All Chapters of The Wolf Beneath The Roses : Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

The battlefield stretched before us like a sea of blood. Smoke curled into the dark sky, swallowing the moonlight as thousands of vampires and werewolves clashed beneath it. The sound of steel striking steel echoed across the valley, mixed with snarls, screams, and the thunderous roar of magic being unleashed.I watched from the raised platform overlooking the battlefield, my fingers resting loosely against the hilt of my sword.“Look at them.”I couldn't hide the satisfaction in my voice.Our army had pushed the werewolves back almost three miles in less than an hour.Their eastern formation had already collapsed.Their southern flank was surrounded.And our strongest battalion was advancing toward their command center.“We'll be celebrating in the palace before sunrise.”Beside me, Silas remained strangely quiet.I glanced at my younger brother.He was watching the battlefield too, but unlike me, there was no excitement in his eyes.Only that faint, unreadable smile.I frowned.“Wha

I had stopped counting the days.At first, I tried.I scratched tiny marks into the stone wall beside my bed whenever I woke. But after a while, even that became pointless.There was no sunlight in my room.No visitors.No news from the kingdom.Only the same four walls, the same heavy chains around my wrists, and guards who barely looked at me when I spoke.I was hungry.Not the ordinary kind of hunger I had known before.This was different.It gnawed at me from the inside, leaving my body weak and my head heavy.I had lost weight. My skin had grown pale, and even standing for too long made my vision blur."Water."The guard outside my door didn't move."Please."Nothing.I lowered my head against the wall.I had been a prince once.People had bowed when I entered a room.Now I had to beg for water.A bitter laugh escaped me.Silas had taken everything from me.My title.My freedom.My future.And apparently, even my dignity.I was beginning to wonder how long I would survive in Rose

Eventually, the little wolf stopped fighting.I noticed it one morning when the guards brought him into the garden.Usually, he would pull against his shackles, glare at everyone, and complain about being dragged around like a prisoner.That morning, he simply walked beside them.Quietly.His eyes were lowered, and his steps were calm.I looked up from the rose bush I was tending."What happened to you?"He glanced at me."What?""You didn't complain."He shrugged."I've realized something."I raised an eyebrow."That I'm unbearable?""No."He sat down near the rose bushes."That there's no way out of here."The words were so simple that I didn't know what to say.He had finally accepted it.Rose Manor was surrounded by guards. The gates were constantly watched, and neither of us had enough freedom to get anywhere near them.The little wolf had tried before.I knew because I'd seen the bruises afterward.Now, he seemed to understand that fighting every day wouldn't change anything.So

I realized something embarrassing that morning.I didn't know his name.For weeks, I had called him little wolf.He had never complained.Perhaps he had gotten used to it.Or perhaps he simply didn't care enough to correct me.Either way, the realization bothered me.I was sitting beneath the rose-covered arch, trimming a few dead leaves when I glanced at him.He was sitting a short distance away, watching me.Or rather, pretending not to watch me.Ever since what happened a few days ago, things between us had been different.Neither of us had mentioned it.Neither of us had spoken about how our faces had almost touched.How his fingers had rested against my cheek.How our lips had brushed for the briefest moment before the guard interrupted us.But I remembered.And judging by the way he occasionally looked away whenever our eyes met, so did he.I cleared my throat."What is your name?"He looked at me."My name?""Yes."He seemed surprised by the question.I lowered the pruning shea