CLAUDIA I stormed back to my chamber and shut the door against Volker’s face. I started pacing in front of my bed. I was thinking about Clarence. What if Alpha Everett killed him? What if he sends him out of his pack? I would be the cause of it all, and I would never forgive myself. I should have never asked him to stay with me. I should have never slept on his shoulders. I should have… A knock on the door threw me out of my thoughts and slammed me against the wall like a ball. “Go away!” “Luna Claudia, it’s me, Nellie. I need to clean you up.” “For what? I am not going to sit down at his bloody meeting and act like everything is okay because nothing is okay!” “If you don’t allow me clean you up, Luna, he is going to kill me. Please let me clean you up and prepare you for the meeting. It won’t take more then twenty minutes my Luna.” I stop pacing and glared at the door after hearing the word “kill”. I wasn’t going to let him kill anyone because of me. Clarence is al
#Warning!#This chapter contains assault . Please skip if you are sensitive to this. EVERETT *Why is he praising her?*I stared at them in confusion. The way Joachim smiled at Claudia and the way her face became calm after seeing he was the one. *How do they know each other?*She looked at me, and I cleared my throat. I showed her the chair next to me with my eyes, and she got the signal immediately. She walked to the chair, still lifting her gown. She sat on the chair and lowered her eyes. I looked at Joachim and saw he still had his eyes on her. “Where did you meet her?” I forced a smile on my face. I didn’t want to make my anger visible to him. “We met at the moonball party. She was the first woman whose beauty caught my undivided attention. She was the fairest of all.” I looked at Claudia, and I saw her cheeks flush. I clenched my jaw in jealousy and looked at Joachim again. “I know she is the fairest of all and that is why I’m married to her. I first set my eyes
CLAUDIA I heard him slam the door shut, and I jumped in terror. I looked around the dungeon again, trying to catch my breath. My chest moved up and down as I kept weeping. It was hell on earth. The torches in the dungeon were growing dim, and I knew once they went off, that was the end. I would run mad. I touched my forehead, and my blood wet my fingers. I had hit my head, and I was bleeding. The dungeon was very silent, and I could hear only my cry. I stopped crying and tried listening to any sound. It was silent as a grave, and that was scarier. I stood up from the dusty floor and dusted off the sand on my gown with my hand. I shuffled to where one of the torches was and carried the sconce. It was pretty heavy, but I didn't care. I need more light to retain my sanity. The torch had more rag that could still burn wrapped around the tip. So, I began to ignite more of the torches in the dungeon. I shuffled as I moved from one torch to another. My gown was getting in the way of
CLAUDIA “Have you ever been in love?” I looked at Thorsten after asking the question. He smiled faintly and shook his head. “I don't know what love feels like.” He responded, and I gulped from the milk flask. I smiled widely at him in disbelief. How would a perfect man like him not know what love feels like? “So you haven't liked any girl before? You don't have a mate?” “I don't think I have one. I have never thought of getting one, and I'm yet to know why.” He stared at me as I packed the plates. I finished my dinner without leaving anyone out. “But it's hard to believe you haven't been in love. The way you care about others is indefinable. You are one of those that should have a mate.” “Maybe, the world isn't as logical as you think, Luna Claudia. The Moon Goddess does what she wants when she wants it. No one can question her.” “You shouldn't be with Alpha Everett.” I sadly passed the plates in my hand through the window so he could have them. “Thank you.” He collected th
ANNETTE “How dare he to speak to me in that manner... In front of her!” I stormed out of the dungeon in rage and headed to the packhouse. I got inside the pack house, and those that saw me stared at me as if they had seen a ghost. “What are you all looking at?! Get out of my sight!” I sighted Volker in front of me as I walked to Everett’s room. He stood in front of me, and I stopped walking. “What is with you this time? Why are you so loud?” “Why don't you ask your Alpha, hun? He just rubbished me in front of that eighteen-year-old girl.” Volker heaved a sigh and shot me a weird look after I finished talking. “That eighteen-year-old girl is his mate, Annette. You should get used to that already. He won't stand up for you all the time.” I scoffed and stared at him unbelievably. I thought he understood me more than anyone else in the pack, but I was wrong. “Are you trying to insult me, Volker? I thought we were friends.” He exhaled loudly and moved closer to me. He reached f
CLAUDIAI stretched out as I laid on the dusty floor. My nostrils couldn't get enough of the dust and foul smell around me. I heaved a sigh and sat up. “Another day in the dungeon.” I touched the wound on my head and noticed it was already dry. Clarence’s ointment worked after than I thought it would. A smile crept up my face as I recalled the time I spent with Clarence again. I didn't want him to leave last night but I couldn't stop him from leaving. He needed rest too. I heard the chirpings of the birds, and I stood up. I wanted to see the skies, so I walked to the window and looked out. I saw green grasses, and a small stream was next to it. I smiled widely as I saw butterflies flying all over the place. “The garden isn't far from this place?... This is beautiful.” I found a place to make myself happy in the dungeon. I kept staring out of the window when Clarence appeared in front of me, making me shout. “Bloody hell, Clarence!” “I’m sorry I startled you.” He laughed hearti
CLAUDIA I entered the house through the back door. I didn’t know why Volker chose the back door, but I could guess Alpha Everett didn’t want the visitor to see how unkempt I looked. “Who is this visitor? I’m curious.” I looked at Volker, and he shook his head. “I’m not allowed to disclose that, plus, I have no idea who it is. I was asked to call you and that’s all.” He replied nonchalantly, and I rolled my eyes. I courageously walked past him and headed to my chamber. Whatever was wrong with him was none of my business, and he shouldn't have transferred his aggression toward me. I got to my room and opened the door. I looked around and saw it as I left it. “Nellie!” I called looking outside my door. I craved a thorough milk bath, and she was going to help me with that. I waited for her to show up, but she was nowhere to be found. I heaved a sigh and walked to the mirror. I stared at myself in the mirror and saw how dirty I looked. My skin was nothing to write home about, and my
EVERETTI stared at her as she stormed out of my face. I wasn't expecting to see her that wild, but it was hot.I looked at Annette, who was weeping on the floor. She held her head as she wept. I looked at my pack members, and I saw them staring at me. I knew they wanted to know what I was going to do. “Take her to her chamber, Volker. And you all, get out of my face.” Volker reached for her hand and before he could touch her, she hit his hand. “Don’t touch me!” She yelled. Volker looked at me, and I bounced my head. I walked to her and squatted in front of her. “Annette.” “Don’t call me, Everett.” She looked at my face with tears in her eyes. “You saw what she did to me, didn’t you? And you could do nothing!” She cried. “What were you expecting me to do, Annette? You ruined her dress. Why did you do that?” “Are you seriously questioning me right now, Everett? Aren’t you supposed to punish her for doing this to me? Look at my head…” She raised her head, and I saw blood drippin
~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