KAIREL Wh—what did I hear her say? Unknowingly, a chuckle ran out of my mouth. I had become fazed by the words that ran out of Wendeline's mouth but I also needed to be certain that she wasn't under the influence of strong alcohol. “Did I hear you correctly, Wendeline?” Even though she was blind, it seemed like she was staring at me but there was no way she could do that. The stick for support that rested in her hand stamped on the floor. “Do you even know who you're speaking with?” “Kairel?” She scoffed. “Is that not you?” She now asked. “I do not want to believe I have come into the wrong chamber.” Again, she sounded. And now, I was certain that she was certain of the chamber she was in. But what was she talking about? “Have you been drinking too much?” “No—” a loud scoff ran out of her mouth. The stick in her hand moved in the air. It looked like she was in search of me. “I'm sure of what I say, Kairel. I don't know but I've waited for you to see this on your own s
ANNORAIt was another morning. Another day to stay back in the chamber and show my face to the wolves. Waking up with a slight headache this morning, I looked forward to a moment with Sora who, every morning, made it to my chamber no matter what. I walked to the window corner and took a peep, staring down at the wolves of the Pack who went about with their usual morning duties. Where the hell was Sora? I looked around and spotted someone who looked exactly like her from behind. But then, when she made a move and I had access to the side of her face—it wasn't my maid. Just in time, someone knocked on the door. I let go of the window and faced the wooden door. “Sora. Is that you?” Settling on the bed, I relaxed my back on the strong wood and then watched the door push open. “Good morning, Annora—” Sora walked in. There was a tad bit of a smile on her face. The kind that expressed displeasure, shock and maybe disappointment. What was wrong with her? Maybe I was thinking too much.
ANNORA “I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean.” He got on his feet and paced the room. What did I do? What should I do? What was the right thing to say to him? There was an urge to pace my chamber also but I sat down and watched Kairel who looked like he had a lot to say. “What do you talk about, Kairel?” He stopped pacing and turned to face me. “Can't you see it?” He walked further and caught up with the bed where I took a seat. “Can't you see that I'm in love with you?” He asked and looked me directly in the eye. “I cannot let you go, Annora. I cannot let you go.” I was lost. Confusion greased my countenance. “You said you hated me.” “I was angry, Annora. I was angry and would you blame me? You're my mate and I love you very much. How can you expect me to not hate you at that very moment?” He started pacing the space again. “Do you expect me to not hate you at that very moment? Would you not say those same words to me if the tables happened to be turned?”
ANNORA Again, after a few days, Sora showed up in my chamber once again as usual, with a beautiful smile on her face. “Good morning, Annora—” she shut the door, startling me as she walked over to the couch. “I'm sorry if I disturb you but I thought I should make it early to your chamber before anything else. Would you like some food?” I thought about it. Would I like some food? “Yes, Sora. A cup of tea would do with meat. Can you do that after a bath, though?” She nodded and took a seat on the large couch, moping at me as though she had seen a ghost. “Of course—” she got up almost at the same time when a seat was taken. “I'll make a bath for you as soon as possible. Give me some time, Annora—” She promised and was out of my sight. My life, in a few days, had become so miserable. A lot went on with me, especially thoughts. Thoughts about how stupid I was. Thoughts about how I could not do anything other than sob about the situation I was in. What more or less coul
KAIREL It's been over one week since I made up my mind to stay back in the Pack, rather than running away like the coward I was not—and up till now, I had yet to come up with something to do in order to win Annora. Was it so hard? Did it have to be so hard? What was wrong with me? Anger running through my veins as blood, I paced the settings of my chamber as I tried to think about what to do. Maybe how to do it. But how was I supposed to think about how to do it when the thing to do was least known to me? A tired sigh ran out of my mouth and I looked at the wall, turning around before making up my mind to console myself. That was better than anything else at the moment. Heaving a sigh, I reached the window in moments. No one asked me what to do in this world that I had created for myself. There was nothing like an Alpha or a Beta in it, unlike what I went through about a month ago when I still pledged allegiance to Aegon—a man who didn't deserve it. I looked out
ANNORA Opening my door to meeting Beta Kairel with a tray of food in his hand shocked me more than anything else. “Good morning, my lord—” I mouthed with a bow, opening the door even wider so that he could walk in. “Wh—” My words began to fail me, but I was willing to try again. “Wh—what are you doing here?” “Good morning, Annora—” Kairel led his way to the bedside, dropping the tray on the table next to the bed. “I'm sorry if I disturbed your sleep, Annora,” he said with a bow and pointed at the meal. “But I thought I should bring breakfast to you. Do you mind?” “N—no, no, I don't mind, my lord. But I believe you know you don't have to—” I looked at the table where the meal was dropped, realizing the treat was one of my favorites. “You didn't have to, Beta Kairel. You know Sora? She brings my meals to me every morning.” An unpleasant look came on his countenance. Kairel shook his head. He then walked farther from me—leaving me with no other option but to be glad that
