ROSALINE’S POV:I did not know what I was feeling, but it was not good. It became almost impossible to breathe; my breaths became laboured. I watched the two of them squirm awkwardly as my gaze pierced through their nervous eyes.“It’s not what you think,” Damien said after several moments of opening and closing his mouth like some sort of fish out of water. My feet began to move on their own accord, and the closer I got, the more their eyes widened. I did not know how it was possible, but I could hear their heartbeat from where I stood. Damien was about to say something else when Peace interrupted him.“He was trying to get me to sleep with him, Your Majesty!” She shot, and Damien’s head snapped towards her with eyes that were ready to kill.I could not say I was surprised when he suddenly stood to his full height, ignoring all the pain I was sure his wounds were causing. But with Damien Creed, anything was possible. His hand was on her throat faster than I could blink, and the sound
ROSALINE’S POV: “Why?”That was the only word that left my lips and the only one my brain could think of at that moment. I did not know whether to feel confused, or hurt, or angry, or sad, or betrayed.Peace had her head down, which somehow managed to worsen whatever it was I was feeling at that moment. It was sometime around midnight, and Damien and Ariana were fast asleep. The palace was quiet, and the only people awake by this time were the guards on duty.I could not bring myself to sleep. How could I? When someone I considered a close friend did something like this to me? I mean, trying to get intimate with my husband and then proceeding to attempt to frame him? That was concerning.Her silence prolonged, and my eyelids twitched. For a split second, I lost control of myself, and a loud bang filled the air. Peace flinches and takes two steps away from me. I wanted to feel bad that I was scaring her, but what if she was faking it? I did not know how to feel about her anymore. What
DAMIEN’S POV:“But what does that have to do with you trying to seduce me?” I asked with a scowl on my face. I was not even a bit happy about the fact she was standing right in front of me, free after what she had done. What was Rosaline thinking? This bloody maid should be locked up; I do not give a damn if she was sent with a gun to her head. She should do no better than lay her hands on me. Damn, I wanted to cut them off so badly; it is an absolute abomination that she still had them attached to her body.I need to calm down.I was even angrier than Rosaline, which should not be so, but I suppose it was because she tried to frame me. What did she think would happen when she lied like that? If she thought Rosaline would actually believe her, then she is dumber than I thought.But then, what would have happened if Rosaline had walked in one second later? Would she have believed her? Judging by the past I have had, it would not be surprising if I went back to my old ways.I really nee
ROSALINE’S POV: It has been three weeks since Damien left me in charge of the pack. So far, things have been going quite smoothly, and surprisingly, being a stand-in alpha was not as bad as I thought it would be. I have been supervising the training of our recruits, approving some contracts, and meeting with neighbouring packs to form an alliance. So far, we have over fifteen packs within a five thousand-meter radius as allies, if not all of them.Well, all except one. My pack, or should I say my father's?I feared that I was doing too much and putting myself out there. What if my father noticed my growth and decided to pay a visit? What would he do when he saw me? And more importantly, what will I do? I am not sure I know what, but it definitely will not end in smiles.My blood ran cold as one question popped up in my mind: what if Magnus found out?I needed to calm myself down. I had to remember who I am now. I am not the same confused, defenceless little girl I was when I ran away
ROSALINE’S POV: “Are you scared?”That question was directed at me, and I did not know how to answer it. I had been staring at my reflection in the mirror for what felt like over two hours. My makeup was perfect; everything was perfect, but I did not feel perfect.My makeup was smokey, and my hair had been straightened. It fell to my waist in thin, long strands that glistened under the light, and my dress, oh my dress. It was the best one I had. It was a black fitted dress that hugged my curves and covered up every inch of my body. A slit rose to my mid-thigh, giving the public a peek of my porcelain legs, and black diamonds were engraved around the neck. The cotton sleeves covered my hands, and little black flowers were sown at the tip. On my wrist was a thin golden watch, on my neck was a golden choker, and on my ears were diamond-encrusted studs. I am guessing you can guess the colour of my heels as well.Yes, they were golden, too.But why did it feel like something was missing
ROSALINE’S POV:Alpha Rufus and Alpha Xander had bright smiles on their faces as soon as our eyes locked. Damien and I descended the stairs, and I caught them swimming through the crowd to make their way towards us. When they reached us, I noticed they both had women in their arms, and I assumed it was their mates.“Well, well, look who we have here,” Alpha Rufus teased, and Alpha Xander spoke next.“It’s the female alpha,” he said, his gaze shifting to Damien and a smirk lifting his lips. “And his male luna.” The two alphas laughed, and I smiled awkwardly at them. I managed to take a peek at Damien, and he had no expression on his face at all. The two men must have noticed that he did not find their words comical in any way and seized their laughter.Alpha Rufus cleared his throat and said, “It’s an honour to finally meet you, Alpha Damien.” He stretched out his hand for Damien, and my mate took it and shook him firmly without saying a word. He continued, “Your wife had done a remark
