~Tamara~
Today, it had been hectic.
The customers had been trooping in, and Mr. Lan and I had worked endlessly to satisfy them. Even with the help of a high school girl on break, my workload did not decrease, and I couldn’t complain because I had begged Mr. Lan for extra hours to pay off my piled-up bills and avoid being evicted by my landlord, who had given me a quit notice.
The more I worked, the more feverish I felt. I had no idea why I had been feeling that way for days, but despite being unwell, I knew I had to come to work. As I served the last table, I heaved a deep sigh, knowing that our customers had been served and no one else was entering. But I was wrong. I almost groaned in frustration when I heard the bell ding, and two people walked in. A man was wearing a suit and a mask covering half his face, and a woman was wearing a red dress with a black mask covering half her face.
“Who were they?” I questioned as I looked from the man to the woman. Their aura screamed power, and I could feel it even from where I stood. I was not the only one who noticed the presence of Important people among us; everyone else turned toward the door as they walked in.
“Welcome,” I said warmly, even though they were a bit intimidating because of their demeanor and the powerful aura around them. “We are currently not taking any more customers as the place is filled up and—”
The lady’s eyes widened as she looked at me, and I wondered if my statement had upset her. Just as she was about to respond, Mr. Lan walked toward us and bowed his head.
“Please follow me,” he said, pointing forward.
Mr. Lan just bowed? Did I imagine it? Who were these people for him to bow to them? It piqued my interest as I walked in front of them alongside Mr. Lan. When we reached the room for important customers, I knew they were serious business and might have come for Mr. Lan.
“At least someone was responsible enough to recognize my powers,” the man’s hoarse yet rich voice sounded as he removed his mask and sat on the comfortable couch.
Cocky? Very. Just who does he think he is? I felt as I raised my head to look at him, and I almost screamed when I saw his face. The Lycan King in the flesh was in front of me. My hands started shaking in shock. I never expected to see the king like that. Someone like me never expected to see the alpha of all alphas in front of her, not even in my wildest dreams.
“Your Highness,” I fell to my knees and bowed. “I apologize for my rudeness a moment ago, and I—”
“Good for you,” the lady said as she removed her mask. My heartbeat increased when I saw it was her—the female beta Leonara, known to everyone as the powerful warrior. She and the alpha king were always together, and I should have known when I saw the king that she would be there with him. “It is not every day a peasant doesn’t know royalty, so it is not your fault.”
“Peasant?” Her choice of words was unpleasant. Even though I had always looked up to her, she sounded mean at that moment, and it was hate at first sight.
“Wh-what...”
“Sit down with me, Tamara,” he ordered.
My eyes widened in shock, and I thought I must have heard wrong until Leonara pointed at me. “You heard the king. Sit down!” Her tone was a little too harsh, sending shivers down my spine and making me question why they had suddenly come here.
Had I done something wrong? Did the king hear about my loans? It seemed silly to think the king would come here to meet me because of my bills. He had other alphas to handle such matters. So why was he here?
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked.
“What insolence!” Leonara shouted. “How could you question the king like that!” she yelled at me. “He gave the order, so sit down,” she shouted again, pointing to where she had been sitting a moment ago.
“I shall take my leave now, Your Highness. Call me if you need anything.” She bowed and then pointed toward Mr. Lan. “The alpha king wishes to see her alone, so we leave now.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Mr. Lan said and turned to leave the room, leaving me alone with the alpha king.
I was alone with the alpha king, staring at me as if he knew me from somewhere. My hands began shaking again, and I felt my heart racing faster and stronger as I sat down in front of him. If this continued, my heart could burst.
“Tamara,” the way he said my name intensified my racing heart, and the shaking wouldn’t stop. For him to know my name meant I had done something wrong. “I am surprised that you are like this. Where did the fiery girl from that night disappear to?”
Night? Had he met me before? “Look at me,” he ordered.
“Your... Highness that would be disrespectful of me to look at you,” I muttered, playing with my fingers to hide my fear.
The alpha king laughed. “I am so disappointed in you, Tamara,” he muttered again, then stretched forth his hand and grabbed mine on the table. I gasped, and he laughed. “I must say it’s funny to see this shy side of you.”
Shy? Who wouldn’t be shy in front of an alpha king? “Do you know me?” I finally managed to say after stuttering over and over again.
He nodded in response. “Well, I know everything about you. Everything, Tamara!” The way he said it made me see him as a creep. Even if he was the alpha king, he acted like a creep, and I quickly yanked my hand from his.
“Whoever gets drunk first is going to be kissed. Does that ring a bell?”
