Chapter 44Selena's POV My fingers absentmindedly traced the delicate markings on the necklace now hanging on my neck. I was deep in thoughts, a million whys and what ifs lived rent free in my head and it was driving me insane. Even after sitting here for hours, there was no logical answer to my question. The last time Asher behaved in such a nice manner, it barely lasted for a few minutes before he began his usual snarls and snide comments, but now, it was different. What did he want this time?"Are you still thinking about Prince Asher's visit?"Lily's voice brought me back to reality. "Well, yes. I can't help it. It's so worrisome that he was in here a few hours back", I fiddled with my fingers. "It's almost so creepy that I can barely forget about it""Well, don't worry too much. Maybe he had a change of heart and resolved within himself to be nicer?", she shrugged, making me throw her a blanket look. Asher would never have a moment of sudden 'repentance'. "Just listen to ho
Chapter 45Selena's POV It was crazy just how impressive the human fight or flight response could be. I couldn't run from Ethan's steel grip but I could try to fight even with the fear in my body, I still attempted to resist him. I watched as the tiny buttons on my shirt gave way, revealing my bra clad breasts and bare skin. Ethan leered at my exposed body. I gathered the pieces of the fabric that was still on my body, shielding myself from him."What makes you think you're so special?", he took tentative steps towards me as I crawled away from him. My wrist burned from where he had been gripping and I felt my blood run cold at the possibility of what he could do. Even after years of dating him, I had never experienced this side of Ethan and now, I couldn't tell the miles he'd go to cause me pain."I was the only one on your side when every other person hated you and treated you like trash", he screamed. I only kept silent, refusing to speak. "Now, you're living in some fancy pla
Chapter 46Selena's POV I haven't said a word since the incident with Ethan. Not to Axel, not Lily and definitely not Asher. I felt detached from everyone and everything. I felt jumpy and I could swear I felt ants crawling up my skin the moment someone touched me. Lily and Axel had kept her distance, but Asher kept close, acting all nice and fussing over me even when I recoiled from his touch almost every time. The elders had gathered, discussing in hushed voices as they repeatedly threw glances my way. Axel looked nervous and worried. Honestly, the place was a mess. Soon after, Axel, Asher and the Elders filed out of my chambers, heading to the meeting room. I was growing fidgety as I wondered what they could possibly be having a meeting about. Lily took two steps towards me. "I know you're nervous and probably wondering what that is about", she began. "I'll sneak around and see if I can eavesdrop then I'll come right back and report to you", she promised, walking out and shut
Chapter 47Selena's POV It was safe to officially say I was royally fucked. Axel was not willing to reveal our relationship and I couldn't do it for fear of the unknown. If I revealed he was my mate, he could reject me in front of everyone. I wasn't willing to risk that. I felt betrayed by him, and I wondered how he could still be relentless even after everything we've been through. His brother is to be my husband come first light and I was absolutely reviled. "Are you sure you're okay?"Lily was sitting at my side, rubbing a comforting hand down my back occasionally. "I'm fine. Thanks", I gave her a small smile, one that didn't quite reach my eyes. "I just can't believe he'd sit still and watch as Asher and I are wedded", I shook my head in shock. "It's repulsive""What will you do? I'll help in any way I can"I had contemplated running away, leaving the Night Reapers pack and never looking back. But, all my life I had been confined in the house of my step family, and after comin
Chapter 48Axel's POV Blake stood still by my side, unmoving. I had been sitting in the same spot for quite a while, thoughts swirling and racing. I felt ashamed of myself. I wasn't even strong enough to protect my mate and now, she was to be with someone else. My brother. "Don't beat yourself up over it", my beta comforted me. "You can't do anything about it""She's my mate and I can't even do anything to protect her. I have to give her to my brother to ensure no harm comes to her. I don't deserve to be called an Alpha if I can't protect one person I treasure"Blake sighed, settling next to me. "Can you stop? Not many people may know you as much as I do so I think I'm in the best position to say this", he started. "If you're giving her up, then there must be a really good reason for it. When you're able to get rid of all those threatening you, you'll get her back"I didn't believe his words, not a single one, but I grasped onto the hope that Selena would one day understand why we
