Lyra “The people understand that the Alpha’s position cannot be left vacant and so they trust me to fill in perfectly,” he remarked, his chest rising and falling heavily, and his naked body glistening with sweat. “Lord Sabeleon is too old and surprisingly weak to rule anymore. It seems like the fate of the pack now rests on my shoulders.” I placed a palm on his chest and smiled, “As it should have always been. When was the last time power in Vantheir didn’t rest in the hands of the Blackthorns?” I asked softly.He chuckled, “Centuries ago.” “And now, you are the one who rules. You are usurper, you didn’t take over by a coup. The people accept you regardless of the fact that you are no Blackthorn, doesn’t that tell you anything, Draven?”His eyes widen with fascination, as if just realizing everything I have been telling him. He looked at me and suddenly pulled my hips to his. “You’re fucking right, Lyra. I never really thought about it that way, but the people didn’t cheer for Ma
Malric “I don’t think I have ever seen you in this town, sonny,” the old man said, his dirty sweat soaked singlet sticking to his body like a second skin. He had just finished hammering down on the hot, molten blade of a sword he had just made and now handed it to me to dip it in the wooden bucket of water, “what did you come down here for?”I didn’t reply as I watched the heat fizzle out of the water. It was fascinating how a sword could be created, but I felt intoxicated and beleaguered by the heat in this rusty old shed. He was right behind me now and I frowned in annoyance. I never imagined old people were this chatty, clearly he had no company in years! “I came down for the water.” I replied and took the sword out of the water. I placed it on an anvil. “I hear that’s what this city is about.”He rolled his eyes and lumbered across the shed to a wooden bench. He gobbled down a bottle of water and sighed heavily. “The water, eh? That’s what most folks come to this measly town f
Alruin “What do you mean by I can leave? I came here for you, Alruin.”I didn’t drag my gaze away from the window, “I know, and now I am saying you can leave. You are not obligated to stay with me. It’s not an order, like anyone could ever give you one anyway.” I replied flatly, “This entire thing is not your vibe, Malric. You can’t fit in. Your pack will always accept you, you know that, right?”He scoffed, “My, I really can’t believe this, Alruin. I gave up everything for you and-”“I never asked you to,” I cut in, frustrated by that repetitive hook of his, “I didn’t drag you here, Malric. I didn’t ask you to give up everything, it was a choice. Five years ago when I gave up everything, it wasn’t my choice, okay? Just go if you want to, but I am staying, because I know there is something wrong with this town.” “And what if they are after us? Lorak’s pack? My pack? Just what if? And then we get caught up in a shabby town like this when we should be on our way to that witch of your
Alruin We stumbled upon a small town beside a massive river and something about it felt off instantly.“We’ll really need to leave this particular town early this time,” Malric said and stared at me begrudgingly, “so we do not bump into something we do not want to see.”I rolled my eyes and glanced behind us at a fog that had risen just above the river. The hotel was just on the outskirts of the town, right where any person coming in could see it and only a distance away from the river. Nothing fancy really, its tawdry exterior made Malric grimace and I hid a mischievous smirk. I was curious to see how Malric would fit in without his Alpha robe and servants and all the privileges that had come with his position. He would have to be a normal person, full time and I could almost smell a disaster coming. “It’s night,” I mumbled, more to myself than him, “why is there a fog above the river?”The stableboy that took the reins of our horses giggled suddenly, “That’s the water spirit, s
LyraI stood at my balcony, a sickening feeling in my stomach.I had just killed three people. I don’t know how I was expecting to deal with it or how my body was going to react, but I felt a slithery movement on my skin as goosebumps crawled throughout my body. I couldn’t see the blood on my hands, but the awareness of it was enough to make me cringe. I almost didn’t feel like myself. Like a soul living in another body. Was it really worth taking the life of an innocent child? Maybe, maybe not, but I had to. I worked too hard for everything I had now, I couldn’t watch it slip away from my hands. I still worked for Darkmoon while being the luna of Vantheir and the people were willing to toss me aside when a male hair was born? I scoffed. Now that I thought about it…yes, it was fucking worth it! I heard the glass door slide open and I knew instantly that it was Eli. He stood at the door, which was quite unlike him. He’d have loved to come much closer, catch a stronger whiff of my
Alruin I rushed into the restaurant to find Malric still at the table, with a glass of wine in his hand and a cigarette between his lips. I had no idea what the witch planned to do, so I didn’t want to raise an alarm about it. I slipped into my chair and his eyes flickered with surprise, as if he hadn’t been expecting me to return. “Did you find your restaurant?” he asked slyly.“Malric,” I whispered urgently, ignoring his mocking tone, “we have to leave this town, right now.”He frowned and glanced around before leaning in, “Why?” “It’s a long story,” I said and sucked in a whiff of air as I tried to catch my breath. “But we have to go right now, this town isn’t safe. Not for us, not for anyone.”He rose to his feet, snapped his finger at the bartender and placed a note on the table. We walked out briskly, and he kept glancing behind to see if we were being followed. He snatched the hoodie off his head and shook his head angrily, “I knew it! I knew it! My father’s allies. They f