“Evangeline?” she felt her blood run cold, her eyes darting between the sharp blade and her cousin's livid expression “What are you doing here? What... What did you want to do with Hannah?” Anger rose in Deborah's voice when she realized why Evangeline could enter her best friend's room with a sharp weapon.
“You...” her cousin murmured, barely looking like herself, with that cold, glassy look “You're always trying to get in my way... But, not this time. Thanks to you, I will achieve even more than I expected tonight.”
Still with her face empty, Evangeline just remained looking at her for a few seconds, in total silence. When she began to raise the dagger, Deborah feared for herself and for her child, and prepared to try to find a way out of there, even if it was through the window, taking a chance on the ledges outside...
However, what Evangeline did was turn the weapon on herself, moving it towards her arm until a cut appeared there, staining the white nightgown she was wearing.
Just then, she screamed.
“Help! Help! Please, help!” Her voice was so shrill that Deborah’s eardrums seemed to split “Deborah was trying to kill Princess Hannah! Please, someone!”
“What...?!” Deborah gasped, but, before she could even get up from where she was kneeling, several guards and servants had already gathered there, their angry and accusatory gazes in her direction.
“What happened?” one of the soldiers held Evagenline’s shoulders protectively.
“Oh, Goddess, you are bleeding!” one of the servants approached, holding her arm “My Goddess, how was this woman able to do something like that?!”
“I only came to check on Hannah because I know how worried Iron is about her when he’s away.” Evangeline cried profusely, holding her arm as if she were about to faint “I went in and found Deborah standing over her, with this dagger in her hand. I tried to take it away from her, so she wouldn't hurt Hannah... But then she hit me.”
"No!" Deborah gasped “That’s not what happened at all! Evangeline was the only one who...”
“Shut up!” one of the guards growled, approaching her “You cursed whore! This is why the Goddess and the King hate you so much! How can you put your dirty hands on the princess and the King’s companion?”
“She can’t be left loose in the castle any longer!” another servant added “We need to lock her in the dungeons right now! What if our poor Evangeline was pregnant?! She could have killed Eclipsor’s heir.”
“Come to think of it, on the night of the invasion, the first one who was attacked was the princess, right?” one of the older guards growled “She never let anyone in her tower. No one but this girl. Maybe that’s why the Alpha imprisoned her here!”
“What are you talking about?” Deborah panted, despair stopping her breathing “Listen to me...!”
“Damn witch!” the servant who was supporting Evangeline shouted “It was you who betrayed us, wasn’t it? This is why so many of us were tortured, why the princess was cursed and why our lands are rotting! You were sent by the God of Discord to destroy us, that's why you never had a wolf!”
“Let’s kill her now!” one of the guards suggested, making Deborah’s head spin “Light a fire and offer a servant of Discord to the Goddess, as the ancients did! The Alpha will kill her anyway. At least we will have a chance to reverse the evil that was brought upon us.”
"No!" Deborah began to walk backwards, her hands falling protectively over her belly “You can't do that!”
“What should we do, Evangeline?” the servant questioned “In the absence of the King, you are second in command.”
“Evangeline...” Deborah looked at her cousin, her heart stopped “Don’t do that...”
“It pains me so much to do this to my own flesh and blood.” Evangeline whimpered, returning Deborah's gaze without wavering “But, Iron had already mentioned that he had decided to kill her, one way or another. He is disgusted by the bond between the two. Perhaps, if we kill her today, we will be doing our beloved king a favor, so that his wolf does not suffer more than necessary from her death.”
“Evangeline...!” Deborah growled, but it was too late.
The guards rushed toward her, not allowing her to take more than a few steps toward the window before her limbs were roughly held and her entire body was thrown to the ground, thick chains cutting into her wrists as they restrained her. Overcome with despair, she tried to turn around and scream about the King's son inside her, but a rough cloth was forced between her lips, silencing her.
“I will never forget such a terrible scene.” Evangeline murmured and, even without looking in her direction, Deborah felt that there was a smile in her voice “But, as much as it pains me, justice must be done. Let’s light a fire.”