ROSALINE’S POV:Well, things just got worse.Of course, the universe decided to mock me by giving her the name of my deceased best friend. I was unable to utter a word for a while; I could not. My voice was lost, and I could do nothing but stare at her in disbelief.That seemed to have made Gwen uneasy because her eyebrows drew together, and she appeared nervous. My silence could do that to anyone. Thankfully, Brenda came to my rescue by breaking the unwarranted and nerve-wracking silence.“That’s such a sweet name, but what does Alpha Xander call you?” she asked, smiling deviously with a sprinkle of mischief. Gwen’s face heated a bit, and she hesitated before responding.“Mama.”Brenda released a snort, but I knew it was meant to be a full-blown laugh, but she was doing her best to contain herself. I did not find any of this amusing; suddenly, all this felt so wrong to me. Was it because of her name or because she was uncomfortable with all of this?“How old are you?” I blurted, but
ROSALINE’S POV:The three alphas stood alongside each other with expressions that hinted at embarrassment. Damien, on the other hand, had his lips sucked in between his teeth. He bowed his head for a moment, and I knew he was doing everything within his power to keep himself from laughing.He put up a façade by putting up a cold countenance. “Rosaline dear,” he started, and I knew I was in trouble. “Mind if I steal you away for a while.” “You can’t steal what’s already yours, champ,” Brenda noted, and her words brought so much heat to my cheeks. Damien shot his famous grin that had many shewolves weak in the knees.“You’re right.” He said before meeting my eyes, stretching his hand out for me to take, and I did. I hopped off the stool, and he led me back inside. I shot the girls a look over my shoulder, and they had wide smiles on their faces with their thumbs up in the air, wishing me good luck.We were enveloped in a sea of people, and I wondered where he was leading me. And sudden
ROSALINE’S POV:SEVEN MONTHS LATER:I watched Damien and Ariana’s wolf run around the courtyard with a speed my human eyes could barely keep up with. At this point, I was not sure which of them was faster. They have been doing this every morning for the past six months. Damien had made it their morning to train Ariana himself; he wanted her to become the strongest woman in the pack.And I was scared of that.The speed at which she improved was frightening. At this rate, she would be the strongest wolf in the world by the time she was eighteen.“Damn, she is getting better and better,” Peace said, and my gaze shifted to her. She cradled Light in her arms, and the tender baby yawned. The day Light was born was quite an eventful day for all of us. It was early in the morning, and we were all in the kitchen when her water broke. Ariana was the one who raised an alarm by saying, “Aunt Peace peed herself.”Peace, who was embarrassed, defended herself, but we all knew what was going on. We d
ROSALINE’S POV:“I do not need therapy.” I frowned at Damien, who gave me a tired look. He drove me down to my supposed therapist’s office, and I considered jumping out, but I had to remember that I was pregnant. Peace sat in the back seat, and I had no idea when she and Damien could be in the same space without growling at each other.“Yes, you do, Rosaline. You should have seen yourself yesterday; you were about to faint over something that wasn’t even there,” Peace said, and I folded my arms above my chest.“Okay, I admit that what happened yesterday was a bit out of character, but I am fine now. Just because I had one panic attack does not mean I need therapy." I defended myself, but neither of them looked like they would be going back on their decision.“It’s not just one; you have had several in the past."“I am not talking to you,” I snapped at Peace, and she reared her head back with surprise.“Rosaline, calm down. Peace is right, you, and since when did you two become best f
ROSALINE’S POV:“Yeesh, mothers are the worst,” Peace chuckled, and I shook my head with wonder. We were both at a baby store picking up some stuff for the baby. I mean, I know it was still a bit soon, but little by little, Damien and I would be getting some things ready. And we still did not know the gender of the baby, but we were able to get the essentials and some unisex clothes.“Tell me about it; my worst nightmare would be to end up like her sometime in the future,” I said with a huff. I picked up a pair of black baby shoes and inspected them. It was way smaller than my hand, perfect for a newborn baby.“Trust me, you will never be like that. Give yourself some credit; you are one of the best moms I have ever seen. This kid and Ariana are so lucky to have you,” Peace said, and her words warmed my heart. She picked up a pair of pink baby ballet shoes and put them in the cart.“Oh, no, we have to get unisex wear for now; I still do not know the gender of my baby,” I told her, but
