LOGINThe palace courtyard had transformed overnight.Rows upon rows of royal guards stood at attention beneath fluttering banners bearing the crest of House Knighte.Beyond them...Hundreds of Lycan citizens had gathered outside the palace gates despite the early hour.Children sat upon their fathers' shoulders.Elderly women carried baskets overflowing with flower petals.Merchants had abandoned their stalls simply to catch one glimpse of the departing procession.The moment the great palace doors opened—A cheerful murmur swept through the crowd."They're coming.""The prince.""The princess."Aeryl stepped into the morning sunlight and instinctively slowed.She hadn't expected......all this.People smiled at her.Some bowed.Others waved enthusiastically.Little children stretched out handfuls of wildflowers.As Aramisius descended the palace steps beside her, petals suddenly filled the air.They drifted around them like coloured snow.Aeryl blinked in surprise.Then another shower fol
"So this is your decision."Aeryl's voice finally came."I'm not hungry."He looked at the untouched meal.Then back at her."No."His tone was flat."You have chosen not to eat."Silence.He folded his arms."You mourn because your father has departed."Her fingers twitched."At least he departed alive."The words struck her immediately.Aramisius continued before she could answer."If you choose to waste away from hunger, I cannot help you."His voice remained cold."You will die."Aeryl shut her eyes."And then..."He looked toward the window."...you truly will never see your father again."The room became quiet.Her breathing faltered."You speak as though refusing one meal is some noble display of grief."His eyes settled on her again."It is not.""It is foolishness."Aeryl swallowed.He took one slow step closer."You continue speaking of your family."A pause."They are, apparently, the only people for whom your heart beats."She looked down."Then remain alive."Silence."If
There was silence and Vinncero stared at her, completely lost and shocked and afraid of her at the same time.She couldn't look him in the eyes."I knew who you were before you knew me."His heartbeat slowed."Kaito was searching for something." She swallowed and pushed a hand into her blonde curls. "I thought if I stayed close to you.... I could survive."A tear slipped down her cheek and it ended there."I told myself I was only protecting myself."Her fingers tightened around the damp cloth."But somewhere..."She laughed bitterly and looked into his eyes blankly."....I stopped pretending. I realized.... we were mates and sex with you was rejuvenation."Vinncero said nothing. She finally forced herself to meet his eyes and said the words."I did use you, though. And that is the truth I feared to let you know most. Well.... for now, you need your strength to hear and bear more of what I have done. You should heal first."Then she sent him a stiff smile that turned her big green or
Far beyond the northern hills, where beautiful rivers ran through crystal caverns, gemstones lit the ceilings like stars and entire cities were carved inside mountains of emerald and ruby, lay the twin kingdoms of Pitshu and Markin.Unlike the kingdoms of men, the gnomes took very little seriously. Except money, jokes and inventions. And also, their courts had very little dignity.King Brammick sat upon a throne that was far too large for him and far too uncomfortable.He was attempting, for perhaps the fourteenth time that night, to wear a magnificent ceremonial hat.It refused to stay put. This hat was the most magnificent ceremonial cap ever created.It was taller than he was and decorated with white feathers. It had golden gears and tiny spinning propellers. Three diamonds. Six rubies. And one unnecessary spoon.His younger brother, Prince Brogg, walked behind him, looked at the cap, shook his head and murmured."Ridiculous...."Then.... SMACK!He slapped the enormous cap clean of
His vision exploded white. Another blow landed across his ribs. Then another.Boots hammered into his side as he hit the floor. Still, he struggled to rise.A spear butt slammed into his shoulder and someone drove a knee into his spine.The beating became relentless. The guards struck until he could no longer lift his arms.Blood spread across the stone beneath him.Tara was screaming."No! No! Stop! Stop it, you bastards. Stop it!"No one listened.Alpha Kaito slowly pushed himself upright, one hand pressed against his bleeding side. He looked down at the broken young man lying before him.Then— to everyone's disbelief— he smiled a genuine smile.He coughed blood onto the floor."Excellent."The guards hesitated. Alpha Kaito's eyes which had turned dark and agonized never left Vinncero."Leave him alive." He laughed weakly. "I finally know truly...."He wiped the blood from his lips."....he's exactly the one I was looking for. Bind him in silver and wolfsbane."********The castle
"Take off your clothes." Kaito repeated. Vinncero still stood motionless and Tara looked back at him. Neither spoke.The room seemed to disappear until only the two of them remained. Kaito leaned lazily against the table, watching with open amusement."Go on," he said. "You're both pretending not to want what you've been denied. Sadly, you Vinncero, are an omega and cannot scent your own mate. What a shame."Vinncero ignored him. Slowly, he reached toward Tara and his fingertips brushed lightly against her shoulder.She did not pull away. Instead, she stepped closer. And then closed enough that their foreheads almost touched.When their eyes met, the room vanished.A rush of memories that were not his flashed through Vinncero's mind.He saw cold cells, locked doors, a little blonde girl crying herself to sleep. A smiling man —Alpha Kaito — telling her she belonged to him.Again. Again. And again.Tara's voice echoed inside his thoughts."He is not my father."Vinncero's heartbeat sto
"Goodnight."There was silence. Then, very faintly....she heard him exhale.He was not annoyed or angry. Instead, he was almost amused.And somehow that realization kept her awake far longer than before.********The room had finally gone quiet. The fire had burned low.Aeryl lay beneath the blan
The sound of fabric being ripped screeched sharply through the room.Aeryl flinched.Her breath caught instantly.She had seen his once body before.... but somehow this felt different now.Too forbiddenly good to behold in the light of day.And because now she was trapped here with him.The firelig
The room remained silent long after the letter had been read.Aeryl didn’t seem eager to speak anymore.Aeryl sat still near the edge of the chamber, feeling colder with every passing moment."Next time, she may walk out willingly."The words would not leave her head.They crawled around her mind l
The cloth remained untouched.No one in Aeryl’s chambers dared go near it anymore. Not even Aeryl herself.It sat quietly on the table where the strange woman had left it, harmless-looking beneath the candlelight. Same dried petals and crushed herbs. Thin threads wrapped carefully together.Small