That phrase! I had heard it before, but it was from a strange man I had met in the bar. How did he know it? “I am disappointed again that you still don’t remember me, Tamara. Does that mean you have forgotten about the night we shared?” He grinned at me.
I gasped and jumped to my feet. The alpha king? He was the man I had seen in the bar that night. He was the one I had been with? I couldn’t believe it. How did he even get there? How did he? The sudden discovery brought back memories of that night, and I gasped again when I realized what I had said and done to the alpha king.
“Oh no,” I muttered, but it was loud enough for the king to hear.
“Oh yes,” he responded, chuckling. “Is this how you forget the men you’ve slept with?”
Men I slept with? How dare he accuse me wrongly? He was the only man I had ever slept with. “Your Highness, you should know that night that I—”
“A virgin? I know,” he chuckled again, clearly teasing me. “I know, Tamara, and I’ve come here to meet you.”
Meet me? It was just a one-night thing. “Why have you come to meet me, Your Highness? I’m sure you don’t keep tabs on the women you sleep with, right?” I asked, and he laughed again.
“No, I don’t. You seem special, and I’ve also come here to offer you a job.”
A job? Did he want me for a job? It was hard to believe, and my heart began to race. I had to pinch myself to remember I was in front of the alpha king, not just anyone else. Then, suddenly, a headache hit me, and my vision began to blur. I had been working hard and trying to avoid getting sick, but hearing this had worsened it.
“Your Highness, I...” I groaned, holding my head as I slowly began to fall to the ground. Through my hazy vision, I saw the king rushing toward me, grabbing my hand before I could fall. Then, everything went black.
The next time I woke up, it was to the bright light above my head. I fluttered my eyes open and saw a man in a white robe looking down at me. Was I in heaven? I thought as I looked at him. My vision was a bit blurry, but I could see him more clearly as I blinked.
“Miss Tamara, how are you feeling?” he asked.
I sighed and blinked again. “My head feels like it was run over by a truck, and I...”
“That’s because you’ve been stressing yourself!” the alpha king’s hoarse voice sounded, and I turned to my right. He was sitting with his legs crossed. “How could you work in your condition?” he yelled at me.
My condition? What condition? I thought as I looked from him to the man before me. “Is something wrong?”
The man cleared his throat and looked at the alpha king. “I think I will take it from here,” the king told him, and the man bowed his head and left the room. “How could you be so stupid, Tamara, and risk your life like this!” he yelled at me.
Why was he yelling?
“You are pregnant! And you didn’t even know! Instead, you continued to stress yourself while being pregnant!”
“I... I am pregnant?” I asked him to make sure I had heard him correctly. He nodded in response. I couldn’t believe it. Could the day give me more surprises? Not only had I found out that the man I had been with the night before was the alpha king, but now I was also pregnant with his child.
“You are going to quit your job and move in with me,” he informed me.
“What! Your Highness, I—”
“There will be no complaints about that because it is already decided!”
“By who?”
He stood up. “By me! I only came to meet you today because I saw potential in you to carry my child, but the moon goddess had a surprise for us—you are already pregnant with my child, which makes things more interesting!”
A surrogate? That was the job he had for me? I couldn’t believe it. I had thought he had come to offer me an actual job, but instead, it was to become his baby-making machine. “Your Highness, there is no way I can be your surrogate. I know that I am pregnant with your child, but if you don’t want the baby, then we could—”
He growled at me. “Don’t make me angry, Tamara. Also, consider this a job. Don’t you have to pay your brother’s hospital bills?” he asked.
“I... I don’t want to be a baby-making machine just for that.”
“You are already pregnant, and I only need an heir to carry on my legacy. Think about it, Tamara. You have a week, and I know you are in a dire situation now so that I will give you time.”
Time? More than a week was needed to think about what he had proposed.
“I will see you in a week, Tamara, and if you try to run, I will find you anywhere. If I had to search the entire world, I would have because you carry an heir to my throne. Have a nice week, Tamara, and remember that I am always watching,” he smiled and then walked out of the room.
Just when I thought my life couldn’t get any messier, it did.
