RykerThe afternoon meeting with the warriors was finished and the patrol teams had made it back safely.Arnold and I were walking back in silence. To say the atmosphere between us was tense was a damn understatement. I had hardly spoken to my twin brother ever since we went together to meet with the warriors of our pack, other than a greeting.It was a shame we were not in agreement over so many things that we would fight this badly, but this was categorically not my fault. It was Arnold who was always so reactive and had lashed out in the way he did.I expected the walk back would be just as quiet, when Arnold cleared his throat out of the blue.“You must be glad, Ryker,” he sounded accusatory. “Selene has been difficult to console all morning. That you would abandon our Lady like that, when she has done so much for us, and hand on to that girl… it’s such a shame, brother.”I could tell he was holding back a lot of anger from the way that his tone sounded biting even when he tried t
RomanI walked down the hallway towards the Alpha Ryker’s study. I hadn’t come here since the surprise party - at least it was a surprise to me - where Keileigh was announced to be their mate.I grit my teeth and tried to not appear too upset by the thought of those events. I had not expected Alpha Ryker to be so spontaneous and act that way. If I had an idea that would happen I would have found a way to convince Keileigh to instead stay by my side.Mate bond be damned, I would have never let Alpha Ryker or Alpha Arnold touch her.But no matter.This was just another reason for me to bring the two brothers down by force and destroy everything they held dear.I got to the door of the study and was about to open it but my hand stopped halfway when I heard Ryker’s voice.He was speaking about… jewelry?I continued to listen and then heard him order Kara to bring a jeweler here, likely to get something made for Keileigh.I scowled at the thought. Show off. Did he think he could simply win
KeileighThe warmth of the afternoon combined with how comfortable the chair was, made my body feel relaxed and my eyes heavy.I shifted in my seat, forcing myself to stay awake through sheer will. I hated having naps these days, because of the nightmares I had been having.Therefore I did whatever I could to keep myself occupied. Normally Roman would have shown up by now but perhaps he was busy today for he didn’t even come by to check up on me.The afternoon, try as hard as I might was quickly becoming boring. At least, I thought to myself, eyeing the book I had tried to finish reading but dropped a couple of minutes later, Alpha Arnold and Selene hadn’t been a black spot in my morning today.At least I had gone longer without hearing their snide remarks about me, especially Selene’s that often seemed worse than Arnold’s at times. At least with Arnold he never hid his true emotions in public. But with the self-acclaimed Lady of the House, she had a small smile on her face most times
KeileighI was speechless; what could one say to that? At first I wanted to laugh so much that I felt it bubbling up. But quickly enough as it came it also died down.The realization that Roman, my best friend from my childhood and the only one I could count in, really had meant what he just said, slowly dawned on me.“Roman…” I said his name and covered my lips with my mouth. What could I say to him.His eyes stared insistently into me. I could feel the weight of his gaze, burning into me.“Keileigh, say something. Whatever you want to say, say it and I won’t get upset,” he insisted.“I don’t know what to say,” I replied. “This is too much. This could get complicated very fast.”“You mean with the two Alphas,” Roman reasoned, and I didn’t bother to correct him just yet. How else could I tell him it wasn’t just that? My past was also after me - Alpha Jake who I had given my heart to and he had played with it… and how my actions had caused my father’s death, and the destruction of my p
RomanShe was quiet, but I could tell she was incredibly confused and conflicted on what to do.I many emotions showed on her face and I knew it was time for me to leave.Later, I would make her make a decision but for now, it wouldn’t do to push her too strongly.“I have to gobble,” I said in a soft tone to her, before leaning in to press a kiss against her forehead. She didn’t push me away which made me smile inwardly. “Really think about what I have said, Keileigh. And no matter what, I be here.”With that I stood and walked out of the room, only to freeze.Kara was standing right in front of me. My mind raced. Did she come here to see Keileigh on Ryker’s orders? Did she hear anything? I really hoped that she didn’t.“Ah, Beta Roman,” Kara broke the silence. “Is Keileigh busy?”“Keileigh is resting,” I decided to mention, to dissuade her form going to see Keileigh now. If she saw her in such a dazed state she might think that something happened and that would make its way to Ryker,
SeleneTo say that I was pissed off to see that Keileigh was leaving Ryker’s office was an understatement.A maid had come to my room about ten minutes ago, to inform me that Ryker had brought the jeweler here and of course, I had assumed it was for me. Who else in this mansion was more deserving of jewels than me?And so I had rushed here only to find that Keileigh was leaving the study with that old maid Kara walking with her. The girl seemed surprised to see me there and it made me all the more angry. I boiled with anger as she Keileigh murmured a greeting and walked away but my eyes followed her as a sneer was on my face.I clenched her teeth in a hiss and tried not to appear too flustered or angry. I had questions on my mind and I would have Ryker answer them. For one what was that bag that Kara was holding? Had Ryker purchased something for THAT GIRL?He had better not, not when he had barely given me any jewelry as a present. It was Arnold who spent more on me, even when all I
