~ Leigh's POV ~I paced in my study, my mind racing with worry. Father had already picked the auspicious date for my mating ceremony with Eleanor. I refused to pick a date myself so he went ahead and did so himself, without informing me."Shit!" I cussed, as I slammed my fist on the table. I couldn't get the parternity test done because father had given strict orders to Dr Lee to not allow it. And when I tried to get Dr Eli involved, Eleanor refused to corporate. This made me all the more suspicious. And this issue with the missing Alpha's and forsakens was stressing me out. Archie Addams was still working on it, but the criminals seemed to know all of our plans, so it kept flopping. We have just been running around in circles. I needed a breakthrough with this case too.I was more worried because Iris had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with me. She was hurt by this and I haven't had the chance to explain to her."I won't bother her again," I vowed to myself. "Not until
Nicolas and I dragged him back to our lodge. From the information Nicolas got on him, his name is Alaric, and he was a guard of the Rider Pack. He suddenly quit a few months ago, around the same time Eleanor came to my mansion. Something seemed really weird about this whole set up. "Care to tell us now?" Nicolas sneered at him but he looked away, keeping his mouth shut."I can destroy your whole family you know, tell me why you ran, and what do you have on Eleanor?" I asked getting stressed about his whole keeping my mouth shut stubbornness."I have nothing to say. Shouldn't you be getting ready for your mating ceremony?" He asked."You do have some nerves," I grabbed his collar roughly but he just looked away from me.It was annoying. I thought we finally found a break through, but this man wasn't saying anything helpful.This man was really stubborn and for two days straight, he refused to open his mouth. This place was uncomfortable and their food sucked. Father has also been tryi
"Why don't we ask Eleanor here?" I grinned and she immediately sprung up from her mother's arms."Do not believe anything he tells you. He's lying. It's all a lie." She shouted and she started crying again."Aren't you Alaric?" Master Rider asked him. "What are you doing here? And what does this have to do with you?" He looked confused about the whole situation but Master Luka Lane seemed to be enjoying the whole chaos as he sipped from his campaign glass, and kept asking for a refill."Alaric here will tell you everything." I said stepping out of the way and giving him room to speak."He's lying. He's going to lie." Eleanor shouted but Travis suddenly grabbed her."We'll decide that after we hear what he has to say." He sneered at her."You are my brother, so you should take my side, but you never do." She tried to push him off but he dragged her to the side."Continue young man." Master Rider said to Alaric.He bowed and greeted everyone. "My name is Alaric and I used to be a guard
"Get off me!" Iris cried as she struggled to pull Eleanor off.It was chaos as everyone was now taking a video instead of trying to help us."What is this condescending behavior you all are exhibiting in my presence!" Father growled and everyone froze. I immediately dragged Iris to myself and Travis held Eleanor to himself as they were both breathing heavily."Now, tell me Eleanor, is all what Leigh and this man called Alaric said true?" Father said strictly and she whimpered."My daughter would never frolic with a low born!" The Riders Luna sneered. "Eleanor, tell them! It can't be true right?" She said shaking her head uncontrollably but Eleanor just kept on crying."Eleanor, tell us the truth." Travis urged her."It's already clear that what I said was the truth. She's obviously not going to say anything since she has been deceiving us all." I said as I helped Iris arrange her hair.Dr Eli stepped forward and patted Iris shoulders. "To make it all clear and so that no one would be
"Everything is sorted out right?" Nicolas asked me as soon as I was out of father's office."Father blames me." I sneered angrily, trying to control my emotions."What? Why? You did nothing wrong!" He said.I turned to him. "I know. He said I should have gotten Eleanor pregnant first, now we lost the chance of birthing the ultima." I said running my fingers through my hair. I was stressed."He's got to be kidding! You father is so power hungry that he can't even sympathize with you." He spat. "I can't even judge, because my father is just the same. He hates me for being a low grade Alpha." "That isn't your fault. We didn't choose to be born this way. I didn't choose to be a S ranked, it's all the goddesses fault and that damned Kushim." I scowled."Hey! Hey! Calm down now. Don't talk trash about the goddess and our ancestors." He warned, but I wasn't having it. It was all their fault for differentiating us this way. It was kushim's fault for cheating but now we have to bear the burd
~ Iris POV ~I stood frozen, my mind reeling from the shocking revelation.So it turns out Miss Eleanor, had been pregnant with someone else's child all along. A guard at her Pack home at that. She even dared to frame Leigh. She's so despicable.But how could I have missed it? The signs were there. So obvious in front of me. The mood swings. The weird diets. The fatigue.The pollen allergy ruse. It all made sense now. She must have plotted that just to get suspicion off of her. No one would assume she was pregnant and just think it was her pollen allergy acting up again. She came here prepared, she had everything perfectly planned out, and we were just dancing to her tunes.Eleanor's eyes had flashed with desperation when Leigh exposed her deceit.She turned to me with spite as she rushed at me. I couldn't react on time."You ruined everything!" she spat, her fingers digging deep into my scalp. I couldn't let her treat me like trash, so I fought back. This wasn't the first time we hav
"Okay father. But I have to process my resignation. I cannot just up and leave." I said trying to sound reasonable and thankfully he listened to me."Okay." He sighed. "In two days time, I will come to pick you up. By then, everything should have been sorted out right?" He asked and I nodded."Okay dear, I will return to the hospital now. Please stay away from trouble my dear child." He patted my head and I smiled as I hugged him tightly."Bye dad." I said and he hugged me back before going his way. As I watched him leave, I clenched the resignation letter I already had prepared in my pocket. I had wanted to leave because I thought I had lost Leigh forever, but that wasn't the case now. I wanted to stay. I finally have a chance. But now, father wants me back home. What was I going to do now?"Iris!" Anne called me as she rushed towards me. "Are you okay? I heard that you were involved in a fist fight? I hope you won? Is it true that Eleanor wasn't carrying Leigh's child? So no more U