~Tamara~I sighed as I stared at my phone, reading the rejection message repeatedly. It was a message from all the companies I had applied to and short and direct rejections.“Miss Tamara, sorry, we are not hiring, but when we do, we will contact you.”It had been almost a week since I last met the alpha king, and it felt like someone was watching me. He had told me he was watching, and he didn’t lie, because I thought the men in black suits in front of the restaurant, close to my house, were all from him. I had thought I could reject him if I could get a job, but that wasn’t the case. Instead of finding a job, everything got worse, and the morning sickness also affected me.“Are you all right?” Mr. Lan asked me that morning when I started work. “You have been throwing up a lot lately, and if you’re sick, Tamara, you should stay home. Lydia and I can manage, and I’ll also hire more people to join us.”I shook my head in response. There was no way I could give up yet, not when I had my
~Axel~Tamara sobbed as she turned to face the car window. My heart ached because I had witnessed everything, but I pretended not to be there, desperate for her to help me. She had been through a lot, and I wished I could have hurt those who made her like that.‘’Are you…’’ I reached out to touch her, but I just dropped my hand. Boundaries, I had to remember that. Even though she was pregnant with my child, I had to respect her reason for looking away and sobbing in silence. For the rest of the trip toward my mansion, it was in silence, and every few seconds, I couldn’t stop staring at her, hoping that she would stop crying, but she didn’t, and that was the difference between her and Lyra’s attitude. While Lyra was cheerful, she was just her or maybe what I have believed her to be.A hundred years was a long time, and I have been around for a while, not expecting to see someone who would look like my dead mate. Werewolves are not immortals like vampires; they die at a certain age but
~Tamara~Luxury.I had never expected to experience it in my entire life, but it is happening. It came to me all at once. When I came out of the king’s car, the first thing I noticed was the majestic structure before me. I had only seen it in the movies and heard about it in stories, but it was all right in front of me.Two beautiful fountains stood guard at the entrance, the sparkling and soothing sound as we walked past it. A stunning sculpture garden nearby featured modern art pieces amidst lush greenery. Since It was already late, I couldn’t see it enough, but I knew it would be beautiful in the morning.None of us exchanged any words as we walked into the mansion. He led in front while I trailed behind him, still not getting used to having the Lycan king so close to me. It sounded like a dream, but it was becoming more of a reality I couldn’t escape.The inside of the mansion was much more relaxed than the outside. It was beyond my imagination, and it took my breath away. We walk
~TAMARA~‘’This way, miss,’’ The royal butler led me through an opulent hall and stopped at the front of a door that opened into a grand dining hall.My heart raced with anxiety as I walked in, expecting to meet him, but he was nowhere in sight, and there was no sign of his beta around us. ‘’Your dinner awaits you, Miss Tamara,’’ the butler announced, pulling out my chair.Even though the hall was big, it was just a table for four. I wondered if he had always eaten his meal alone, which was none of my business, but I felt a little concerned for him.‘’And he doesn’t care about you,’’ My wolf said and burst into laughter. ‘’He doesn’t give a shit about you.’’I rolled my eyes at her insult, and before she could continue, I blocked the rest of the conversation. ‘’Where is the alpha king?’’ I asked the butler.‘’He will be here in a moment,’’ he answered, bowed his head before walking out while I was alone in the dimly lit hall.I glanced down at my outfit and heaved a deep sigh. It was
~Axel~The kiss was unexpected.I couldn’t care less that she had kissed me, but she quickly pulled away from it like it never happened. I was not satisfied with what had happened because I wanted more.‘’Leonara,’’ I cleared my throat as I speak up. ‘’care to excuse us for a moment.’’Leonara stood up and looked at me questioningly, but when I didn’t respond, she bowed and quietly walked out of the hall, leaving me alone with Tamara.The room suddenly grew smaller as soon as she left, and Tamara did everything she could to avoid my eyes. ‘’Tha…shouldn’t have …’’ she blurted out, her head lowered to the ground.‘’what should not have happened?’’ I questioned as I stood before her, pulled her chair closer to me, and sat on one of the chairs beside her.‘’You just kissed me and then pretend that it didn’t happen?’’ I muttered.She gasped, still not looking at me. ‘’It was a mistake,’’ she started to say, but I didn’t let her finish as I leaned in closer, my breath mingling with hers.‘’
~Tamara~“I don’t need any other woman since I already have you!” Axel’s words echoed in my head for the hundredth time that week. It had been a week since we met to sign the contract, a week since I’d last seen him, and yet, the only words I could remember were his assurance that there was no one else in his life but me. I’d asked him to include it as a clause, thinking he might be offended, but his response had surprised me.“If you want it added to the clause, it’s fine, and you don’t have to worry, Tamara. I don’t need any other woman since I already have you.”I didn’t know how to react, so I just nodded. But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. He was the Alpha King—he could have any woman he wanted to warm his bed. Yet, he’d chosen to stay with me until the contract ended. For once, it felt nice to be wanted, but as I considered the price, I found myself dwelling on it repeatedly.His words only meant one thing: he intended to have me again, and I’d be damned if I let that happen