KeileighBack in the safety of the bedroom I had grown used to staying in, I began to think again, my thoughts the only company I had at the moment.The velvet bag sat on the vanity table, waiting for me to open it. I stared at it for a long time before forcing myself to look away.“This is just so complicated,” I whispered out loud, feeling the pressure around me tighten.First the two Alphas had brought me trouble and conflicted emotions, especially Ryker. Now Roman.My own childhood best friend… had confessed his feelings for me.And… what did I feel about it? What COULD I feel about it, when I didn’t know if I could ever love or trust anyone romantically ever again.A voice proclaimed in my head lid and clear, ’But this was ROMAN we’re talking about. Not some other guy who you don’t know from a young age. Roman has always brought you comfort and you never had a reason to not trust him, right?’I closed my eyes briefly and let out a deep sigh. Opening them, my eyes were drawn once
Ryker“She’s here, Alpha Ryker.”The maid that had announced Keliegh’s arrival left just as quickly with a bow as I nodded at her. I saw Keileigh step in through the door looking around in wonder. She lad likely not been in this part of the mansion before and it pleased me to be the first one to show it to her.My eyes flitted over her body briefly - she looked absolutely radiant to say the least. But my wonder was quickly accompanied with disappointment as soon as I noticed she wore a simple silver necklace to go with the dress.I thought of the gold jewelry I had picked out for her and wondered if she hadn’t liked it after all. Had she just been acting to be nice when she let me get it for her?I masked my emotions with a smile and reached out my hand to her as our eyes met.“I hope you had a good rest,” I said to her, taking her small delicate hand and leading her to the table where a feast lay for us to eat.The mate bond that we shared burned brighter in my chest more than ever.I
KeleighI looked at Arnold and even though he was injured, I felt little to no pity for him, I stared at him with no remorse in my eyes, eyeing him disdain my. Jake was arrested and we headed back home. Jake was beyond shocked that things would take a turn like that in such short time.A couple of minutes ago, I was doubting if I would live again and he was acting all powerful, just like the same way he did in the beginning, making everyone asides him look like a weakling only to end up as one. A few hours ago, my life was in his hands but in such a short time, his life ended up in my hands. How sweet it was for the tables to be turned!Arnold was not comfortable throughout the journey and Ryker did try to ask what was going on with him. I wished I could expose him but I wanted him to confess his own sins himself.The whole pack jubilated the moment we returned. We had left sorrowfully, not on our own accord but now, we were returning victoriously and happily.Arnold barely smiled as e
KeleighI was not myself anymore. I wished death would embrace me with its cold arms but I also wished to see Ryker one last time. I had gone through so much in just a short time of being there.I had been ill-treated and locked away from everyone else. Alpha Jake did confess to me that the only purpose why he tried to come back for me was because he knew the type of power that was in me and had come for it. I was dazed.I guess Ryker was the only one who genuinely cared about me. I had continually wait each day for death when I suddenly got to know that the pack was being attacked. I had no idea what was going on but my heart raced so hard as I feared something could have happened to me.All the guards that watched over the prisoners had gone out as well to check what was going on and had begun to battle just like everyone else. We were however able to release ourselves.My joy knew no bounds the moment I got to know that Alpha Ryker was up and healthy once again. To my greater surpr
~KeleighEverything did seem off and strange. First, it was Arnold’s confession down to his actions and now, Roman's speech?I was confused and I was beginning to lose my mind. I had no idea of what was going on but I sure did know that I was not going insane.They were trying so hard to make me feel like I was losing my sanity and I knew I was not. I was heartbroken at the fact that everyone had decided to make me feel miserable.I wanted to thank Roman for advising me the first time about the brothers even though I had turned deaf ears to him but again, I remembered he had played a great role in making everything complicated.My whole world was spinning and it felt like I was not going to survive it. I was just not myself. I did not feel so good. I looked up at Roman. How could he betray me once again? I guess I had been such a fool to trust him that much. I should not have listened to him. I had no idea what the arrangement between him and Arnold was but seeing Arnold on the floor,
