LOGINDahliaI woke with a gasp, clutching my aching head as I struggled to sit up. The last thing I remembered was the High Priest catching me outside his chamber before everything went dark. Looking around, I recognised Zevran's room and felt a wave of relief until I noticed him sitting beside the bed, his expression filled with worry, anger and a bit of fear.“Dahlia, are you all right? Does your head hurt? Do you feel dizzy?”“I'm fine,” I assured him. “What happened? How did I get back here?”“I brought you back.” His jaw tightened. “I found you unconscious in that temple, locked in a room like a prisoner. Do you have any idea what went through my mind when I couldn't find you?”I lowered my eyes, guilt settling in my chest. “Zevran, I—”“If you want to go back there, forget it. I'm not allowing you to return to that place. You have no idea what those people could have done to you if I hadn't arrived when I did.”I stared at him, surprised by the anger in his voice. “That's not what I
ZevranI was reviewing the latest outbreak reports when Lucien entered my office with a troubled expression.“What happened?” I asked.“I've just received word from the Moon Temple. Dahlia has surrendered herself to them.”I stared at him in disbelief. “What did you just say?”“Dahlia has gone to the Moon Temple. She agreed to go with them.”I shot to my feet, my chair scraping against the floor. “No. She wouldn't do that. She wouldn't surrender herself to those people without telling me. Why would she go willingly?”Lucien's expression tightened. “I don't know what happened, but the reports say she agreed to go with them. And there's something else. The effects of the plague are already beginning to reduce in some areas.”My anger gave way to disbelief. “They've done something to her. They must have threatened her.”“We can't be sure of that, Zevran.”“I know Dahlia.” My voice hardened. “She wouldn't leave without speaking to me. I can't lose her, Luc…”Lucien looked away briefly bef
DahliaI woke up with a dull ache in my head and an uncomfortable stiffness in my wrists. When I tried to move, I realized my hands were tied behind my back, and the rope digging into my skin made my stomach drop.Panic rushed through me. I pulled against the ropes, but they only dug deeper into my skin. I looked around the unfamiliar room, trying to remember how I'd ended up there. The last thing I could recall was running through the community after people recognised me, then crashing into someone. After that, everything had gone dark.I lifted my head and found three young men sitting a short distance away, watching me like they had been waiting for me to wake up.“What is this?” I demanded, struggling against the ropes. “Why am I tied up? Who are you people?”None of them answered. The one sitting closest to me glanced at his companions before looking away, and the other two continued watching me without saying a word.I swallowed my fear and tried a different approach. “Listen, I
DahliaDuring the drive to the Moon Temple, I couldn't stop thinking about the people I'd seen in the community. Their faces kept coming back to me, especially the frightened children and the patients lying helplessly in overcrowded treatment centres. I had agreed to go with Castle because I couldn't bear the thought of an entire community dying, but I still didn't understand what was expected of me once I arrived.I glanced at Castle, who sat beside me, while Marcel sat in the front passenger seat and Andrew drove.“Now that I've agreed to come with you, what happens next?” I asked. “How exactly will this stop the outbreak?”Castle regarded me calmly. “We don't need to do anything, Lady Dahlia. Once the Moon Temple claims you, the plague will cure itself.”I frowned. “What do you mean by the temple claiming me? I thought you wanted me to take my rightful place there.”“That is what we want,” he replied. “Your presence is what matters. Once you are where you belong, the balance will b
DahliaI was beginning to hate the news.Every report brought more deaths, more sick people, and more grieving families. The Moon Temple continued insisting that the outbreak was a curse from the Moon Goddess and would only end if I moved into the temple.Sitting on the edge of the bed, I watched a woman cry over her sick husband before the camera showed patients struggling in an overcrowded treatment centre. My chest tightened as I wondered how many more people would suffer while everyone blamed me for refusing to go with the priests.Zevran insisted that his people were handling the situation, and he refused to let me anywhere near the affected community. I understood his concerns, especially since nobody knew how the illness spread, but watching people suffer while I remained safely inside the palace was becoming unbearable.I switched off my phone and walked to the window. Outside, the palace grounds looked peaceful, but beyond the gates, the protests continued to grow. People wer
ZevranI had no intention of giving Dahlia up to the Moon Temple, regardless of how many people they turned against me or how many petitions the palace received.Dahlia and I hurried throughour hygiene routine and by the time I had breakfast and settled in my study, the temple's statement had spread across the country, sparking protests and accusations that I was endangering every pack by refusing to surrender my queen. I dropped my phone onto the desk, furious that everyone seemed determined to ignore Dahlia's decision.A knock sounded, and Lucien entered with Sebastian.“The protests have started gathering outside the palace,” Lucien informed me. “The crowd is growing, and more people are arriving every few minutes. They're demanding that you release Dahlia to the temple.”“Have they forgotten that Dahlia is a person? She made her decision, and they have no right to demand that I force her to do something she doesn't want.”“They aren't looking at it that way,” Sebastian replied. “T







