Page 112 of Royal Lies

Oberon Kinard Avalar Vallian Wolf

I frowned at the letter in my hands but just as I was about to re-read the letter a knock sounded by my door.

“Brother, we need to talk.” Fletcher smiled. The soft curls of his lips instantly had me on guard, what my father wrote to me will have to take a back burner for now.

The last time my brother gave me that look, the one that said he wouldn’t be leaving without me hearing him out; the one that had ice frosting over the hinges of the door, was to warn me about those shadows.Now what was it?With Everetta gone for a while, it couldn’t be good.

“It’s about the children you never knew you had.” He replied, making himself comfortable on the blue sofa and taking a sip of my tea. Seriously, does no one understand the policy of not drinking another’s tea?Wait, children. What children?

Kira

I couldn’t breathe; I couldn’t do anything. Each breath I inhaled took so much energy. Maybe… maybe it was time. I should just let go. I’d already lost everything,lost them.

“Haha-“, I couldn’t help but let out a wheezing scoff, or at this point, it was just a mild cough.

Here my captors thoughttheywould come for me. Little did they know I’d been alone for nearly fifty years now. Isn’t it funny? I spent my first twenty years not knowing what I was,and when I finally found my pack, or what I thought was my pack, they left me. They promised me safety and security, at least for a short time. They claimed I was their mate until theirrealmate came into the picture, and then I was tossed aside like a used towel. Next thing I knew, I was alone again, a lone wolf in a world so cruel and unforgiving as this.

For a while, it was nice, not having to be alone. Having food on the table every day, getting to sleep in a nice comfy bed, lying next to someone, their warm arms wrapped around me. But, as always, I ended up alone.

I’ve heard my captors talk about disposing of me, so really, ending myself now would just be taking the task off their hands. But just as I was contemplating the notion, a surge of power crossed through my veins as breathing no longer strained my body. As my energy came back like a spike of adrenaline flooding my veins. I found my mind clearing.

Why the heck should I die? No, it doesn’t matter if I’m alone; who cares about that stuff—I’m going to get out of here, and I’ll kill all those who get in my way.

With my newfound strength, I broke myself out of these magic binding cuffs, something I couldn’t do before. Something only afaecould break out of—the fae, creatures that were said to be dying off.

I wrestled myself out of the dungeons, clawing and biting off any of my captors I saw as they tried to catch me again. But I was no dog to be put down. I was awolf, and I won’t be bound again.

After massacring every single person in that building, I found myself chasing down this last guard as he ran through the forest. I smiled in my wolf form, chasing and howling as the human hunter ran. I found myself loving the hunt as I felt the fresh grass underneath my paws for the first time in forever. Breathing in the fresh air after so long was like breathing in gold.

Suddenly, a man, whose hair was as golden as the sunlight, beamed out towards me as his hands gripped the cowardly guard's neck in a vise lock.

*Crack*

The sound was deafening in the silence that followed as I snarled at the new man before me. His pristine suit, and despite his small stature, I could tell he was strong. He exuded confidence, power, and unrestrained magic.

A fae.

A high one if the magic he was exuding was to be believed. I took note of the companion beside him, a woman whose hair was as white as snow despite her youthful appearance. For all I knew, she could be thousands of years old. She seemed to be of Asian descent as I took note of her pristine dewy skin; hell, they both looked flawless.Was she another high fae?Though she seemed less powerful than her male counterpart.

“Hmm, so you’re my daughter. A shame, really,” the blond-haired man said as the woman behind him gave him a nudge. “Eli!” She exclaimed, almost embarrassed for the man. Despite her lower magical power, the man seemed to acknowledge her reprimand, even appearing a little bashful, red tinting his cheeks. “Yes, well, she's weak.” He seemed to shudder. I chuffed, for I was still in my wolf form, at his little comment. I’ll have him know I just killed thirty men on my own, okay, well twenty-nine, since he technically killed that one guard I was hunting.

“But, she can shift, which means she must be somewhat strong, and let's not forget whosedaughtershe also is,” the woman began as she started to walk towards me, but the man halted her at my small growl, gently tugging at her wrist.

Whoever they are, fae or not, they're obviously not my friends.

The male, Eli, I think that was his name, the woman did address him like that, held up a hand hauling the woman, “No,I want to see what she can do. After all, if she’s going to survive, she’ll need to be at least a little strong.”

Was he purposely trying to infuriate me? Ugh, he was most definitely a fae then; those creatures were always so full of themselves. While I have no doubt high fae are strong, I have killed one in my life. Yes, I had been in a slightly better condition when I did that than I am now, but that surge of energy I felt seemed to have also given me more power.

Holding up a hand towards me, he beckoned me as if to taunt me. Growling, I snapped at the air accepting his challenge. But in an instant, I was flung back just as I launched myself at him.

“Eli!” I heard the female fae scold as I shook away the fuzziness clouding my vision. What the heck, well, I guess he did have something to boast about. Still, if I was going to die, I’m sure as heck going to fight to the death. I bit the air, my only warning before I launched myself at the boy again, only to find the air getting knocked out of me. I felt the rough splinters of bark against my fur as I slumped against the tree, and soon enough, I was shifting back, coughing up blood. “W-what the hell are you?” I bit out because that power, that enormous amount of magic, shouldn’t even be possible for a high fae. So what was he?

“Hmm, you held out longer than I expected. As for who I am, well, I’m your father.” That was the last thing I heard before a light so blinding surrounded me.

Everetta

I was back here again. There was a cool breeze whistling in the air despite everything being black with no clouds in sight. The midnight-colored sand still felt cool underneath my goldsandal-covered feet. I’ll have to make this quick. I don’t plan to stay for long. I have better things to do. In the distance, I could make out the only glimmering object in this barren landscape, a golden cage. Making my way over to the little girl trapped in the golden bird cage I smiled down at her.

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