AEGON “One of these days, I'll join you in going to check on him.” She turned around and I added. “Or her.” A smile came on my countenance. Annora bowed and without a word from her, she turned to face the door again and was out of my sight, leaving me to the many thoughts running around in my head. There were just so many of these thoughts. A sigh ran out of my mouth over and over again - while I spent a while thinking about Annora and the moments we'd had in this same room. Did she think about them? Throwing a spoonful of food in my mouth, I reached for water - sipping some as well. It was a good meal, but I didn't feel like eating. Not when a woman I was attracted to was in my chamber a while ago - while I did nothing but feast on the beautiful beauty she possessed. How could a woman be so pretty? Sipping some more water, I dropped the mug back on the table and was on my feet. It was a good thing for me - especially when there wasn't so much to do on this da
KAIRELLeft with no choice, I found myself laughing hard. What was Aegon trying to do? My laughing moment reduced to a smile and I put another spoonful of the meal in my mouth - thinking about the right response. “I don't understand you, Aegon. Is there something you're trying to say to me? I'm more than afraid I don't understand. Come clean, I plead with you.” Aegon. He sat there - moping at me with hatred in his eyes. Maybe it wasn't hatred but the look was that of contempt. What did he want to say to me? For some reason, I was more than afraid I had forgotten what he had said just a while ago - the more reason I wanted him to repeat it. “You're not deaf, are you?” “I'm not deaf, Aegon. I concentrated more on the meal before you said whatever it was you said.” He chuckled. Put another spoonful of the meal in his mouth before looking up to meet my gaze again. “I'm not saying you're deaf. It was a question but that should remain in the past if you may know. What are you doing
KAIREL What to expect from this war was unknown to me. Even though this was the case, one part of me didn't care. That part of me was ready and willing to go on this war—just to see the end of a man who did this to me. So far, I have become a beast. But was I to blame for it? No, there was no way I could be blamed for turning into who I had become even though one part of me did not believe myself also. But what could I do? Waking up this morning, these and many other thoughts ran around in my head. Deep inside of me, I hoped that Annora had reached the pack and given out messages to Aegon who should ask his armies to do the needful by now. A smile came on my countenance at the thought of how Fennic made his men go out to look for Annora who was long safe and I was certain because I could feel it. The man didn't have the slightest idea who did this. I could not let him know, either. Another smile came on my countenance and I caught up with the bathroom door, walking in s
AEGON “Wh—what did you just say?” “Yes, Alpha Aegon. I saw Kairel at The Stormbringers Pack. That's where I am coming from. I got back there and there were so many people in the Pack. I didn't expect that. One part of me thought the members were dead long ago. They are all alive including the Alpha Fennic.” I watched her closely, listening, waiting for more. “And what happened next?” I could not wait to hear it all and then deal with her in my way. How could she poison me? And why did she tell it to my face that she did? “Speak up already, Annora. I don't have all day.” I cried, taking a spoonful of the meal and putting it in my mouth. “He was there. Apparently, I was locked up in a prison for more than two days when I refused Alpha Fennic my consent to go on a war with him.” More confusion ran around in my head. What was this woman talking about? “What war?” I looked around the chamber, at the men who moped at her while some had their mouths open. “What war are you ta
AEGON My eyes opened in a room I could barely recognize. Something went on inside of me but even at that, it was hard to lay my hands on it and tell what went on exactly. Where was I? Looking around the chamber, I met the gaze of men I could also barely recognize. “Aegon?” My eyes opened the more. That voice. The voice of a woman I surely could recognize. Even if I forgot the other things I should not forget, I was ever going to recognize the voice of Annora which sounded in my head. “Annora—?” “What has happened?” Someone mumbled. “Tell me. What has happened?” The person asked me who could not and would not provide an answer to the question. If not because of anything but because I didn't know the answer. How could I open my eyes in the space of a chamber I didn't recognize, with men I also could not recognize but the voice of a woman I could recognize? Someone barged into the chamber. “What is this that I hear?” The old Healer who I now recognized, walked towa
