CLAUDIA Volker, Jan, and Clarence entered the cell room, and I shifted my gaze from Alpha Everett to them. “Get her out of here and clean her up. The first voting event is tomorrow. I have to show the crowd how beautiful and fresh my wife looks.” Alpha Everett uttered with an evil grin. “I hate you! And I'll never stop hating you!” I gritted my teeth as I spoke. “I don't care. Take her out.” He looked at his Betas. Volker and Jan approached me while Clarence stood still, staring at me.“Luna Claudia, please let's go,” Volker uttered, moving his hand to me, and I shot him a deadly look. “Don’t you dare touch me... I can walk myself.” I said, and he withdrew his hand and bounced his head. I took one last look at Alpha Everett before walking out of the cell room. I walked past Clarence, and I didn't look at his face. I felt them follow behind me as I headed to the stairs. My gaze fell into each cell room I passed, trying to look for Thorsten, but I couldn't find him in any of the c
CLAUDIA ~The next day~ It was evening, and I didn't step out of my chamber throughout the day. I didn't want to talk to anyone apart from Nellie. And maybe that was because she didn't leave my chamber. I sat in front of the mirror as Nellie worked wonders on my hair. The slight reddish blush on my cheeks and my very fair face made me look extremely beautiful. I smiled widely as I kept looking at myself, but this smile didn't last long when I remembered that Thorsten was still in the dungeon, and I had no idea what had become of him. I looked at Nellie through the mirror and asked, “Where is the Alpha?” She shifted her gaze from my hair and looked at my face in the mirror. “I think he is in his chambers.” She told me. “He won't be leaving for the event first? Do we have to go together?” I asked though I knew she wasn't going to know the answer. “I have no idea, Luna. But I think their mates only have to escort them to the party. They don't have to stand in front with them when th
CLARENCEI slowly wrapped my hands around her as she embraced me tightly. My heart was beating very fast, and I didn't know why. I knew it was wrong to push her away, but I didn't want to. I kissed her head, and she raised her head to look at me. “Did you just kiss me on the head?” She asked, and I gulped. I began to regret my actions. “I’m sorry, I just thought you needed it.” She smiled as I spoke and bounced her head. She buried her head in my chest again. “I need you to do something for me, Clarence.” I perceived sadness overshadow her voice instantly. “Anything you want, Luna.” She released her grip around my torso, and I let go of her. She moved away, and I watched her sit on her bed. “I need you to check on Thorsten for me, Clarence. He doesn't deserve all these. He is a good person and Alpha Everett shouldn't treat him this way.” She uttered, and I heaved a sigh. “I can help you check on him, Luna. But, I can't guarantee you he is doing fine. Alpha Everett saw what you tw
EVERETTWe got to the palace, and the coachman opened the door of the carriage for me and Claudia. I looked at Claudia and saw she had a sad look on. I heaved a sigh and spoke up, “You need to put that face aside and smile. I don't want the crowd asking me what is wrong with my wife.” She rolled her eyes and looked at me. “I don't care if you have to answer to them.” I clenched my jaw as she spoke. I moved my hand to her, and I saw her gulp hard. Instead of hitting her the way I badly wanted, I brushed her hair with my palm and smiled. “I know you would do what I want. You wouldn't want your beloved Thorsten to rot in jail, would you?” I asked with gritted teeth as I restricted myself from pulling her hair. She bounced her head hurriedly, and I grinned. I stepped out of the carriage, and the coachman stared at me like he had seen a ghost. I got down, and I saw lots of people in front of the palace. There were some people inside. I could see them because the main door was wide open.
