Five Hundred Years Ago “Ruby! Ruby!” Ruby turned her head at Maeve’s voice, wondering what the ruckus was about. It was a quiet, lazy afternoon. Ruby was sitting in her room by the window, painting a flower she had picked up earlier outside. She had no idea what it was called…she had never seen it before, and that’s why she had felt compelled to pluck one and preserve it on canvas. It had red blooms with black nectaries in the middle. Her door flung open and her maid, also her childhood friend and closest confidant, burst in. Her red curly hair was pulled over one shoulder in a messy braid, tendrils whipping around her face. Her excitement made her face even more animated than it usually was, with her big green eyes popping and her cheeks flushed. “He is here,” she rasped, breathless, before Ruby could ask what the excitement was about. “Who?” Ruby asked, despite the fact that she had a good idea who, and her heart was already pounding in anticipation. There was only one person

Five Hundred Years Ago For the next few days, the war between the tribe and the werewolves raged. Every man that could be spared took up arms and went into the mountains. There were a lot of deaths on both sides. Ruby did not go back to the mountains after coming back with Maeve’s body. The look on Maeve’s mother’s face had torn her to pieces. The woman had lost two children to the werewolves in one day, and Ruby was the reason behind one of those deaths. How could she dare to say they were not monsters? She should be out there, hunting them down with fellow warriors. She should be the one to sink a dagger into his heart. Make him pay for taking Maeve’s life. But her father had left her in charge while he led the warriors in the mountains. It was her duty to keep the community safe in his absence. Deep inside, she knew nobody ever had to die. They could have banished the clan from the tribe. Maybe they would have accepted it and left peacefully. But now, there was no chance for

Five Hundred Years Ago The High Priestess of the warrior clan showed up at the chief’s residence the day after Ruby’s father died. If she had shown up a month before, she would have been ambushed right away by the guards. But things had changed. The adversary had changed, and the tribespeople were aware that the werewolves they had banished could be their only saviours. Ruby was in the front hall discussing funeral arrangements with Maeve’s mother when the priestess walked through the front door. Nobody had heard of her since the werewolves were exposed. She was the first of the warrior clan to appear openly in the tribe since the hunt began. Were there others in hiding like her? Could she know what had happened to Eric? Ruby rushed forward and met her. “High Priestess–” “I’m here to meet the acting chief,” she cut her off. Maeve’s mother appeared beside Ruby. “Who allowed you to come into this house?” The priestess’s cold eyes moved to her. “Should I go back? Perhaps you’ve

Five Hundred Years Ago The vampire disappeared right in front of their eyes. Eric hated it. It was the most annoying ability those cursed creatures had. When they knew it was a losing battle, they avoided all contact with werewolves. Because once a werewolf got their claws or fangs into their undead bodies, they couldn’t get away. With the vampire gone and the High Priestess done with her ritual, he rushed to the altar and fell to his knees. He unfastened the ropes around Ruby’s limbs and gathered her in his arms. Tears blurred his sight as he called her name, stroked her face, embraced her limp body close. She was gone. It felt like someone had reached into his chest and tore his heart out. How could he have such a connection to a human? He had never understood his feelings towards her. At twenty eight, he was yet to find his destined mate. He should have met her about a decade ago. He assumed she was already dead. Was that why he had been able to fall for her so hard?

Gwen’s POV I wake up in the middle of the night to strange sounds coming from the hallway. I sit up in bed and listen. When a feminine scream rends the air, I jump out of bed and rush for the door. When I get to the hallway, I see a woman outside Alexander’s door. She turns around when I appear, and on seeing me, rushes towards me. “Help me! They are trying to–” She comes to a sudden stop as a stricken look crosses over her face. She stumbles back, eyeing me with suspicion. “Are you one of them?” Phillip appears from Alexander’s room and I walk over, looking between him and the woman. She is human. “What is going on?” “Don’t worry about it,” he tells me. “Go back to sleep.” The woman is looking between us, pressing herself against the wall. I look at her. “It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you.” There’s only one reason a human would be in a vampire’s castle. But as long as I’m here, no one’s getting drained. She looks at me with wide, terrified eyes, unsure whether to trust me.