“What did he do?” Koa asked with eyes that spoke of danger.I had wondered when he would ask. Since I drew the line with him long ago, reminding him that we were mere partners and not friends, he stopped asking. Even when I mentioned taking Cassius’ life, he never asked about the dual life I led pretending to love a man while planning to kill him. He never asked but today, I suppose he could not help himself.When I broke through my window and ran from Cassius, I did not turn back. The only sound I heard was the sound of my heartbeat as I covered ground as fast as my legs could carry me. I did not know where I was going and I did not care, merely focusing on getting away.My legs carried me home. The home I abandoned when I chose to be Cassius’ mate. The home I was all too happy to leave in what I had thought would be the beginning of my happiness. My father’s house, a place that felt like my cage, one which I desperately wanted to escape. Even now, the heavy black gates appeared inti
“Alpha, he has refused to leave,” one of Koa’s enforcers said. “He insists he must see Miss Adelard.” “Throw him into the dungeons,” Koa responded without raising his head. “And ask the kitchen to start dinner.”“I will see him,” I cut in.Alpha Koa and I were in his study. While I went over the documents about Slater, he did his work. It was a peaceful environment that made me forget about Cassius for a while but he would not be the bane of my existence if he did not show up a short while later. How he knew to find me here, I would like to ask.“I would rather you not,” Koa said with an unwavering gaze at me. I held that gaze, watching as he wrinkled the papers he had been working on with gritted teeth. When I did not turn away, he sighed, falling back into his seat. “You are too stubborn for your own good.”“Whether now or in the future, I have to face him.” I squared my shoulders, ignoring my racing heart. “I would like to get it over with now.”“Fine. Let him in.” Koa said, word
That same evening, the Luna Queen sent for me. She received me without a smile on her face, her eyes hard as she stared at me.“I gave you a choice,” she said immediately after I entered. “Do you understand what you are doing?” Her gaze narrowed.Her eyes were sunken, something her makeup could not cover, and her jaw worked as she ground her teeth.“What have I done?” I tilted my head to the side. “I am confused.”“You may be a smart child but I am not a person you want to play games with. Your father must have warned you.”“Your Majesty,” I could not find it in me to show her any respect. “You are speaking in a roundabout manner which I cannot pretend to understand. What is the problem?”“What are you doing with Koa?” She asked. “You must know that anyone who stands with him stands against me.”“Oh, was your relationship like that?” I let my eyes widen and my mouth fall open. “I had thought Your Majesty and Alpha Koa got along well. That is how it seemed during the Hunting contest. W
CASSIUS’ POV“Alpha,” Theo was standing right in front of me and I did not know when he got here. “Alpha, Alpha Elijah from the Grey Wolves is here to see you. He has been waiting for an hour now and is getting…”“Send him away,” I snapped, irritated at his nagging. “Send him away. Send everyone away and stop bothering me!”“You have been holed up for three whole days. I am sorry but I cannot let you continue like this. Your behaviour affects the pack!”“Theo,” I called my Beta, leaning into my seat. “What makes you think you can command me as you please?”“A – Alpha, at this time, it is important to think of the pack. Everyone has been worried since Miss Persephone left. We know you miss her but you are still the Alpha. She may – she may just be throwing a tantrum so if we –“ He cleared his throat while I watched him. “If we give her time, she is bound to return. After all, she has been in love with you for a long time.”If she loved me then why would she not mate with me? If she lov
It was too late for Cassius. Whatever plans he put together now would barely have any effect on the plans I had had underway for a while now. He would be swept away by a tide before he knew what hit him and phase one of my revenge would be complete.The next stage would be easy. Dealing with Cassius after reducing him to a pauper would be a piece of cake compared to what I had had to endure so far.“How can she show her face like this?” Whispers followed me as I walked through the temple.“She is truly a shameless woman. If I were in her shoes, I would not be able to come out of my room for at least ten years.”“She pretended to be hurt about Alpha Raven finding his mate but she was nothing but a loose woman going after powerful men.”“I am certain Alpha Raven knew. No wonder he did not want to get engaged to her in the first place.”“Good day.” I stopped in front of the women gossiping about me without enough courtesy to lower their voices.“Argh – goddess, where did you come from!?”
