LOGINI was prepared this time for the onslaught of crazy sensory signals Alistair’s presence would give me. Instead of being hopeful or curious about the man who made me feel this way, I only felt dread inside. A deep, unknown fear of the pain I knew I would feel soon. The same that I’d seen Liam and Aurora experience upon breaking their matebond.“Alistair... you already know about her?” Aurora spoke up quietly.“I unfortunately had the displeasure of meeting her a few years ago, back during a routine tour of the territories. Or, rather, I was meeting with Liam Pyres, but for some reason, she felt it was her place to wrap herself around him like a snake for the entire conversation,” he said, recalling the encounter coldly. “It was as if she were showing off some kind of non-existent status, desperate to prove that she was worthy of attending a meeting meant for future leaders. Liam treated her like some kind of badge of honour he wore.”His eyes then finally turned to me as he continued,
“No... No....”Aurora spun on her heels and left quickly, not even wasting a second to clarify what she’d heard. As if she were removing herself from the scene before she did something that she’d regret doing in front of the Alpha King.“Aurora!” I yelled, taking a step towards her before remembering where I was. I quickly turned back to the king and gave a small bow. “Apologies, Your Majesty... I, uh... I have to go. I’m sorry.”And before he could give a response, I ran out the door and followed after her.I’d weighed up the options in my head, trying to determine which one was worse, and I’d concluded that mildly offending the Alpha King seemed like the much better choice when it was between that and Aurora’s wrath.“Aurora... AURORA.... Please!”I kept yelling after her, gaining ground as I saw her just up ahead. Unlike me, she was trying not to draw any additional attention to herself as she walked quickly and weaved around the people standing in the hallway. But that only allowe
Who the hell was Alistair? How could someone as important as this not be mentioned in the book? Wouldn’t his existence alone have stopped Victor from ascending to the throne with Aurora?...And then I remembered something. Something I’d read over quickly around the start of the book, not paying much attention to it as it seemed unimportant in the grand scheme of the story. When Aurora and Victor first met, it had been not far outside the Capital’s walls. Victor was out there looking for something, investigating an incident into the death of someone close to him. Was that person... Alistair? His very own brother?But if Alistair was alive now... and I had saved him from dying... didn’t that mean I’d now unintentionally prevented Aurora from ever taking the throne? She wouldn’t become the Queen Luna, Victor wouldn’t become the Alpha King, and they wouldn’t get to command the royal armies into a battle against Easthaven’s attacks....I’d completely changed the storyline.But it wasn’t ju
...Why?Out of all the people, why did it have to be Victor’s father who wanted to speak to me? Wasn’t I basically guaranteed to run into Aurora if I went to the palace?What possible reason could he have for wanting to see me anyway? For all he knew, I was just some random rogue who was brought here nearly dead, or, at best, I was the runaway ex-girlfriend of an Alpha under his command. Either way, it didn’t seem like there was anything for him to get involved with.But did I actually have a choice? If I ran and disobeyed a direct summons from the Alpha King, I would become a fugitive of the entire Empire, not just of Easthaven. Would I really be able to travel far enough to escape that?...Goddammit.“Fine,” I conceded, making the girl relax a little. “You can bring me to the palace.”But the nurse then opened the door, revealing the interior of a large extravagant building just on the other side. “You’re already here,” she answered.And my mouth slowly fell open in shock.I stared
I never fully understood what happened next. Everything came in flashes, recalling only snippets of the events that occurred.I remembered the feeling of shifting, of being on all four paws as I ran towards the clearing. I remembered the men that fought. The two against one sole survivor, a battle soon to be lost as his comrades had already fallen, the bodies littering the area around them. He stood alone and had already taken substantial injuries. Yet he seemed determined to fight until his last breath.Then... blood. I remembered blood, so much of it everywhere, the taste of flesh in my mouth as I joined in on an impossible battle. Why? Why was I doing this? But I didn’t stop. Their weapons flashed in the sunlight, shining against the silver blades and claws that fought back against me.Then I remembered the silence. The eery sensation of everything becoming still around me, with an unimaginable pain that quickly followed behind it. The feeling of blood leaving my own body. Just lik
...Breathe....It couldn’t be the end, right? After just one week?.........Breathe......I’d only just been given a second chance. A life in an impossible, magical world.A new opportunity to be someone else.Someone who wasn’t me....................Breathe......How could it end so pitifully?So quickly?Was I doomed to always fail?.................BREATHE, NATALIE.And I coughed up the water in my lungs, my eyes snapping awake.I wasn’t dead.I wasn’t sure how, or by what miracle, but I was alive.Everything hurt. My body was aching, but I managed to push myself onto my side and continued coughing up the rest of the water in my lungs. It was my best imitation of the recovery position, recalling what I could from those TV CPR guides I’d been forced to watch during Health class in school. Only, I couldn’t call for help or an ambulance like I was meant to in this situation. I was alone....Always alone.There was no way to tell how long I’d been out, nor how far I’d travelled. I sim







