FAZER LOGINSYLVIAI stared at her, my mind reeling as her words hung in the silence between us. "A love potion? Why would you do that, Willow?"Willow pulled her hands away from her bruised face, her eyes flashing with anger. "Because of you!" she yelled, her voice breaking as she pointed a trembling finger at my chest. "You were always the prettier one! Everyone looked at you first, no matter what I did! I hated it!""Willow—""No! Let me speak!" she screamed, tears spilling over her bloody lip. "Even mother... she acted like she hated you, but I knew the truth. I always knew she loved you more than me! You had her heart without even trying, while I had to beg for scrap bits of affection! So I wanted everything you had. I wanted Cyprian to look at me the way he looked at you. I wanted your life!"I looked down at her, the cloth in my hand stained with her blood. "And look where that brought you," I said, my voice turning cold. "Are you proud of your decision now, Willow? Look at what Cyprian j
SYLVIA"No! Stop!" I screamed, lunging forward and throwing myself in front of Willow. "Leave her alone! Do not touch her!"The two guards paused, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords as they looked to Stolas for direction.I turned to face Stolas, forcing my chest to stop heaving as I lowered my voice, making it sound soft and pleading. "Please, King Stolas. Do not punish her. She was just shocked to see me back. She did not mean it."Stolas narrowed his eyes, studying my face with a suspicious look. I held his eyes, keeping my expression meek and desperate, hiding every trace of the hatred burning inside me.After a long silence, the suspicion melted from his eyes, replaced by a satisfied grin. "You defend the girl who just struck you?""She is my sister," I lied smoothly, dropping my head. "She does not know how to act yet. If you leave her to me, I will speak to her. I will teach her how to behave properly so she never disrespects you or your family again."Stolas chuc
SYLVIAThe wheels finally stopped rolling.I sat inside the carriage as the door was yanked open from the outside. Cyprian stepped out first, extending his hand toward me, but I ignored it and climbed down on my own.The cold night air hit my face as I looked up at the stone fortress of the Western territory. The place felt dead. Guards stood stationed along the wall, holding torches, their eyes blank as they watched us. When we had passed through the outer gates earlier, the guards told Cyprian that his father was stuck in a pack meeting with his elders and couldn't be interrupted.Cyprian grabbed my arm, forcing me to walk beside him up the front steps and through the entrance. He led me down a winding path of halls until we reached a door near the end of the hall.He pushed the door open, gesturing for me to step inside. The room was plain, a single bed, a small table, and a solitary window with thick iron bars covering it. This was also different from the other timeline but I didn
SYLVIAVane blinked, his eyes widening as he recognised my face. The rage in his expression melted away. He let go of my wrists and pulled his hand back from my throat, stepping off me.I sat up on the sheets, rubbing my neck and coughing silently into my elbow to clear my lungs."Sylvia?" Vane whispered, his voice deep and raspy from sleep. "What are you doing here?""I don't have much time," I said quickly, keeping my voice down to a whisper. "I need to tell you something."Vane sat beside me, his face tense. "What is it? What happened?"I leaned closer so only he could hear. "I have to be gone for a while. Cyprian is standing outside that door. He came here to kidnap me and take me away to the Western region."Vane's eyes turned red, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle jumped in his cheek. He stood up, his fists balling as his body shook with anger. "He's inside my house? I'm going to rip his fucking heart out—""Stop!" I grabbed his arm, pulling him back with all my strength. "List
SYLVIA I kept my mouth shut, forcing my breathing to stay calm. When he noticed that I wasn't panicking like he probably expected me to, he turned, appearing in front of me, still holding his hand over my mouth. I flinched slightly to give off being scared but even with that, it wasn't enough for him so I just stared up into Cyprian’s eyes in the dark, letting my shoulders slump. I couldn't believe that one of my tasks was having to pretend like I didn't want to shove my hand in his chest and pull out his heart. Cyprian frowned, looking down at me as if waiting for me to bite him. He turned his face away, muttering something about how she must have gone insane from being here too long, and I really wanted to burst out laughing. Did he think Vane hurt me or something or that I was traumatised from being hurt so much that I got numb to it? Whatever he was thinking, it wasn't anything related to the thought that I might be faking and I was glad. He slowly pulled his hand away from
SYLVIAA snap echoed above my head, and before I could even take a breath, the giant wooden beam crashed down from the canopy roof.It slammed into my chest, knocking the air out of my lungs and pinning me flat against the ground. The impact shattered my ribs, sending a blinding wave of pain through my body.“Sylvia!” Willow shouted and I tried my best to turn my neck in her direction, watching as tears fell from her eyes and as she struggled against Kaelan, wanting to come to my aid. I smiled, or at least I tried to so she wouldn't worry about me too much and would rather save herself. I already knew that it was over for me. The surrounding dry grass caught fire instantly, heat licking at my face and arms as I thrashed under the wood, unable to move an inch."SYLVIA!"Vane's voice screamed through the smoke, filled with horror and nothing would have prepared me for the look in his eyes that I never thought I would see… Through the rising wall of flames and smoke, I saw him on his
SYLVIA It was finally here! The day was finally here! I spun around in my room in the dress I had prepared for this day since the year began. I had it sewn myself, and I had saved every penny I had earned from working at the pup’s daycare centre since my mother felt that buying expensive material
SYLVIA "Crypian?" I whispered, sounding pathetic. He didn't even flinch at the sound of my voice, nor did he turn to look at me. He just kept basking in Willow's beauty and Willow? She had her face turned to him. I could see the care for me that she had shown in the attic slowly fading away."Cr
SYLVIA "I... I can't," I whimpered."Swear it!" she barked, shaking my arms. "Swear you won't marry the Prince!”For years, I had been the shadow of my sister. I was the Omega who scrubbed the floors while Willow practised her dancing with teachers that we struggled to afford. I was the daughter w
SYLVIA. I shook where I stood, trying my hardest not to look at him.“Please don't kill me,” I murmured, my body shaking more. “P-please, don't kill me.” My vision was blurring over and I felt faint.Was I going to die? By the hands of the one who was supposed to swear to love me for the rest of