KOA’S POVOne thing I have learnt is that one cannot play by the rules with people who do not care about the rules. As I stared at Carl’s lifeless body, I understood this fact anew. He was only a young lad, full of life and dreams, only nineteen and his cold corpse had been delivered to my doorstep in the early hours of the day.This was the boy, who no matter the task assigned to him, would comply with eagerness and eyes that sparkled with a determination to do a good job. He was full of life, one of the few people who mattered to me. His father had fallen many several rogues with me and that was how I came to know him. Carl was only a child and I sent that child to a war zone. When I asked him if he was clever enough to fool the Luna Queen and work beside the Alpha King to monitor him, he had nodded his head, full of life and energy but now, his lips were blue, his neck covered with scars that made it clear he had struggled in his final moments.“He was poisoned,” Faris said from be
There was an intruder in my room.I was having a hard time falling asleep as I kept imagining and reimagining Cassius’ face when he found out he was too late. Despite my joy, I also had to consider his next move. I would only win this battle by being ahead of him and now that he had his memories of the previous life, the advantage I had over him had lessened.With these thoughts in my head, I could not fall asleep with ease so when I heard the gates creak open, I wondered what my father was doing out so late at night but my wolf perked up when someone entered my balcony. My first reaction was to scream and run out of the room but then I perceived him.Underneath the smell of blood, there was the unmistakable musk that belonged to Koa.What in the goddess’ name did this man come all the way here to do and why did my eyes close as I heard him enter my room? I should chase him away but instead, I found myself pretending to be asleep, curious about what he had come here for. Then he touch
Weeks after that, the house, once desolate, was now filled with people, particularly warriors. People were gossiping that the Adelards were preparing for an invasion with the number of warriors my father had stationed around the house. All because of Koa.“Miss, another letter came for you,” Sonia, the new girl who worked for me came in holding a letter.Cassius had called for Hannah and Sylvia using the excuse that they were contracted workers in his mansion. It was an obvious attempt to get me to return but it was a fruitless attempt. I missed them but there was nothing I could do at this time.Sylvia assured me that she was preparing her resignation but I knew it would not be so easy to resign especially since Cassius wanted to wield her as a tool to get to me. It was my fault. I admitted a long time ago that I was foolish so I did not beat myself up this time. I handed over my people on a platter of gold and now, I would have to wrestle them out of Cassius’ jaws. It would not be l
The day had come. The day I had been looking forward to since I admitted my feelings for Koa. The day of my Mating Ceremony. My friends were gathered around me and we talked and laughed, gossiping amongst ourselves before the start of the ceremony.“Here.” Luna Evenly handed me a box. “I was going to give this to my daughter but I ended up with a useless son. Since I am on the verge of death, I would like to see it on display once before I die.”“Are you giving this to me?” I asked as I looked at the sparkling diamond necklace that had been finely polished and screamed of opulence.Its design was old, the intricate patterns on it something that the jewellers in our time would find difficult to recreate.“Why are you giving this to me? Your son has a mate.” I felt uncomfortable receiving something so precious.“His mate is not much better than he is,” she answered with a derisive scoff. “It is customary to receive things like this on the day of your mating. You have no mother to hand ov
You cannot run away from what is coming to you. Especially if Koa Deimos is the person delivering your retribution.I felt a shiver run down my spine as I watched his cruel smile while the enforcers in the hall sprung into action. The Luna Queen had her hands behind her in a matter of seconds while her mate swayed on his feet trying to stop the enforcers from dragging her away.“Leave her be!” He was shouting but the only bit of respect he could command had been stripped away from him now that he was no longer the Alpha King. He was merely a middle-aged man standing in the way of justice and it must have been the last bit of respect the enforcers had for him that stopped them from shoving him out of the way when he tried to obstruct their work.“Koa Deimos, how could you?” The past Alpha King was shouting.Everyone in the hall witnessed the fall of the haughty Luna Queen who made life hell for many.**After the official ceremony, there was a procession. Dazzling white horses pulled an
Rumours were a wonderful thing. They could create a monster that did not exist. I learnt this and used it to my advantage. Thanks to Hannah, Sylvia, Sonia and Hannah’s boy – friend who is a boy – who I never met, I was able to create monsters when I needed them. I was also able to stir the direction of the public as I liked. Thanks to the amazing people around me, I achieved everything I wanted. If there was one thing I learnt in the past, it was the power of people. Having people in my corner helped me.“As always, you are gorgeous.” Emma Rose took a step back as she admired the fitting of her latest masterpiece. “You make my designs shine, Miss Adelard. I am more than grateful that you made your father bully me into working on your engagement – eh –“ Sylvia gave her a pointed look that made her trail off.“You can mention my last engagement,” I said. “We broke up and he died. There is nothing to keep hushed up. I’m unlikely to feel anything if you suddenly bring it up so there is no
