~ Zora “But why?” I asked as I drew my pants up and reached for my t-shirt. I had been working my way up, summoning courage to tell him about Tyler when he suddenly informed me about Mabel. Immediately, our sexual mood turned sour and I swam out of the river. Nox also immediately followed after and now we were drying off in the sun and getting dressed.“Maybe she wants to negotiate the release of her father.”“That doesn’t seem like enough reason to discuss with you in private.” I replied. Nox sighed. “I have no idea why she requested privacy from you," he began, "but I want to hear what she has to say."I glanced at him, with defensive words on the tip of my tongue. but I swallowed them down, shook my head and looked away. "I agree. You should hear her out." I said, pulling my top over my head and wearing it. Deep down, I wasn't in agreement. It was as clear as day that Mabel had a thing for Nox and her insisting on privacy with him irked me. The judgemental voice at the back of
~ ZoraI turned back with a nervous laugh. “I must have slept through my alarm.” Abigail didn’t look the least bit amused. “Your Highness, your staff had been waiting for you for hours."I immediately felt mortified. Way to go, Zora! I mentally groaned. "I am so sorry." I began, rambling on, "My training…it really took a strain on me." My words trailed off. That wasn't the only thing that took a strain on me though. Nox and I had engaged in some spicy extracurricular activities which I initiated in the first place and it had almost kept me up all night but I wasn't about to tell Abigail that!Abigail's gaze softens a fraction. "Since you’re now officially crowned Queen, you can't afford to entertain tardiness and negligence.” She said, slowly and calmly like she was talking to a child. I couldn't even be mad about her tone. I knew I deserved it. “You can’t be sleeping on duty.”“Yes! Of course!” I cleared my throat. “I will do better next time. Could you give me a moment to get
~ NoxBy dawn, I was out of the house and on my way to the Barracks. The real one. The barracks close to The Palace is what outsiders believe to be my one and only and I put a good amount of soldiers there. To any spy, they would think those soldiers made up my entire army and would report wrong defense numbers to their masters. I liked it that way. My father had told me it was better to be underestimated than overestimated. I had taken his words seriously and they had shaped my rule over the years. The real Barracks was a massive estate well hidden between Sector Two and Sector Three and half a mile from the Underground. My father had intentionally and meticulously designed every aspect of this territory himself. When I had asked him about the reason behind the situation of the Barracks, he had said, "Never make it easy for your enemies to know the true measure of your power. At every point, fool them. When they think they've got you, fool them again."And that's what had led t
~ Nox Mabel looked at me with a straight face like she had just said the most reasonable thing in the world. For the fourth time, I looked Roman’s way and he looked just as baffled as I was. Maybe I didn’t hear her well. “Come again?” I prompted. Mabel chuckled. “I know how ridiculous it is and you both might be thinking I’ve lost my damn mind but I haven’t. I really want your Highness to father all my unborn children and since there’s no law against that, I feel there should be no problem.”Leaning back in my chair, I studied her. Her cat green eyes were trained on me in hopeful curiosity. I listened for her heartbeat which ran at a normal pulse rate so that meant she wasn't under duress. So why in heaven’s name would she make such a daring request. “Why would you ask such of me?”Mabel cleared her throat and sat more upright in her chair. I wondered if she had steel for a spine the way she sat up so straight. “My family, the Callisters, have prided ourselves for being purebreeds f
~ ZoraBy the time I was done for the day, the sun had just begun to set. Abigail introduced me to all my home staff before she took me to the other wing of the manor where I had never been. There she showed me my own home office linked to a ginormous library where Abigail said all records of lycan and werewolf history resided as well as other knowledge. She showed me my routine. Every morning after breakfast, I had to read the Daily Wolf - a newspaper publication that carried all current events happening in the werewolf and lycan community. Then I was supposed to also read a newspaper from the human world to keep abreast of current events that may affect lycan properties and assets in the human world. After that, she showed me a ginormous collection of letters that had poured in from people in the lycan community and even outside of it. Letters from the noble and high ranking were kept in a red box, while letters from the commoners were kept in stacks of white boxes. Abigail info
~ ZoraSilence. I couldn't even bring myself to look Nox in the eye. My instincts picked up on his anger, fluid and steamy making my skin hot from the inside out. "How far did you and Hailey go?" Nox asked. "Maybe five to six miles? There was a meadow there, close by.""The men who sneaked in also seem to have come in from that direction." Roman commented. From the corner of my eye, I saw Nox turn to Roman. "First thing tomorrow, I want you to take men and scour the entire area. There seems to be a way in that they know about and we don't. Find it." "I could do that right now." Roman said. "No, the men need their rest. First thing in the morning.""Sure." Roman answered and we fell into silence again. I could feel the weight of their stare on me."Roman, please excuse us." Nox said and Roman moved in my direction, placed a hand on my shoulder and then left without saying a word. "Look at me." Nox commanded but I couldn't bring myself to do it. "Don't make me ask you again." The
~ ZoraThis time we took a road that I had never been on before and we drove at least two hours before we got to a section of the road lit up by torches on either side. Sector Three was a place surrounded by concrete walls built at least ten feet high and went as far as the eye could see. A group of soldiers stood guard and by the look on their faces, you can tell that they been familiar with death for too long. One of them came forward, from the headlights I could tell he was a man probably in his late thirties, early forties. When he came closer, he shone his flashlight into our car which was the first out of a long line. Once the guard, saw Nox, Roman and I, he gave a small bow and signalled to the guard standing in the watchtower to open the gates. “Let the other cars come in.” Nox said to the guards grimly. Other parents had been informed to withdraw their children from the main hospital and head to sector three. I was appalled to find that there were about seven of them who
~ ZoraHours later, after having personal words of consolation with each parent, especially Emelda and her husband, I went to my seat a bit far away from them. I felt indescribably tired and was lost in thought when the sweet aroma of coffee wafted into my nostrils. Opening my eyes, I saw a cup of coffee standing in my face, and when I looked up, I saw it was Roman offering it to me. "Thank you." I said, collecting it from him and taking a sip. It tasted heavenly and the warm fluid suddenly kept me alert. "You're welcome." Roman said, taking a seat beside me."How are you?" He asked, turning to face me. His hair looked like he had run his hands through it several times. "I'm okay, I guess. Just so tired." I replied, looking down at my cup and my hands. Roman nudged me on the shoulder slightly, causing me to look up back at him. "It's totally normal. You're feeling what Nox is feeling at the moment and it's even the mild version you'll feel because he hasn't marked you yet."I nodd