Hera’s POVEverything that’d just happened at dinner kept replaying in my head, I couldn't shake off the fact that Layla had some mysterious backing that no one else knew of.I mean, I was already well aware of the fact that what’d happened wasn't as a result of the curse of madness I’d laid on her because she’d manifested the gifts of a seer rather than that of someone on the brink of insanity as I’d have much rather preferred.It unbelievably tore me apart to have to come to terms with the fact that she might’ve just escaped the most potent spell that I could possibly ever lay hands on.At the moment, all I could do was to focus on the one aspect of Alpha Arnold’s life that I still had precedence over which was soothing the effects of his insomnia by casting sleep spells that put him to bed soundly.I forced myself to take my mind of the mystery that surrounded Layla and I stepped into the bathroom to take a refreshing bath to get myself ready for my visit to Alpha Arnold’s room. I k
Arnold’s POVLayla was sprawled across the bed and she looked absolutely magnificent as her thighs glistened with the wetness from her release, and her gorgeous eyes that’d stared at me with wonder when she came were now shut lazily and her lashes fanned her face as she heaved gently from the thunderous orgasm she’d just enjoyed.Fuck, she was absolutely perfect without a doubt.I watched her for a while as my arousal resurfaced from how unbelievably beautiful she always was, always.I then struggled to pull myself together and rose to my feet so that I could get a bowl of water and a clean soft towel to clean her up like I’d done the last time. After a while, I reemerged from the bathroom with some warm water and I soaked the towel in it before I squeezed and gently placed it in between her thighs.“Mhmm...” She moaned from the warmth and it took everything in me to stop myself from going for another round of burying my face between her legs to drown in her wetness.God! She’d tasted
Layla’s POVThe deeply kneaded attribute of timidity I’d grown up to be accustomed to because of how I’d been sheltered from the rest of the world had posed a huge problem for me in the palace at crescent valley.Since my arrival, the maids had fearlessly degraded my worth and accused me of all manner of unbecoming things right to my face. It’d become a routine at this point, because I’d learned to hold my breathe and struggle to tune out my sense of hearing whenever I passed by a group of maids, because there was always one common word on their lips whenever they referred to me.Whore.It deeply disturbed me that they’d come to such a cruel conclusion and stick to it when none of them had ever bothered to know my origin and the story of how I ended up at the palace. Yet, what was more disturbing was their constant show of hypocrisy whenever Alpha Arnold, Nadia, or Castle were within hearing shot.They’d suddenly go dead quiet with their annoying assumptions that I was some leech that
HERAMy incredibly wet hair and my drenched clothes trickled water on the floor as I paced up and down around the expanse of my room like a mad woman. That's how I fucking looked even, like an insane homeless person who was soaked in water after being pushed to the curb.My rage knew no bounds.I’d practically been huffing and puffing as I moved from one edge of my chambers to the other as my entire body felt like it’d flamed up uncontrollably. I hated that a powerful schemer like me had been reduced to suffering from countless failures no matter what intricate plan I’d suffered to dig up to ensure that I succeeded.Each time, Layla won.The fucking measly whore was always one step ahead of me and it burnt me in the pit of my stomach to think that I might actually not succeed in getting rid of her before her marriage to Alpha Arnold in the next few months.If it ever got to that, I’d fucking obliterate her ass on the altar by choking her to death! I’d much rather die or be exiled than
Hera’s POV“Aw!” She exclaimed and winced in pain when she’d finally gotten over the shock that’d come over her when she’d been awoken by the hard slap I’d given her.I walked around her like a hawk hovering around its prey as I simply enjoyed the fact that I’d subdued her and for once I’d tipped the scale in my favor such that I was the one in absolute control of the situation.Knowing that she’d managed to somehow emerge victorious no matter how many potent spells I’d cast on her, it’d felt incredibly amazing to have her at my mercy this once. I walked over and faced her again as I enjoyed the immense look of fear she had in her eyes even though I’d barely gotten started with her.“I'm going to ask you this just once, and you better comply so that we can do it the easy way, else I’ll have no other choice but to force it out of you,” I leaned toward her with an intimidating look and I could see her arms shivering as I spoke.“Reveal your true identity now! And don't you dare pretend t
Layla’s POVThe sounds of the loudly chirping beds that I’d usually left seeds for at my window were the first sounds I’d heard as I slowly became conscious of the fact that morning and come. But I didn't feel as relaxed as I normally did whenever the bird chirps lured me out of my slumber every morning.Instead, I’d woken up as though a jolt of electricity had pulsed through my entire body.Sweat trickled down my forehead as I felt an odd sensation in the pit of my stomach that I had no means of explaining. I was extremely confused as to why I’d felt so uneasy at such early hours of the morning when I’d had an uneventful night.I racked my mind over and over as I struggled to make sense of the discombobulated state I’d woken up in. Everything around me had felt out of place and my heart thumped unusually within me like I’d undergone a demanding task the night before, something that was a complete mystery to me since I’d even gotten an early night because of how bored I’d been in the e
