Nerezza's Point of ViewIt was the day of the funeral. Everyone was bustling around above me. Various cars stopped outside. I could hear it all. Feel the energy buzzing around me. Feel the anticipation for the coming ceremonies. For my impending death. At around twelve, they would all move to the cathedral on the grounds. Lay Reginald to rest in the catacombs below. People would cry. Scream in outrage. Blame me for all of it whilst I mourned the man I had loved once upon a time.Where was Farren in all of this? Was she free in the world? Set loose to finally follow her own path? I would never hold it against her for leaving when she had the chance. She needed the freedom as much as I had. But being alone down here left me hollowed out.For years I had been surrounded by people. Adored by the masses. Never a moment alone. Once upon a time, I had craved silence. Solitude. Now I craved the touch of my mates. Even the two who had left me in that fucking room to fall for their crimes. Th

Priamos' Point of ViewWe sat behind the prince and his family. Farren to my right. Emptiness to my left. In front of me was Reginald's balding head. There was one spot right at the back that was thinning considerably. Around it was a ring of silver. It was something any woman would be wary of if they had to marry him now. Next to Reginald on his left was Phaedra. Pristine. Poised. She tried her best to force tears out. Dabbed at her eyes from time to time to make it more convincing. Farren barely looked at her. Glared only once, to see if she was going to continue on this charade. Farren was truly crying. Silently, of course. But the tears kept streaming down her cheeks. Her handkerchief was wet from her tears. Riven was in front of her, sitting on his mother's lap and looking at Farren. At least the princess had more decency than to pretend as if this wasn't exactly what she wanted. Her eyes were always focused on the preacher. Never did she dab at her eyes or sniffle into a tissu

Nerezza's Point of View We barely escaped with our lives. Guards had swarmed us from all sides. Despite my dislike of the two new additions to our group, they defended me with everything they got. Made sure that Farren was safe at all times as well. Although, Priamos kept his distance from her at all times. Couldn't even bring himself to look at her for too long. The shame in his eyes made a certain part of my soul giggle in pleasure. The white wolf was drenched in red by the time we exited the grounds. No one pursued. Couldn't leave their wards alone to fend for themselves. So, we ran out into the city and didn't look back once. Not as free as I had hoped to be but this was a small step in the right direction. But now I had several accomplices they could hang if they got hold of us. The situation was direr than I had previously thought. Besides my physical wounds, my mind was hurting as well. None of this truly made sense to me. Why had they come back? What would they gain from he

Nerezza's Point of ViewThe decent part of my heart knew I had to hear them out. Because at the end of the day, they had tried to clean up the mess they had created. Which was admirable. Kind. But it could wait until later. Much later, to apologize. The water was too intoxicating to let go to waste. Lavender filled the bathroom. Consumed my pounding heart and aching muscles. Easing deeper into the water, I felt the last strings of tension flood away. Bleed into the water as if they were a liquid themselves.This was what it felt like to be home. Calmed. Safe. A place where no one could touch me. For now. Because everything good had to come to an end. Reality had to emerge again. By the end of today, I would be a wanted criminal alongside my mates and Farren. There was no doubt in my mind that Reginald would send guards to seize me. I was not only a threat to his reign but to the fragile image he had constructed around it as well. Prison or death. Those were his only two options for

Nerezza's Point of ViewI got overly defensive again. Locked down my heart the moment they started asking about Priamos and why I was avoiding him. It wasn't a topic I wanted to discuss at present. That was why I left him alone as well. I could have rushed into his arms upon seeing him today. Instead, I had settled into the back of the cell. Made myself smaller than I had in a long time. Seeing him had taken me off guard. Ruined the relief of escape. Because seeing him meant I had to face what had happened between us. Admit that I had opted for a simpler life than going after Conan.But Lysander had offered me a way out. A way to find my son. So, speaking to Priamos shouldn't have proven difficult. Yet my heart had kicked up. Paused my body from going after him. Because he had hurt me at the end of the day. Ran away when I had pleaded with him to let me go as well.Luckily for me, the conversation with Zaven and Kallik had been cut short. Unlucky for me, they were firing at my house.