..........Paris ........."I humble myself before you and ask that you accept my apology. I know this wound is deep, and I also know that my apology doesn’t mean much right now. But please know that I didn’t come to this decision lightly," my father continues, but Dimitris cuts him off, looking flushed like he isn't breathing as he struggles to maintain his composure. I can tell he wants to flip right now, but even though he has been wronged, my father is still his king, and he must tread carefully."Pardon the interruption, my king, but Gerulion has never been ruled by a human. There has never been a human queen in the history of our species. The council would never accept such a thing," he says, rather than asking what he truly wants to ask, which is "Why are you screwing me.” My father tells him the council cannot stand in the way of the gods before saying all this is his fault. He says the gods want him to fix what he did, earning a confused look from Dimitris before he explain
.........Evaki .........Tory and I pull back from the hug at the sound of the door opening, and just then, Paris comes within sight. I get up from the bed and run to him, and I throw myself in his arms and cry. I don’t want to; it’s all I’ve done since returning from the king and queen, but I’m scared. Before I came here, I told myself I could walk away from him, but I was fooling myself. I wouldn’t know how to, no matter how much I wanted to. We pull back from the hug, and he connects our lips in a long kiss, and more tears escape my eyes even before he says it. There’s no need to say it; the kiss screams goodbye. He wipes away my tears when we pull back, tears gleaming in his eyes as he tells me he loves me, but I stop breathing when he says my queen before a smile slowly spreads across his face. "The King gave you his blessing?" My voice comes out softer than intended, while Tory gasps behind me before letting out a squeal, bouncing on her tippy toes. "Yes, they did," he nod
.........Evaki .........I eventually calm down, and Tory helps me get ready. When I’m done, we head to her room so she can get ready, too. She and Anton also don’t share a room. I was surprised to find out that Tory is a royal. I never knew that. She told me her father is a prince, but he never wanted that life. So, he moved halfway across the world. Tory's grandfather died when her father was still very young, but unlike Paris’s father, who took over even though still young, her father gave the throne to his uncle to hold for him. Tory said as he grew older, he realized that was not the kind of life he desired, and decided to not ascend to the throne. His family cut him off because of that, and he has never gone back since. I also found out that Anton is not Paris’s biological brother but was adopted. His father was the king who tried to kill Paris’s father. I was shocked, and when the shock wore off, I felt sad for Anton. Knowing your father was a traitor cannot be easy. We hea
............................Author’s POV................................................................................At the Wizard’s Mansion....................................................Kyro's room is eerily silent as the moon shines through the window, casting an eerie glow on the figure shrouded in darkness standing over him. Driviar is surrounded by a thick cloud of black smoke, which seems to move and swirl with a life of its own as he stares at a sleeping Kyro while dressed in a hooded cloak that covers his face. He raises the knife, his dark robes blending in with the shadows as his piercing eyes glow a bright red, illuminating the room. But at that moment, Kyro's breathing changes, and Driviar's confliction paralyzes him, causing him to vanish through the wall, leaving the room empty in a flash. He storms onto his rooftop, his frustration palpable. His indecisiveness and the king's unexpected visit have thrown everything off balance, and he can feel the anger b
..........Kyros .........."What is this?" I whisper, taking an involuntary step back, noticing it's doing the same thing I am. I raise my hands, and it does the same."It’s you; it’s your other face. A wizard never reveals his true identity," Driviar says, causing me to look at him, and he tells me to go inside the mirror again. I do, and I end up in the same position, but the reflection has changed. It's still not mine, but it's not the same as the last one. "One face is for the outside world. So you will wear it when you leave the house, and the other you will wear inside the house. Your real face you will only wear when no one is looking, which means in the privacy of your room," he says before asking if I understand, and I nod, a bit creeped out by all this. Now I know how he looked like someone else when I arrived here. "Wait! Is this your real face or your indoor face?" I ask, causing his face to stretch into a smirk. "Have you forgotten your first lesson already? A wizard
............Kyros ............Driviar stares into my eyes, his eyes piercing through me like a knife, as I desperately try to keep my composure, my heart pounding in my chest. "Who are you?" he demands, his voice stern and commanding, and a thousand things go through my mind as fear coils me like the demon’s serpent. I need his help; I came all the way and left behind a person I care deeply for to seek it, but I can’t reveal who I am. He’s human and shouldn’t know wolf politics, but then again, he’s a wizard. What if he knows? What if he knows my grandfather’s story? I can’t take that risk. I swallow hard and sit up straight, still holding his gaze, and I tell him who I am."Kyros Argo, son of Andro Konstantinos. My father never knew his father, so I don’t know who my grandfather was," I respond, and he stared at me silently for a moment, making my heart accelerate even more. But I let out a silent breath of relief when he asks why I’m here, taking that to mean he believes me. I
..........Paris..........We get to our feet after the council tells us we are to reconvene in an hour. For now, we are asked to head to the dining hall for dinner. I hope it truly is an hour because I’m sick of being here. We start heading toward the door but stop when Dimitris asks the council if he may add something. My father and I just re-entered the hall; he was here with the council. They tell him he may, and Father and I share a look, wondering what he’s trying to do. He probably wants to add more reasons why marrying Evaki will bring death to our species. "I understand the council’s traditions and concerns, but I implore you again to consider that the gods' ways are not always understood, as I’m sure you all know. By granting this union, you will not only be setting our Prince’s heart free, but you will be setting the kingdoms free. What we did all those years ago was wrong, and it’s only fair that we try to make amends because I fear what will happen if we don’t. The crim
.......Eva .......A noise that sounds like the bedroom door opening causes me to raise my head. I try to listen, but my head is too heavy with sleep, and it falls back on the pillow again. I turn to my side, drifting off to sleep, but just as I give in, I hear the sound again, and this time it’s louder, causing my eyes to flutter open. A figure suddenly walks up to the bed while I sit upright, trying to concentrate in the pitch-black room, and I scramble for the bedside lights on the verge of screaming. But just then, Paris says, "It's him," and I immediately feel a wave of comfort before my heartbeat picks back up with excitement.I spring out of bed and run to him as he places his jacket on the armchair, and I throw myself in his arms. It’s only been one day, but I’ve missed him so much already. "I missed you so much," he whispers, firmly cupping my face when we pull back from the hug, and I tell him I missed him too but don’t get to finish as he captures my lips in a fiery kiss