ANNETTE I feared my makeover was going to pull the attention of many. Luckily, no one had time for me. For the plan of the night, I couldn't be known as Annette. I needed to do a clean job. I wore a makeover that changed my beautiful face into the face of another woman. Everett had provided a thin mask that would help my makeover look perfect. No one knew I was the one underneath the mask. I walked down the hallway to where the meals were being prepared. I walked into the large kitchen, and I saw many chefs at work. The kitchen air was so hot that it threatened to peel off my skin. The people in the kitchen, both men and women, were sweating profusely. Though the environment wasn't comfortable for me, I didn't care. I needed to do what Everett wanted. The chefs didn't know that I had entered the kitchen, and I took the advantage. I walked to the back of the kitchen to look for the meals they had prepared for the aspirants. Without being noticed, I got to the back of the kitchen,
CLAUDIAI watched many people throw their stones into the bag in front of Dad, and I had never been happier in my whole life. It was obvious that Alpha Everett could never win the primary voting. Only people that were from the Denwald’s packhouse voted for him. And they were nothing compared to the people that voted for Alpha Joachim. “Finally, he gets what he deserves, and he would feel what I have been feeling since I got to his house… Rejection.” I said to myself, and I saw Alpha Everett looking at me again. I could guess what was going on in his mind. He wanted to know who I was going to vote for, but I was wiser than him and decided not to vote for anyone. My one vote won't change anything. My father was going to rule, and he would do nothing about it. “Won’t you vote for your husband?” I heard my mother's voice behind me, and I turned to look at her. She has a bright smile on her face and this made me smile too. “Voting for one of them is a bad idea, Mother,” I responded, an
EVERETTThe voting came to an end in no time, and I took a glance into the bag in front of me. I could count the stones in it. They were about twenty out of the thousand people that voted. I clenched my jaw and looked at Alpha Horst. The bright smile on his face made me furious. He turned his head in my direction and our eyes locked. His lips curled up in a smirk, and I raised my brows in disbelief. “Does he think I'm going to give up easily?” I thought as I looked away. I couldn't wait for Holgar and the men he had assigned to count the votes so we could get into the feast. The people that had gone out after voting was asked to enter the hall again. As soon as they were all seated, Holgar took the spotlight. They all kept quiet, and Holgar began to speak. “Thank you all for voting. We would start counting the votes after the feast.” He announced, and I raised my brows. “After the feast? Even better.” I grinned. “The bags will be left in front of the aspirants, and no one should
CLAUDIA My head was on Clarence’s shoulder as we sat on the garden bench. My eyes were closed and a smile crept up my face. I felt relaxed as he was close to me, I wanted to be like that forever. Away from Alpha Everett and everyone that kept making my life miserable. “Luna Claudia, I think we should head back to the hall. We can’t allow the Alpha to notice we are absent,” Clarence said, and I heaved a sigh and opened my eyes. “I want to be like this forever,” I muttered. My head on his shoulder rose and fell as he chuckled. “You can’t be like this forever, Luna.” “I know.” I raised my head from his shoulder and looked at him. He turned his head to look at me too, and our gazes locked. “Why do you still call me Luna?” My eyes shuttled as I moved my gaze from one of his eyeballs to another. “I call you Luna because you are still my Luna.” He fixedly looked at me as he spoke. I lowered my head and gave a nod. “Even after what we feel for each other? You still see me as his wife?” I
~After eighteen years~Maximillian I gazed at the archery targets carefully, my left hand slowly lifted up, holding the heavy recurved bow firmly. My right hand reached for my quiver, and I pulled out one arrow. I positioned it in the bow and pointed it at the targets. I closed my left eye so that I could get the appropriate angle and degree to release my arrow. After being satisfied with my positioning, I dragged the bowstring and arrow real quick and let go of the arrow. The arrow travelled from where I stood to the archery target, and I nervously watched it move. The King, my father, was at the other end, and as soon as the arrow pierced the target, he ran to it to check. “Yes! You did it!” He yelled, and I jumped up and punched the air in excitement. “I told you I’d be able to do it!” I yelled back boastfully. *Since I turned ten, I grew a great passion for shooting arrows. No one in Jamba Kingdom was an arrow shooter, and I wanted to break that record. My mother, Que
CLAUDIA Everett and I sat in the living room with an awkward silence in the air. My head was full of many things. After witnessing Annette’s death, I wished I was never pushed to request her death. ‘What will my don think of me now?’ “Claudia, can you please tell me what is going on in your mind?” Everett asked, and I adjusted my eyes to look at him. “What will our son think of me now, Everett? I’m a murderer.” He shook his head and reached for my hand. He lifted my hand to his lips and planted a soft kiss on it. “You are no murderer, okay? I was the one that killed her, not you. She deserved to die, okay? Don’t feel so bad. You are a good person, Claudia, but sometimes, the good people are always pushed to the wall.” “About our son…” “Our son will be fine, Claudia. This would be written down, but you should know he would understand that she needed to be killed. She messed with the king, and the king killed her. You won’t be painted as evil because you aren’t. So be calm, okay
CLAUDIAI got to the front of the palace and threw Annette forward, making her fall to the ground. I could feel how fragile she had become because of the torture she went through in the dungeon, but she wasn’t ready to change, and I was done giving her chances to be a better person. “You are still alive till now, thanks to me!” I poked my chest and moved closer to her slowly. “It was so easy to tell Everett to get rid of you when you were in that dungeon, but I felt it would be so wicked of me, and I didn’t want anyone’s blood on my hands. But now, I don’t care if your filthy blood stains my hand.” “You think you can do whatever pleases you now, hun? You can order others around, but I’ll never let you order me around! I rather die than accept you as my queen!” She yelled back, and I scoffed. I wasn’t surprised she could still talk back at me like that. Everett had always said she is a fierce woman and won’t give up easily. “You rather die? Well, I’ll help you die.” I got to her
