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I have to get him back

Author: Author Calypso
last update Last Updated: 2025-06-28 18:58:46

ASHER

I’ve always thought the council room was too stuffy. It always is. The thick velvet drapes block most of the sunlight, and the smell of old parchment and stale incense hangs heavy in the air. I sit at the head of the long table, trying to listen as the officials drone on about border checks and supply chains.

My father should be here. This is his seat. His kingdom. His burdens. But he’s lying in a hospital bed, unconscious, dead to the world. So it’s all on me.

I rub a hand over my jaw, feeling the tension there. It never really goes away these days.

I lean back in my own chair, trying to hide how tense I am. My hands rest on the polished wood table, fingers drumming against the surface. The other officials are droning on about normal matters—trade routes, pack treaties, border patrols. Things my father would handle without even blinking.

But he’s not here. So it’s all on me.

Mark clears his throat. He’s standing by the window, arms folded behind his back. The scar on his cheek
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  • The Mate Games   Varya’s diary entry 10

    Many decades ago…I thought maybe that would be the end. That after all the blood and questions and waking nightmares, they would finally let us rest. Let us count our bruises in silence. Nurse the wounds on our souls without someone tearing them open again.But peace is a lie here. I should’ve learned that by now.It was late when they came. The moon hung heavy and yellow through my window, watching like an indifferent eye. I was half-asleep, sprawled across my narrow bed, the thin blanket twisted around me, when the knock came. Not sharp or urgent. Just a slow, deliberate tap. As if whoever stood on the other side already knew I would answer. That I had no choice.For a second, I thought about pretending not to hear. Letting them pound until they grew bored and left. But that was foolish hope, hope I couldn’t afford. Whoever they sent would just come in anyway. Drag me out of bed if they had to. Better to meet it on my feet.I opened the door.Another servant waited there, this one

  • The Mate Games   New information

    ASHER The worst of it passed in the night. Now, the pain has dulled to something manageable. The fire that tore through my chest, the way my bones felt like they were turning inside out, it’s faded. What’s left is a low ache, like a bruise just under the surface. My wolf is quiet. Not gone, but no longer clawing at me, no longer snarling for blood or a mate or a fight. Just resting. Waiting. It’s a strange kind of relief. I can finally breathe without my hands shaking. The council meets in one of the high rooms of the eastern tower. Long stone table, high windows, and too many voices talking at once. I used to dread these meetings. Now they feel like a welcome distraction. As usual, the room falls silent when I enter. They rise, bow, and take their seats again after I nod. I take my spot at the head of the table. Mark is beside me, flipping through notes like always. The scribes settle near the far wall, ink-stained fingers ready. We begin with the usual, grain shortages in the

  • The Mate Games   Tonight, we move

    ALTHEAI’ve barely spoken to Aaron since that day by the trough. Since everything I thought I knew about him cracked apart like thin ice under my feet. It’s easier this way, I tell myself. Easier to keep my distance. Easier to pretend I never let him in so deep that the lie nearly gutted me.I watch him sometimes, though. Out of the corner of my eye. The way he rubs at his temple like he’s trying to chase away some ghost. The way he looks at me when he thinks I’m not paying attention, full of words he doesn’t dare say.But I can’t trust him. Not now. Maybe not ever. His whole life is a secret, wrapped in half-truths and shadows, and I’ve learned enough by now to know that secrets get people killed.So I’ve thrown myself into other things. Things that keep my hands busy, my mind sharper. Training, mostly. Long hours in the clearing behind the pack house, until sweat soaks through my shirt and my muscles burn so bad I can barely lift my arms.Jarek runs most of it. He’s ruthless, but fa

  • The Mate Games   Varya’s diary entry 9

    Many decades ago…I didn’t sleep.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her, that old woman’s eyes, burning gold in the darkness, her voice rasping in my ear. Mercy cuts both ways. The words chased themselves in circles through my mind until they tangled into something that felt like a snare around my throat.I lay there until dawn, twisted in sweat-damp sheets, my heart drumming so hard it actually hurt. Every creak of the old wood, every sigh of wind outside made me flinch. Like someone might step through my door at any moment and drag me off to pay for my choice.And then the knock came.Not three sharp raps like before. Just one. Slow. Almost lazy. But somehow worse for it — like whoever stood on the other side knew I was already scared.When I pulled the door open, it wasn’t the same servant as before. This one was younger. Barely older than me, with downcast eyes and a mouth pressed tight. He didn’t say anything. Just held out a small silver basin filled with clear water.For washi

  • The Mate Games   Varya’s diary entry 8

    Many decades ago… It didn’t even take a day. At dawn, a bell tolled. Low and hollow, the sound rolled through the palace halls like a promise. Or a threat. It sank into my bones, made my skin prickle and my heart stutter. When I opened my door, a servant was already waiting. A boy, maybe fifteen, with hollow cheeks and eyes that wouldn’t quite meet mine. He didn’t speak. Just turned on his heel and started walking, so quickly I nearly had to jog to keep up. We wound through unfamiliar parts of the palace. Narrow stone halls that smelled of damp earth and old, sour herbs. The torches here smoked more than they burned, choking the air. My lungs felt tight by the time we reached a small archway that opened into an inner courtyard. I stopped dead in the doorway. High walls of pale stone surrounded us, streaked dark with moss and age. The sun barely reached this place, only thin, watery shafts of light cut through, leaving most of the yard in a cold, bruised shadow. Even the air felt

  • The Mate Games   But it’s enough

    ASHERMark and I stand over the table where the body lies, arms crossed tight. The smell of blood and old sweat is heavy in the room, mixing with the faint bite of herbs. My jaw aches from how hard I’m clenching it. The doctor finishes stitching up the long cut he made down the man’s chest, then steps back with a sigh.“Well?” I snap. My voice comes out rougher than I mean, but I’m too on edge to care.The doctor pulls off his gloves, smearing blood across his apron. “He was poisoned, Your Majesty.”“Poisoned,” I echo. My temples throb. I stare at the dead man’s slack face. Eyes still open, mouth twisted in that last moment of surprise. He was supposed to give me answers. Instead, he died with them still locked behind his teeth. Now I know why.“Do you have any idea who did it?” I ask, turning to Mark.He shakes his head. “No, my King. It could have been anyone with access to the dungeons. A guard, a servant—”“A traitor.” The word tastes foul. I look at Mark sharply. “It means there

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