her eyes flew wide as they met his. “Your Highness.” She rose and offered a bow. “What brings you here so early?” “Oh.” Kallias blinked. “My guard came to check on you not long ago and mentioned your absence. I simply wanted to know if everything is all right.” Her lips curved into a smile. “I stepped out early to pick up a book from the library.” She lifted the dark brown book. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping and hoped it would help.” “Does it?” Kallias walked closer, curiosity drawing him to inspect the book. “This is combat strategy and spell mastery. I thought you preferred histories and documentary arts of stitching.” “I decided to try something new.” “Hm.” He shut the