Hera’s POVMy reflection stared back at me and I almost punched the mirror out of frustration from how savvy and sleep-deprived my eyes had appeared. I had dark circles and eye bags showing evidently around my eyes despite how much makeup I’d dabbed around them in an attempt to conceal them.It was all Layla’s fault.She and her irritating antics had been the origin of all of my problems of late and what’d happened the night before had only significantly intensified my hatred for her such that it now had no bounds. I’d been wide awake all night as I wondered how much more I’d have to take on before I was finally rid of her for good.The time freeze that Layla had orchestrated without knowing had left every bone in my body feeling like jelly even after it’d passed. The minute I could finally move, I’d almost jumped for joy but I knew that I needed to get Layla out of my sight because I’d had enough of her mysterious bullshit to last me a long while, so I simply ordered Aaron to pick her
ETHANI could put all my faith in them and they’d multiply it in a thousand folds, and their ability to do so was one of the very few things I had complete trust in. As I watched them huff and puff with every stance they took as they trained tirelessly, I knew that they’d ensure that my mission was seamless and successful by all means.I’d never been more certain of anything than I was of their ability.Their precise blows, their firm strikes, and their undeniable agility were proof of the fact that they’d be undefeated in a battle no matter who they were up against. I’d been heavily impressed at how extremely skilled they’d become since they were introduced to heavy and intense training sessions, even their wolves heightened senses were with reckoning with because of how much it’d improved over time.With pride, I placed my hands behind me and I paced between two huge trees as I nodded in approval at their dedication and resilience despite having been at it for several hours where the
Layla’s POV“If you stare at that dress any longer, you’ll burn it to the ground with your gaze” Nadia nagged me as I took one last glance at my wedding dress while I stood at the bathroom door, I was obsessed with it.Beyond obsessed, It’s beauty had become an extra body part of mine.“At least we’d die watching its beautiful flames ascend to the heavens,” I smiled dreamily while still staring at it with lost eyes.“Be fucking for real?” She laughed before she grabbed a button off the dresser and threw it me, luckily I was able to dodge it and if I hadn't it’d have hit my eyes.“You’d explain to Ethan in detail why his bride is walking down the aisle with just one eye” I picked the button up and threw it at her, and it landed on her feet.“If you're not ready in the next hour, there’ll be no bride to scrutinize while she walks down the aisle, I promise you” She shot me a glare just before she took a seat on my bed, pulling her own dress in her lap to admire it.“What? An hour? Why hav
He moved away from me I’d just pushed a dagger through his heart again, there was disbelief, confusion, and pain in his eyes but he only had those emotions because he didn't understand why I’d declined his proposal.After almost spending my life with the wrong man because of guilt, I couldn't say Yes to Ethan while guilt kept eating me up for the great of our lives. I’d be as much of a monster as Arnold was if I take advantage of his feelings for me and jump into marriage when guilt had been plaguing me like it was my second shadow since the day I watched him fall to his death.He stared at me again, long and hard before he walked toward the bed and covered himself in the duvet, an air of uncertainty hovering over him as he delved into thoughts of his own. However, it was as he covered up tag I realized that I was still naked and I slowly walked toward the floor where he’d dropped my dress and picked up. I quietly pulled it over my head and held my arms around my body tightly as thou
Layla’s POVI’d known Joy several times in my life, but the joy I felt as I confirmed that Ethan was real and he’d returned to me was boundless, it felt like an unreal wave of happiness had been injected into my bloodstream and life finally felt worth living again.Like the war was over, and the battle line had been erased, it was surreal.“Are you going to keep staring at me like I'm a ghost?” Ethan laughed as he continued to massage my sore joints.“You might as well be” I reached out and cupped his cheek, yearning to remain in contact with him so he wouldn't disappear into thin air.“Well, I'm real and I'm here, forever this time around” He suddenly pulled me off the bed and onto his laps and I laughed as a yelp left my lips in surprise.“So you can stop staring at me with those alluring orbs of yours” He pulled my face toward him and kissed my forehead, not the quick kind that would pass as a peck, this one lingered like he was trying to touch my soul through physical touch.God,