I should really stop entertaining this kind of conversations and exchanges to not give anyone a wrong impression or false hope. I do not know if he's serious about his advances or not, but I have to avoid him too."Iris," Miss Felice called out to me and I hurried to meet up with her."Madam?" I said and she had this look on her face that was hard to put into words. She just stared at me for a quick second before opening her mouth to speak."You are one lucky girl Iris." She said in a rather fond tone which greatly amazed me."Ah!" Was all I could say because I didn't know how to react. She moved closer to me and placed her hands on my shoulder."Leigh is a child I watch grow up. He knows nothing about love, but since he has chosen to love you, and the goddess also seems to be in your favour, I hope you do not disappoint him." She smiled softly and I nodded."Oh, I remember you said you had something to tell me. You can say it now." She said and the words got stuck in my throat. I did
“Nicolas,” I repeated, my voice rough, “What happened to Iris?” The silence that followed stretched longer than I thought necessary. It was so thick and suffocating, and this silence just seemed to amplify the frantic thumping of my heart.Nicolas shifted his weight uncomfortably, his gaze fixed on the hard cold floor. He finally sighed, a sound heavy with reluctance. “Leigh please. You need to focus on getting better. This isn’t something you should be worrying about right now.” He tried to reason. It was not a reasonable thing for him to say though. At least to me.I hissed harshly. The dismissive tone ignited a spark of fury within me, overriding the weakness that still clung to my limbs. I pushed myself up against the pillows, the sudden movement causing a sharp tug on the IV drip in my wrist, sending a jolt of pain through my arm and to my brain. “I cannot relax Nicolas! Iris is out there, in Luka Lane’s clutches. What do you think he wants with her? It’s not a good thing obvious
It’s been three days already. Three agonizing days since I had become conscious. Each breath I took still felt like I was dragging sandpaper across my lungs, and there was a constant pain all over my body. I could still feel how badly I was when Luka Lane clawed me down and leaving me in that lab for dead. If it hadn’t been for Clarisse who came quickly… She had dragged me back up the mountain to her pack. They used their ancient remedies that was gifted by the moon goddess to their ancestors. They used their concoction to help heal the deep wounds, combined with the surprisingly advanced technology tucked away in this secluded pack. It had pulled me back from the land of the dead. I was propped up against a mountain of soft hand stitched pillows, as a nurse offered me another spoonful of the bland but nourishing broth they had been feeding me for days. Across the room, Nicolas stood like a statue carved from worry as he stared at me ever so quietly. His usual easy going demeanour
~ Leigh’s POV ~The world was a muffled, distorted echo. There was this constant rhythmic thumping hammering within the confines of my skull, like a relentless drumbeat that threatened to shatter the fragile remnants of my little consciousness. It was a dark and suffocating, a place where sound and sensation were twisted from reality. I was lost in unconsciousness and couldn’t seem to fight my way out of it as I kept floating without having any sensation except for pain that spread through my bones.I tried to grasp at the edges of my consciousness, to pull myself back from the abyss, but my efforts were futile. My eyelids were heavy as lead, refused to obey my commands. All I could see was an overwhelming darkness, a void that stretched endlessly before me. The thumping intensified in my brain, a relentless hammer against the inside of my skull, and I felt myself slipping further down and sinking deeper into the dark.A series of sounds began to penetrate the darkness. I heard muff
The servants led me to my chambers as they closed the heavy oak doors behind me, the soft click echoing the finality of my confinement. I sank onto the bed as I sighed. I was losing my mind at this point and I really wonder how long I can continue to suffer confinement like this. The room, though luxurious, felt like a cage, each ornate detail a reminder of my isolation. Luka Lane was keeping me prisoner and he says I’m to be his bride. What sort of bride am I even?I gazed around the room, my eyes tracing the intricate patterns of the wallpaper, the delicate porcelain figurines on the side of the room, the shimmering golden silk drapes that framed the tall windows. It was a beautiful prison indeed, a place of comfort and opulence, but a cell room nonetheless and I wanted to get out.My thoughts drifted to the upcoming mating ceremony, it seemed scary to me, an event that filled me with a sense of dread. Luka Lane, the pack master, my supposed betrothed. The very idea of marrying hi
I was feeling so frustrated and I didn’t even want to be here or do any of these. There was actually no use having me here since the head servant practically picked out everything herself. From the dress to shoes to the jewellery. I just sat there like a pile of nothing as my thoughts kept wandering around like someone lost. Well, I was lost. My memory was. After the hassle, we were finally done and the servants escorted me back to my room. It was like procession, as the servants walked in front of and behind me, as if shielding me from something dangerous. I felt suffocated and trapped here. "Could I… could I take a short walk?" I asked the head servant, my voice barely audible. I knew I wouldn’t be allowed, but I just wanted to try. "Just a brief look around the grounds? And we’ll be back.” I said innocently.But she shook her head. "I am afraid that would not be possible, Mistress Amore. Master Luka would not approve and he gave strict instructions to not let you wander."“But...