ROSALINE’S POV:I am so hungry.I laid on my back on my bed, staring at the ceiling as I wondered how cruel Damien was. How could he just leave me like that to starve?I mean I know I have been eating for the past three hours, but doesn’t he know that it’s for two? He is so mean.Tears began to blur my vision, and my bottom lip trembled. I knew Damien did not love me anymore. It was the only explanation! Maybe because of what happened with Magnus, he is disgusted by me. Yes, that’s it. That’s why he didn’t want to get me the pizza.I really am unbelievable.“Good God, why are you crying now?”My eyes snapped to the door, and I found Damien standing by the doorway with a box that had steam coming out of it. Instantly, my nose picked up the scent, and I sat up quickly.“I thought you weren’t going to get me the pizza,” I said, and he walked over to me, setting the box of pizza in between us. He opened it, and the steam kissed my face. I could not stop the smile from stretching my lips a
ROSALINE’S POV:“Why is the food not ready yet?!” I snapped at Damien, who stirred the pot of pudding as fast as he could. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he whisked, turned, seasoned, diced, and sprinkled as fast as his hands could. Ariana was right by his side, helping in the little way she could, even though she could not quite keep up with his speed. We would have asked one of the maids to prepare it, but for some reason, I really enjoyed foods that were prepared by either Damien or Ariana and Damien was an absolutely horrible cook. So, the taste had nothing to do with my favouritism, just the sentiment. A part of me was grateful that Ariana was helping him out, so at least it would not taste like complete shit. Jake was here as well. But unlike the other two, he was completely lost and only helped with the dishes.“It’s coming; it’s coming. Just a few more minutes,” Damien said in haste.“Hurry up, I am so hungry,” I whined, picking up some pieces of carrot that he
DAMIEN’S POV:FEW HOURS EARLIER:She was still fast asleep. I slipped my arms away from her, careful not to wake her up. Gently, I got off the bed and exhaled. I do not know how long I stood above the bed staring at her, but I did not care. Somehow, the longer I stared at her, the angrier I got. Not because she now carried a child that was not mine, but because I let that bastard put that child in her in the first place.I need some fresh air.I left the room quietly and headed down to our gym. The hallway was still silent; I passed a few guards and even got some sleep. Figured. Everyone was quite tired; now that the enemy was eliminated, everyone was taking that break they had so long deserved.Except Rosaline.It’s like, no matter how hard I try to take her pain away, a new one starts.I took off my shirt and tossed it aside. I started on the punching bag and poured out every ounce of my frustration on it. All my anger, all my sadness, all my guilt, I threw into my punches. After a
ROSALINE’S POV: I could not stop screaming.Somehow, my body, which had been a practical vegetable for the past month, was full of life and rage. I threw and tossed everything in sight while I screamed out my lungs. I could hear people telling me to calm down, but I could not hear them. I could not hear anything; I did not want to.It was all coming back to me. that night. Magnus. His touch. Everything.“NO!” I grabbed a plate and shattered it against the wall. The shards flew across the air, and I think a few pierced me in the process, but I did not care. A pair of arms came up from behind me and swept me off my feet. I immediately recognized them as Damien’s and began to sob. “It’s not fair! No!"“Just calm down, baby. Please, just relax; you are hurting yourself,” he whispered, and I pinched my eyes shut. Tears fell helplessly down my face, and my body began to tremble. Damon held me and lifted me back to the bed.“I thought you would be happier, Luna. I am sure Princess Ariana wi
DAMIEN’S POV:It has been a month since I got Rosaline back and killed the bastards responsible. Well, technically, one of them was a coward and killed himself instead, but it was the same thing to me anyway.For the past month, Rosaline has been bedridden, but unlike me, she is not as fussy and agitated. I mean, at times she preferred to do things by herself, but you cannot compare the two of us when we are bedridden. It irks me down to my very soul that I cannot do so much as do the necessities of life.Anyway, after the first three days, she pretty much accepted her condition and let us help her around. “What other choice do I have? If I continue to struggle, then I might only make things worse for myself,” she had said, and I wonder what would have happened if I had said the same thing all those months ago when I was in her condition.I waited outside the room for Peace to finish dressing her up so I could take her downstairs for breakfast. I would have preferred if she stayed in
ROSALINE’S POV:Anger.That was the only thing in my heart. My heart once held so much fear, but now it is replaced with nothing but rage.Magnus. That demon. That devil.I cannot say that I remember much of what happened during our time in bed, but I did not want to. All I remember was screaming my lungs out until I passed out. But now I am left with one question that I most probably will never get an answer to.What did he do to me?When I managed to pull myself together and stay conscious for just a few seconds, I thought I was flying. My body was high up in the air, and I had no idea where the hell I was. But he was right beside me; that was the only thing I knew. He had his disgusting hands around my throat, and I wanted nothing more than to rip it off. I did not know where that strength came from. I was pretty sure that I could not move at all just a few moments ago. But something overcame me when I saw him. I knew that he was the one holding me and keeping me over the edge, an