Chapter 49Selena's POV Three servants, one make-up artist and two hairdressers fussed over me. They had arranged my dress four times in the last ten minutes, the make-up artist had applied an extra layer of blush every fifteen minutes and my mood was extremely sour. "What jewelry would you prefer?", a servant questioned, pointing to three different jewelleries on the table. I simply ignored them, sitting as still as a mannequin. They passed a knowing look amongst themselves before randomly picking one, shackling me to it. "The ceremony is just about to begin", the dressers announced. "Get her ready"Lily walked into the room, standing right by me. She placed a firm hand on my shoulder, comforting me. "Everyone's waiting", she started. "Are you sure about this?"In all honesty, I wasn't. But I nodded. "Let's go girls", they clapped in excitement. I almost rolled my eyes. Of course, they wouldn't have an idea what it was like to be handed over to someone you may just hate, like
Chapter 50Selena's POV Everyone stared with smiles on their faces, as I walked down the aisle alone. My stepmother, stepfather and Elsa's faces held more glares than smiles but I didn't care as I was more focused on keeping my tears and anger at bay. Asher was standing at the altar, his face conveyed how happy he was though I was certain it was all for show rather than his true feelings. He offered me a hand, providing support as I stepped on the makeshift stage carefully crafted for the two 'love birds'. That was the decorator's words, not mine. I nervously glanced around the guests, searching for Cecelia or any semblance of hope that this wedding would not hold. But there was no one. Even Axel was missing. "Do you, Selena, take Asher to be your lawfully wedded husband?"I took a shaky breath. Just how shocked would they be if I suddenly declare my disinterest in marrying Asher? Elsa would probably have a field day about my plight, stepmother would all too willingly give Elsa t
Chapter 51Unknown POV Asher felt something stir in his heart the moment Selena smiled brightly at him. He realized then, just how much he wanted to see that smile again."Gosh, it's beautiful", Selena breathed out. "You'll love it more in the morning", Asher chuckled at her innocent awe filled eyes. "You've never seen one?""Never", Selena answered almost immediately. It was the only conversation they were having where Selena indicated the slightest bit of interest and she wasn't glaring, scowling or looking at him like a ticking time bomb. "My step family once went on a vacation", she gave a sad smile. "I couldn't tag along because obviously, stepmother thought it would be too much of a financial burden to take me"Asher listened intently. "When they got back, Elsa blabbered on and on about how beautiful the ocean was. I was so intrigued and I thought I'd never get to see it even after I die", she shook her head. "It's so silly""No, it's not", Asher refuted. "That's a beautiful
Chapter 140 Axel's POV I walked out of the pack house and into the expanse of land now littered with my pack members. They were in little groups, talking amongst themselves in hushed whispers. When they noticed my presence, they immediately fell silent, looking up at me with expectant faces. The last time I stood before them, we were on the verge of making the most important decision of the pack. I've never felt so much appreciation for that day than at this point. More and more werewolves gathered and I leapt onto the elevated stage, facing them. "Night Reapers, it has come to my notice that the pack, Blood Red, has fallen." The whispers rose once more and with a lift of my hand, they were silenced. "You've seen the commotion outside the gates. Those are from the survivors of the pack. They've come to us for help", I paused, surprised that no one said a word. "Now, I bring the decision to your table. What do we do?" The question spurred them into action, some yelled that
Chapter 139 Selena's POV It took two months and five days before we heard any news about the packs. Technically, we heard news of progression and the added advantages the alliance offered to those packs, virtually every Alpha was involved except ours. As far as I was concerned, we were officially cut off. The strategy put in place by Axel worked. We had food, water and basically everything we needed within the pack. It made things considerably easier. No one complained and as days passed, more werewolves came forward as volunteers. Soon, we extended our little plan in agriculture to other aspects, like furniture making, fabric design and then, no distant time I was setting we were making waves. Orion and Zephyr were growing up quickly. Werewolves always had a weird aging style. We grow up quickly, then remain almost dormant before we begin aging slowly. Lily's presence was difficult to come by. She was mostly invested in Blake and I'd be honest when I say that their relati
Chapter 138Selena's POV I took three large gulps of air, like it would be my last moment of peace. Today was the day we were expecting the Alphas and to say the atmosphere was more than tense was an understatement. Axel had come clean to the pack, revealing the details of the visit to every member. He also told them about his decision and gave everyone the chance to either counter his decision or agree with him.Most of them agreed, the few that thought it was reckless were soon convinced that Axel was making the right choice. He gave them his reasons. Then, the topic of how we were going to generate incomes for ourselves even after we cut ourselves off from the other packs arose and Axel gave them the stellar idea on agriculture. The farmers came forward, pledging to give their all while some volunteered to help. By the time dawn broke, we were prepared. As prepared as we could be. "You ready?"
