The House of Mortem; North of the RealmOlive's POVFather was that kind of man. He was the man who never listened to his only daughter about anything and everything. He was the man who saw his daughter as a tool to becoming more feared and powerful across the five Houses in the realm.The night he let Alpha Cassian take my maidenhead, he became no father of mine. Perhaps, I never did open my eyes to see what his cruelty to his own daughter would culminate into. Or perhaps, I expected too much from him, when apparently, he respected none of me.I peeped out of my bedroom window atop the castle keep, and saw him speaking with Alpha Cassian. They were nose deep into some mischief or the other. That, I was sure of.The bailey was agog with music, stringed musicians, clowns, ribaldry, and lots of food to be devoured. Tonight was the night I would be sold off to Alpha Cassian in the guise of marriage.Father wanted me to be his loving and obedient daughter, and be wed to Alpha Cassian with

The House of Mortem; North of the RealmOlive's POVThe choke-hold around my neck was so powerful that I forgot how to breath. I felt the strength of his hand threatening the life out of my lungs. My eyes bulged under the crescent, and I saw the betrayal of the moon again."You... deceived me." I gnashed at the moon, scratching my way out of my captor's hold to, but no avail."You're supposed to be begging for your life, young lass." Though, I couldn't clearly see who it was, the voice of my captor was surprisingly smooth to my hearing. I expected a hoarse voice from a killer of his kind."N... Ne...ver!" I dug a claw into his forearm, but he didn't bulge. Instead, his grip tightened around my neck. I thought I was going to die."This is not the time to act brave, young lass. We need you to__"I flipped the hood of the cape open to reveal my face. If they saw I was their princess, I'd be safe, I thought.He released his hold on my neck, letting me crash to the root of the tree. I held

The House of Mortem; North of the RealmKazamir's POV"I believe, Sire, that if we stage an ambush at this valley," Drustian placed a wooden wolf head at a juncture on the cloth map spread on an oaken table in the meeting room. "Orvyn and his men will fall into our hands. I only need a dozen soldiers, and his head shall be yours before sundown.""Orvyn should not be under-estimated," I stroked my moustache, studying the large map that contained the geographical location of the five houses in the realm. "To catch a dog, you throw a bone. To catch a fish, hook a worm, and to catch a power-drunk Alpha..." I lifted my head, gazing into the serious faces of the men in the room, "... you give him more power.""You lost us there, Sire," Franklin, one of my strongest Betas furrowed. "What do you mean give him more power?""We all know Orvyn is not a true Vagamor. He cannot forget how I snapped the head of his father to take his throne." I strode to the window, gazing into the sunset. "Althoug

The House of Vagamor; South of the RealmOrvyn's POVFor the first time in twenty long years, I felt a air of peace winding through me. Since the murder of my father by the hands of his trusted Gamma, my sinews of pleasure had been frigid inside out.But this kiss was different. My body responded to it in ways I never thought it would. I munched hungrily at her lips, passing my hands down the curve of her spine. Her petite elegant frame against my body made me want to protect her from the preying eyes of the world. And her father.She eased away, slapping me across the face. "How dare you steal my dignity without my permission, you handsome pervert!""Pervert? Is it my fault now?" I shot one brow up. "Then you should have thought it through before dragging me down the bed with our faces few inches away. You're the pervert here!"She parted her mouth to speak, aghasted at my clever retort. From the contours on her face, she knew I was half correct, and half a bully. She traced my lips w

The House of Vagamor; South of the RealmOlive's POVThe room grew smaller around me, constricting me of air. My head spun round in circles, till my knees lost their strength. I staggered back, and dropped my weight at the edge of the bed, quavering helplessly.The serious expression on Emilia's face was firm enough to tell me she was telling no lie; she was telling the truth as plain as she knew it.Father was a crafty man. Whenever I asked him to tell me stories about my mother, he was always never in the mood. He said he didn't want to revisit old memories that cut him through the heart all over again. I would close up the chapter, and commiserate with him, shoving my hurt and ignorance down my throat.Every new moon in winter, he and Drustian would ride to the hill at the edge of the pack border to pay homage to mother. He never brought me along to mother's grave, because according to him, the times were dangerous, and he didn't want to lose me like he lost mother.I understood he