XAVIER'S POV;There was a celebration in the settlement and obviously, I wasn't going to attend. I had other matters to attend to. Luckily enough for me, she didn't leave as she had told Felix she wanted to.The warriors, tired and hungry, decided to join in the party and even when I was crowned, I only smiled and continued on my way back to the pack house.According to Green, Iris had gone back immediately and it was all over and she had told them not to follow her as she wanted to be alone, which they did respectfully.As I trudged back up the hill, I felt a weakness in my joint. I was tired from having to move from one place to another in the space of two days. I needed to rest. At least, a day of recuperation.The ouchless was empty and that was due to the celebration that was going on back at the settlement. I knew I had the time to settle everything now. We could yell at each other all we can without being bothered about anyone hearing, not even the maids.The maids had been sen
XAVIER'S POV;The last time I had seen her, it hadn't been a good memory. I was carried away from the pack house that night as raiders attacked. My father was badly wounded and she had already been abducted. The last I saw of her was on one of the horses, struggling with one of the men who hit her across the chin."You're supposed to be dead, Mother," I said, almost losing my voice.She shook her head and smiled tearfully. "No, I am not. I am alive. I have always been,"I shook her head and stepped back. She was definitely a ghost. She even looked like one. Her brunette hair looked tangled like it hadn't been taken care of for years. Her face was stained with dirt and slight bruises and her dress-- tattered."You're a ghost," I said and turned to Felix. "She's a ghost. Are you blind?!"Felix sighed and closed his eyes. I could see the pity in his eyes but I didn't need any of that.Iris, on the other hand, stood there, frozen like she had seen a ghost and that confirmed my fears. I ge
HAZEL'S POV:Before I blanked out, I felt myself being picked up from the ground and there was shuffling of footsteps before I was placed on a soft spotWhen I woke up, it was very dark and I still had that splitting headache. I tried to make sense of my environment to no avail.I sat up slowly and winced when the ache moved to the left side of my head. I had the urge to climb out of the bed and seek for air as I was feeling suffocated in this room.Once I stepped out of bed, I noticed that my feet didn't feel how it used to feel. It felt like rubber, susceptible to breakage if care wasn't taken.I was weak in the knee so I fell back on the bed and leaned against the headboard.I remembered everything. How I had gotten to this place. I still found it hard to believe. It felt like I was in a dream. I didn't want to believe a thing she said but I couldn't help it. I knew I had parents but they were the wrong people.How was that possible? I don't even remember an inkling of my childhood
XAVIER'S POV;I paced about in my room. Sleep evaded me. Iris thought I was probably asleep but I couldn't find it.I kept reliving the memories from the past. Over the years, I had forced myself to forget about it only for my mother to appear out of nowhere.Iris had a crazy resemblance to Tatiana and for a moment, I thought she was the one. I was hit by that wave of recognition that was brought by fun memories but she didn't seem to grasp it.I stopped in front of the window and sighed. Maybe taking a walk was going to help and I did just that.The pack house was asleep and everywhere was pitch black. I walked through the darkness, my eyes sight keen and once I got to the french doors that led to the garden, I stopped and sighed.Maybe this isn't a good idea.As I made to turn back, I caught sight of a feminine figure seated on the stone chair and I immediately recognised her.Iris.So she hadn't gone to bed either?Our last encounter hadn't ended quite well but I really wanted to s
HAZEL'S POV;We slept off in each other's arms. Xavier stirred beside me and I woke up immediately."Fuck. It's dawn already," He said and laughed. His voice sounded really groggy and it stirred something inside of me. I realized that I loved men with deep voices.I stared at him the whole time, admiring his naked body under the fading moonlight. His back was bare, chiseled. Without knowing, I placed my hand on his back. He stilled.I traced my hands down his back slowly, feeling every crevice on his skin.My fingers hit a bump and I stopped, tracing my fingers on that particular scar. "Where did you get this from?""Uhm, I got it from training while I was younger,"I raised my brow in confusion. "How possible is that? You shouldn't be getting such scars from just training. This looks like you were beaten severely by a whip,"Xavier extracted my hand from his back and turned to face me. He smiled drily and held my hand in his, playing with my fingers and somehow focusing his gaze on m
HAZEL'S POV;Today was filled with activities. People came to see Xavier's mother. Everyone was so happy to have her back but there was a wave of shock that hung in the air and I could taste it in my tongue. I stood by the corner, watching as she spoke with Noah and Roman. I hadn't seen them in weeks and somehow, I thought they had disappeared back to their travels. I wasn't really interested in them or anything that had to do with them.I saw how hard Noah tried to look emotional. He burst into tears but Xavier's mother seemed put out by his theatrics. She smiled awkwardly at Zoe and started speaking to her.Talking about Zoe. I knew I had to see her before she left and once I caught her standing alone and waiting for her father and Noah to finish speaking with Xavier, I rushed towards her and grabbed her by the arm. She turned to look at me, eyes widening slightly before she burst into a smile."It's been a long time, Iris," She said. I nodded at her."I need to talk to you about so
XAVIER'S POV;Iris was happy this morning and it delighted me. I saw it in the way she spoke with the maids and made her choice of meal. One time, a maid dropped a ceramic plate and just as the chief cook was about to yell at her for misconduct, Iris intervened."You're hyper today," I said to her when she joined me in the truck. A bang was heard from behind us and that was when we knew that the trunk had been closed. I started the engine and began to reverse out of the Pack house.She shrugged. "We're going out for the first time. A proper date. Do you know how happy that makes me?"I laughed and nodded. "I can see it. You look brighter than ever,""So tell me, where are we having this picnic?"I looked at her and smiled before tossing a key at the guard standing by the gate. "You'll see when we get there. It's a secret,""I don't like secrets," She sighed and leaned back against her seat. "Scares the hell out of me,""It's not like I am turning you into your enemies or something. It
HAZEL'S POV;I don't think I've ever been this happy my whole life. There's never been an arome of fun in my life and Xavier brings it to me. He makes me feel happy and over and over again, I tell myself I was stupid to have wanted to leave last night.My feet sink into the thick blanket and he pulls me down into his lap, capturing my lips on his. Kissing him feels like I am doing it for the first time. The butterflies in my belly, that feeling of wanting more, yearning, feet becoming putty once he touches my body.His lips travel down to my jaw, planting wet, soft kisses. My hands are all over his body, feeling the warmth of his skin against mine.Arching my back, he easily pulls me to the ground with him."I like that you're wearing this dress. It's so easy to take off from your body," He whispered hotly into my ears as he spread my legs apart. Lodging his body in between my legs, he pushes himself into my body, causing me to gasp and reach for the hem of my dress.But he has other