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Choosing a side

Author: Author Calypso
last update Last Updated: 2025-05-20 19:09:33

ALTHEA

My teeth are still chattering when I turn to Asher. My hands are scraped from the rocks, and my legs ache from the fall, but I don’t care. Not right now.

“It’s your father,” I say, my voice hoarse. “He’s the one doing this. You saw it. That wasn’t a normal trial. It was like the elements were trying to kill me.”

Asher doesn’t answer right away. His jaw clenches. Water drips from his hair, down the side of his face. He looks off into the trees, quiet, like he’s thinking hard.

“He’s made it pretty clear how much he hates you,” he finally says. “And maybe that’s why I keep getting pulled to you.”

I blink at him. “What?”

He gives a bitter laugh. “Because the more he pushes me to stay away from you, the more I want to do the opposite.”

Something flutters in my chest, but I shove it down.

“This is different,” Asher continues, voice lower now. “He’s cruel, sure. But if he wanted you dead, he wouldn’t be subtle about it. He wouldn’t use the elements. He’d have you dragged out in front
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  • The Mate Games   It’s ruin

    ASHERThe seconds slow.As our eyes lock across the dimly lit, crowded room, it feels like time has stopped just for us. It’s impossible, but somehow, it’s really her.Althea.I see it the moment panic flashes through her silver gaze. She spins on her heel, pushing her way through the mob before I can even take a full breath.I move.I shove bodies aside, ignoring the curses that follow. I spot the ripple of her hair disappearing deeper into the crowd and curse under my breath, sliding through gaps, elbowing past drunk fools too slow to move. Heads turn as I mutter another colorful oath.Then she’s gone. The crowd swallows her whole.My heart slams. I keep moving, forcing my way toward the far side of the room. I know where she’ll go. The cellar. It’s the only easy exit out of this filthy tavern that leads anywhere worth hiding.Steel screeches ahead. That old door. She’s slipping through.Murmurs rise behind me as I reach it, the wood only cracked wide enough for her slim body to van

  • The Mate Games   He’s coming

    ALTHEAHe’s here.In the middle of a damn fight, of all things. But somehow, it doesn’t surprise me. If there’s one constant in this twisted world of ours, it’s that Asher finds trouble, or maybe it finds him.I stand frozen, breath shallow, eyes locked on the crude fighting ring set up in the middle of the bar’s wide back room. The air is heavy with sweat, smoke, and the sharp tang of spilled ale. People press close to the wooden rails, shouting, placing bets, eager for blood.And there, right in the center, is him.The man moving with lethal grace, stalking slow circles around his opponent like a predator toying with prey. He’s so much bigger than the other man, muscles straining beneath a dark tunic, body coiled tight with energy. But it’s the way he moves that twists something deep inside me. Not just fluid—calculated. Like he’s already three steps ahead, mapping every dodge, every strike, every final blow.A cloth wraps around the lower half of his face, hiding his mouth, nose, e

  • The Mate Games   He’s here

    ALTHEAWe’ve finally made it.It feels almost unreal to stand here, just outside the kingdom’s walls. For days, this place lived only in my mind, twisted and tangled with memories I tried hard to bury. But now it’s right in front of me, familiar towers cutting into the sky, the faint outline of the palace beyond them.We have a plan. A fragile, dangerous plan.Theo gathers us all close under the shade of thick pines. His face is tense, eyes darting over each of us as if to make sure we’re all still here, still whole.“We split up,” he says. His voice is low but firm. “Jarek, Liza, you’re with me. We’ll head north to dig up the weapons we buried when we fled last time.”Then he turns to me. I already feel my stomach knot.“Althea, you go with Aaron and the two newest recruits—Kye and Rowen. You’ll stake out the palace. Watch for patrols, guards, shifts. Anything unusual.”I open my mouth to protest. “Theo, that’s—”But he shakes his head. “Out of everyone, you know your way around ther

  • The Mate Games   A confrontation

    ASHERRage. It’s an emotion that’s not appreciated enough. Not studied enough. But the rage I feel right now completely consumes me. It’s like molten lead in my veins, scorching everything in its path.The palace is already a disaster—my men have failed over and over to catch the revolutionaries, Caroline is pregnant, and now this? My vision blurs with hot fury. It takes everything in me not to tear the nearest tapestry off the wall and shred it to pieces.I storm down the hallway, ignoring servants who flatten themselves against the walls to avoid me. My boots thud heavy against the marble floors, echoing off the high ceilings. They all know to stay out of my way. Good for them.I reach Caroline’s door. Don’t bother knocking. I push it open so hard it bangs into the wall, the handle leaving a dent.“What the hell is going on here, Caroline?” I grit out, my voice raw with anger.She doesn’t even jump. Just sighs, looking up at me from where she’s perched on the edge of her bed, painti

  • The Mate Games   Wedding preparations

    ASHERIt’s been nearly a week.No. Definitely longer than that. Maybe.I’ve lost track of the days. My men have been out there, combing the forests and foothills for any sign of Althea and the rest of the revolutionaries. But so far, nothing. No footprints. No sign of them. Just empty leads and colder trails.It’s only a matter of time, though. It has to be. They can’t hide forever. Not from me.I scrub a hand over my face. The stubble scratches my palm, rough, uneven, evidence of how long I’ve let myself slip. I can’t remember the last time I shaved. Hell, I can’t even remember the last time I stepped outside this office. A week ago would be my best guess. That’s probably how long it’s been since I lived what could be called a normal life.Though to be fair, my life hasn’t been anything close to normal for a long time.Not since Father. Not since Althea.The days blur together. I spend most of them trying to avoid council meetings and, more than anything, trying to avoid Caroline.Sh

  • The Mate Games   Rightly mine

    ALTHEAMoonlight spills across the forest floor, silver and bright, bright enough that we don’t even need torches. It filters through the leaves, casting shifting patterns on the dirt path. I watch my muddied boots crunch over twigs and fallen leaves, trying not to let my mind drift too far ahead to what’s waiting for us.Theo walks at the front, shoulders squared, steps steady. He suddenly lifts a hand, and we all stop behind him. I breathe out, finally feeling the ache in my legs.“We’ll camp here for the night,” he says. His voice is tired, but certain. That’s enough to keep the rest of us from arguing.People start moving almost at once. Bags drop to the ground. Jarek and two others clear a wide circle of rocks and debris, stomping down the grass to flatten it. I help Liza pull free the thick canvas from her pack. We shake it out, stretch it, drive stakes into the hard ground. It takes effort, my arms burn from pounding the wood into place, but soon, little tents dot the clearing.

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