The air in the grand dressing room was thick, not with dust, but with the nerve wrenching sweetness of a hundred different floral perfumes, all battling for dominance to get to my nostrils. I was perched on a soft royal blue cushion, and I could feel the weight and pressure on my shoulders, though my mind was currently miles away, lost in the swirling, fragmented images of my dream. It was still a puzzle that I couldn’t quite piece together, so it bothered me so much. Much more than having to pick out the perfect dress for my mating ceremony.Around me, a flurry of activity unfolded, a meticulously choreographed dance of silks and laces as designers, with faces etched with practiced professional smiles and a hint of desperation, paraded their creations before me, sampling them as the best of the best for the occasion. Each gown was a masterpiece of its own, having intricate beadings and embroidery, meant to enhance my beauty for the upcoming mating ceremony. But to me, they were just…
"Betrothed?" I repeated extremely surprised, it possibly can’t be true. Isn’t he too..too old? "But aren't you… aren't you old enough to be my father?" I asked him.His eyes narrowed at me as the grey turned to ice. "You had no problems with it before. Besides, you have been betrothed to me since your birth." He sounded a bit annoyed as he spoke."But…" I tried to counter, but the words got caught in my throat as he cut me off, his voice sharper and firmer this time.“I won't blame you for the misunderstanding this time Amore. You got into an accident and lost your memory. It happens. Anyway, our mating ceremony is in a few days. I do not wish to postpone it. You better get yourself ready." He turned away and dismissed me with a wave of his hand. I stood there, completely frozen, unable to process his words. Betrothed to him? To a man who could easily be my father? He was handsome, undeniably so, with his sharp features and piercing grey eyes, but the thought of marrying him… it was
The morning light filtering through large windows didn’t make me feel as excited much. It was just like any other day, just like the rest I had spent here. Days and nights has passed by like a continuous endless cycle. A cycle of sleep, bland meals delivered by silent servants, and endless waiting. They all called me ‘Mistress,’ yet I had no recollection of who I was, what this place was, or why I was even here. All I knew was that the servants, though unfailingly polite, were also all awfully tight lipped that it grated on my nerves so much that I felt like pulling my hair some times.“The Master will see you soon and tell you everything you need to know Mistress." They would say, as their eyes evaded mine.Frustration clawed at my chest and I yearned for answers, for a glimpse of the outside world too. The door was always locked when they left, as if they wanted to mock my imprisonment. Why was I even imprisoned here? These questions I couldn’t answer. I scrambled to my feet as my
~ Iris POV ~The first thing that I was aware of was the sound around me. A low unfamiliar hum, like a distant buzzing in my ear. Then voices, muffled and indistinct, like words spoken under water. I tried to open my eyes, but they felt heavy, glued shut with heavy weights. It took a lot of effort, a desperate struggle against the thick pressure that seemed to surround me to finally peer them open.Finally, a sliver of light pierced the darkness, and I blinked, the sudden assault of bright light in my eyes making me to wince and recoil, shutting my eyelids once again. I heard a gasp, a soft, feminine voice, and then a flurry of movement. “She’s awake.” The soft voice said."Get the master quick!" another voice, sharper and more urgent commanded and I could hear clattering around as people moved about. I struggled to open my eyes again to see the people making the sounds, but the light intensified, blinding me again. I squeezed my eyes shut, groaning softly from the sudden sting