Freya's POVThe rogue, Darius had left us to our "bitchy devices". He didn't mind as long as it brought him more steps closer to ruining "the fucking pussy that called himself the Lycan King of Adivaine."Which happened to be my mate, in case you hadn't noticed.So we were here. We sat on the couch as I tried to reach Adalia again while Gertrude was proving herself really not useful since she seemed perfectly content in distracting me with questions that only served to upset me further."We could talk about it, you know?"I released a puff of white air from my nostrils. The air was bitterly chilly that morning and yet for some reason I felt warm. So warm that I did not wear any protective clothing to shield me from the cold despite how Gertrude nagged at me and almost forced me to put on layers upon layers of her own clothing. You know, the "consider the little one in you" talk.The unborn child had survived much worse. It had a resilience of its own. Even if the worst happened to me
Freya's POV I had an old power. An old power that even Gertrude, the killer of mothers and the layer of curses, or anyone else in the whole of Adivaine could only dream of having. The prophecy was the only way for me to access that power. Gertrude said this to me on the first day I fought against having the prophecy fulfilled by my own hands. "I can't identify what power it is that you have but I know that you know this, feel this." She said this with so much conviction I briefly wondered if we switched bodies sometime in the past without my knowledge. I sure did feel a lot of power. To sleep. Take that moment for example, I had yawned no less than a hundred times since I began trying to reach Adalia again. And by "since" I mean thirty minutes ago. Darius scoffed and watched me with narrowed eyes, his expression a battleground of annoyance and amusement. "You really do feel sleepy, don't you?" He asked. It seemed like a trick question so I didn't deign to answer it. I was much
Freya's POV "It was me. I was the one who cursed your mate, Zane." Adalia cursed Zane. Adalia cursed Zane. Adalia cursed Zane. Those three words kept singing a discordant tune in my brain but they couldn't make sense no matter how hard I tried to process it. If my brain was a meat grinder, this information would be stone. Adalia cursed…her mate. Adalia cursed. How? I tried to listen as Gertrude whistled softly in my head to remind me of the real world and to come back to reality. "What did you just say, Adalia?" I was on the verge of a panic attack, and I needed an explanation to save me. With utmost urgency. "I cursed him, Freya. That is why you are the only one who can unlock this curse." "This...it doesn't make any sense. Start from the very beginning." She smiled sadly and shook her head. "No, I can't do that. You will have to find that out by yourself. You will eventually, I assure you." "Why can't you do so?" Her usually serene demeanor abruptly shattered, her eyes
Freya's POVThere was something I found very annoying about people who talked too much. And it wasn't that they talked too much. It was that they were greedy. They weren't content in using their own time to drone on and on about something as trivial as the pair of shoes they picked that morning. No, they were much comfortable using others' time. The time they had was not as precious as others deemed theirs, so they made it a point to waste yours. Your time.What's worse death by hanging from a rope or death by being forced to sit and listen to the most ancient healer I had ever encountered in my life who only cared about the scary warts that were growing on her nose?
The answer wouldn't be as obvious as you think, trust me. If what the healer–whose name sounded like it was inspired by a toddler's gibberish–was talking about screamed how thoroughly unenjoyable this process was, her voice did way worse than scream: it grated my ears so badly it was painful.For the life of me, she was more like a witch than Gertrude.What process was this, you ask?They labeled it "The Extraction Ritual." And by "they" I mean both the archaic healer and the white-haired witch who held me prisoner.First, it was Gertrude who announced that I must do "The Extraction Ritual" while I was poring over the scroll which contained the prophecy –the only progress I was making was me feeling like I was brushing by, just merely scenting a breakthrough in my efforts, but not quite reaching the source of that scent.However, as soon as she blurted out that I needed to do the ritual, I promptly delivered a well-aimed, supernatural blast of wind that sent her flying face first into
Freya's POVRun.Run now.Run. Now.Seneca sounded like she would take over my body and run in my stead since I wasn't listening to her.That is a good idea, I told Seneca in my head. But running won't solve anything, I added."If you used all your might and speed. It really could." Seneca was pleading this time.It really could.As if I could run anywhere fast enough to escape the reality of what had just happened. What I had just done. As if I could be strong enough to face my fears. As if through sheer force of will I could block who was right in front of me from my sight. From my mind."We're carrying our child, Seneca. I can't shift." I bit back a little harshly. This was my own rather cowardly way of explaining for my lack of any progressive mobility.Run. It's not so hard. Just put one foot in front of the other and go.But I didn't run. I moved, at least. I hit my ankle on the edge of the bed railing as I feebly attempted to curl back into myself to hide.But run?I couldn't.
Zane's POVOne who hesitates is lost."As we speak right now, Freya has been captured."One who hesitates is lost."As we speak right now, Freya has been captured."Odella was saying something. "My king." One who hesitates is lost."As we speak right now, Freya has been captured.""Your highness," Odella flat out shouted.It wasn't like I didn't hear her all this while. I did. Very clearly in fact. But so as two other voices.Adalia and Darius's voices in my head were more insistent, demanding to be heard as they repeated the same thing. I never welcomed them but I also never fought them because I deemed them useful.They served a sacred purpose: to torment me. I needed that to remind me of the million ways that night Freya was kidnapped could have gone differently. This was the only way I could keep sane so I allowed them to go on making noise in my head. It wasn't a problem for me as I was already used to it. The fact that I had gotten used to it didn't take the sting out of their
Zane's POV*Still Within 2 Hours Before*We got home. Or more precisely, we were reaching home. And yes by home, I mean the castle. At that moment we were only just nearing the gates. Of course no one could see us, I made sure. Perks of being a hundred and twenty something year old Alpha Lycanthrope who happened to be extremely experienced with dark magic.I had sent my little convoy of fifty trained foot soldiers ahead of me so right now, they were safely back and at their duty posts in the castle. Nylf, I was sure had gotten the healer in Freya's bedchambers for an immediate customary check up as soon as she got in, and was rounding up the maids to make sure that the queen Luna of Adivaine was attended to and that they devote their full mental and physical faculties to this endeavor, ensuring that it was done with the utmost severity and precision.The point I was trying to make is, it was just me and her. Not a single other living thing within sight…. maybe except the birds scatter