The Wolf of Oren-Yaro Quotes

“Our special for today is pork bone stew,” the manager said.

“Pork bone stew sounds excellent,” I said. “Rayyel could use a spine.”

“Is heartless shrew on the menu?” Rai asked without batting an eye.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“Betrayal has a funny way of turning your world upside-down. As familiar as I had already been with it by that point, it still amazed me how far I could stretch that moment of denial. The thought of what had been—of what could yet be—persisted. Perhaps it is not the same for most people. Perhaps, when you love less, it is easier not to let the emptiness become a cavern from which you could no longer see the sun.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“None of it mattered. My duties were far from over. A wolf of Oren-yaro fights to make it right, down to the last breath. A wolf of Oren-yaro does not beg. A wolf of Oren-yaro suffers in silence”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“I found it hard to believe that Rai used his charm to pull off such a feat—the man was about as charismatic as the bottom of a chamber pot.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“So as we buried Warlord Tal in silence while the rest of the nation celebrated the Dragonlord's ascent, let them bury me in scandal; let them carry the sound of my name with distaste. Let them speak ill of the bitch queen who brought ruin to the land with the same gilded tongue they praised the uncrowned king who was just as responsible.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“Time had taken those children and left behind these aging vessels, doomed to continue down the path of yesterday’s mistakes.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“They called me “bitch”, the she-wolf, because I murdered a man and made my husband leave the night before they crowned me.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“Decisions congregate with emotion; one moment you are certain of yourself, the next you are standing where you once swore you never would. And then you must pick up your life where it fell, dust it off, and pretend that you knew what you were doing. Pretend that profound wisdom can be somehow gleaned from pride.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“Remind me," I murmured, "why a single moment is enough to outweigh the rest. Why fickle tempers rule over steadfast hearts.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“One time, over half of my warlords refused to attend a summit because I had failed to properly address them by the decorative titles my father had doled out like candy after the war: Minister of Horses, Master of Archery, Commissioner of Arts. Titles that had no weight in the council, because to be part of the council one actually needed to do some work. The warlords didn’t even have the decency to inform me they felt slighted. If I had known they would throw such massive sulks beforehand, I would’ve gone and made up extra titles just to please them. I’ve always wanted to use Secretary of the Dung Heap.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“I sat on one of the sofas, pretending I wasn’t disconcerted by the music, which paused long enough for a new, more sorrowful tune to play out. I twiddled my thumbs. I stared at the fish and named it “Sparky.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“Five years of regret has a funny way of fermenting inside someone—like wine, it had only gained potency over the years.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“I was a different man, then…one full of anger and regrets. Now, only the regrets remain.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“Duty? Don’t tell me I don’t know duty. I know it like the back of my hand, like the breath of air from my lungs. I know it better than my own mother, and in the thick uncertainty of that dark room, I held on to it like a sharpened blade. The blood running through my fingers? Inconsequential.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“Remind me,” I murmured, “why a single moment is enough to outweigh the rest. Why fickle tempers rule over steadfast hearts.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“You could not be queen and wife and queen and mother at the same time. There were always sacrifices to make, and none of us can be more than one person. Something had to give.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“Who of your followers are loyal to you – truly you, and not just the idea you represent?”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“...you can't rely on things to remain the same. You always have to be ready for change, adjust the sails as the wind comes.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“We grow up, and some of us think we learn, but the truth is we would rather listen to our own lies for as long as there is a sliver of hope that they would turn out correct after all.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“The loss does not diminish the love.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“Perhaps, when you love less, it is easier not to let the emptiness become a cavern from which you could no longer see the sun.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“Betrayal has a funny way of turning your world upside-down.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“Loneliness and desperation can push even the best of us off the edge.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“You can't rely on things to remain the same way. You always have to be ready for change, to adjust the sails as the wind comes.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“The reality of ruling is complex.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“There was more to being a leader than cutting down enemies.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“...the truth is we would rather listen to our own lies for as long as there is a sliver of hope that they would turn out correct after all. There is nothing wrong with it. Will the world run on cynicism? What would happen if we all started hating each other every chance we got?”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“Your husband is a vile waste of air. How can you possibly love a man like that?”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“We see marriage as the final step. Until we can fully commit ourselves to our duties, we don't marry.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro

“One can't be too careful these days. I've been knifed by women before."

I nodded, as if this was perfectly normal conversation. "Were you, perhaps, being inappropriate?"

"Gods, no! There's just some very violent people in these parts.”
― K.S. Villoso, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro