VIOLETTE.
After casting a curse on the villagers, which was only a bluff, I walked aimlessly in the forest. From the daylight of the sky until it turned beautiful tangerine. Each turn I made only trapped me deeper in the unfamiliar forest. The strong blow of wind mixed with snow didn’t help to smoothen my journey.My face started to feel stiff; the snow adorned my lashes, so the cold pierced my skin each time I blinked. Every breath I took produced a smoke. I rubbed my palm together and put them on my icy cheeks. I wondered whether the beasts caused the harsh winter in this land since they had furs. I clasped my red cloak, hoping it could feed me the warmth I sought the most. My steps got slower and slower as my consciousness began slipping away. If I were to pass out at this moment, there was no doubt that I would die alone. And the beast who found my body would chew my almost rotten flesh. The thought of it gave me the will to force my body to march forward. Maybe just a little more, I would meet a shelter. Around five minutes later, a dangerous howl erupted in the forest. Sending a chilling sensation all over my body. My heart thumped wildly against my ribcage. If what I read in the book about the beast were true, then it must be able to hear my heart singing in fear and feel the terror in me. The scary howl from the beast didn’t stop; it grew louder, closer even. The ground shook as if several horses were galloping toward me. I turned my head in slow motion. There I saw the scariest living beings looking at me. The beast—Lycan, the human said, was bigger than in the book and my imagination. I had seen a similar creature, big dogs, in human land, but they were pale in comparison. The beast was almost as tall as me, its golden eyes glowed dangerously, and the teeth looked sharper than a butcher’s knife. I held my breath and took several steps back, but the moment twigs broke under my feet, the beast let out an angry roar, and I ran for my dear life. My survival instinct was so strong that I completely forgot how cold I was. All I knew was I had to run until the beast, lycan or whatever it was, lost my track. I could hear the beast’s heavy breathing and its claws scraping the pavement as it followed my trail. The beast growled again; this time, it was way louder than before. I didn’t know the difference, but if they worked as humans did, then the beast must be calling for another to hunt me. “Please, please, please, please, I want to live.” Tears fell from my eyes, blurring my line of sight. Yet, I didn’t stop. I had to stay alive to find my mother, find a husband, and give birth to adorable children. Perhaps God did pity me because I could finally see a cave. Hope bloomed in my chest as I set my goal. However, my happiness cracked when I stumbled on the rod. Then, my body free-falling into the soil. “Argh!” I screamed as I felt something sharp poke my skin. I looked down and saw that a sharp stone pierced my legs. “Please, why is this happening to me? Just why!” I bellowed in frustration and agony. I noticed the beast stopped right before me. Its eyes gleamed, seeing me quiver in cold and trepidation. I gripped the sharp stone and bravely threw it into the beast’s eyes. Then I fled away when the beast took one step back. I dragged my wounded leg to the cave without looking back. The beast was still behind me, not running this time, almost seeming hesitant to follow me. That made my brows arch in question. “Why did it stop hunting me?” That question was running around in my mind, yet it didn’t hinder me from marching toward the cave. The cave was the only place that could save me from beasts and cold. “Just a little more, hang in there, Vio,” I murmured as the view of the cave got bigger with every step I took. The beast had stopped entirely moving toward me. But, instead, the beast turned its back and ran in the opposite direction, then drowned in the sea of trees. The tension left my body as I noticed I was finally alone. I heaved a sigh of relief, then continued to walk. Two minutes later, I arrived at the front of the cave and entered it without hesitation. The light from the outside got small as I ventured deeper. The temperature also turned warmer, which motivated me to go even further. I channeled my energy to focus on making a small fire in my palm but failed. So I tried again, twice, thrice, and it was still fruitless. “What a useless witch am I,” I grunted. This was why being a witch was the same as being an average human; I couldn’t use it as I pleased. I finally succeeded on my fifth try; the flame was extremely small, probably similar to a candle. I strode farther, but my breath grew heavier the longer I walked, and the contact between my trousers and my fresh wound kept making me hiss. “Okay, Violette, this is the sign for you to rest,” I told myself, then let myself fall flatly on the hard ground. I reached for my bag and took out the potion bottle labeled ‘Healing potion.’ I let the potion drop on my leg and groaned when it finally worked on my wound. Then I leaned on the hard stone of the cave and rested my exhausted body. After a few hours of sleep, I could hear the sound of screams reverberating through the entire cave. At first, I tried to ignore it and force myself to keep sleeping; however, the scream came again. And I snapped. “God, I can’t even sleep peacefully in this place!” I screamed back, hoping whoever was disturbing me get irritated after hearing my voice. I adjusted my sleeping position, ready to jump back to dreamland. “Who’s there?”I jumped from my position. Sitting rigidly because I couldn’t believe I had just heard another voice speak the same language as me, not just some growl that couldn’t be deciphered. I wanted to reply but held myself back just in case everything was in my head. “Come here.” The voice came again, lulling me to follow its instruction. The voice, I wasn’t wrong, should belong to a man. It was low and husky, as if he had not drunk water for a very long time. I tried to lid the fire again on my palm, and fortunately, I succeeded on my first try. So, I began ambling my way.