Zane cups my face with the hand on my nape. His thumb caresses my cheek, and I can swear his face inched closer. It's almost too good to be true. "I apologise. I should have warned you about the other idea I had apart from trouble in a tulle." He tilts my face forward, teasing me with his actions. Our lips hover about each other, and my mind becomes as blank as his white sheets. "What's that?" I tighten my folded arms across my chest. "Painting you naked." He's dead serious because as soon as I loosen my folded hands from shock, the robe falls to the ground at my feet. The air bathes my bare skin without any restrictions. I avert my gaze to what's now in the open. Zane can't even take his eyes away. He looks pained, like he's in an internal struggle with himself. "This is wrong. Don't you think I should have—" I rush the words out, but he cuts me short. "I just thought about it when I saw you at the gate. It was already too late to give you a heads up and just like the last
The last time I was at Blue Silver, my father was selling me off the Alpha of the Red Valley to foster peace and cooperation. He didn't care to know what was best for me, but only what was best for me by using his only daughter. Of course, Marelyn then didn't see the wrong in what he was doing because one look at Chase Erickson, and she was gone. This time, things are different. I've seen all that was behind Chase's mask. My father's true colours even. Coming back here does nothing to make me happy. I feel uneasy, and I want it over much sooner. "I hate her." "Mare, you can't let your former pack know the kind of relationship you had with your step mom," Chase says at my side. We are walking hand-in-hand, heading to Blue Silvers' throne room. Most wolves don't visit our territory for fear of being harmed by our blood. But we aren't here on a casual visit. My step mom assumes the Alpha's throne today. "Ava Sinclair is nothing but a bully. I was treated like an outcast in my home
I'm shocked to see Ava in here. She's fixing her makeup and looking nothing like the devastated mess she was back out there. I don't move further, at least until she notices my presence. When she tosses the wipes in the trash bin, she faces me and beams. "Marelyn. You've grown up so much in just a couple of months." Her hands touch my arms, and I arch my brow slightly. Did I miss something? "I faced enough to last me a lifetime. Congratulations on your coronation. Father would have wanted no one else but you to take after him." It was a lie. The tight smile on my face already gave me away, but Ava and I know we both hate each others' guts. We can fake it all we want, but the truth will always be at the back of our minds, so as the memories within these walls. "Oh, please. It's because your sister Ruby isn't with us. Ivan always told me I didn't know what it takes to lead." I walk over to the sink and turn on the faucet, washing my hands in earnest. "Then show my father in his gr
Bonus Chapter KYRA I'm at the tavern, drinking from a jug. The third one, for the record. Zeke always lost himself in alcohol when his thoughts were all over the place. I can say I'm facing the same, too. Everything's peaceful and quiet today at the tavern. It's because the numbers coming in are slow, but I don't miss coming here on Sundays. I picked this day out because I saw him for the first time on a Sunday. Maybe, just maybe, I'll see him again and get to have those exciting banters again. My wolf definitely missed him a lot. She's sulked over the past few days more than I did. Now that Zeke and I have left the fortress, there's no way for me to run into him. It's not that I'm interested. Zane's a good pass time. I close my eyes and rake a hand through my dark hair. A sigh falls from my lips because I keep thinking about it. His hands were not really touching me, but were touching me. I thought I hated those sessions, but it turned out I didn't. When I got to my bed that ni
We are standing inches apart when he says fuck it and kisses me. It's fast, but once I feel his hot lips on mine, everything falls into place, like it's natural. He holds my face as he kisses me. My hands grip his forearms for a second, but they fall away, and a sound I don't recognise escapes my lips. He deepens the kiss. It's not the first time I've kissed a guy. In New York, I visited clubs often and hooked up with guys I knew I would never see again. No one could guess my age when I really went out there, but kissing him, I feel like a novice. The way he handles me, so gently but abrupt. I pull away and hit my foot on the stool behind me. I yelp, and he's already bending to check it out. Zane says, "Are you hurt?" "I'll heal." I shake off his hold on my ankle while crossing my arms and looking away. "Let's continue with our previous plans." I walk away, but he grabs my wrist, stopping me. I'm forced to meet his gaze again, and it takes a lot of willpower not to run back int
****************I'm not sure I heard him right the first time, but he repeats himself, and his words scald me. I untangle myself from him and put some space between us. The silence that stretches between us has the weight of so many unsaid things that should be said right about now.But all my head is going is...what the fuck?It's not possible. I'm frowning in thought, and I don't even realise I'm frowning because I can hear her. She's agreeing to whatever Zane just said. He's mine. He's my mate. The Alpha of Moon Wood is my true mate, but he's been with so many women and mated with so many.Zane rubs a palm over his face. He knows the situation is messy, but it is what it is. Everything I've felt from the first day we met, he felt them, too, and now kissing him made it all clear. She's been trying to tell me that he's the one."You have so many mates. I believe in one fated mate for every wolf. There must be a mistake somewhere.""I've never found my mate.