ANNORA I ran like never before, even though I knew I had become far away from Alpha Fennic and his wicked pack. Who knew? Maybe Kairel was not safe. But at the moment, I didn't care one dime about him. Not with the many things I had on my list, of which one of them was arriving back at the pack. What was I going to say to Aegon? What would I tell him as soon as I got there? Where would I tell him I have gone to? A sigh ran out of my mouth. Automatically, I stopped running. One, because of the many thoughts running around in my head and again, the fact that I needed to put something in my mouth before I could move again. There was no time to waste. Relaxing under a tree, I realized the danger I was. A pregnant woman in a wild place like this. Where did such courage come from? I could not worry less, maybe because of the many others that needed to be done. Taking the backpack from behind me where it hung all this while, I placed it on my lap—wondering at the same
ANNORA My second day in the prison came and went. It was my third day and I had yet to take a bath. How could that even be possible? I looked around the box of a room, wishing I had not come here in the first place. Maybe I should have stayed back and endured with Aegon. But how was I going to know that he was innocent at the end of the day? All of these looked like they had a purpose but I could not lay my hands on what exactly to do in order to be gone from this prison and the Pack in total. Maybe I found out the truth to die with it. There would be no way to make corrections and this was the sad part of it. Tears ran down my cheeks at the thought and realization of this—leaving me with cries. “Good morning, Lady Annora.” Snapping out of my thoughts, I met the gaze of the wicked man who watched over me since I was brought to this prison against my wish. “Get off my face.” I declared. “My lady—” he wasn't going to listen to me. “Your food will be here in a short while
AEGON It was late in the night when I opened my eyes. I should be bothered about Annora who hasn't been found since all these while, but I wasn't and that was the least of my concern as there was something wrong with me. Something I couldn't lay my hands on. What was this? I placed my hand on my chest to ascertain but I could not. Not when I didn't have the slightest idea what was wrong. Standing on my feet, I realized how weak my bones had become. So many thoughts ran around in my head and I wondered whether it was because of how much I missed Annora and maybe Wendeline who also hasn't been found. Managing to walk to the door, I walked out. Darius was on duty. He bowed with a smile. “My lord. Do you need me to do something for you?” Nodding, I walked back into the chamber with an expectation that he would follow me which he did. “Darius. I don't know what's wrong with me—” Unable to hide it any longer, I spoke up. “Pain in my body, especially my chest. Do you think I
ANNORA “Are you two joking right now?” “No one is joking with you, Annora. I'm asking you to join hands with your family so that an end can be put to this. Don't you understand the implications of letting Aegon live? News about your situation with Kairel was told to me last night and I cannot help but wonder how you feel.” “I don't feel anyway—” I mouthed, a painful smile on my countenance. “You don't know how I feel and it should be the least of your business. If there's any way I feel, then it's because of what you've done to me and my life. Leave Alpha Aegon out of him—he's done nothing at all to you.” Kairel coughed. “You love him.” “I'm not supposed to hate him, Kairel.” “After all he's done—” he chuckled and looked at Alpha Fennic who didn't speak any longer. “We can force a horse to the river but we cannot force them to drink. That's the case right here with Annora, my lord. What do we do?” “There's nothing you can do—” I cut short their thoughts. “I want to be lef
ANNORA Shock could be seen on my countenance. I didn't want to believe what I saw. Maybe it was a dream. Maybe I was hallucinating, or was I not? “Kairel—” “Annora—” he called, a smile on his countenance. “It's me. I'm not here to hurt you.” No, I wasn't dreaming. This was more than real. I reached the lock and turned it, opening the door automatically. “What are you doing here, Kairel?” I looked around the room to be certain I was not in any way seeing visions. “Is this real?” He walked in and shut the door. “It's real, Annora. I'm the one standing right in front of you. How are you doing?” Did he really ask me that? Did he expect me to answer him? “What is going on here?” I cried. “You knew all this while that my family was alive, didn't you? You knew this pack wasn't burned to the ground, didn't you?” “I didn't know. I found out the same way you did, Annora. This is why you should understand how wicked Aegon is. Can't you see for yourself already?” What was
ANNORA I had spent over a week in this pack. Even though this was another home of mine, I felt more like a total stranger. My identity, even though I knew what I looked like, became strange to me and I thought about how unfortunate I was all day in the chamber where I spent my day and night. There were so many thoughts. My eyes had been open all day. No, all night. So many thoughts went around in my head and one was the costly mistake I had made as I wondered if it was or wasn't too late for me to thwart what I had done. What have I done? What else if not poison Aegon who had done nothing at all to me? How could I be so wicked to him? Was he dead already? Why didn't I think twice before making that decision? These and more thoughts ran around in my head, especially if I wanted to have the baby. A fatherless child. What would I say to him or her was the end of their father? A deep sigh ran out of my mouth as I looked out the window, realizing the day had broken. Also, I realiz