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Born with the eyes as crimson as blood and as deadly as her fathers, Manon was treated differently at birth than other cubs. Dorian, the kind and loving king, took pity on her villainous appearance and allowed her to stay, but her sister would have to leave. Manon's mother, Aileen, however, did not take pity on her. She much rather would have preferred her sister stay than Manon. Aileen, young and impressionable herself, rejected Manon as her cub after glancing at what she had created. The mating had been arranged by Dorian with an ally king to create beautiful cubs for the pride, but Aileen's unwillingness to participate took a toll on her cubs.
Manon is to be raised by the broodmother and the more accepting lionesses, such as Vitani; whom do not believe she is the monster she or her mother believes she is. Manon spends most of her time in the shadows, watching everyone. She often watches her mother interact with the sub male, Kopa, and is slowly beginning to understand her place in all this.
She has been befriended by Oxford, whom Manon has seen as ignored in the prides the most, and is seen as just another young lioness waiting to bred. Manon wonders what will happen if the younger lionesses don't produce beautiful cubs, and what will become of the pride when the new king takes his place on the throne.
Manon is sure Kopa is not the heir, but she wonders if the king will appoint a new one in time for his death. She wonders where her place will be on all this. She is rapidly becoming the new age of lionesses in the pride, and as the older ones age, she will soon have to take her rightful place. Manon plans to prove her goodness through her hunting and tracking skills, as well as maybe even becoming a broodmother to prove how kind and gentle she can be. However, something brews inside Manon that she cannot see in herself as such a young lioness, but a darkness surrounds her, and it seems only near death Nehemia and cold hearted Mgeni have noticed.
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