XAVIER Ares knew she was a wolf. I could hear his voice, bellowing within me. She’s it. She’s it. I did not understand for the life of me what it meant. What is it? Now I understood. Her wolf was his. They were linked at the soul. It made sense now, why I had always been so drawn to her. Why, from the moment I had met her, I felt this unwavering desire to rest my lips on her skin. Why I had kissed her forehead the night she slept in my chambers, shortly after purchasing her from the shop. Perhaps, it was this reason above all else that I was drawn to Valerie. Perhaps it was not entirely due to the fact that she was from Westshield. Perhaps it was not guilt that drove me to her, perhaps it was simply the way fate tied us together. But something must have happened to the wolf within her. Something that cursed it to a deep, unbreakable sleep. It was unusual, after all, for a wolf to stay dormant within someone—unless they were Omegas, of course. And if that were the case and Valer

VALERIEIt was no surprise that Xavier didn’t believe in the fourth prophecy. The validity of sorcery was still questionable at best, and even if it did exist, the whole thing was too ridiculous to believe in.He was right. Anyone could have been pretending to be a wizard. But if that really were the case, how would they have gotten a hold of the ring? Artifacts like those should have been tucked away behind a glass box in a prestigious museum. Or perhaps, sold at auction to the highest bidder.But the wizard did not look like a well-off man. He looked like a simple human—as far as I could tell. I did not, after all, know what was beneath the mask.“As much as I love the idea of magic and reading about sorcery,” Alyssa began, “I suppose that does sound like a bit of a joke. How would it even be possible? Not just to bring her back, but…to have the ability to end all of us? It isn’t like she’s a weapon of mass destruction.”“Perhaps not,” said Lucia. “But it could be that she has speci

VALERIEI stepped aside to allow Amelia into the room, surprised and confused by her visit. She hadn’t returned home yet? What had she been doing in the palace all this time?Regardless, she smiled warmly upon me and stepped into the room, a jar of something in her hands. “I thought I would bring you some antiseptic salves. I made them myself. They’re quite useful for treating wounds.”I took the jar from her, grateful for the offer. I did not have any injuries of my own, but I would have to use it to treat Lucia’s wrists. “Thank you, Mistress Amelia.” She did not seem set on turning and leaving then, so I stepped aside and gestured awkwardly. “Please, come in.”Her smile faltered a little and she stepped past me. She took in Xavier’s room—the grand accents on the walls, the shimmering chandelier above, and the heart to the side, which was still faintly ablaze with a small fire. Then she delicately folded herself into a seat on the sofa. “I heard about what had happened from Ralph. I’

XAVIERWe moved swiftly, though the ride would be much longer avoiding the main streets of Oreheroad.We needed to stay inconspicuous. We needed to move like shadows among the city. Which, to Ralph, meant cutting through alleyways and creeping through residential districts., weaving our horses past food carts and pedestrians.The house of Duff was located in the Southeastern quarters of Orheroad. And as the city opened before us, I could not help but wonder why he had not attended the festivities. It was, after all, Reuben’s natural inclination to party. But I was not complaining. It was more convenient, being that he was far from the palace. Far from Caeser’s men.We had driven in a simple carriage, so as not to alert him of our presence, and I was quickly growing tired of the bumps and knocks in the road. Though cars were plentiful in the city, the palace did not own any relative to that of a commoner, or even a noble. Ours were distinct. Vehicles of high regard that could only be d

VALERIE The next day, Xavier took me to his study. And she was there. I walked in and at the sight of her, it was like all the air was knocked from my lungs. Staring at Ava felt like a dream. It was her. I knew it was her. And she seemed to recognize me as well. If I had been holding anything at the moment, I would have dropped it. But instead I just froze there, staring at her. Wondering if I’d ever actually woken that morning, or if I was still steadily dreaming. And when I realized this was no dream at all, my heart quickened in my chest. “V-Valerie,” Ava mumbled, her eyes wide, her mouth parted. We did nothing but stand there, facing one another for a long while. Then tears hit my eyes. I stumbled to her, my legs numb beneath me, and wrapped her in my arms. We nearly went to the floor together, my knees buckling under me and Ava too weak to hold my weight. I hugged her tightly—too tightly, because Ava let out a groan. I released, feeling the high-risen skin on her back.