“You haven’t said much. I know this must all be pretty overwhelming for you.” I nearly jump at the sound of Aleksander’s voice in the limo that speeds through the streets of Morriganis City. A stray beam of light catches his black locks of hair as I turn his way. He is impressive to stare at, from his thick muscular chest to his powerful thighs. I’ve thought about him so many times since what happened at the black market, since he held me on the roof and told me I was worth everything. He loves me, and he never says it in those words but in his actions, in the way he is with me. Still, hearing those words would help fix something broken inside me, that part of me that truly believes I am not worthy. “We can talk about it. I mean I’m here, if you need someone. Finding out not only that the Gods are still watching you for the Rite and you must fight again, but the fact you have an aunt. It sounds like she has been trying to help you.”
There is only Aleksander, Annie and Hollis in the car. The others have gone in the third limo that came for us, my aunt in the first with two guards. “I’m not that surprised she’s my aunt. She looks like my mother, but I am shocked she is alpha female.”I clear my throat. “We can’t trust her. She seems as calculating as my mother once was.”
“I agree. What do you suggest we do?” Hollis asks. “Your move, Gwen.”
“I don’t know, but I want to ask questions, beginning with the Vian prince she has at her side. He is acting like a bodyguard.” I frown, thinking how that could be possible.
“He’s been coming to me since I was a child,” Annie quietly admits. “I’ve always seen him like a shadow, just in the corner of my eye, not really sure he was there, but he appeared sometimes. I didn’t tell anyone because I was worried I would be called mad, or worse, not believed. When Kos died, he became more real, like an actual person, and it scared me. We actually had conversations; he was there in Kos’s house and in the academy. I did not know he was a prince, and it only makes it worse. Anyway, he took me from the academy.”
I touch her hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t come for you. I couldn’t find you this time. I was worried Georgina had done something, but I wasn’t sure how to get to you or even where to find you. Hollis confirmed that if you’d been in the Vian’s hands, the king would have definitely used you to get to me.”
Annie squeezes my hand. “It’s not your job to rescue me, not when you’ve got so much going on, bestie. I’m glad you’re here now, though. For the record, he didn’t once hurt me, and neither did anyone here. They kept me in a locked apartment and well fed. I couldn’t leave, but maybe it was for the best. I was told about Starlight…” She drifts off. “I’m so sorry. For it all.”
“Georgina is my twin sister,” I whisper. “And she used me to kill hundreds of thousands of innocents.”
Annie’s eyes fill with tears as the limo comes to a stop, right outside the dagger-like tower with the Gods’ message to me on the front. “That bitch doesn’t deserve to be related to you.”
“For a long time now, blood has never been the family that has been kind to me. It’s always been the family I chose for myself. Like you.” I nod. “Georgina made her own choice, and there isn’t a way to fix the past.”
Aleksander gets out first before giving me his hand to help me out. Hollis and Annie get out as the third limo pulls up and the others climb out. Onyx and Finnegan join us with equal looks of hesitation. My aunt waves to the doors before turning and heading inside, leaving us with little choice but to follow her into the posh building.
There are three elevators in a large square room, with a receptionist at a desk to the left. We pass one massive pool of light blue water in the centre, covered in lily pads and stone frog statues sitting under the water. The floors are shiny white and match the walls too. My aunt’s heels click against the floor as we walk in. I feel grubby and dirty in damp clothes as I follow her through the sparkling clean space. All I can do is tuck my hair behind my ears and try to ignore how I feel.
Thankfully, the elevator is big enough for all of us to fit in easily. It’s still tense as we go up the twelve floors, and I’m glad when the doors click open, leading to an apartment. There’s a set of glass doors, with two rangers guarding. They bow their heads and open the doors for my aunt.
She walks through, and we all follow her into the spacious apartment. It’s all open plan with huge sofas in a lower part of the room with one step down, like a sunken living room, and there’s little to no personalisation. Massive panes of glass that look over the city in nearly every direction let in the only colour to the room.
“My apartment’s just one floor above this. This will be yours for as long as you wish.” She looks at Annie. “You can use your old apartment?—”
“I’ll stay with them,” Annie cuts her off. Her cheeks burn. “I mean, if that’s okay, Alpha Female.”
“None of the Alpha Female title. We’re friends and family, and there is no need for it.” She looks back at us. “If you want to tidy up, there’s been clothes set out for you in preparation for your arrival. I believe you’re missing one of your mates. Will we be expecting him?”
“No,” I say flatly. “Neither of my other two mates will be coming here anytime soon.”
“That’s unfortunate. Anybody out there is just someone that you can be blackmailed with if the king gets their hands on them. But clean up, and then?—”
I stop her from walking away. “Wait.” She pauses and arches an eyebrow in a way my mother used to do. It hurts something in my chest. “I’ve got way too many questions to let you walk out right now. I don’t care about my clothes being wet and cold. I will not feel remotely comfortable staying here until you’ve answered them.”
“Alright.” She steps down into the seating area and perches on the arm of the nearest sofa, crossing her arms. My mates stay close to me but hover around the room. Annie sits on another sofa, which seems to let her sink in. “What questions do you have that are burning your interest right this moment?”
“The Rite of Freedom cannot be done outside of Starlight City because of the land. So why is it here?” I demand. “Why did the Gods write that?”
“It cannot be done outside the Starlight City. But there’s one case where someone was put on trial here, and he asked for the Rite of Freedom to avoid death. The Gods agreed on it with a mark, just like they did with you, and when it came to it, portals opened all over the city to the amphitheatre. The very one that you’ve done the Rite in previously,” she explains. “We presume that will happen one more time for you.”
“And who was that man who survived?” I demand. “I did the Rite to be free in Starlight, but now it’s gone. What is the point?” I ask, making my way to sit next to Annie.
My aunt taps her fingers on her upper arm. “History can be warped and create many lies depending on who tells the tale. We have many stories of the survivor, but I am not sure what is true. Only that he lived through all five rites, and he was given a gift, along with his freedom. I do not know what this gift is. No one does.”
“Does Severi know you’re here?” I turn my eyes to the Vian prince.
“My brother and I haven’t spoken in a while. Though I heard you saved him. That I am thankful for.” His voice is as deep as I’d expect. From the corner of my eye, I see Annie tense. “He knows nothing of this city and its peace between Nexus and Vian. I came here to serve the alpha in their desire to make a safe haven where both races can live in peace. I found an alpha female who is to be respected, and she has done that. I am only a few months younger than my brother; it was a race for which one of us would be born first and be heir. I am glad my brother won that title, as he garnered my father’s attention. The moment I was old enough, I brought my mother here, and I have stayed since.”
I don’t know what to say.
Onyx clears his throat. “You want us to believe that this is some kind of city of peace between two races that have been at war for a long time? How did no one else know? When my father spoke of this city, he said it was a city of creative fools who were better left alone.”
My aunt stands, facing Onyx, and rests her hands on her hips as she answers, alpha to alpha. “We want to show the world that it is possible for our races to live in peace, to love and have families. I don’t believe the ancient wars should affect everyone’s fate any longer, and we do not need to fight. Thiscity is proof that it is possible.” My aunt looks around the room. “We’ve always hidden away for our safety, refusing everyone who applied to the city. We never let any people in or out for a reason, and now you know it. The truth here is special, peaceful, and I thought protecting it would keep us safe. It won’t.” She smiles softly at me. “Being what you are, you’ll fit right in, Gwen. Half Vian and half Nexus. To the outside world, we call the Vian enemies. Inside our own borders is a different story entirely. It’s where your mother met your biological father, did you know that?”