Even though I knew what the outcome would be, I was still pleasantly surprised to hear that Koa was officially the Alpha Prince of Deimos. He finally received the title his father had delayed giving him and I was one step closer to my ultimate goal.From the beginning, I promised to make him king and I promised myself that the people who served him would not die as they did in the past and make him lose all semblance of sanity. Now that he was the crown prince, there was little stopping him from finally ascending the throne as soon as the Alpha King stepped aside or lost his life. The throne could only ever go to him now.Satisfied, I got dressed and set out to see him. During the long journey to the palace, I went over the next steps. Would it be ideal to announce our relationship at his coronation as Alpha Prince? Would it be okay to hold a mating ceremony after? Now that the Luna Queen could not do much to discredit Koa and stop him from getting to the throne, she was much less of
KOA’S POV “We cannot give the Luna Queen time to act,” Persephone was saying.As usual, once I returned, she was back to scheming mode. I missed this woman so much, I was just happy to be in her presence. Since I touched her, I had been cursed to crave her and the months we spent apart, I had almost gone insane from the way I missed her. There was very little to hold onto as I thought of her constantly and wondered if something had happened to her or if she had found someone else. Now that we were together, even if all she was talking about was something else, I was content.She looked less burdened now. Even with the fatigue on her face, she moved with a carelessness that I had never known her to move with. Was it because Cassius Raven was out of the picture? Did he have such a great influence in her life? He must have. He had, after all, killed her in their previous life so she must have lived every day cautious of him. I could not explain how awful I felt coming to this realizati
“Fancy seeing you here, Alpha Cassius.”He was as wretched as I imagined. When I thought of my final retribution against Cassius, he was always like this, chained to the ground with dirty clothes and eyes that begged for mercy. There was not much life in his eyes when he raised his head. It was not the apologetic eyes I had imagined but this one was better. The look of resignation filled me with joy. “Perse,” he called my name with a choked emotion. “I am sorry you have to see me like this.”“Why? I am excited to see you like this. I love seeing you like this.”He was nothing but bones hanging inside clothes that were dirty and smelly. That beautiful face that had all the women falling at his face was gaunt and sickly. It had been months since he was captured, months where he tried to escape multiple times but failed; enough time for him to have suffered mental torture and repented of his sins. When I thought of how I spent seven days locked up by this man, I felt that this punishme
In the banquet hall which the Alpha King had prepared to welcome the warriors, Randal dropped a bombshell that ricocheted throughout the hall. He would not be the first prince to give up his title especially when there were other princes and he wanted to avoid a battle of succession but no one expected him to do this, especially not his mother.“Haha, the prince is tired,” the Luna Queen shouted over him. “Where are the servants? Come and help him settle in.”“Your Majesty, we are still in the middle of the welcoming ceremony,” Randal spoke to his mother with steel in his tone. Really, where did the Randal I knew go to? This one was too cold, too detached to be the same man that left just a couple of months ago. “Please, maintain decorum.”“Boy, you better get your wits about you.” The Luna Queen lost all semblance of falsities. “You were born a prince and you must take your duties seriously. How can you even think of throwing them away?”“I have an obligation to Deimos that is why I
“What do you mean I never wrote to you!?” Things got heated between us in no time. “I wrote to you every week. There were nights when I could not sleep, not because I was physically injured but because of the silence from your end. Even when you were not responding and my wolf was too embarrassed to keep sending letters into a void, I still wrote to you. You are the one who never responded!”“You never wrote to me. Even when you did not write to me, I wrote to you but you never responded. I had to stop when it became clear that you abandoned me!” I shouted at him. “I thought you had found a belle in Black Wolves and could no longer be bothered with me!”There were even days when I feared he had found his mate in the Black Wolves pack and he did not know how to break the news to me. There were also days I thought he had been using me and that he had found no more uses for me. I thought all kinds of things, mourned his death when there was no news of him for a while and celebrated when
“You are all set.” Sylvia took a step back to admire the work she had done on me.I looked into the mirror and the woman in front of me was objectively beautiful but I could not bring myself to care much. I could not bring myself to care about a lot of things. My mind was reeling and although the kingdom was jubilating, I felt hollow inside. The rebel leader of the Black Wolves pack had met his end, the rest were being rounded up as fast as possible. Everyone was celebrating the victories and anticipating when the Alpha King’s troops would return.“You are going to dazzle today as always!” The girls surrounding me who helped put me in this fancy dress beamed at me.The atmosphere everywhere in the kingdom was bright. The mood was refreshing. Everyone laughed at things that did not even deserve to be smiled about like they were compensating for the days we were too scared to laugh.“Right. I think this will sell out soon, also.” Dead inside but alive outside, I was still the biggest mo