~Cassandra~
The Next MorningI awoke with an exuberant smile spreading across my face. Throughout the night, my dreams were filled with visions of Lucian, my soulmate. The memory of our initial meeting replayed in my mind, each detail etched vividly.He embodied everything I had ever longed for. Bursting with elation, I clutched my bedspread, pulling it over my head while kicking the air in excitement.As the night unfolded, we engaged in endless conversation, cherishing each other's presence. When Zoe and Frank mysteriously vanished, he gallantly offered to escort me home. The connection we shared was unmistakable, and I believed that he reciprocated the same intense emotions I held for him.‘I wish I had kissed him.’ I thought, running my fingers through my lips and giving my lower lips a slight bit.I rose from my bed and made my way to the window, pulling up the curtain to signal that I was already awake in case Zoe arrived and tried to wake me from outside.Upon reaching the kitchen, I poured myself another glass of water and took a sip. While drinking, I heard a knock on the door, accompanied by Zoe's voice."Hey there, early bird! You're up so soon, it's incredible," Zoe exclaimed.I chuckled with excitement and rushed to the door to greet her, eager to share my experience."Well, get ready for a story that will astonish you," I replied as I opened the door."Really? Is it about last night?" she asked eagerly, entering the living room."Yes!" I replied, joining her on the couch where she had settled."Wow, you seem really excited. Tell me everything!" she exclaimed."So... at the party, after you encouraged me to mingle, I gave it a try but wasn't successful. So, I ended up isolating myself and observing everyone from a distance. While I was watching, a remarkably attractive man approached me! Oh God... he's so handsome, Zoe," I narrated.Zoe's eyes widened with excitement as she listened attentively, nodding in encouragement for me to continue. “Tell me more! How tall is he? His voice, does he have a baritone voice? Does he have facial hair just like Frank?!” Her voice showed more excitement than mine.“It was dark, remember? But his voice… Oh God! So soothing! He was so sweet!”"He asked why I was alone, and I explained my situation. He sat beside me, held my hand, and kept me company throughout the entire night! I felt an intense connection between us, Zoe. You were right all along! I've found my mate.""Oh my... I'm thrilled for you, Cassie!!!" she screamed in excitement, embracing me tightly. I hugged her back, and together we laughed."I'm so sorry for leaving you alone. Frank and I were supposed to accompany you back home, but we got caught up in the festivities," she apologized sincerely, and I shook my head."No need to apologize, Zoe. Instead, I should thank you for convincing me to go to this party with you. Our walk back home was the loveliest of all. He spoke softly and was so mild with me. I never knew this is how it feels to be in love! To have a mate! I’m so excited, Zoe!" I exclaimed, hopping off the couch and standing in front of her, which made her burst into laughter."You describe him like he’s a god! I can’t wait to meet him! Tell me... what's his name?" she eagerly inquired."His name is..." I began to say, but our conversation was interrupted by another knock on the door. Zoe and I exchanged puzzled glances, wondering who it could be."Could it be Frank?" I questioned, and she shook her head in disagreement, equally perplexed.A sudden smile illuminated my face as I realized it might be Lucian, my mate. "It must be him, Zoe! Besides you and Frank, he's the only one who knows where I live," I whispered in excitement, feeling a mix of nerves and anticipation."Really? Go answer the door," Zoe responded with enthusiasm, reaching out to fix my hair with her fingers, wanting me to look presentable."Do I need to change?" I asked nervously, starting to fidget."No, Cassie. You look great as you are. Don't keep him waiting at the door," she reassured me.I nodded and hurriedly made my way to the door, wiping my hands anxiously on the fabric of my pajama pants.Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to see Lucian, dressed in a sharp black suit, standing on the other side. His vibrant hazel eyes sparkled as he greeted me with a warm smile.In his hand, he held a bouquet of exquisite roses. "Good morning, Cassandra. I hope I haven't disturbed your sleep," he greeted, prompting a smile and a shake of my head in response."I was already awake," I replied, feeling my face flush in his presence."I got this for you," he said, extending the bouquet towards me, his contented grin evident. "Really? Thank you so much, Lucian. Please come in," I expressed with genuine appreciation, accepting the bouquet with gratitude.As Lucian entered, I couldn't help but observe his confident demeanor. He emitted an aura of mystery and elegance that captivated and intrigued me. His well-fitted suit accentuated his tall, slender figure, and his hair was impeccably styled.His facial hair was well-groomed and neatly trimmed, adding a touch of sophistication to his appearance. It consisted of a well-defined beard that followed the natural lines of his jaw, complemented by a mustache that was equally well-maintained. The facial hair enhanced his features and gave him a distinguished and mature look."Thank you for inviting me in," Lucian expressed sincerely, his voice filled with appreciation. "I've been looking forward to spending more time with you since last night."A wave of butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I led Lucian into the living room. Grinning widely behind him, I eagerly anticipated Zoe's reaction upon seeing him.Unexpectedly, Zoe hastily stood up, a shocked and serious expression on her face as she bowed before him. "King Lucian," she uttered.“King?” I muttered in confusion, staring at both of them in bewilderment."King Lucian," Zoe repeated, her voice filled with reverence and awe. "I am honored to be in your presence."‘What is she saying?’ I pondered, waiting for an explanation from either of them.~Cassandra~ Still in shock, I turned to look at Lucian. His expression momentarily shifted, registering surprise at Zoe's reaction. His eyes widened, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He nodded graciously in acknowledgement of Zoe's greeting."Please, there's no need for formalities," Lucian replied, his voice carrying a warm and gentle tone. "You may simply call me Lucian."He turned to look at me and when he saw the shock on my face, he approached me. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this last night. I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” He apologized. As Lucian approached me, I could hardly find the words to respond. The realization that the person I had spent the previous evening with was actually a king left me in a state of bewilderment. However, his kind and apologetic demeanor began to ease the tension that had built within me.Taking a deep breath, I managed to gather my thoughts. "Lucian, I... I didn't expect this," I stammered, still trying to process
~Cassandra ~ ~After Two Weeks~ As the full moon rose high in the night sky, casting an ethereal glow over the enchanting forest, the werewolf community gathered to celebrate our momentous occasion- the union of King Lucian and I in our wedding ceremony. The chosen clearing in the heart of the forest had been beautifully adorned with a canopy of intertwined branches and delicate moonflowers. Their fragrance hung in the air, mingling with the anticipation and excitement that permeated every corner. Softly lit lanterns dangled from the trees, casting gentle flickering light across the scene.The guests, a diverse array of werewolves from various packs, arrived, each one radiating an aura of grace and power. They wore their finest attire, a harmonious blend of traditional and modern fashion. The vibrant moonlit scene was filled with elegant werewolves in flowing gowns and dashing suits, their eyes shimmering with the essence of the moon.It was the happiest day of my life. I was gett
~Cassandra~ As we made our way back to the palace, my mind was preoccupied with numerous thoughts. I continuously pondered where I had gone wrong.Upon reaching the house, Lucian accompanied me to the room and gently helped me lie down to rest. He dismissed all the maids, ensuring we had a moment of privacy together."How are you feeling now?" he inquired, his hands busy brushing my hair away from my face."I'm fine," I replied, hoping he wouldn't delve further into what had transpired the previous night. However, deep down, I knew it was unlikely."I'm relieved to have found you. What happened, Cassandra? I was so scared. I could barely breathe when I realized you were missing," he expressed, his face reflecting genuine concern."I'm sorry, Lucian. I was taken away from the party by Zoe," I fabricated, hoping he wouldn't uncover the truth and simply believe my words."She wanted us to spend one last night together before I fully embraced married life. I intended to inform you before