My hand covers my mouth. I can't believe it, but that piece of my memory comes back to me. I just didn't know I had shared it with Zane. The flames show me the scene from my past, and as I see, I recall everything. I was walking down a cobblestone path. My parents were summoned to the throne room in the middle of the night. I was just seven, wondering around the Alpha's fortress with my flower in one hand. I remember stumbling on a rock and sitting with my arse on the ground, crying my eyes out. The thought elicits a brief laugh from me. Tears fill my eyes. I try fanning them away with my hands, but it isn't working. It escapes, and I turn my face away, catching the tears with the back of my palm. The memories roll forward. It's so vivid that it scares me, but I know his images have a hand in it. "Stop it." I mutter. "Why?" He looks away from the fiery motion images suspended in the air. "We haven't even gotten to the good part, Kyra." I sniffle. "I get your point." "No, you
MARE A week has gone by since any major event has happened in Carodia. I've not run into Zeke, and I consider that luck, but yet I'm still furious when I head to the common market and overhear females talking about snagging up the new legacy, who's widowed. It totally ruins my day because my mind has a way of conjuring up situations. I hear that and start to imagine it coming into fruition. The result makes me want to pluck my eyeballs out. The maids come every morning. They help me take a shower and choose a dress for the day. As Luna, I just have to show up at the throne room for the Alpha's daily council with his pack officials. After fitting me into a stunning silk dress that falls to my ankles, they leave my room. I'm going commando on a morning like this, but if you ask me, I don't know how this turned out to be my choice. Who do I really hope to impress? I fiddle with my fingernails as I walk down the hall, heading to the throne room that's not far away. I know it looks pre
I'm standing at the window edge of a hallway in the fortress. Everyone that passes greets their Alpha with a bow. Today is the exertion of the verdict I passed over all those involved in my mother's death. I took her skull down from where it was hung and finally gave her a befitting burial. Chantria Van Acker, after being tried for my mother's death and King Nikolai's death, was sentenced to death. Her execution is today, and Zane doesn't try to stop it. I knew he went to see her one last time at the dungeons last night, but she's his mother. Will that ever be enough? Hours later, Aiden hands me a platter. I open it and find Chantrias head. The last thing I can do for my mother is to replace her skull with that of the person who put her there. I tell him where to leave the human head until it decomposes, and only a skull is left. My brother stops by to see me in my chambers that evening. He doesn't seem angry that I had given the order for her death. She had killed Father, too. It
ZEKE Again, fire and water will stand against each other. I don't know what the outcome of this fight will be. In my head, I know what I want, but I can't tell exactly what my brother is thinking. It was his idea to do this. I'm not so sure why I even agreed. Revenge doesn't matter anymore. Once I looked into my daughter's eyes, all the pain I felt melted away. I healed. Mare couldn't let go of me all through the night. She was stuck to me like glue because she feared this moment. She feared losing me. My life is finally coming together. I fear losing it, too. The arena roars wild. The entire wolf lands are watching King Nikolai's sons make history. I'm already a record breaker, and he's their king. This fight will have them all at the edge of their seats. The gong goes off and shirtless as we are, dressed in nothing but shorts we fight to the death. I cast an illusion of a cloud over his head, and constant rain falls on only him in the arena. Zane is furious that I'm drenching
KYRA I'm storming into his chambers in Moon Wood's fortress. I just learnt the news of a battle between legacies. There are only two legacies I know apart from evil Jai-Blynn. All of Carodia believes the king has gone mad for wanting to fight his brother, who took down an entire pack and turned them to dust. Zeke Van Acker has gained a name for himself in the city, but that is still far from my point. How could he do this to me? We talked the second our boat arrived at the harbour. Actually, we did less talking and more physical activities for the first few hours after meeting again. I was so sure Marelyn and I made the right choice after spending time with him again. My wolf couldn't stop pining for him, but it seems I'm the only one who felt that way. How could he do this us? Zane says after I barge in, "I know you are angry. Kyra, calm down—I can't believe they just let you walk through easily." "It's not news to anyone, including your other mates, that we are together, Zane.
