LOGINA sudden scream tore through the compound without warning, and it shook the women’s cage. The raw and agonizing wail carried through the trees and across the cages until every woman inside them froze. Maera’s breath caught in her throat as her eyes immediately lifted towards the direction of the sound, her body going rigid when another scream followed, this one even more desperate than the first. It was accompanied by frantic pleadings, words too distant to make out clearly, but the terror in the voice needed no explanation. Around her, the women had already begun to react. Some pressed themselves against the bars, their eyes wide and listless with fear, while others immediately lowered their heads, shoulders trembling as though even looking towards the source of the screams might somehow draw attention to them. A few exchanged frightened glances, their faces paling as another cry ripped through the trees. It was almost as though they knew what was happening, and not just that, th
you really mattered that much, it has been hours since you arrived, and yet, the great beast is still not here.” He laughed this time, crushing the cigar in the ashtray. “It was bad enough that you are not marked. That already says a lot. But, it is clear that you have been abandoned.” He leaned forward, the laugh vanishing to reveal a feral glare. “So, if I were you, with my life at the mercy of the current beast, I would mind my words.”Lillia gritted her teeth, her fingers tightening around her dress as she watched him, speechless. “Good girl.” He watched Lillia for a moment, taking in her reactions, and when he was satisfied, his gaze once again shifted to Zen.“What’s the update?”“Alpha Dante awaits our arrival.” Zen words were unhurried as usual.“Excellent,” his expression immediately brightened, and a satisfied smile slowly spread across his face. “We set out for the devil’s den by late noon.” His gaze shifted back to Lillia, and the initial warm smile returned as thoug
What the hell just happened? Fenris hollered wildly, bewildered. I take it back. I take it all back. This is definitely not the apple falling far from the tree case… What even is this? Lillia did not respond. She was still stuck in the aftermath of this man’s oppressive presence. Lillia… Fenris’ voice suddenly grew cautious as she watched him closely through Lillia’s eyes. This man is not ordinary, be careful.No need to say it twice. Lillia answered this time, her thoughts quiet as she watched him without immediately pulling her hands away. This, however, wasn’t because she welcomed the gesture, but because she simply could not decide which part of the man standing before her unsettled her more… the fact that he was smiling so pleasantly with his son’s blood still beneath his shoes, or the fact that his eyes held none of the uncertainty she had expected from a man who knew her identity, and despite that, under his leadership, she and her maidens had been violently attacked and ass
Moments stretched as Lillia simply stared, violently suppressing the spasm of disbelief that threatened to explode within her. This was because the man… the supposed devil she had spent the longest and most torturous walk of her life imagining, was not only nothing like the buff and well-built men she had encountered so far, but he was also…short. What the hell?Fenris’ voice rose within her, and her sudden reaction made Lillia’s lips part slightly, before she forced them back into place. I did not expect this. Obviously… Lillia thought back, suppressing the spasm as she looked down at the man. She definitely did not expect this. As she stood in the clean and nicely scented room that betrayed her expectations yet again, Lillia kept her expressions carefully neutral, although her eyes betrayed her as they travelled briefly from the top of the man’s head to his feet and back again. In stark contrast to her height, he was shorter. Actually, he was the shortest person in the room.
“What? Are you crazy? There’s no escaping this place.” Raw dread flashed through Selene’s eyes and she backed away from Maera. “Selene—”“No… no… no…” Selene ignored Maera, drowning deeper into the fear that had suddenly seized her, her voice unconsciously rising as she shook her head. “We can’t. It’s impossible.”“Hey, will you shut up, or I will come shut you up.”“Who even are they?”“Look at their dresses, I don’t think they are from around here.”Hostility and assessment flew from all sides, sending Selene further into herself, her shoulders drawing inward as she instinctively lowered her head, but Maera ignored them. “Selene, look at me.” Maera held her hands and watched the guards again, waiting until she was certain none of them were approaching before turning her attention back to her. However, just as she was about to speak, Selene spoke first. “After that man was finished with me, I was kept in a cage like this and continuously used for sport.” Selene’s fingers dug into
“Maera! Maera!!”Maera smelled the iron bars first, before the putrid stench of unwashed bodies and dirt stung her nose and dragged her towards consciousness. Even then, she remained groggy, her mind sluggish, as though she had been pulled from somewhere deep and dark.She thought she had heard her name… perhaps, she heard wrong. Who was that? What are they saying? She could hear the voice, but it sounded muffled in her ears as though she were listening from beneath deep water. You didn’t hear wrong, Maera. Mae’s voice was the softest as it rose together with her presence. We failed to protect them again. And Maera’s eyes snapped open immediately, only to instinctively squeeze shut again when the abrupt brightness overhead blinded her. “Maera!!! Wake up.” The voice came again, trembling badly this time, and something in that tremor finally broke through the fog clouding her mind. The fear she could hear in it was so raw that Maera forced her eyes open, her brows furrowing as she
The sun had long dipped below the horizon, leaving the castle bathed in the soft, amber glow of lanterns, and Lillia stood before the mirror, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders, gleaming like threads of moonlight as she watched her reflection. She was no more the fragile girl who had fal
Ishtar woke with a gasp that tore violently from her chest.Her body jerked upright as though dragged from drowning, lungs burning, and heart hammering so hard, she thought it might split her ribs apart. Cold sweat slicked her skin, as her fingers clawed at silk sheets, breath coming in ragged, bro
Maera froze as a sharp intake of breath from the other maidens followed. “Forgive me, my lady, but that… that won’t be possible,” She said, carefully choosing her words this time. “You cannot approach his Majesty unless summoned.” Fenris scoffed. He can’t be serious, can he… really? Only one way
“Run, my lady. Don’t look back. We’ll hold them back as long as our breath stays in our lungs. If one of us lives tonight, it has to be you. Please—live.”Muffled sobs bled into the darkness of Clearwater forest, as Ishtar tore through the tangled branches and choking undergrowth. Every word from