~KeleighMy whole seemed to be coming to an end the moment I got to know that he had been abducted. I had never felt so scared and worried in my entire life like I did over the few days that passed. First, it was Selene trying to hurt me and kill me.My soul had left my body the moment the knife was placed on my neck. I was even more shocked or perhaps, startled when I got to know that she was the one. She was the last person I expected to see. How had she escaped? How had she come into my room? How had she know where I was staying? How had she been able to access me?I had so many questions ringing through my head at the same time but the one that yelled at me the most was if I was going to die without seeing Ryker ever again. I would be so hurt and so shattered never to see him again.That had however given me the strength to fight her back and it had turned into a wrestle. I would rather die trying than not attempting at all. That would hurt me the most.Thankfully, Arnold and Ryke
~ArnoldI had not been happy with the development that was happening at the pack.“Alpha Arnold….” Roman had called out to me one night. I had begun to contemplate on what to do but nothing seemed to cross my mind. I just could not let her go so easily. I had to do something about it.“What do you want?” I questioned, turning my back to him. I expected him to leave but he was hell bent on coming to me even further.“I do not want you here. You should leave now while you have the chance. I just want you to…”“I can help you.” He suddenly spoke, causing me to arch my brows. I did not expect to hear any of what he had just said.“Help me? For what?”There was definitely no way he would have an idea of what was going on with me so what help was he talking about?“I know everything. I know you want Kaleigh to yourself. Not because you like or love her but….” He looked around suspiciously. “only because you are interested in her power.” He whispered. I feigned ignorance at first. I could no
KeleighHis words were quite surprising but I decided not to take it to heart. I tried so hard to not think of all he had said but the words kept coming and resounding over and over and over again. He could not be kept behind bars no matter what he did?My mind drifted off to the day I asked Ryker to put him behind bars and how much he had defended him. Could it be true? I shook the thoughts out of my mind immediately. It was not possible. I could tell Ryker cared for me more than Arnold did or was it the other way round?Perhaps, because I liked Ryker even more, I believed he cared for me more? No, not at all. I shook my head. I wasn’t going to let him manipulate me. I knew he was quite manipulative but what could be his gain at that point?He claimed he was no longer interested in me. Being with Arnold would not be of any help to him neither would me being with Ryker be of any disadvantage to him. Was he really acting that way because he cared about me as a friend?Roman was quite d
~KeleighI missed him so much. I hated the fact that I could not see him when I wanted to. I had no idea why he suddenly became so busy but I was quite hurt that he was away from me. Arnold did try to make me feel better numerous times but it just could not compare.I didn’t feel the connection I felt with Ryker. The bond just wasn’t there. He did try to send me gifts to perhaps, make me feel better but it just wasn’t working. I missed Ryker so much. I would constantly stay close to the court even though the guards would sometimes try to stop me from going any closer. If they hadn’t stopped me most times, I could have gone in there to meet him most of the times. I wasn’t comfortable with his absence anymore.“Ryker is trying to get his mind off you.” Roman suddenly walked up to me one afternoon while I was all alone in the garden. I rolled my eyes, immediately disgusted by his presence. Why was it so hard for him to understand that I did not want to have anything to do with him? Why c
~ArnoldI had been quite busy with all that was going on in the pack yet all I was doing was in the interest of the pack. Ryker had been unresponsive like before and had left all the major tasks of the pack to me. All he did was stayed with Keleigh while leaving me with all other important things.Keleigh on the other hand was no longer interested in me. She paid even more attention to Ryker and treated me like I did not exist. I tried so hard to make her see me even more but she seemed to be very busy to not care about me, not even for once.“The necklace sure does look quite good on me, does it not?” Keleigh questioned, a smile on her face. She seemed quite excited but it did shatter my heart. With excitement, she zoomed off.I watched in silence as she walked away and Ryker did have a smile on his face as he watched her walk away.“She is very beautiful, is she not?” he questioned, probably still daydreaming. I was not in the mood for all that so I crossed my hands behind him and w
~RomanI was quite disappointed in the fact that things were not going my way. I could not get Keleigh out of the pack. The security had been quite tighter and I could not get close to her.Every of the maids and guards were being monitored. No one was allowed to go out of the pack neither was anyone allowed to move freely. A lot of thoughts crossed my mind all at the same time.I had to get her out no matter how hard I tried. Keleigh had tried to keep an eye on me and I could tell I was being monitored by her hence I tried everything within my power to make sure I stayed out of her reach. My appearance in public had reduced. I knew I had to do something to get out of the whole mess I had gotten into.When she was attacked and claimed I knew about the attack, I was quite surprised. Of course, I had the intentions to get her out but I had not done anything. I just wanted her to be safe as well. I had to do everything within my power to make sure I got her out.At first, I believed Jake