~Tamara~I stood frozen, my eyes locked on the familiar figure before me.Mark. My ex.I couldn't believe it. What was he doing here, and how was he here?" You," he pointed towards me. His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched in anger, and I could sense the tension radiating from him even though we were standing a foot apart.I felt my anger spark to life.We hadn't parted on good terms, to say the least, and seeing him again brought back memories of that night and when he rejected me.I never expected to see him again, especially not here, in front of the company. My mind reeled as I tried to process this unexpected encounter, and before I could gather my thoughts, Mark’s hand shot out, grasping mine in a firm grip. ‘’what the hell do you think you are doing here? Did you come to find me because you miss me!’’ he laughed and tightened his grip around my wrist.I tried to free my hand, but his hand didn’t budge, and I felt a surge of embarrassment because many people were staring at us bu
~Axel~I heaved a deep sigh as I entered my office, struggling to suppress the loudest growl. I was mad, beyond mad, at the sight of another male touching her and discovering that he was an ex-lover – a fact she had deliberately kept from me. Even though I was her first, the idea of another male being with her before me was unbearable. The thought gnawed at me, fueling my irritation.Was it an obsession or merely a reaction to her resemblance to Lyra? I was unsure what to think. All I knew was that I wasn’t pleased about her being with another man – and my Lycan concurred, growling in my head and urging me to take control so he could rip the male apart.However, I couldn’t give in to that impulse without reason, not with everyone watching me. If anyone discovered I had killed a wolf over a woman, they would dig deeper, and that would be disastrous for Tamara.Her life would be heavily scrutinized by those who hated me and sought to destroy me.Tamara’s tiny voice trembled terribly as
~Tamara~"Good morning, everyone. This is Tamara, the new employee of our department." Melissa, the department head, introduced me to the rest of the department members, and I bowed my head as I greeted them all. ‘’it is a pleasure to work here, and I hope you all treat me right,’’ I said to everyone. They all turned back, staring at me with questioning looks, and it made me wonder what was going on in their heads and what they must have thought of me. After what had happened in front of the company building, I knew everyone must have known about me, and I was right when none of them said anything and turned back to face the computer in front of them. They didn’t like me. " Come, I will show you your desk," she said, pointing to an empty desk. ‘’This will be your desk and chair,’’ she informed me. I nodded in response as I dropped my bag on the desk. Just as I was about to sit down, a loud, familiar voice sounded at the office's entrance. I wanted to tell myself that I was dreamin
~Axel~I scrunched my nose as we stepped into the Luna Pack, the scene before me far worse than I had imagined. The information I’d received hadn’t come close to preparing me for the devastation. Most of the buildings had been reduced to ashes, their charred remains reminded me of the terror my brother had unleashed.I never thought Ian would go to such lengths just to get back at me. His lack of mercy, even for the children, was agonizing. My heart shattered as I saw their lifeless bodies scattered on the ground, their innocence taken away by his cruelty.How could he have become so ruthless, to the point of harming children? The sight brought back memories of our childhood, of the abuse we endured at the hands of our father. Back then, Ian and I had vowed never to harm children, swearing to break the cycle of pain. But somewhere along the way, he changed. Years after our father’s death, Ian became a walking disaster, a threat to the kingdom and everything we once stood for. That vow,
~Axel~My eyes fluttered open to find Tamara’s face inches away from mine. Her skin glowed softly in the morning light that shone from her window. Her lips were slightly parted, and the urge to move closer and kiss her overtook me. It brought back memories of Lyra and me.I reached out to touch her face, my fingers tracing the gentle curve of her cheek. As soon as I touched her, her eyes flew open, and I quickly withdrew my hand. ‘’how was your night?’’ I asked her.Just as she was about to speak, her expression changed, and her eyes suddenly widened, and she clamped her hand over her mouth, jumping off the bed and running straight to the bathroom. ‘’Tamara, are you alright?’’ I called right after her.Silence.I threw off the covers and stood up from the bed, heading straight into the bathroom. The sight that greeted me was her bent over the sink; her body wracked with violent sobs as she threw up. Memories came flooding back, and I remembered Lyra and her Morning sickness. Her manne
~Tamara~I burst through the door of my room, slamming it shut behind me. I leaned against the door, my chest heaving as I struggled to catch my breath. I wanted to run away. I wanted to escape the suffocating grip Axel had on my life. I wished that I could flee from the constant control, the endless manipulation.And then there was the baby.A sob welled up in my throat as I thought about the tiny life growing inside of me. Axel’s baby. A constant reminder of his hold on me. He doesn’t care about anything apart from that, and I know that.‘’why?’’ I almost yelled out loud, but I bit back the scream, knowing that the walls were thin and he would hear him with his sharp hearing and come storming into the room.The last thing I wanted to see was his stupid face. ‘’oh goddess,’’ I sighed as I ran my hand through my hair and headed towards the bed. I fell on top of it, buried my face in the pillows as I screamed into the softness. The sound was muffled, but my emotions were overwhelming.