~Cassandra~ After our conversation, Zoe and I took a brief nap, and when we woke up, it was already evening. Zoe sat up, wearing a smile, and I followed suit.With a sigh, I expressed my fear to Zoe, saying, "Zoe, I'm scared. Starting my marriage with lies doesn't seem right, don't you think?" I wiped my face with my hand as I spoke."It's already done, Cassie. You've already lied to him. There's no turning back now. You have to act as if nothing happened and show him the wife he married," Zoe replied, reaching for my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.I let out another sigh and nodded. "He wants us to recreate our wedding night...""Then let's recreate it. Make love to him, Cassie. Even more passionately than last night. Be in love and let him help you forget what happened between you and the person you slept with," Zoe retorted, and I slowly nodded in agreement."But shouldn't I know who it was and why he resembled Lucian so much? If it was a spirit or a doppelganger, shouldn't I
~Cassandra~ After blowing off all the candles, I untied my robe and let it slip off my body. Lucian climbed onto the bed, slowly approaching me.Even in the darkness, I could see his figure illuminated by the moonlight streaming through his window.His eyes held a mix of desire, love, and lust. His fingers traced a slow path up my legs as he crawled towards me, sending tingles through my body.I locked my gaze with his, watching him draw nearer, each breath intensifying the moment. He leaned in, planting a kiss on my neck, his grip on the side of my head tightening gradually.I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, feeling an overwhelming sensation coursing through me. His kiss on my neck grew deeper, as if he wanted to leave his mark."Hmm," I moaned, gripping his head and pulling him up by his hair, bringing our faces together.Without hesitation, I captured his lips with mine, kissing him deeply and taking in his presence. Each peck lasted a long time, and I breathed heavily.Br
~Lucian~~The next day~ As the sun's rays pierced through the window of my chamber, I squinted and opened my eyes. The first thing that caught my blurry vision upon opening my eyes was Cassandra lying beside me. I blinked twice to bring clarity to the scene, and a smile instantly brightened my face.Even in her sleep, she exuded the same timeless beauty. Though I didn't want to disturb her peaceful slumber, I couldn't resist the temptation to touch her face. Gently running my fingers along the side of her face, she stirred slightly, tightening her eyes.A soft moan escaped her lips, accompanied by a gentle smile lighting up her face. "Good morning, sleeping beauty," I whispered, and she opened her eyes, still maintaining her smile. "Good morning, my handsome husband," she replied, causing a chuckle to escape me."If only you knew how incredible it feels to wake up with you by my side. It's the most wonderful sensation," I responded, and she reached out to touch my face, nodding i
~Lucian ~ We settled in the throne room, where I took a seat on the throne while Damian occupied one of the chairs to my right."I'm all ears," I said, propping my chin on my hands and gazing at him intently."Thank you, Lucian. As I mentioned earlier, I am Damian, your twin brother who was separated from you since birth. It all began before we were even born. King and Queen Walker were unable to have a child for many years, and they eventually decided to seek alternative means to secure an heir," he explained, and his story made me scoff."Are you suggesting that King Walker isn't my father?" I asked, feeling a strange mix of emotions towards him."I never said that. Can you please let me finish?" he requested, and I swallowed, nodding in agreement."The only reason I'm here talking to you is because of our striking resemblance," I murmured, leaning back. He nodded and resumed speaking."During the reign of King and Queen Walker, there was a maid named Melissa. The queen confided in
~Cassandra~ As I stood there, gazing at the man seated in the throne room, who bore an uncanny resemblance to my husband, memories of my encounter with the stranger came rushing back in an instant.The intensity with which he locked eyes with me spoke volumes, though I couldn't fully comprehend its meaning. And when he called out my name, everything seemed to fall into place.It was the same way the stranger had addressed me back in the hut."He is that stranger," I thought, hastily making my way out of the throne room and rushing to my own quarters.Entering the room, I slammed the door shut behind me, leaning against it for support as my heart raced and a multitude of thoughts flooded my mind.Looking at him, I sensed a peculiar yet undeniable connection. I didn't need anyone to confirm that he was the stranger I had spent that night with in the woods, but it left me with even more questions."Why is he here? Who is he to Lucian? Why are they so alike? Why did he do what he did to
