Viktoria’s POV Unfortunately, living a normal life wasn’t going to be in the cards for me. The same people who just a couple of days ago were telling me how confident they were that I was going to get a position in the castle. There were no whisperers behind my back. I felt like a total lepper! At breakfast, none of my friends from my year were there anymore, and I didn’t actually mix with any of the other age groups before our test day. I wasn’t part of the instructors’ group who had been instructors for many years. I was meant to be out working by now or to have been moved to the convent.Deciding to sit at the only empty table, which used to be our senior table, I picked up my food. I didn’t look up when a group of girls bursts out laughing and I knew they were staring at me. Nor did I pay much attention when the first bell rang to let the students know they had ten minutes to get to class. I am one

Viktoria’s POVMy mother greeted me at the door of the convent looking incredibly sad. I turned to say goodbye to my supervisor, and her eyes were filled with tears. It was the first time in all the years I had known her that I saw tears in her eyes!“I’m so sorry.” She whispered before giving me a quick hug and turning around to walk away. My mother fussed that I was too thin as she hurried me along the passages to our old home. She had been living in the same one-roomed apartment on the second floor that I left at the age of ten. She was explaining that we would go to the sister in charge of clothing right after evening prayers. There they wanted me to hand in all the clothing that I used to wear as a dhampir and then they would supply me with new clothes. Dresses of all things! I hadn’t worn a damn dress since I was ten! Mom and I had dinner in silence and as we cleaned up, she seemed as though she had something on her mind.“Mom, what is it?” I frowned as I packed away the last pl

Viktoria’s POVThe details around my grandfather and uncle’s deaths were pretty sketchy and I could tell that my father was hiding something. Also, it felt really strange to be living in the castle. Actually, living in the castle right after I was sentenced to live a life of being a damn cow! Strange how life could just turn on a dime like that, but it did. All this being a princess was going to take some getting used to as I looked at myself in the mirror while two girls rushed around to get me dressed. My father wanted me by his side for the funeral and he wanted me dressed properly for the occasion.I wondered if the news had reached Fynn and his pack yet, but I knew it probably had since the whispers around the castle were that a beast had killed my family. I couldn’t believe that they would have, but that was the rumour and around here, it seemed as though rumours were considered to be fact. I took another look at myself in the long black satin dress and rolled my eyes. If this w

Viktoria’s POV“Don’t you think it’s a bad idea to say things like that in here?” I whispered. I mean this was THE ancient! He was powerful! What if he decided to tell someone to kill my dad and me?“Don’t worry, sweetheart. While he is in that chamber, he is powerless.” My dad tried to comfort me, but that was not what I had been taught! “We can’t kill the ancient because we don’t know if anyone would survive his death. There have been so many recorded cases of a string of vampires dying when the vampire that sired them dies.” My father frowned. “Every dhampir and vampire can somehow trace their origin back to the ancient.” What was my father saying? I frowned and he smiled, making me even more confused. “Come on, let’s go back to the library.” I breathed an audible sigh of relief when we left the chamber and I watched as the door slowly closed, and we sat down again.“Since we are the only living vampires with royal blood, you and I are the only two people who can open that chamber

Viktoria’s POVThat silly thought strangely made me think of Fynn and the legend he told me about the vampire who fell in love with a werewolf. All my life my only goal was to become the best dhampir I could be. Now everything had changed and I knew that at some point someone was going to ask about my heir. I would have to take a mate and we would have to do the deed for me to get pregnant, but what if I was carrying a son and died when he was born? Who would rule in my stead? Suddenly, being the crown princess seemed like the worst idea in the world and I felt nauseous as I watched my parents making their way back to our table. I couldn’t sit here and pretend to be happy for one second longer!The thought was just so damn devastating to me that I quickly excused myself and made my way to my room. For the first time since all of this happened, I wished I had been born a human. No superpowers. No secret castle life. No perfect warrior marks in school. Just a normal human girl who could