Aurora’s POVFolding my lips, I tried not to react but I couldn't. I had started hyperventilating like I was staring right at death. With my gaze on Asher, I tried to see past his calm exterior into anything that could tell me that everything was fine, that I was safe even with the presence of his brother. “What are you…” he didn't wait to hear all I had to say before he turned to face me, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “You’re safe, Aurora.” He said, taking my hands in his. Giving it a soft squeeze, he continued, "As long as you’re here with me, I promise, no one will touch you.”His words which were meant to be comforting were not. The way his brother was sounding had made cold chills run through my spine. “Why is Hudson back?” I asked, my voice sounded more steady than how I really felt. Clenching his jaw, he leaned forward, his hands clasped in front of him and gaze fixated on the wooden floor. “He said he had come to claim what’s rightfully his.” He paused only to say wit
Aurora's POVWhen I learnt Asher was going to return from his trip today. I was so elated like a little kid who was going on a field trip. I kept pacing about in my room like a caged animal and the slightest noise even if it wasn't a car engine made me stand by the window. “He is here." Mira said through the door and the moment I turned around to face her, the excitement in my face was wiped off. She was grinning and the only thought ringing in my head at that point was, she was telling a lie.“I’m being serious here, you can look out of your window." She coaxed and even though I didn't want to, her sudden seriousness made me do it. And there he was, stepping out of his car only to start walking hurriedly into the building. The next time I turned around to face Mira she was gone and all I could do now was to sit back and wait for Asher to walk through the door.***It was already half an hour since he returned, yet he hadn't made his way to my doorstep and this got me worried.I
Asher’s POVFor a long moment, I didn’t speak.I just stared at him, the ghost of a man who used to share the same home with me, a part of my bloodline, and my name. Hudson leaned back into the couch like he belonged here, like years of silence and absence hadn’t fractured the room the moment he stepped into it.When I finally found my voice to speak, I crossed my legs to match his intimidating poise, “We have nothing between us, Hudson. No feud, no alliance, no unfinished business. So why now?”Instead of giving me a response, he flashed me a smile. That same damn smile he wore when we were younger, when he knew he had gotten under my skin and wanted to savor every second of it.“I heard you were looking for me,” he said, shrugging. “So I figured I should drop by, do a bit of catch up and say hello to my favorite little brother.” He smacked his lips, tilting his head to the side like we were having a friendly conversation. “You disappeared the moment I was named king. You didn’t ev
Asher’s POVWords couldn't not explain how relieved I felt the moment the final meeting of the regional rulers came to an end. For the past few weeks, it had been from one deliberation to the other and then back to what had been settled before now. It was total chaos so I lost interest in all of it as we kept repeating the same thing over and over again.And now finally, it was all over. With Talen sitting behind the steering wheel, I occupied the passenger seat of the car, looking out of the window as the trees and buildings went by. The moment he pulled up in the garage, I stepped out hurrying towards the building. My first place of call was going to be Aurora’s room or the library. Wherever she was, I wanted to see her, hold her in my hands but my plans were thwarted when I saw Elder Jared approaching. The look on his face spoke even before he did. Pushing my hands into my pockets, I halted, taking a deep breath as I watched him closing the distance between us. As much as I
Aurora’s POVPushing my hand up to my hair, I let out a little sigh of relief. Up until now, I had no idea my weight was all on one leg but with everything rectified now, I could stand upright.The physician was talking but I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts to listen to what he was saying until a shrill sound made me shoot my head upwards.It was Stefan. He wasn't glaring at me, nor Palmer, he was alternating his gaze between everyone seated behind the table, fuming with rage.The perfect description for him right now was a wave which was gathering momentum before crashing over the bank of the sea. “I’m not going to sit back and watch all of you make a mockery of me and my daughter.” He yelled, slamming his fist on the table so hard that the goblet beside him tipped and rolled off the edge, shattering into glass slivers on the floor.“This is a setup!” he bellowed. “All of you, every one of you, you all have been conspiring against me from the start!” His voice crackled lik
Aurora’s POVThe atmosphere in the room shifted.The temperature didn’t rise, and the council members didn’t move an inch but something had changed. I could feel it like a storm waiting to break. With my head bent, I shut my eyes, muttering a little prayer to the moon goddess for help. Barely a second later, the sound of a scraping chair rented the air and at once I raised my head only to see Palmer rubbing his eyes with the back of his palmer. Yawning like he had just woken up from a siesta, he leaned forward and for the first time since I walked in, Stefan’s posture stiffened when Palmer locked eyes with him. “This whole thing is one sided, don't you think?” He asked his colleagues who kept staring at him like he was an alien. “I suggest we bring Miller in for questioning too,” he said, his voice calm, but strong enough to cut through the tension like a blade. “If she’s accusing someone of a crime, she must answer for it under the council protocol especially considering the we