~Cassandra~ ~After A Year~ “Good morning!” I heard Zoe’s loud voice from my slumber, causing me to tighten my eyes in discomfort.“Wake up! I have good news!” She continued talking in a loud voice and even jumped on my bed, forcing my eyes open. “Shhh! You’ll wake Darian up!” I mumbled, hastily throwing a glance at the baby bed that was placed not so far from my bed. He was the first person I was concerned about. “Relax, Cassie. Damian and Lucian are playing with him already. He woke up and began to cry so they took him away before he could wake you up.” Zoe further explained, and I raised my eyebrows. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize he wasn’t here. I was up all through the night because he kept wanting to eat.” I grumbled, lifting my body off the bed and sitting up. “Well, for the tenth time in three months, welcome to motherhood,” Zoe answered, causing me to smile. Three months ago, I conceived and gave birth to Darian. Everyone in the kingdom was happy. We finally have such
~ Lucian ~ When we got closer to the palace, I realized that the people who had left before had arrived again. Bernard must have sent some of his people to summon them. Deep down, I wanted to break free and teach him a lesson, but somehow, I felt extremely weak. I was a Lycan, why wouldn’t I summon the wolf in me? While tied to the church, I tried too hard to reach that locked-up power inside of me, but it was so hard, I couldn’t even brush the surface. It wasn’t really surprising because I never really used that part of me. I never found any reason to, and now it seemed like it was gone. Like my Lycan power was dead completely. I also couldn’t believe I chose to trade my throne for Cassandra’s life. At the point of death, I realized I still loved her and saw her as my wife, regardless of everything that had happened between us. The soldiers that went with us were armed and more in number compared to the guards at the palace. I knew they had no chance right from when I set my ey
~Sara~ “I hired Sara and Agatha to act like my family so that we could execute our plans better. The fact is, I am single, but I won’t mind having your wife as my queen when I inherit the throne.” Bernard uttered with a smirk. “Go f**k yourself.” Lucian spat angrily. I couldn’t look them in the eyes because I knew they were disappointed, and they hated me already. I kept my head lowered as I let my guilt taunt me. “I think I’ve done enough talking. We need to get down to business.” Bernard uttered. “Now to you…” He added, making his way back to the bed where Cassandra lay. “Your life is tied to whatever Lucian wants.” He uttered, raising his hand to touch her hair. “Don’t you dare touch her!” Lucian growled, causing Bernard’s hand to hang in the air. “I hate you,” Cassandra mumbled, staring at him in a disgusted manner. “Well, I never liked you. So here is what we are going to do. We are going to match down to the kingdom right now, call everyone together, and then you’ll anno
~Damian~ Getting to the house where Sara told me to hide in the meantime, I wasn’t at rest. Something felt so wrong, but I found it so hard to figure it out. I couldn’t stop thinking about Cassie and the palace as a whole. What was going on? Was it a good idea to run off in such a heated moment? Shouldn’t I have taken Cassie along with me? That guilty thought and part of me kept resurfacing. And I couldn’t help but feel bad. It was like I ran away from the problem that was looming around those I love. I felt like a coward. Heaving out a deep sigh, I raised my head and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what I was going to do next. ‘If Cassie doesn’t get here in the next forty-eight hours, then I have to return to the palace. Hopefully, Lucian won’t ask for my head on a platter of gold.’ While I was lost in thoughts, trying to cook up my next big plan, a knock came on the door. Surprised and excited, I sprang to my feet and ran to the door. “Cassie?” I called, opening the d
