MasukMENODORA’S POVThat night, sleep decides to play a cruel game of hide and seek with me. I spend most of the night tossing from one side of the makeshift sleeping bed to another. My mind keeps playing everything, but most especially the pouch, the letter and the pendant. Orvax had said the stitchings weren't just ordinary ones, but a map and they apparently led to someone.“Who could that be?" This question keeps me up till the early hours of the morning and I only start to drift into an uneasy sleep when the orange rays of the sun start to peek out from the clouds, staining the dawn with a beautiful mix of light pink and blue. Being able to drift off like that, however uneasy, is an achievement for me considering how I hardly ever sleep in the first place.Everytime I try to close my eyes, willing for sleep to steal me away into its abyss of oblivion, I see something different. The first time I close my eyes, I see my mother, but she doesn't seem to notice me there, no matter how hard
MENODORA'S POV The tightness in his jaw completely unravels and it causes his lips to part just enough to let his guard down. I guess this strategy works well after all.“I know.” A quiet defeated breath slips past his parted lips.“So no more secrets right?"“Hmmm" “You're so annoying when you do that."“I know…" a mischievous smirk plays at the edges of his lips.I stare at him long and hard, not sure if I want to throw him down the valley or just hurl myself off into the mountains. Then I let out a slow theatrical hiss of air, my gaze lifting towards the sky, sending a quick prayer to the moon goddess for patience.“I really cannot believe how I became friends with you both," Kova says and he looks genuinely offended. “Bunch of idiots," I hear him mutter under his breath.“Friends? Since when did we become friends?" Orvax and I echo, both our eyelids slowly fluttering up at him in utter disbelief.The corner of Kova’s mouth quirks upward as he holds back a laugh."I finally got t
MENODORA'S POV“Tell my daughter...I have finally found her,” I hear Kova say and it feels like a boulder has been physically slammed into me. None of us speak, unsure of what to say to break the silence. The silver pendant still rests in my palm, the weight of it heavier now with the message behind it. The moonlight catches against the polished metal and the crescent gleams softly, like a silent answer to the moon from which it is born.I stare at the wolf if it is curled around, protecting it…or maybe it is trapping the wolf. I couldn't decide which of the interpretations to accept. A restless vibration hums deep in my bones, travelling from my arms down until it reaches my fingertips. They flutter like little birds caught in a trap, unable to stay still for even a second.Silently, I close trembling fingers around the pendant. It feels cold to touch, like a captured shard of winter, its porous surface stealing the warmth from my palm.“Menodora?" I look up to see Kova staring down
ORVAX'S POVI hold his gaze in mine.“I may not be able to save everyone, but I can save this one.”With that, I walk away, Menodora on my mind. I have an idea of where she might have gone. Not because of any mate bonds or mind links communicating between us, but simply because I built this place and I know from experience that lonely people would always look for quiet.With painstakingly slow steps, I make my way to the western cliffs that overlook Rogue land. It is a place that few people visited due to the cold winds that naturally blew here. The silence today seems deeper than usual. I find her seated on the old stone wall overlooking the valley, bathed in the silver light of the moon that hangs above the mountains.She refuses to turn around to acknowledge my presence and for the slight tensing of her shoulders, I'd have been so sure she didn't hear me approach.“I knew you would come find me." Her words caused my heart to feel light. I walk closer, careful not to startle her wit
ORVAX'S POV The moment is shattered, instantly lost when my father lets out a low chuckle.“That's quite amazing, isn't it?" I turn to look at him, the look in my eyes is so dangerous, enough to bend iron effortlessly. His expression only grows taut, his mouth curling into a razor-thin crescent. His smile did not bring me any form of comfort, only sharpening the air in the room instead."You know, there was once a time when you would give anything if it meant upholding your principles,” he pauses for dramatic effects or whatever mind games he's playing. "And now?”I can feel the entire room hold its breath in anticipation of his next words.My father's attention turns towards Menodora and back at me. He smiles then, the same smile that reminds me of a hunter who has finally caught his prey.“Now, I am led to believe that there is one thing that you truly cannot stand to lose." I hear Kova curse under his breath. Menodora's eyes widen slightly, like little saucers on her face and th
ORVAX'S POV"What does that mean?” Menodora's brow furrows in a slight frown. "What are you…” She trails off, her voice dropping to a fragile wavering whisper. She looks away, eyes darting between us both, trying to read the truth in our eyes.My father stands, arms casually folded across his broad chest. He leans back against the wall with the effortless swagger of someone who has absolute control over the room…and maybe he does. After all, we're just mere pawns in his big game of chess. Seeing him stand like that, you'd think we are merely just discussing the weather and not destroying lives in the worst way possible."Your father was not a peasant like you were led to believe," he says.Anxiety knots tighter in my guts than a hangman's noose, turning my stomach into a mess of coiled spring. From across the room where Menodora has moved to, trying to get a grip of herself, I see her go completely still.That feeling, it is one that I am very familiar with. Where it feels like your l







