[ THE VAMPIRE’S STORY ] ATLAS’S P.O.V— The calm wind whooshes past us. It ruffles through the fields of grasses, filling the air with the sounds of leaves slapping against leaves. The serene quality of the environment is supposed to extend towards me to help me feel calm and peaceful, but with the man in front of me, it is hard to feel calm. The man in front of me is the opposite of calm. He is chaos. He is mayhem. He is havoc. And he is promiscuousness, himself. He loves stirring up chaos — he feeds off of it. I guess that is what he has come to do. “What do you want, Luca?” I pause. “Or is it Lust you prefer to be addressed as?” Lust says nothing for a while. And it looks like he is taking his time to observe and enjoy the serenity of the field. But I know he is thinking of his next words; the next words that would trigger me. After staying silent for a while, he gives me a toothy smile. A toothy smile that tells me he is up to no good. “Call me whatever you please. It doe

[ IN WHICH ROME WILL HAVE HIS LUNA ]ROME’S P.O.V— Anger. That’s an understatement. Because I am beyond angry. Multiple words can efficiently describe how I feel: furious, numb, defeated, humiliated, overpowered, useless, and broken. In my own home, I had been brought to my knees and ridiculed in front of my people. My worst enemy had me trapped. He pushed me to my weakest point and he used that to his advantage. He disgraced me -which is worse than death- he ruined my pride and stomped all over my ego with his dirty feet. He pierced a stake right into my heart. Though, I persevered and conquered death, I still feel like I am dead. Losing a battle against Sin had left me feeling incompetent and worthless. And atop all this, I lost my Luna. My wolf whines and cries within me. The sound causes me to grow teary-eyed. Ever since she became bonded with King Sin, I have not been myself. I have been consumed with sadness. It seems as though I have developed one of those mental disorders

warning: this chapter of The King's Maiden you are about to read is marked mature because of its triggering contents; self-harm, suicide, mental illness. mental disorders will be discussed in this chapter. this chapter may not be suitable for all readers. viewer discretion is advised. [ THE WARRIOR'S STORY ] JACQUELINE’S P.O.V— The cold air bites into my skin as I march up the hill. My hand is attached to the thick straps around the horse as I guide the brown-furred animal behind me. Once I reach the top of the hill, I stop. I exhale. I have arrived at my destination. The Land of Avsky. “You will be punished, Greed.” I whisper under my breath. It took several days to find the Kingdom that didn't want to be found. But finally, I have done it.Thirsty for blood, I quickly mount my horse. I give it a pat, and it starts to move. I redirect it down the hill, and it gallops back in the direction we came in. The easiest way to penetrate a Kingdom that has been hidden for so long is t

[ THE LOVE THAT KILLS ] Despite our various differences, we are all tied together by one thing. Death. In the Kingdom of Alkhemi, everyone and everything has died at least once. We all die at the end. Despite our differences, we are all made similar by one thing — mortality. But then, even death allows for dissimilarities. We all die in different ways. Some are killed by a lover, others by sickness/illness, and many are killed in fatal accidents. And luckily for some, they get taken away by natural causes, such as old age. But this is not for those people. This is for those who have been wrongfully and forcefully snatched away from their loved ones before they got the chance to say 'goodbye'. [ JACQUELINE ] I remember when I had asked Jacqueline how she had died, and what she got reincarnated as. Our conversation had gone this way. “What about you? Are you a Vampire?” I had asked.“Do I look like a Vampire?” She had joked, running a nervous hand through her hair like she

[ IN WHICH SHE ENTERS THE PROBLEM OF ROME ] NOVEMBER’S P.O.V— I place my palms on the railing of the balcony. Worried, I peer over the metal bar. Below me, there is nothing.I see nothing. The land of Alkhemi has been covered by darkness. And that means it has been 12 hours since Sin had left with the warriors to the Land of Avsky. He should have been back by now. They should have saved Jacqueline and returned by now. A quest like this shouldn’t take much time except something bad had already happened. … [something bad like what, November?] … The voice in my head asks. I try to ignore it, but she speaks again. … [you think they may have died? yes, you are right, they have died] … “Shut up.” I growl, slapping palms on the cold railing. After that, the voice silences. I'm hoping it silences forever. Despite this new found silence, I am still troubled with the possibility that something bad has happened. Luca has proven to be dangerous. It will be a mistake to underestimate him