Layla’s POVNo, no fucking way.It was him all along? Arnold killed my foster parents? He’d watched me mourn them knowing that he’d orchestrated everything because they rejected his advances toward me?“They were all I had, and you knew that! How dare you speak of their deaths so lightly, you monster!” I screamed my lungs out in anger not caring what he’d do to me.Much to my surprise, a smile covered his face showing that he was pleased that I was in so much pain because of what he’d done, my heart was being torn into countless shreds as I recalled that there was a time when I loved him and I considered marrying him not knowing what a sick and twisted bastard he was deep down.“You watched me grieve them, you watched me turn into a shell of myself, you watched me be bitter that I’d lost the last links to learning of my heritage,” My chest heaved like bomb was ticking within it as I spoke.“You watched me almost lose myself and you promised me that you’d find the beast that killed the
Arnold’s POVThe day had come.The night hour had just struck, and I was about to recover all I’d lost and much more.“Are you ready?” I asked Hera who’d been seated in front of her crystal spell casting bowl and brr spell book for the past hour.“Never been more ready” She smiled at me so brightly it could’ve illuminated the underground hideout if we switched off all the other lights, her motivation was endearing to say the least.“Go ahead and cast the spell then” I flashed her a smile as well but mine was subtle and filled with anticipation.She nodded eagerly before she crossed her legs before her and held her hands out over the bowl, from where I was I could see that a visual of crescent valley had appeared in the water that filled the bowl like a reflection and I watched her mouth move as she muttered words in an unknown ancient language.I wasn't very close to her and yet I could feel the enormous amount of power radiating from her as she rolled her head from side to side and t
Arnold’s POVHera looked like she was about to offload the heaviest weight that had ever been on her shoulders and I just stared at her wishing that I could look through her and draw it out of her myself, still Hera was the only person of worth I had on my side so I decided to be patient with her as opposed to the thought in my mind where I was half considering yelling at her and shaking it out of her forcefully.“How long before you actually use your words?” I finally asked impatiently after about six minutes of deafening and irritating silence had passed by.She looked as though my words had just jolted her out of her train of thoughts and she replaced the lost look on her face with her usual demeanor that oozed confidence, raw and undiluted confidence.“You’re a beast, Arnold” She said while her eyed bored into mine searching for a befitting reaction to her revelation.Unknown to her, her words would've hurt and surprised me a few months ago, but as I heard them it only felt like a
Hera’s POVWeeks had gone by and each day I felt crazier than the last being holed up in a disgusting dungeon that wasn't fit for royalty such as myself.Layla had replaced all the guards that were loyal to me during her reign with guards from Ethan’s rogue army and they all hated me so my seductive tricks didn't work on them. I was hoping that I’d be able to seduce one of them into setting me free but they looked at me with disdain each time they came to fling plates of food at me every morning and evening so I eventually gave up on that plan.Life seemed hopeless and it felt like the moon goddess had finally abandoned me and shut her ears to my prayers, nothing was working out and it seemed like I’d suffered so much to reach the peak of my dreams just to have it shattered by a teenage whore.Still, I tried to pull through.It was night now and I was trying to fall asleep by replaying my happiest memories in my mind, the beautiful and wholesome moments that I’d spent as Queen before
Layla’s POVThe entire palace was still buzzing with life in the early hours of the morning as preparations from my impromptu coronation were in full swing. I could hear the clustering and swooshing all around as I woke up in the master bedroom that I’d taken over seeing as I was about to be made the official queen of Crescent Valley.As I stretched out my arms, I heard a soft rap on the door.“Who’s there?” I called out in a sleepy voice.“It's me, Nadia” Her soothing voice responded from behind the door.“Come on in” I yawned in between the words and drew my silk pink robe tightly around my waist as she opened the doors.“Hello your highness! How does it feel to be mere hours away from a coronation at eighteen?” Nadia swayed from side to side with some dresses held tightly to her chest and I guessed that there were the selections for the event.“Uh, nervous?” I told her truthfully as I made my way toward the bathroom to freshen up.“You’ll do amazing while making waves in the ancien
Layla’s POVHera’s eyes were blazing with a deadly anger, a type of anger that the old me would've been terrified of if she saw how it radiated off of her, but it was a good thing that I’d buried the timid me in the wilderness before I returned for the throne.“You can either leave peacefully or meet a disgraceful end that whores like you should be accorded” Hera’s eyes held a venomous look that didn't scare me one bit as she threw her empty and ridiculous threats at me.“That crown, that throne, this kingdom…” I punched toward her as I spoke and I could see a hint of surprise flash through her eyes on seeing how much nerves I’d gathered.“All of it belongs to me and I’d love to watch you come at me so we’d see whose blood would end up tainting these floors” My orbs changed from golden brown to the piercing red shade I took when I transformed into a witch.“How dare you!? You! A worthless rat that should’ve been left in the gutters where you belonged! How fucking dare you address me t