Chapter 45HopeThe harvest ball had started. Though the ballroom was far away from where my room was located, I could still hear the music playing. Moratian music was drastically different from human music. They were played in a sensual and inappropriate manner.Then again, everything about this place was inappropriate.Gwendolyn pinned the last accessory to my hair and stepped back with a sigh. I finally looked at myself with the help of the mirror in front of me. I hated it. I hated how I looked like one of them.This was the main reason why Darius wanted me to dress in this outfit. I hated that man so much. Was he trying to change me entirely? Did he want me to become a Lycan fully?I had no answers to those questions and I was too pissed off to try to think of answers. I stood up from the stool and turned to Gwendolyn."Thank you," I told her, referring to the makeup and hairdo she did for me.Her cheeks tinted pink in appreciation and she looked like a little girl who was just
Chapter 46Hope"Stop holding onto me so tight," I whispered harshly at Darius. I didn't know if a person could categorize what was going on between me and Darius as dancing. It was mostly him just spinning and dragging me along to match his unnatural pace. I didn't even seem to remember why I was doing this in the first place. "You might fall if I let you go," he said.I frowned. If I fell it would be his fault for making me dizzy with all the unnecessary twirling. I wanted to stomp on his feet to slow his actions, but as if he read my thoughts, he pushed me back, causing the upper half of my body to hang midair."I am so done with you," I said, staring into his eyes that held mischief in them.It was only for a second, but the side of his lips twitched into a smirk before he thinned them, and pulled me swiftly."Would you rather dance with that lover of yours?" Irritation seeped into his tone.My frown deepened as I glanced over to where Kyle was standing by the drinks table, unaw
Chapter 47 Hope It had been almost a week since I last saw Darius. I was told that he was doing something along the lines of yearly check-in around Moratia. I wondered how long it would take him to return. Not that I wanted him to return. The palace was rather peaceful in his absence. Annalise, Orion, and The commander went along with him. My top tormentors were no longer around to oppress me and freedom was mine to hold and cherish. In the absence of the commander, some of the soldiers had become nice to me. If nice meant acknowledging a person briefly. By my standards, the soldiers just glancing my way without any malicious intent hidden behind their eyes was progress. It meant that the reason why people where so hostile to me was because of them. My husband and his comrades. Currently, I was done with training and lying on the ground like I usually did. It had become a habit of mine these days to lie on the ground after training and wait for Kyle until he was done doing whateve
Chapter 48 Hope I was sitting directly across Thaddeus in the drawing room of the castle alone. His servants, as well as Kyle, were waiting outside the closed door. Thaddeus had requested to speak with me privately. I couldn't shake off the feeling that today was going to be my last day of breathing, so I inhaled and exhaled deeply. Thaddeus sipped on the tea that was served moments ago elegantly, and I watched uncomfortably. I wasn't sure if the fluid was going to pass through my throat if I attempted to swallow it. I wouldn't say a while had passed since the two of us have been in here but it has been enough time for him to get on with doing whatever he planned to do. With every passing second, I was getting more and more anxious. "Hope Vitalis..." Thaddeus started to say, like he had just heard my thoughts. "Or should I say Moratis?" he added. I frowned a little as I waited for him to say something else. He placed his tea cup on the coaster and leaned back on the cushion, a p
Chapter 49HopeI was given an indefinite break off training. It came from the commander herself through a letter. Darius also sent me one but I couldn't be bothered to check the content. The only thing I wanted him to tell me was that he was going make me his queen and I doubted that was in the letter he sent.Kyle and Gwendolyn have both been by my side constantly as though I was a ticking bomb that would explode in the absence of people. I could understand their actions but it was getting stuffy with them around and I wanted to visit Amara.That wouldn't have been a problem if Kyle was the only one watching over me but with Gwendolyn around, I couldn't carry out my plan. I didn't trust her at all and I wasn't going to reveal Amara to her. She could be Darius' spy and would relay my actions to him when she got such a juicy information.Right now I was seated in the garden, painting the landscape. I wasn't a very good painter but I had to keep busy somehow with myself being off train
Chapter 50Kyle'You're the best person ever.'I was someone's best person ever. Even if that someone was my king's wife and the person I was to protect. She was always touching me; something that people didn't do often... Women didn't do often. And she was not an ordinary woman. She was someone's wife. My king's wife.The more I thought of her, the more complex things seemed to be. I looked down on the hand that she grabbed without permission. The hand that she held and didn't let go of until I told her to. I caressed the palm with my other hand, then lifted it to my nose.Her fragrance still lingered on my hand. Vanilla. That was what she smelled like. With a flowery hint, due to the time she spent in the garden today. She seemed so happy, despite the horrid things that had happened to her here.Despite the number of times that I had failed to protect her. I was a good-for-nothing guard but it seemed like she preferred me that way. Hah... "What are you doing?" Someone said as the d
PrologueAt the dawn of the year, fourteen hundred, the Lycans came out of hiding and brought war onto Humans. The Lycans were powerful and skilled in combat, unlike the humans. They conquered the Humans and ruled over them. The Lycan King of that century was cruel and turned every Human into a slave or a sex worker.After two hundred years, from the human slaves came a man with the name Vitalis. He despised the werewolves and their rule, along with some other Humans. They secretly learned combat skills from the Lycan army. Once they became strong, they led a war against the Lycans.They were strong but not as strong as the Lycans. They fought well and slew one-fourth of the Lycans, while their numbers remained less than half. The Lycan King decided to end the war by bringing forth a proposition.He offered a treaty for peace to reign, he wanted to ally with Humans. In exchange for peace to reign, he would marry the first daughter of Vitalis, whom he thought was beautiful. Vitalis was
Chapter 2HopeDarius looked like he was in the mood for killing. Killing me. I gulped down on my saliva as I stared at him, not knowing what else to do.My parents had rushed to my aid, trying to create a barrier between the King of the Lycans and myself."Your Majesty, never mind Hope. Light must be playing somewhere around the castle. You know that, don't you? That she plays a lot." My Father said with a rushed tone, then added a nervous laugh. He sounded nothing like how a person who bore the name 'Vitalis' should sound. Then again, for the past few hundred years, the Vitalis' had not upheld the glory of the name. My Mother also let out a nervous laugh, supporting my Father.Darius regarded them as specks of dust. He walked right past them and stood a few paces in front of me. His red lips were pressed into a thin firm line as he looked down at my short figure. Compared to his six-foot-seven height, I looked like a child. Hells, every Human who stood next to him looked like a chi