ANNETTE I stood in front of my full mirror and stared at myself. I looked so ugly and sick, and I hated everyone for that. No one cared when I was in that dungeon, and this made me see no reason why I should care for anyone too. If someone told me Everett would change drastically to the extent of throwing me into the dungeon, I’d argue with that person. This time, it was worse. He locked me in there for about nine months, and he didn’t bother to check up on me for once. He was busy with his wife. I rolled my eyes and tears dropped from them. I lowered my head and began to play with my finger. “Annette, you are not a woman they accept defeats. You can’t let this pass as if nothing happened. You are more powerful than that, baby girl.” I said to myself and looked in the mirror again. “Annette.” I heard Volker’s voice in front of my door. I looked at the door and saw him open it. He walked in with a tray in his hands. “There you are. I brought you some food.” He walked to the tab
~The next day~ CLAUDIA I woke up feeling much better, I slept all through the night, so I didn’t expect less. I dragged my body up and sat on the bed. My eyes ran through the chamber real quick and fell on my baby’s cradle. Beside the cradle was Nellie. She had her hand in the cradle, and she was smiling widely. “Nellie,” I called calmly, and she raised her head and looked at me. “My Queen, you are up.” Sue stood up and walked up to me. “Yes, I am,” I responded with a bright face. “I’m happy you look better, my queen. How are you feeling? Do you have aches?” She asked, and I shook my head. “I’m not feeling anyone. Am I supposed to feel any pain?” I asked, and she chuckled. “I have no idea. I haven’t given birth before,” She responded, and I giggled. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that kind of question,” I said, and she shook her head. “It is fine, my queen. Your baby is still sleeping soundly. Have you found a name for him?” I shook my head and looked at the cradle again. “I
CLARENCE I sat amidst the pack members as they chatted and cheered. The other day, I wasn’t feeling so good. I couldn’t stop overthinking. Now that Claudia has given birth to the heir, what would happen to us? What if she is now in love with him too and wouldn’t want to leave? This has always been my fear, but what can I do when it happens that way? I would have to accept my fate and move on. She is a wife and a queen, I can’t ruin their marriage because of what I feel for her. I grabbed the jar of wine that was on the table and poured myself another cup. Jan looked at me and knitted his brows. “Hey, are you good? That is the seventh cup you are drinking. Do you want to talk?” He asked worriedly, and I shook my head and smiled. “I’m fine, Jan. The wine is just so good to put down,” I responded, making him chuckle. “It’s the best wine in the Jamba Kingdom, what do you expect? The king is in a very good mood and that makes us happy. You can drink up all you want. But if you want t
~After seven months~ EVERETT I covered my mouth with my hands and began to pace in front of Claudia’s chamber. It was her delivery day. I was with her when she started feeling weird, so I had to call the best midwife in the kingdom to take care of her. “Push!!!” I heard the midwife scream, and after her voice, a roar followed. It was Claudia’s. My pack members, the elders were all waiting in the living room, but I was too anxious to wait there with them. I wished I was in the chamber with her. “Push!!!” I heard the midwife scream again, and I heaved a loud sigh. I hit the door and yelled, “Can you please take it easy with her?” “I’m sorry, my king but I just need one more push from her and the baby will be out. One more hard push,” She responded In a loud tone, and I lowered my head. “Claudia baby, you can do it, okay? Just one push. I hate the way she keeps yelling at you,” I said and moved slightly away from the door. “Arrrrggghhhh!!” An extreme roar filled the air and my eyes
CLAUDIA “Are you going to do whatever I ask of you?” Alpha Joachim asked Everett, who sat next to me on the couch and never let go of my hand. “You are leaving me no choice. What do you want?” Everett kept his eyes on my hand as he spoke. “I want you to invite Thorsten back to the Jamba Kingdom.” Alpha Joachim smiled after talking, and Everett raised his head to look at him. “Why would I want to do that?” Everett asked, making Alpha Joachim shrug. “Because Thorsten is my friend, and I care about him. If you want to get your wife back, without me telling everyone the evil you have done, then you’ll do this little favor.” Everett gulped and heaved a loud sigh. He lifted his eyes and looked at Thorsten who stood behind Alpha Joachim. “I’ll let him into my kingdom on one condition. I must not see hun anywhere close to the palace. The day I see him anywhere around the gates, I’ll kill him.” I watched Thorsten’s face as Everett spoke, and I could see anger register on his face. He clen
EVERETTAfter Two Weeks I walked into a familiar building. I tried to remember where I had seen the building, but nothing was coming. My head was blank at the moment. I boldly opened the main door and walked into the living room. I had one thing in mind. I needed to find my wife. I looked around the living room and my eyes fell on someone. He sat on a chair but I couldn’t see his face because his back was turned to me. I started approaching hun and wanted to speak when all of a sudden, I heard footsteps approaching. I looked up, and I saw Claudia walking down the corridor. She heard where we were standing. “Claudia! My wife!” I called and began to approach her. She opened her arms with a large smile, but before I could get to her, a man stood in front of her, making me stop abruptly. I looked at this man, and I saw someone I wasn’t expecting. “Alpha Horst?” I called in surprise. I looked at the chair, and I saw that the man that was seated on it was gone. He could guess the man