“Come to me.” The voice was like an anchor in my situation, and as if getting compelled, I followed without thinking. I extended my hand, trying to feel what was in front of me, but to no avail. I could only touch the air and the hard stone on the cave wall. “Hello, can you hear me?” “Come closer.”The voice sounded more dangerous than before to me. I could detect the hidden growl following after his words, making the hair on my nape stand rigidly. I knew I should be scared and turn around to leave this strange place and slip away to human land, but the problem was I wasn’t scared. Not at all. Curiosity took over me, so I kept marching in the direction of the voice despite the alarm ringing like crazy in my head. Then suddenly, my body hit something hard and almost fell miserably. But I felt a muscular arm circling around my waist, strong and almost seemed possessive. And what followed the incident was a ferocious growl and a chant of ‘Mine.’Violette. The memories of coming into the ballroom for the very first time attacked me. It felt like it was just yesterday when I walked into these unfamiliar surroundings. That time I was introduced as a slave that could be thrown away, but here I was—entering the ballroom with several eyes following my movement with respect. That time I trailed behind Noah, feeling scared and distant. But now, I walked side by side while linking our arms."Welcoming the Alighmity Alpha—King Noah Wolfson, and his Luna—Queen Violette Wolfson."The guests clapped in union as we sauntered to the center of the room. Unlike the first time I was here, now I could see many familiar faces. Friends, servants, and guards. At the very back of the room, Killian stood like a guard to Joy. Kasha was busy with another redhead. Helio trailed Olivia as she went to see the food. Willa and Dahlia were busy wiping their tears as they watched us. I didn't see Varg, but he'd come soon. "Stop looking around. I'm here, m
Violette. Noah and I stood in front of Herta and Nash. They were shackled in the same cell my mother used for almost ten years. “You can’t put me here, Noah! I’m still your brother! Your only chance to kill me was in the arena. Outside of that, it would be a crime!” Nash lunged forward, but the chain pulled him back. “No, brother. You’ll be staying here until death knocks on your door.”“Your mate is a witch! After finding out she is a witch, everyone won’t let you be a king!”“So?” Tilting his head, Noah grabbed Nash’s hair. His eyes showed malicious intent. “They don’t know and will never know.”“Bold of you think that. I’ve let Lord Bryan…”“Bryan, right? He is one of my people.” Noah tugged Nash’s hair harshly. “And I’ve killed him too. You don’t have anything to use against me, brother.”For once, I finally saw a flicker of fear in Nash’s eyes. He turned to Herta and yelled at her. “What are you doing?! We are going to die if you don’t use your stupid magic!”That made me lau
Noah. Violette’s body trembled in my arms as she watched Nara’s body get buried. She rested her head on my chest, her hands clutching my shirt so tight. Her agonizing cries echoed in my ears like a painful reminder that I, once again, failed her. During the attack, I was searching for the parchment my father left for me—he made a will for me to take the throne after his passing. Nara told me where she hid it before she went to the human land. It was near the gate, so I went there without telling Violette. I was overjoyed after founding another strong weapon against Nash, but the happiness came crashing down as soon as I returned to Nightfall pack and found Violette’s body battered left and right. And the worse, Nara was dead. Helio told me they found her too late. By the time they got into the forest, the surrounding had been ruined. Violette and Nara’s body was lying helplessly on the ground. “I’m sorry, my dear,” She didn’t answer. Only her sob could be heard. “It’s going to ra
Herta. Empty. I knew someone had managed to infiltrate the dungeon since I felt my spell break while I was busy trailing behind Olivia and Nash. They were busy admiring the scenery while someone was taking our prisoner. I took a deep breath before observing each corner of the cell. The melting chain shone like a sore thumb on the ground, proving that my spell wasn’t strong enough. I went straight to the corner of the cell and bent down to see there was a trace of blood on the wall. “As expected. A secret door laced with magic.” My hand felt the wall's surface, then brought it back to my nose. Inhaling the scent of dried blood mixed with the spell. Each witch had their own scent, which usually lingered if they used a strong spell. “Elton,” I murmured. Elton Daley. My master. I laughed upon realizing how foolish I was for not realizing it sooner. How could I miss his track even after staying in the castle for so long? He was already dead, but his spell still lives up to this day. I
Violette. When I woke up, I saw Noah watching me with an angry expression. I pushed my body to sit and leaned on the headboard. “How long have I been sleeping?”“How long do you think?” He asked back. “An hour?” I said while biting my lips. Judging from his glare, I guess I had been losing myself for more than a day. “Three days.”“What?!” Noah inched closer to me and touched my temple with the back of his hand. “Don’t overdo yourself again. You scared me to death, Violette.” He lowered his head and pitched his nose. “You were bleeding so much. I thought you were going to die.”“Come here, my dear.” I opened my hands for him, waiting until he embraced me. And when he did, I stroked his back softly. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”We remained silent after that. Noah’s hold on me grew tighter. He snuggled on my neck and inhaled deeply repeatedly as if trying to reassure himself that I was really with him. I heard too a deep breath before he finally let me go. His grey eyes stare
Violette. The situation after Noah returned became a bit calm. I didn’t hear from Olivia and couldn’t even visit her. She had refused to see anyone. As for Natalie, I heard from the maids she was tortured continuously. Nothing major happened these days. So I used my time to practice my magic. I had found a spell to use my astral body to travel around. The book stated that if we had enough power, we could do it for ten minutes. However, I couldn’t even hold out until two minutes. I had tried to use it to walk outside of Noah’s quarter, but eventually, I was pulled back into my physical body. Every day Noah consoles me that I’d get better with more practice. I knew that; however, could that woman wait until I was skilled enough?Sighing, I closed the book and threw my body on the bed. Another day passed, and I still didn’t make any new progress. I turned my head on the door, counting from one to one hundred. Usually, Noah would return before I reached eighty. “Let’s see if he can re