~Axel~I hadn’t been this angry in a long time—not since Lyra died. But this wasn’t just anger; it was worry, a deep, gnawing concern that consumed me when I learned Tamara was missing. The news hit me like a punch to the gut, dredging up painful memories of Lyra. She had vanished two days before her death, and now Tamara’s situation eerily mirrored hers. Like Lyra, Tamara had turned off her phone, making it nearly impossible to track her. Despite our resources, finding her proved to be a challenge.‘’why the hell would she go to a park?’’ I asked Leonara, and she shrugged her shoulder. ‘’Did you say anything to her?’’ I questioned because I found it strange that she would suddenly disappear when I gave the orders that she returned home.Leonara shook her head in response, but I noticed the hesitation in her eyes as if she were having an inner conversation with her wolf.‘’Then why the hell is she in that park?’’ I demanded.‘’I have no idea.’’I sighed and rubbed a hand through my ha
~Tamara~I had never been happier in weeks than I was sitting on a bench in the park, staring at the breathtaking sunset. The park was alive with joy, and it warmed my heart to see children running around happily while their parents watched over them with smiles.Just watching them stirred a vision in my mind—Axel and I running with our child. I didn’t want to think about it, but the thought of us becoming one happy family was irresistible, even though I knew it could never happen in my lifetime."He just wanted you for the baby," I reminded myself, rubbing my face to shake the idea away.I tried to think about other things that didn’t involve Axel, like how much I wished for my brother to wake up soon or longed for a life free of worries until the end.Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t notice the ball heading toward me. When I realized it, the ball was inches from my face. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the hit—but it never came. Suddenly, like a gust of wind, someone appeared, the
~Tamara~The silence between Leonara and me was almost deafening as we walked toward the elevator. She didn’t bother holding the door for me, simply watching as I sprinted inside just before it closed.Her disdainful glare met mine briefly before she shifted her attention back to the book in her hand. It was no secret that Leonara had despised me since our first encounter at the restaurant. The way she acted around Axel, so familiar, almost possessive, made me suspect they had some history. Maybe they were once lovers, or something had ended, but they were undoubtedly connected. Neither of us spoke until the elevator stopped at our floor. As soon as the doors slid open, she broke the silence."You’ll be moved to the business planning department since that’s what you majored in," she said, clipped and biting. "I hope you do your best since you’re determined to start from the bottom."Her words stung, laced with mockery, a reminder that I could work in Axel’s luxurious office but chose
~Axel~I heaved a deep sigh as I entered my office, struggling to suppress the loudest growl. I was mad, beyond mad, at the sight of another male touching her and discovering that he was an ex-lover – a fact she had deliberately kept from me. Even though I was her first, the idea of another male being with her before me was unbearable. The thought gnawed at me, fueling my irritation.Was it an obsession or merely a reaction to her resemblance to Lyra? I was unsure what to think. All I knew was that I wasn’t pleased about her being with another man – and my Lycan concurred, growling in my head and urging me to take control so he could rip the male apart.However, I couldn’t give in to that impulse without reason, not with everyone watching me. If anyone discovered I had killed a wolf over a woman, they would dig deeper, and that would be disastrous for Tamara.Her life would be heavily scrutinized by those who hated me and sought to destroy me.Tamara’s tiny voice trembled terribly as
~Tamara~I stood frozen, my eyes locked on the familiar figure before me.Mark. My ex.I couldn't believe it. What was he doing here, and how was he here?" You," he pointed towards me. His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched in anger, and I could sense the tension radiating from him even though we were standing a foot apart.I felt my anger spark to life.We hadn't parted on good terms, to say the least, and seeing him again brought back memories of that night and when he rejected me.I never expected to see him again, especially not here, in front of the company. My mind reeled as I tried to process this unexpected encounter, and before I could gather my thoughts, Mark’s hand shot out, grasping mine in a firm grip. ‘’what the hell do you think you are doing here? Did you come to find me because you miss me!’’ he laughed and tightened his grip around my wrist.I tried to free my hand, but his hand didn’t budge, and I felt a surge of embarrassment because many people were staring at us bu