Pawn: Noun. A chess piece of the smallest size and value, that moves one square forwards along its file if unobstructed, or one square diagonally forwards when making a capture. Each player begins with eight pawns on the second rank, and can promote a pawn to become any other piece, typically a queen, if it reaches the opponent's end of the board. Once upon a time, I was a pawn in my father's game. Made moves and followed orders, but in the eyes of my father, I remained a pawn. Never to be something more. All I was good for was marrying off and producing him stronger heirs. Something to move around and sacrifice as he saw fit. Then Julian came around and made me a queen, quite literally. A pawn had reached the end and became a queen, but her fight would never be over. Would never cease. As a pawn, she was to follow orders. Be obedient and do as she was told. Limited moves with limited spaces, but at least she was a part of the game. Now, as a queen, she made the decisions. She calle

Mikaela's Point of ViewTears wouldn't stop falling whilst I was alone. Heaving chest and a runny nose, that was what I was currently dealing with. There was a time I prided myself on not crying. Breaking down into millions of pieces. How disappointed that girl would be if she saw me now. All these tears that had never been shed before. For anyone. Until her.***The meadow was peaceful this time of day. Deer ran around the edges of the forest. River twinkling in the sunlight. Small stones made up the river bed. All the while fish played in the mild current. Luciana was still in her birthday dress. A beautiful lavender creation that fell to her knees. Blonde hair shimmered with the same iridescences as the river just beyond her. Her smile was on full display for the world, a far cry from the frown she had donned whilst we were surrounded by other pack members. Dandelions went flying as she blew on them. Tinkling laughter filled the

They say when you reach your lowest, you could only ever go up from there. The same people who said those words probably never reached their lowest. Memories flashed back in my mind. A horror movie I had lived through but couldn't help anyone within. Nightmare wasn't a harsh enough word to describe what I saw. People, my people, being hunted and ripped apart. Bullets grazing the air above my head. Mikaela and Julian nowhere in sight. Maybe that's why father had sent Andrew to my side, for when the memories do come back. Until the stark realization has set in that my mates were no longer with me. Neither was my necklace. Everything felt hollow and overwhelming. Except for the small miracle within my body. The one thing that reminded me of the time I had loved so fiercly it hurt. I had lost track of how long I had been locked in this place. The cell they threw me in had no windows, no day

PART TWO Five brutal years had passed. Five years filled with turmoil and bloodshed. War had broken out across the planet. Humans screamed in outrage towards the supernaturals. Some screamed in outrage against the war. Allies turned on each other. Countries chose sides. Wolves defected from packs and Alphas grew stronger. No one was safe. Everything was at stake. Very few countries refused the war. Their people rose up in fear and overthrew them. Human children were sent off to die on distant battlefields. True soldiers were few and far inbetween. Old and battle hardened supernaturals came home in body bags. It was utter chaos.Six years ago, I was but a girl who had mated with a king. A vampire king meant for more in the world. And my best friend, whom i had loved for most of my life. Six years ago, I was thrown into a cell and had my love taken from me. Ripped from my arms before I had the chance to fully explore its depths. A miracle w

Confrontations with Sebastian had grown more frequent. As if he had grown more restless. Julian knew of my standing in life right now. Knew that I wasn't capable of loving anyone, much less myself. When my pendant had broken, I was hollowed out. Carved my heart from my chest and sent it up in flames. With the birth of Katharine, nothing changed, even when I had hoped it would. To say I felt like the worst person on earth was an understatement. Mikaela took to our daughter rather quickly and before I knew it, I had become the outsider in my own home. No joy found me and no love ever would. Everyone else around me seemed to move on, move forward, except for me. When I went home, it was just another reminder that I wasn't whole anymore. That, even though I wanted too more than anything, I couldn't bring myself to feel the love and happiness within their walls. That was why I banned all mating necklaces on missions. No one was to ever feel the way I had. I do. If even one of my Valkyrie