FREYA I watched with awe and disbelief as Draven dealt with the three guards. After all the scream and shrieks had died, he walked up to me and took my terrified hand without saying a word. We were just outside of the Throne-room now. But I knew the occupants of the Throne-room had surely heard the sounds the guards made. Draven started to drag my hands but I stood frozen in place as I stared at the shapes of the lifeless guards on the ground. To my horror, the three of them had a sudden wolf shadow ascend from their body before they turned into ashes. “Let's go,” Draven's voice thundered in my ears, and I almost tripped and fell from the force in which he dragged my hands. He started to walk me through the long halls, and I kept looking back in shock. Why did he come back to save me when he had just told his father that I wasn't his responsibility? And was he going to take me back to our chambers after what he just did? I kept looking behind me as we walked and Draven sudde

FREYA After the fire-light turned off for a second, it suddenly turned back-on again, and I fought the sudden urge to scream. I shut my eyes and felt Stace and Susan's touch off my skin. It seemed they stepped far away from me. “M-my Lady… we're sorry for scaring you,” said one of them. “We're not supposed to say that name because of its adverse effects, but we had to since you wanted to know.“ “I'm fine,” I replied, my voice breaking because of the cold. “Just get me out of here.“ I heard their footsteps approach me and they helped me get out of the tub. They towelled me dry and then applied a lotion on my skin that made me regain my warmth. Afterwards, I was led to the wardrobe where they helped me put-on a black night-gown. Stace and Susan then led me back to the room and helped me braid my hair in two. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. I suddenly realised I never told them my name and turned to do so: “My name is Freya, by the

FREYA I awoke to the sounds of chirping birds, turning around the bed to gather some energy before raising up. My heart fluttered in happiness for some reason I couldn't pinpoint, and it was only when the blanket moved a little from my chest that it dawned on me that I was naked. Memories of last night flooded back, making me flush in realisation. I made love with Draven for the first time. My own husband—the man I loved! I swept the blanket to cover me completely, feeling my warmth return as I closed my eyes and recalled how he worshipped every corner of my body, the burning effect of his touch, his eye colour changing, and how he was patient with me. It's a shame that he had awakened before I did. And he'd been caring enough to wrap me with the blanket. I had a sudden burst of hope and joy in my heart—I'm sure he has changed his mind about me. Maybe things would work out for the better soon enough—maybe he'll eventually come to love me like I loved him. Maybe I could convin

FREYA My heartbeat slowed in relief as I saw Draven before me. I had no idea how he got here, but I couldn't care less. If he had been any later, I might have been lying in a pool of my blood by the time he finally arrived. Subconsciously, I looked at the floor, wanting to assure Stace/Susan that everything would be fine and help her get up. She looked exhausted, sweating profusely, tear marks still on her cheeks. I was about to speak to her but noticed she wasn't meeting my gaze. Instead, she was looking behind me. I turned at that instant, expecting to see Draven raging mad and going to help the other girl whom Karen had tossed to the wall. Instead, Draven stood still, his right hand placed on the head of Karen's wolf. There seemed to be something going on between them—a strong connection. It felt like Draven was speaking to her soul, trying to calm her down and assure her that everything was alright—that scaring the life out of me and hurting Stace and Susan was alright. H

DRAVEN I was outside talking with my men and putting them in order when I felt the aura emanating as a result of the name ABBADON being said out. I didn't want to leave my men so I looked around for general Karen so she would go in and manage whatever was unfolding. But surprisingly, she was nowhere in sight. It was only after inquiring from one of my men that I learnt she had since entered the house. My heart raced at the thought, because I knew general Karen was one of the people that hated their kind the most, and on a personal level since her younger brother had been killed in the war against them. And general Karen was also a Red Wolf, a special and rare breed of wolves that never gave up until the blood of their opponents touched the earth. With those thoughts gnawing at my mind, I hastily and quietly walked into the sitting room and caught the exact sight I had expected before me. General Karen had tossed one of the Sisters to the wall, and let the other one suff