“Wretched witch! I don’t know why we didn’t kill her sooner!”That harsh growl sounded at the same time that Deborah was thrown to the ground, the roughness of the earth and straw from the courtyard in front of the palace tearing her skin through her already filthy dress. That pain, however, seemed almost like a joke after all the punches and kicks she had received while trying to free herself from the restraints on her wrists and legs. Eventually, when a hard punch in her stomach made her cough up blood and fear for her baby, Deborah decided to stay as still as a dead animal.Still, the attacks did not stop. She could feel the bruises and concussions forming on her arms, legs, abdomen and head. Even her scalp was burning in a place where one of the servants had pulled her hair, perhaps even pulling out an entire strand.But even through all the agony, all she could focus on as she lifted her head, the gag still burning the corners of her lips, was Evangeline's tearful expression befo
“Get my mate out of this fire right now!” Iron’s form was visible even on the other side of the heat and flames.“My King…” the guards’ voice trembled “We… We surprised her trying to kill the princess after she attacked Evangeline, so we thought…”“I gave you permission to decide for yourself what her punishment would be?!” Iron snapped “Put out that fire right now! And, whoever is responsible for this, better step forward, if he doesn’t want to be replaced by Deborah on that stake.”“It was... It was Evangeline who gave the order my King.” It seemed that the servant who took so much care of Evangeline was not that loyal, as she responded promptly, cornered.“You bitch...! I told you not to touch her!”“But... Iron...” Evangeline whimpered “She tried to kill me and your sister...”“Then you should have locked her in the room and waited for me! You are not the Queen to make decisions in my place... Put out that fucking fire before I kill every one of you!”“Is the mating bond that stro
“You look so beautiful, Debbie... Isn't it amazing how that dress makes your hair color pop?” Evangeline hummed, and, even though she struggled, Deborah had her chin held and was forced to look at her own reflection in the mirror before them.“You… You really think so?” she swallowed nervously.“Of course! This will be perfect to shut up all those mean girls who are always talking about how this beautiful red is a mark of the God of Discord. Oh, I would give anything to have hair like that too...” Evangeline sighed, running her fingers through her perfectly straight, snow-white hair."Do not say that. Your hair is perfect. How could it not be? It is a symbol of the Moon Goddess.” Deborah turned to face her cousin, intertwining their hands “And, don’t worry. I know that before I was always wetting your shoulder with my tears because of this, but... Iron is always saying that my hair is beautiful, so... I have no reason to cry anymore. Whenever he tells me I'm completely perfect... I fe
The Pack's judgmental look threatened to destabilize her, but Deborah sought comfort in her mate, knowing that none of it would matter, as long as Iron was with her. He had made her happier in that last year than she had ever been in her entire life, after all. Deborah trusted her mate to help her face the challenges of being a queen. The contempt of those wolves was just an obstacle on the path to the happy life they would build together.As the mating ceremony etiquette dictated, Iron turned her toward him, holding her hand in front of all those witnesses, making her chest swell with that warm joy that Deborah could never have imagined would be bestowed upon someone like her, who had not been considered by the Goddess as worthy of having more than one form. However, Iron did not return her smile or appear to notice the caress of her thumb on his palm, when he began to speak.“It is my duty as Alpha, once I have found my fated mate, to stand before the four packs, as your Alpha and
“Your servants have complained that you are not eating again.”Normally, that voice would have made Deborah freeze the fork's path to her mouth. However, that day, she just dipped the meat in the sauce, not even turning around when answering the King.“I appreciate your concerns, but this will no longer happen.” she commented calmly, beginning to chew her dinner, as a menacing growl responded.“For your sake, I hope so.” Iron spoke and finally, from the corner of her eye, Deborah noticed the stern expression on his face, plus the way Evangeline was sitting on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck like snakes around a prey “I don’t remember giving you permission to starve to death.”“As you wish, my King.” She just nodded softly, refocusing solely on the plate in front of her, as Evangeline murmured, her voice sweet as honey.“Should we retire to the bedroom, my King?” Even though she wasn't looking in their direction, Deborah knew that her cousin was moving provocatively on Iron's
"Say!" Iron spat, wrapping his hands in the back of her hair to force her to look him in the eyes again “Show that there is still at least a drop of wolf honor left in you and admit that it was you who conspired with the lions! It was you who stood next to my sister at the gates that day and made it easy for our enemies to invade our Kingdom that day! It was you who allowed children to be killed, women to be raped and so many of us to be tortured in their dungeons! You’re the reason Hannah was almost dying in that bed, unable to wake up!"Deborah even tried to open her mouth to say something, but the shock ended any words she could have formulated, while Iron just continued, his tone increasingly full of hatred and pain."Every day, I have to control the urge to tear apart my own skin, to get this off me! And do you really think this last year was enough to punish you? Nothing I can do to you will come close to the pain you made this kingdom feel, Deborah!”As had happened a year ago,
“There we are, my dear. But, please, remember, feather steps. It could be the end of both of us, if they catch you here.”Deborah smiled when she heard the kindness in that voice, despite the fear and apprehension. Every time she and her aunt sneaked through the narrow passages hidden between the castle walls, Anastasia was terrified, looking everywhere, as if expecting a guard to emerge from the shadows to chop off their heads at any moment.But even so, she never refused to help Deborah.“It’s okay. You can go back now, Aunt Ana. Even though all the soldiers are a little less alert now because of the change of patrol to accompany the King to the borders, I will be careful, I promise. And fast, too.” She promised, reaching for Anastasia's hand, her heart aching to realize that her aunt's bones seemed more protruding with each passing day “I... I just want to have a quick chat. That’s what always calms me down.”“Oh, my poor girl...” Anastasia sniffed, moving closer so she could hold