Chapter 137Selena's POV Lily looked like she'd throw up anytime soon while I was simply too stunned to say a word. "Isn't that poisonous?"Lily asked no one in particular, her eyes still fixed on the frog. "I don't think so", Orion answered, inspecting the frog. It was a miracle it hadn't leaped out of his hand and to an unlucky person's face. "Can you let it go, honey?", I coaxed. Orion stared at me with a sad look. "But why?", he whined. "It can be my pet."Except, werewolves don't keep pets. Our wolves were like pets, but on a way deeper level. It was part of us. "No. It can't."We were in a staring contest for at least thirty seconds before he finally gave in. "Whatever", he tossed the frog aside and it landed right on Lily's lap. Before I could react, Lily let out a loud scream. It echoed throughout the clearing and was just about to tear my sensitive eardrums.
Chapter 136Selena's POV For the next few days, we ignored everything. Axel and I focused on nothing else but ourselves and the kids. We had a family day out, of course Blake and Lily decided to tag along and we held a little picnic just for ourselves. Truth was, it was inevitable that Axel would have to give his reply concerning the alliance bug for now, it felt much better to simply live in our own bubble. Orion and Zephyr were bickering on the color of the sky while I lay on the blanket, my eyes shut as I basked in the warm sun. "I can't believe you", Lily was speaking, throwing a punch at Blake. I could tell when he muttered a low 'ouch'."It's serious though", Blake was trying to say. I had tuned out of most of the conversation and the one I had managed to catch snippets of didn't make any sense. I pried my eyelids open, scanning for Axel as he had been awfully quiet. His back was turned to
Chapter 135 Selena's POV "What?", I echoed, the sound loud enough that it bounced off all the walls. "An alliance?" Axel expected my reaction as he barely even reacted to my shrill. I'm certain I had alerted at least half of the staff members. "I thought so too", Axel stated blandly. I rifled through my head, searching for anything that made sense. An alliance between werewolves is nearly impossible, if not completely. That's the reason why it didn't happen, ever. It was way too risky and if not careful could cause war between packs. If Alpha Boris was proposing an alliance and the rest of the Alphas agreed with him, he was either very stupid or desperate. But, what for? "An alliance is...impossible." "I thought so too", he echoed, and I threw him a glare. "Are you even listening?", I asked. "Yes." But I co
Chapter 134Selena's POV The pack gates creaked open, revealing a number of stern faced and cold gazes of the Alphas. Their eyes scanned the crowd for a few seconds before they resumed their walk, soon standing in front of Axel and I.If Axel felt nervous, he didn't show it. His face was set in a stiff position as he watched them in return."What a pleasant surprise", he stated, his voice anything but pleasant or surprised. One of the Alphas chuckled, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "Thank you, Alpha Axel", he bowed, a motion which can barely be considered a bow but sufficient enough to pass as one. "What brings you here?", Axel asked, his brows creased as he stared at them all. "I wasn't aware of your visit.""And yet...", the werewolf gestured around him. "There's an entire group waiting.""Information tends to reach us quickly."The werewolf seemed more amused than offended as
Chapter 133Selena's POV "It's not what you think", I pointed out but Lily's amusement poured from her very pores as she stared innocently at Blake. Blake walked slowly into the room, his eyes darting from Lily to me, eyes narrowed. "Uhun", he answered under his breath.I threw a stern glare as Lily let out a muffled laugh and that seemed enough to cause her to straighten up. "Selena's right. I was just being silly. Before Blake could answer, we heard the shuffling of feet outside the door but the thing is, there was more to it than just the occasional movement. They seemed more than panicked. Lily, Blake and I exchanged confused looks before we hopped up, rushing towards the door. My mind drifted to the kids first, knowing Axel would be able to take care of himself. "What's happening?"Blake asked a maid rushing away but she seemed to be too much in her panicked state to realize who was
Chapter 132Selena's POV "Unfortunately, I'm not you", I glared. "Even though I wish with everything in me that I was."Axel's hand was entwined with mine, his thumb tracing lazy circles on it. "I hate you. So much. And I hope you'll suffer for as long as possible for the penance of your wickedness. I hope the world becomes a living hell for you and I hope you never find peace."The cell door creaked open, and my stepmother stepped out, her lips and brows turned down and her neck bent. "Forg...""Letting you go doesn't mean I think of you in a better light than I used to. But, you staying here will just mean you're a part of my life. I don't like that thought."She didn't make a move to say a word which contrasted to the manner which she had used to cut me off whenever I had something to say I'm the past. The cell holding my stepfather opened next. He looked like he had aged a century from