LOGINAthena"I... I couldn't tell you," Patricia said, her voice trembling. "The king already had his eyes on you, and his mother realized he had become obsessed with you. She asked us to arrange that trip with you, hoping that once he slept with you, he would get you out of his system."I stared at her in disbelief. "You spent days with me before we returned to the kingdom," I said. "You had plenty of opportunities to tell me the truth." My voice grew colder with every word. "Was all of that part of your plan? To push me closer to the king? To use me to steal the scroll? None of this makes any sense." I shook my head and glanced at Kael. "And I don't believe he's my mate. I don't feel anything. Absolutely nothing when I look at him."Patricia took a careful step toward me. "Athena, if you will just calm down and listen to me..."I turned my face away before she could come any closer, I didn't know why my emotions were so out of control. Maybe it was because Kael was nothing like the mate
AthenaThe door opened, and Kael walked into the room, the moment I saw him, I froze. Everything that had happened over the past few days came crashing back into my mind at once. Being dragged out of the Central Kingdom, finding out that the life I had known was built on lies, discovering people I had never met, claiming to be my family, if was all too much to process.Before I could think twice, I shot to my feet and ran toward him. Kael opened his arms, probably expecting me to hug him. Instead, I shoved my fist straight into his face with every bit of strength I had left.The impact sent him stumbling backward, but the force also drained what little energy remained in my body. My legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed onto the floor.Kael landed on the ground as well, holding his face. "What was that for?" he shouted, glaring at me.The red-haired woman hurried over and knelt beside me. "Told you never to trust an angry Blackthorn," she said before helping me back onto my feet
AthenaI slowly opened my eyes as consciousness returned. It felt like I had been asleep for a very long time. My body was heavy, and every muscle ached as I blinked several times, trying to focus on my surroundings.I looked around the room, confused. I didn't recognize the place. I couldn't remember how I had gotten there, and I was certain I had never been in a room like this before.I forced myself to think back, searching my memory for the last thing I could remember. Then it all came rushing back. I remembered being dragged out of my prison cell. Before I could even struggle, someone had cast a spell on me. My vision had gone dark almost instantly, and I had lost consciousness.I immediately tried to sit up, but I barely moved before I felt a sharp tug, I looked down. Both my wrists and ankles were chained tightly to the bed. Panic rushed through me.I pulled against the chains with all the strength I had left, hoping one of them would break. Instead, the metal dug painfully int
Azrael"That's a big fat lie." Everyone turned toward the voice, Talia slowly stepped forward from the crowd. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and her voice had become hoarse from everything she had been through. It looked like she had not stopped crying since Athena's death.She glared at Marcus with nothing but anger. "Athena told me that the person you sent to kill her was one of your trusted men. His name is Thomas." Marcus's face immediately stiffened. "She said you called to ask for her location, and right after Thomas found her, he called you on the phone. You asked him to finish her and dump her body."A heavy silence fell over everyone, the crowd looked back and forth between Marcus and Talia, waiting for someone to deny the accusation.I slowly loosened my grip, Aurora fell to the ground with a loud thud. She immediately grabbed her neck, coughing and gasping desperately for air. Her entire body trembled as she struggled to breathe. After catching a few breaths, she quickl
AzraelSome members of the kingdom came running into the prison after hearing my howl. Their footsteps echoed through the hallway, but I barely noticed them.My eyes were fixed on the body lying on the floor. I slowly moved closer, my legs feeling weak beneath me. My breathing became uneven as I looked down at her.I almost choked on my tears. Her face was burnt beyond recognition. There was nothing left that I could recognize, yet I knew it was her. The sight alone was enough to shatter whatever strength I had left.My knees almost gave out, I shouldn't have left her alone here. I should have assigned guards to stay outside this cell. Even if it was just one or two people watching over her, maybe this wouldn't have happened. I had convinced myself that nothing could possibly happen in broad daylight. I believed the prison was safe enough. I was wrong, that single mistake had cost her life.I grabbed my hair tightly and pulled at it, trying to distract myself from the pain ripping thr
Azreal"How sure are you about this?" I asked. Talia stood in my office with Mom and Gabriel. She had come to tell us that one of the palace maids and one of the warriors who had recently joined my army needed to be investigated.She nodded confidently. "I'm sure," she said. "That girl has always been a weirdo ever since we shared a room. She keeps to herself and barely talks unless someone speaks to her first. For someone like that to suddenly hug Athena and pat her on the head, it's suspicious."Gabriel shook his head. "But you know that's just an assumption, babe," he said. "I ran into Athena that day too. Why didn't you add me to the list of suspects?"Talia threw her hands into the air in frustration. "Because you didn't hug her or pat her on the head," she replied. "Besides, Athena herself said she was suspicious of Janice. We already think Janice might also be working for the General."I frowned. "What do you mean Janice is also working for the General?" I asked. "Did Athena
Azrael“Please, let me go,” Raven choked out as she clawed desperately at my wrist, trying to free herself from my grip. But instead of loosening my hold, I tightened it slightly. Her feet struggled against the floor while panic slowly filled her eyes.Gabriel stepped closer carefully. “Azrael, cal
Athena“You cannot do that,” I said immediately, staring at him in disbelief. “I would rather die than watch you publicly humiliate an innocent woman like that.” The moment the words left my mouth, guilt settled heavily inside me.What was I even becoming? Not once during all the time we spent toge
AthenaThe moment I got to the room, I rushed straight into the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I turned on the shower immediately and stepped under the cold water, hoping it would somehow calm the storm inside my head.But the moment the water touched my skin, the tears came instead. I cov
AzrealI moved closer to her again and captured her lips in another deep kiss.The kiss was slow at first, but the hunger between us quickly returned. Her hands slid across my shoulders while mine rested against her waist, pulling her body tightly against mine.When we finally pulled apart, both of