"That child and I can't exist at the same time on this earth, Mare." "Why, Jai?" I frown, calculating the distance with my eyes. I make a jump for it and shield Kinna from his attack with my body. Summoning my powers, I struggle to get a hold of his mind, but the calibre of power coming out of him is not to be underestimated. Now I realise he wasn't kidding back then in that warehouse. "Your little bloodline powers won't work on me. But Mare, you are no longer my concern. Give me your champion, and you can walk away from this alive." I'm shocked that he's willing to bargain. There's something he knows that none of us do. Something that makes this moment more important to him than ever. I scream hard. "Never!" The force of my voice hits him, but he only staggers back by a step, and I had really mustered up strength with that move. How powerful is he really? "Angering me will only make the terms worse, Marelyn!" "You can kill me, but not my child, Jai. I will never let you touc
ZEKE A Day Earlier... I'm standing in front of the mirror, feeling for my now thick beards. It's a new look I've been sporting. Just yesterday, the action series I starred in aired, and the viewing ratings were through the roof. It's a hit. I've always had blockbusters where I starred as the villain, but never have I been portrayed from a protagonist's point of view in one of them. It's unreal. What's also unreal is what tomorrow is. I know Marelyn is due tomorrow. My chest tightens like every other time I've stared at the date or thought about it. I've been distant. I never showed up for our daughter, but it all got to a point where I considered myself unworthy of being in their lives. She may be happy in Carodia with her date from before. Maybe it fleshed into something more. I can't tell, but it's been bugging me at the back of my mind for months. Scarlett helped me understand what those random slip-ups meant over time. Everything is clear to me now. I stare at my reflection
I don't realise that the doorknob has come off. I stare at the piece in my hand. It broke off, but my mind is fixed on their conversation. She's dating now. It's been just two weeks, and she promised that wasn't goodbye. My jaw clenches impossibly in anger. Finding a new path. Bullshit! I block out their voices and lock myself in my study. I throw my head back over the headrest of the desk chair, blowing out my cheeks. So far, the day has been terrible. I'm nervous. I want to storm into Carodia the next second and restructure the idiot fling's face. She's mine. She's fucking mine! The broken doorknob sits on my desk because I don't know what to do with it yet. Suddenly, my mind is made up. I stand on my feet and head to my bedroom. I open my suitcase on my bed, swiping clothes off the rack in the walk-in closet and dropping them inside it. It's easy not to overthink it. But soon, there's a knock on the open door, calling my attention. Scarlett is holding the broken doorknob, eyein
I've been showing up for appointments with the pack doctor at Blue Silver for the past two weeks since I arrived. He's not who I used to know, and his name is Xavier Scythe. When Ava refused to take me in because of our last encounter, Xavier showed Kyra and I a roof over our head. He is also the next catch as Kyra put it. She wants me to take on his advances and use him to forget all about Zeke. I try. I actually put in effort. He knocks at my door and I open it with a bright smile on my face. "Xavier, how are you?" His hands are locked behind him as he says, "I'm good. How are you?" Xavier runs a nervous hand over his sleeked back long black hair. It's tied up because of how impressively long his hair is. Xavier is a real catch. He's tall and looks hard all over, like a man should, but I don't get that spark from looking at him or anyone else that's not Zeke. Maybe Kyra is right. My world does revolve around only him. "The Blue Silver carnival is coming up. Would you like a p
MARE I see how worried he is. I'm not saying he shouldn't be, but it's another cold truth. She's his forever. I'm the intruder, and I have no place here. We are at the hospital. Scarlett lost her wolf. She's like a human, so I guess that's why we are all concerned because she can't heal. Kyra says, "How can she do this? Overdosing because she wants attention. Jeez." "We don't know that." Drusila chips in from across the waiting room. We are the only ones here at the moment, but it's a hospital people can arrive at any time. Unfortunately, Kyra seems pissed about spending her night here. Zeke is with the doctor. "I'm going to grab a snack." I stand on my feet without glancing at any of them. They still remember how I just cried my eyes out because Zeke made his choice. Now I'm sitting here watching him care for someone else like I wish was only just for me. It's still pure torture. Kyra joins me at the vending machine. I get a chocolate bar while she gets a bag of cheetos. At
************************** My eyes crack open. Daylight shines into my room, but I'm still stuck in last night's pack gathering. Zeke wanted a son who would challenge Zane's throne. A female Alpha will never be accepted to lead Carodia. I'm sad for other reasons than Scarlett. My happy ending keeps drifting far and far away. I wonder if he's angry with me. If this will change everything. Maybe he will finally realise that he won't gain anything from me because I can't even give him a proper heir. I will love our daughter with everything in me because she's a product of our great love. I take a shower, anxious about joining the rest downstairs. Will they see me as a failure? I couldn't protect the first heir, and now I've given them a child they can't accept. A while later, I cross Kyra and Aiden in the hallway, just above the stairs. She spares a broad smile, looking over her shoulder at me. "Hey, Mare! I can't wait to meet our princess."