AEGON “Wh—what did you say?” Again, Magnus bowed. He had a smile on his countenance and I could not help but wonder what was funny. “My lord. The lady, Annora, is pregnant.” Shock filled my veins like blood. My mouth opened and I shut it back, opening it again. “You've got to be kidding me. Did you check very well?” Confusion filled the countenance of the Healer. He moped at me and shook his head, making me wonder if he wasn't sure of what he'd done in the name of checking Annora. “What have you done?!” I thundered. “You're wasting my time like I have a lot to waste. What did you say?” He bowed once more, moved farther from the spot, and bowed again, annoying me with the way he nodded his head. “Lady Annora is pregnant, Alpha Aegon. You make me doubt myself but I am certain of what I speak about.” Now that was enough. I needed some time to take in what I just heard. Was this old man playing games with me? He'd better not. I looked up to meet his gaze, realizing I hadn't
AEGON Can the day end already? There was one last thing to do, and it was going to involve the Healer. “One moment, Darius. There's somewhere I need to be.” The man halted, waiting for me to move in the right direction and when I did, I could hear his footsteps from behind once again. Magnus had better be available. “I want Magnus now.” Soon, he appeared before mes, , his head bowed. “My lord. What shall I do?” “I need clarity—” I looked at him. “But before that can happen, I need to know how Annora is. How is the baby too?” My gaze fixed on the door for a moment, and I looked at him once more. “Yes, Magnus.” “She's awake already.” He let me know. In satisfaction, I gave a nod. I cared about her. Wasn't it obvious? How could I hate a woman who gave me so much orgasm? I wondered, smiling even though I shouldn't be doing a thing like that. “I wanted to know how she is, but that's not all. Does she know about it already?” “Not yet, Alpha Aegon. She's awake an
ANNORA My eyes opened. I was seated, no, lying on a bed I could barely recognize. Looking around, I tried so hard to recall where I was but it was a hard task, especially when I hadn't been to this place before. Even if I had, it was a long time ago. “Annora?” Shocked. Someone in here knew me. What was this about? I looked to my left and there he was. Alpha Aegon. Did we—?Did we not argue the last time? What was going on here? Aegon had made it obvious that he didn't want me, so why did he sit next to me? Did something wrong happen? “Alpha Aegon—” “Annora—” he called, a dry smile on his countenance. “It's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?” No. No, I didn't want to speak with this man. Did he think I'd forgotten the last argument we had? Looking away, I heaved a sigh and shut my eyes. Maybe I shouldn't have woken up in the first place. That would be death, Annora. A voice ministered to me. Was death not better? “Where am I, Alpha Aegon?” “The health center
ANNORAWh—what was he talking about? “I don't understand you, Aegon. What do you speak of?” He moped at me, dumb. Why didn't he speak? Why couldn't he say something?“What did you say?” “You're pregnant, Annora.” No fucking way!No way!For who?!“No—” I mouthed, getting off the bed. “You've got to be kidding me, Aegon. What did you say?” Was I pregnant? Was this the reason why I couldn't do anything for days? Was this why I fainted in the kitchen? “Are you joking?!” “I don't know,” he cried. “This question would need to be directed to Magnus. I have no idea what to think or say at this point, Annora. But the truth remains that you're with child although we don't know wh—” No. He wasn't going to say that, was he? A wicked smile appeared on my face and I looked at Aegon who had the most confusing look ever on his face. I had never seen him this way. Never. But why would he ask or act like he didn't know this child was his? No. What was I trying to do? Accept that I was pre
AEGONMembers made an unusual sound this morning. Maybe it was quite usual but it's been long since I heard them make noises like that. I jumped off my bed and rushed to the window so that I could look down and see what was happening down there. Kairel was back!Oh, no. My gaze scanned the gate of the compound and I craned my ears so that I could listen to what the wolves were saying. Where was Kairel? Nowhere. Suddenly, a carriage drove into the large space of the compound. It was the same car he left in that had brought him back. How was I supposed to feel about this development? I looked at myself, then down the pack before catching sight of Kairel who hopped down from the carriage.Wolves, now, chanted. Kairel, who obviously was happy to be home, waved at them, chanting the same song as them with a smile on his face. “Thank you, wolves. It's good to be home.” No, it wasn't. Not after what has happened. Would he be happy to be home when he knew the latest? Somehow, I did
AEGONInstead of a reaction, Kairel burst out laughing. What was funny? All these while, since I announced the news to him, I had looked away with expectations that his hand hit me in the face. But no, instead of that, he burst into laughter. What was funny? Again, I wondered. “Kairel—” I cried. “This is not a joke, brother.” “Of course, it is, Alpha Aegon—” he dropped his spoon on the plate and faced me completely. “Tell me the truth, is this a joke? Did the moon goddess choose Annora for a task and the first step is pregnancy? How come?” “No—” I stuttered. “Annora has not been chosen by the moon goddess for anything. There's nothing like that that has happened. I felt you needed to know the truth and nothing more. Can you stop laughing, at least?” Kairel shook his head. He picked up the spoon and moped at it before dropping it on the plate once more. “My lord—” he called. “Alpha Aegon—” he called again, an uncertain look on his countenance. “Do you mean to tell me that Annor
ANNORASince he got back, we haven't set eyes on each other. I didn't want to see him. I didn't want to say a word to him. All I wanted to do was stay back in my chamber and not leave the room for any reason.This morning, I thought I was one of the first wolves to come awake. I had wanted to reach the door when I changed my mind and remained on the bed. How did I forget about the recent happenings? How did I forget Kairel had returned and I didn't want to see him? Relaxing back on the bed, I thought about what to do. How worse my life had been since the very moment the Pack of my wicked Father was attacked. What do I do? These and many more thoughts ran around in my head. More sighs ran out of my head and I was startled by the hand of someone knocking on my door. “My lady?” Left with no choice, I sat up. Who was that? Who else if not for Sora? Sora was the only person I set eyes on all day. Even though I didn't dare leave the chamber, she was the only one who had a right to
KAIREL At this point, anger rushed through my veins like blood. I hit the door, watching it shut with a bubble. “Argh!” A loud shout escaped my mouth as I hit the door again. What the fuck went down behind my back? And how come Annora thought of me as a fool? Reaching the end of my chamber, the urge to remain standing overwhelmed me and at the same time, I wanted to be seated. Just then, I sat down on the couch with so many thoughts running around in my head. How dare Aegon? From the perspective of Annora, she was nothing but right. If she had a way, she would not let Aegon have his way with her. She was nothing but a poor woman who didn't have any choice at all. Why did I expect more from her? Aegon deserved to die. He deserved a gun pointed at his skull. He deserved to become the weak man I always thought of him as. How could he do this to me? How dare he be wicked to me, despite my loyalty? Standing on my feet, I fell back on the couch an
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