SERAFINA A sharp jolt buzzed past my mind space and I suddenly jerked up, springing back into consciousness. My eyes opened and it took a moment for my vision to steady, I saw a blurred image of someone sitting beside me. My brows crinkled in confusion as I wondered who it might be and then eventually, my vision cleared up and I saw that it was Dahlia. She sat beside me, a small basin filled with steaming hot water beside her and a cloth dipped in it. I realized that I was on a mat, laid at her feet and I was bare–backed. She took out the cloth dipped in the hot water and squeezed the liquid out of it, proceeding to place it on my back. I flinched as it came in contact with the wounds I was now aware I had—as I had previously forgotten—and I let out a wince. "Oh? You're awake." Dahlia said as she moved the cloth around my back, patting and pressing on various areas of my injuries. My eyes still felt a bit weak to remain open and I decided to shut and rest them for a whil
HERA I was hidden behind the fence of Lord Timothee's training fields again. I was dressed in my overall cloak with a hood that covered my face, hiding my identity. I had to meet Lord Timothee again due to the last set of occurrences at the palace, each and every one of them making me terribly mad. It got to my knowledge that King Zahir had asked for that slave girl to be returned back to the palace. A young slave was requested for by a reputable nobleman and I had personally ordered the girl to be taken to him, her slave master gave me a report that she was stubborn so I deemed it fit to punish her by sending her off. I decided what slave gets sold off and Zahir stayed out of it, never concerning himself with it. This time however, he had gone ahead to bring back a slave and the procedure to retrieve an already bought slave from their owner was a rigorous one. I had wondered why the King would go through all of that. Earlier today, I had gone to his chambers to ask him about i
ZAHIRThat nightmare has begun again. Almost immediately I slept off, I felt myself being transported to an all too familiar state of subconsciousness. In that realm that I had become far too accustomed to. I saw myself where I always did in this dream, it was at where it all started. Where everything began. That fateful night. "Zahir, please don't cry. As long as we stay hidden in this cave, they won't find us." My father said to me as I cried into his chest. The fabric of his cloth against my mouth did a good help muffling my cries, or else the humans would've found us a long time ago. Who hears the sounds of death and remains silent? The sounds of war outside remained persistent, its volume increasing as they drew nearer to where we hid. It was only a matter of time before they got to us. I could hear it all clearly, the outcries of my people being slaughtered by the humans that invaded our territory and attacked. It was a nightmare. The human population had suddenly attacked
SERAFINAAs I stumbled towards the fields that day, I could barely move and stand straight due to the excruciating pain from the bruises all over my back. However, the slave masters didn't seem to care about my condition, and Dahlia had mandated me to go back to the fields. The only thing that seemed to matter to them was to get my quota of work done, regardless of the pain I was experiencing.As I approached the fields, I couldn't help but notice something different about the way the slaves were looking at me that day. Instead of the usual disdain and exclusion that I had received before, I was now being greeted with warm smiles and kind words. It was as if they had finally accepted me as one of their own, and the feeling of acceptance lifted a heavy burden off my shoulders.I'm glad the news of Vallie's return had reached their ears, and hopefully all misunderstanding they haboured for me have been cleared. As I made my way through the rows of crops, I came across a young girl strug
ZAHIR.I paced back and forth in my study, my eyes fixed on the wall in front of me. My mind was a chaotic mess, my thoughts jumbled and scrambled. It raced with all the possible scenarios that might take place during the meeting. I could feel Steven's unwavering gaze on me, but I remained silent. I didn't trust myself to speak. The weight of my responsibility as King was crushing, and it was almost suffocating. The council of high–ranking werewolves had always doubted my reign, questioning my authority at every turn, and it irked me to no end. I could feel the anger brewing inside me, threatening to spill over. I glanced at Steven, who remained motionless in his bowed position. He had been my right-hand man for years, and yet, even he hadn't been able to quell the unrest amongst the wolves. It only served to add fuel to my already simmering anger. The meeting was just a day away and I had no idea how to handle the situation. My mind was a battlefield, a warzone of conflicting tho
SERAFINAI found myself perched on the edge of my stool, surveying the scene unfolding before me with a mixture of trepidation and despair. The room was filled with the sorrowful cries and hushed whispers of the other slave girls, similarly dressed in stark white linen that so mercilessly exposed much of our skin, in sharp contrast to our usual attire of black sackcloth we usually wore. Our mode of dressing alone depicted that today wasn't just an ordinary day – it was the day where the High Ranking Werewolves council were coming to the Kingdom for the meeting with Zahir. It was as if we were naked, stripped of our identities, anything that could provide even the slightest bit of comfort or protection in this dehumanizing we were about to be subjected to. I watched as the girls huddled together, their arms tightly wrapped around each other in a desperate attempt to find solace in one another's shared misery.As the silence stretched on, punctuated only by the occasional sniffl
ZAHIRI walked into the meeting hall, my eyes scanning the room as I took in the twelve high-ranking wolves seated around the long table. My gaze settled on Lord Timotee, the head of the council, who sat at the head of the table with an air of superiority that made my stomach turn.To his right sat Lord Adalwolf , the chief strategist of the kingdom. I had always found him aloof and arrogant, believing himself to be the only one with a brain in the entire council. Beside him was Sir Reginald, the captain of the kingdom's army. I had never trusted him, believing him to be far too eager to go to war and shed blood.On the opposite side of the table sat Lord Tadius, the master of the kingdom's treasury. I had always found him greedy and self-serving, hoarding wealth for himself and his own interests. Beside him was Sir Percival, the master of ceremonies. I had never seen the point of his role, finding him to be little more than a glorified party planner. There were hardly any reasons f
ZAHIRSerafina stepped into the hall with us, both her hands latched by the guards that escorted her into the hall. The princess could deceive others with the air of royalty that followed her every step but she couldn’t deceive me or hide the fear in her eyes. Not even the slight tremble of fear as soon as her eyes counted the men in the room. Serafina was dressed just like every of the slaves in the past who have been to this room to satisfy the desires of these men in the most carnal and perverted ways. If I had it my way, she shouldn’t be dressed that way—in a silk linen that showed way too much. As I expected from the men of my court, they howled and jeered, making crude comments about her body. I could see the lecherous gazes of the wolves as they looked at Serafina. It made my blood boil – how dare they gawk blatantly at my personal slave in that manner? It made my fists itch to connect to all of their faces and bruise them badly. However, I knew I had to stay calm and compo