ANMELDENHe had already drawn blood, and even with their simple minds, the ogres instinctively recognized him as the most dangerous opponent on the battlefield.The three ogres focused their attacks entirely on Carlisle, refusing to let him draw any closer."Carlisle... are you okay?" Victoria called out as she rushed toward him. She quickly scanned the battlefield, relieved that she had reminded the warriors earlier to stay on guard.Knowing she intended to check on Carlisle, they coordinated to draw the ogres’ attention away from her as they feint attacks, circling, and pressing just enough to keep the monsters occupied.But even then, they couldn’t close the distance. Unlike Carlisle, they lacked both his agility and his raw strength, so their efforts were mostly distractions. In the end, he remained their main attacker, the one they all relied on.Victoria skidded across the ground, sliding to Carlisle’s side before immediately checking his condition. His chest rose and fell in heavy breat
Victoria’s brows rose in surprise. She hadn’t expected the young woman to grasp the situation so quickly, but with only a few hints, she had already unraveled the crux of the matter, and even understood why Victoria insisted she go with the caravan."Yes, stay safe. Just focus on holding them off, don’t risk your lives. Stay on the defensive as you retreat. We’ll catch up to you as soon as we can," Victoria instructed with a firm nod of approval.It was no wonder Alpha Hue had chosen his eldest daughter as the next Alpha of their pack. She possessed sharp instincts, grasped the situation at once, and made decisions that truly mattered. Her potential was undeniable."I understand..." Alpha Hue’s daughter said, giving Victoria a respectful nod before dashing off to follow the caravan’s trail. Victoria’s words had opened her eyes; she now realized the caravan might truly be in danger.The source of the poison dart was still unknown, which meant the culprit could very well target the flee
"Understood," the guard replied, pulling out an antidote vial and plunging the needle into his comrade’s arm. The poisoned guard’s veins bulged dark against his skin, his eyes bloodshot, and the flesh around the dart wound was already turning black, clear signs of just how potent the toxin was.Fortunately, they had come prepared. Each carried doses of the all-purpose antidote crafted by the Royal Alchemist; without it, panic would have swept through the ranks.For three agonizing minutes, the poisoned guard writhed while his comrades stood tense, weapons drawn, sweat beading on more than a few brows. Finally, faint signs of recovery began to show, and a collective breath eased through the group, though no one dared to lower their guard."Princess, the poison is subsiding!" the guard called out.Instead of relief, Victoria’s frown deepened. The all-purpose antidote was potent, strong enough to neutralize almost any known toxin, yet it had taken a full three minutes to take effect. Tha
She didn’t want him to grow complacent, and more than that, she knew that clinging to hatred and grudges would only poison their relationship, and worse, it would spill over onto the children.She refused to let her pain rob them of their chance to feel the love of a father. Whatever had happened between her and Carlisle was theirs to bear, not the children’s. They deserved to grow up surrounded by love and care, not weighed down by the shadows of her pain."Okay then... please protect me well," Victoria murmured shyly, almost hoping Carlisle wouldn’t catch it. But with their closeness and his sharp hearing, there was no way he could have missed her words.For a moment, Carlisle was stunned. He hadn’t expected her to accept him so easily. With two other mates now, she had choices, and he had braced himself for rejection, even anger.But instead of lashing out, Victoria had entrusted him with her protection. The realization filled him with such joy that he couldn’t contain the grin spr
They had always found excuses for the way they treated Victoria, dressing up their cruelty as something justified. But in truth, they simply needed a scapegoat, a target for their own bitterness and dissatisfaction with life.There will always be people who bully the weak and cower before the strong, and Victoria became their victim. They tormented her mercilessly, yet when Carlisle slaughtered their family members before their very eyes, not one of them dared to even lift their head.Carlisle also knew he wasn’t entirely blameless for what happened to Victoria. That was why the nightmares never stopped. Each time he dreamed of her being tortured in the dungeon, another version of himself would appear, one that seethed with hatred for her.And every time, he would ask himself why. Why had he hated Victoria? She wasn’t the enemy. The vampires were the very ones who killed his father.Going to the frontlines and slaughtering them should have been enough to vent his anger and hatred. Yet
The old Carlisle she knew would never have cared about her feelings, much less tried to ease them. Yet now, hearing him struggle to reach her, she felt a small warmth flicker in her chest."Alright then... tell me what you meant about seeing Marcus?" she quickly added, changing the subject before the heavy atmosphere could linger any longer.Carlisle, without shifting their position, tightened his embrace and pulled her closer. "When you asked me to scout the area for our temporary settlement, I sensed rogues sneaking near the border and decided to follow them.""That’s when I saw a familiar gray wolf, the same one who led hundreds of death warriors to trap us and drove us into the Forbidden Forest, where we found the black fairies and the light fairy.""He was there again, which made me suspect he was plotting something. But then... Marcus appeared and met with him. They spoke about a master and some kind of plan. It was vague, guarded even, as if they were being careful not to revea
Tori’s POV It was as though they were making no effort to hide their actions, openly flaunting their connection in front of everyone, intentionally deepening my hurt. The mockery in their voices was unmistakable, and it stung sharply in the silence that followed. Carlisle's subordinates seemed
Tori’s POV As instructed, I put on something nice, a dress I had been holding onto, hoping for the day I could wear it in front of Alpha Carlisle, sharing a quiet dinner together. I never imagined that day would come so soon. After washing up and dressing, I applied light makeup to conceal the exh
Tori’s POV The next day, the sun glaringly pierced through the curtains. I couldn't remember when I had fallen asleep the night before, but as far as I recalled, I dozed off in the woods after crying the entire night. But now... I looked around and saw that I was back in the Alpha suite. I was
Tori’s POV I immersed myself in my work, hoping it would help numb the pain slowly consuming my heart. As night descended, no one reached out to me or even sent a mindlink, leaving me feeling utterly isolated, as if I had been cut off from everyone. But I pushed those thoughts aside and focused o