~Cassandra~ I felt disgusted as Bernard exposed his tobacco-damaged teeth when he smiled. I should have always suspected him. I should have always known that something was so fishy about them. How they came into our lives was pretty suspicious. But who could have imagined it would turn out like this? Damian came into our lives the same way, and he’s one of the reasons I’m still fighting to stay alive. “What do you mean by that? What games are you trying to play, Uncle…” “I told you I’m not your uncle! Call me Bernard! And I’m playing no games. This is reality. The earlier you realize that the better for you.” He disrespectfully cut Lucian’s short, letting him choke on his own words. In awe, Lucian turned to look at me, and I shook my head, feeling so bad for us. “Fine. If you’re not my uncle, then can you please tell me who you are?” Lucian retorted, trying to keep on that bold, masculine look, but I could perceive that this layer was pretty thin. He was going to lose it any m
~Bernard~ I headed back to the palace after Cassandra opened her eyes. Before I fetch Lucian, I need to do one more thing. I needed to convince the people that I was the right king for them. After that, I need him to come in front of the people and renounce his throne to the people. Hopefully, he was going to cherish his life and that of his wife so that that would happen. Getting back to the palace, I saw the people were beginning to exit the building. They still murmured things to each other nonstop. When some of them saw me, they diverted their attention to me. “Where were you, Mr. Bernard? We expected you to be in the hall too so that you can support our claims. You were the one that told us everything that has been happening. Why didn’t you show up?” One of the elderly men spoke up. “Yes, that is true. You should have been there to call him a liar to his face. How do you prove to me that you’re the one we want when you were absent?” Another woman added. “Relax, everyone. I
~Sara~ After making sure we were very far from the kingdom, I stopped running. Damian also stopped and turned to look at me. “What’s wrong? Why did you stop?” He asked, our chests rising and falling due to our intense breathing. “I need to go back. No one can know I snuck out with you. But I need you to keep going. Don’t look back.” I warned him, and he nodded. “Remember your promise, Sara. You promised me you’d help Cassie too.” He retorted, and I gulped hard and nodded slowly. “Yes, I will.” I lied. How was I supposed to help her? My father got her already and there was no going back this time. Only the gods could shift the death lurking around her. “Okay. Thank you, Sara. I’ll be in the house you prepared. Bye.” He uttered as he took to his heels again. Watching him leave, a relieved sigh escaped my lips. I was so glad I could save him from my parents. He had been so nice to me and I wasn’t going to take it for granted. I had described the path to our former kingdom to him,
~Lucian~ “We want another king! Give us another king!” The persistent voices of the people pierced the door of the hall where they were, hitting my earbuds mercilessly. Shaking off the fear that began to rise in me, I occupied my mind with the words that I had planned to say to them. I kept repeating the words in my head as I walked into the hall. The voices of the people multiplied greatly when they saw me, and it seemed like if I wasn’t very careful, they were going to pounce on me. Even though guards surrounded me, it didn’t seem like enough protection. I raised my hand, hoping to see if they still had little regard for me, and I wasn’t disappointed. The roaring and murmurings stopped instantly. “Thank you,” I uttered in a loud voice before I proceeded to what exactly I wanted to say. “Good evening, people of this kingdom! Your complaints have reached my ears, and I think it’s only fair that you let me share my own side of the story too, don’t you think?” I asked, and I got a
~Cassandra~ I headed to Lucian’s chamber with so many thoughts running through my head. How were we supposed to handle the situation on ground? I knew Lucian wasn’t his best self, but I still needed to talk to him about Damian too. I hated that Damian was locked up in a cell for no reason. Getting to his chamber, I walked in and met him pacing at the cover of his study. “Lucian,” I called, but he ignored me and kept pacing. I heaved a sigh and moved closer to him. “Can you stop pacing? You’re making me dizzy.” I retorted, causing him to abruptly stop. “What do you want?” He asked in a cold manner, keeping his gaze off me. “What are we going to do now? I don’t understand what has come over these people anymore. Are we not going to do something?” I asked worriedly, and he scoffed, finally looking at me. “What do you want me to do, huh? I know you all are happy with how everything is going. You don’t have to pretend like you are worried.” He responded and continued his pacing aga