“Is-Is that a human?” Serenia asks, cowering a little behind the crouched-over Niklas. “Why would you think that?” he asks. Serenia shrugs, feeling a little embarrassed now. “I don’t know, who else would attack us with silver-tipped arrows? We aren’t in rogue territory, are we?” “Everywhere that isn’t claimed by a tribe or pack is considered rogue territory, they roam wherever they please, but even they can’t get their hands on silver like that. Only tribes as big as ours could possibly have the need for something as lethal as silver,” Niklas says, glaring at the struggling body between Gunnar’s teeth. “I guess it’s time we found out,” she mutters. “Can you stand? I don’t think I can handle getting this guy to talk.” Niklas nods and tries his best to get on his feet but stumbles back to the ground. He groans and glares once more at the attacker before his eyes go wide. “Wait, stop him! He has so
They must have been riding for hours by now, their previous conversation lost to the wind, Kai going much faster and covering a lot more ground than Niklas the first time, in an obvious rush as far away from the rogue territory as possible. At some point along the way Gunnar had split off from the group and hasn’t returned, but Niklas doesn’t seem concerned which tells Serenia she has no reason to be either. The ride is silent and tense, at least on Serenia’s end. Niklas seems to fade in and out of consciousness which worries her, but the colour in his face keeps her heart steady. During what feels like his hundredth time shaking himself awake with the blanket still surprisingly stuck to him, he finally speaks. “How long was I out this time?” “Just under an hour I think, I don’t have anything to tell the time, the trees are too thick above us for me to see the sky clearly.” She feels him nod and lean his head against her back again,
The grass is lit with flames, the trees ablaze with embers. Everywhere Kai looks there is smoke and flames and no sign of Serenia. He can’t smell through the thick smog gathering in his nose and blinding his sight, the ground quickly turning to crumbled ash making it harder to detect movement or sound. But she is there, he can feel her. She is close and injured, he knows it through the mate bond, he felt it the moment it occurred but turned around to see nothing, the forest partially gone as is. Niklas! Kai calls out but there is no response. What the hell is happening? How is there another ambush? We took a different path! Gunnar, where are you? Still no response. Damn! Kai continues to push through the growing fire and fallen trees to find Serenia, just barely making her out along the edge of the small pool of water that is now rapidly turning red. Fear courses through him as he tears toward her, only for another barrage of lit ar
As consciousness fades in, Serenia feels around the ground below her and grasps tall blades of grass that tickle her arms and legs. She blinks her eyes open and is greeted by a bright and warm sun floating above her, not a single cloud in the blue sky. All around her, she can feel the serene peace this place harbours and wonders where she is. Sitting up she looks around and sees nothing but an endless valley for miles to see, all the same tall blades of grass. The sun beats down against her but there is no sweat or humidity, just pure warm energy engulfing her as if she is being harnessed by the sun. “Sit up, child. The ground is filthy.” Serenia spins around and sees the spitting image of her mother walking toward her – but she knows somehow it isn’t her. “Who are you?” Serenia asks. The woman chuckles. “Smart girl, but now isn’t the time. You have to wake up, Nia.” Nia? A name only her mother refers
Kai stalks toward the war room and throws open the doors to see his father once again hunched over the large territorial map spread out on the round table, observing it closely. He doesn’t even turn to face Kai when he speaks. “I’ve finally managed to pull you from that room, that must mean she has awoken, yes?” “If you know this, why have you summoned me so soon? She is still recovering and I-” Alpha Erik slams his fists on the table and scatters the goblet of water next to him. “You still have yet to attend a single meeting with Aurora Iversen and her mother! You didn’t even once approach her while attending the alpha ceremony for Rune Iversen, her damned brother. Instead, you were running after this offspring of an Omega, ignoring the perfect daughter of an Alpha!” “That offspring is my mate. Of all the people, I thought you would be the happiest for me. I finally have a mate to stand next to me when I rule, no
It has been an entire day since Serenia last woke and saw Kai. Once he was summoned away from the room with the promise of being right back, she fell asleep listening to the constant chatter of the kid guard at her door, talking her ear off about the supposed Fated Luna and late prophecies from our ancestors, but he spoke in a thick accent she isn’t familiar with, the same one she detects from Kai but not quite as heavy. After waking up the second time, the kid guard was still sitting in his chair slumped over and passed out completely. She asked him if Kai had returned while she was sleeping, and he said no. She hasn’t seen him since, wondering if something terrible has happened because he brought her there without warning. No one has come to check on her or offer to take a tour of the place, show her where the food is or where she can even take a proper bath. It’s clear the room she is in is a man’s room, but she isn’t sure who. One would be right to as
“What are you doing? Get off me!” Aurora shrieks as Harbin pins her to the ground, his knee placed on her back.“I don’t like the way you’re speaking to Her Royal Highness. You should speak formally when in the presence of royalty and not threateningly as you have. Continue to act this way and I’ll have you removed from the grounds.”Serenia’s eyebrows shoot up with shock at how quickly Harbin switched from a happy-go-lucky kid to the trained guard he really is. She has forgotten in the short time they’ve spent together talking in such an informal way, that he is, in fact, a skillfully trained guard of the royal palace, one that is rather close to the future High Alpha and most likely trains with him personally.“Stop spewing that nonsense. I am the future High Luna of the tribe, not her. Now, get off me!” Aurora continues to wail and struggle under the brute weight of Harbin.“What is the meaning of this? Harbin!” A deep voice barks from the doorway and a burly man with grey-brown ha
“What happened? Why aren’t you guarding Serenia?” Kai asks. Harbin holds up a finger to ask for a second and takes a few more gulps of air before standing up straight. “Aurora – I mean, Miss Iversen stormed into the room and caused a fuss, which was broken up by your father,” he nods to Niklas and continues without missing a beat. “That only made things worse because he sided with me and that just made her even angrier-” “Harbin, where is Serenia?” Kai hollers through his rambling. Harbin blinks a few times in slight shock. “She’s with Mr. Olsson in her new room.” “She’s alone right now with my father?” Niklas cuts in with panic. “Yeah, what’s so wrong about that?” Harbin asks. Kai remembers that Harbin wasn’t there when they attended the Alpha ceremony for the Raseri Tribe and therefore only heard about Serenia when everyone else in the castle did. He has no idea about the life the