GUNNARI hurled Diane over my shoulder and bolted from the party, my boots pounding against the damp earth as I made my way toward the cemetery. At first, she kept struggling for her dear life, trying to escape, but my patience snapped when she drove her knees against my knees, so I knocked her out the next second.When we reached our destination, I dropped her on the cold earth with a dull thud. The rough impact jolted her awake. I folded my arms as I watched her struggle to regain clarity of the situation. "Rise and shine, Diane," I said.Diane looked left and right around her surroundings before she turned to me. "Where the hell am I?" she asked, trembling. "Why did you bring me to this place?"I folded my arms and replied. "Well, I thought since it's been a long time since you have been to the pack, you would want to meet your dear friend," I paused, letting my words sink in. "You guys must have a lot to talk about, right?"Diane screamed when she turned around and saw my wife's g
GUNNARWhen I finally returned to the party, some people were already saying their goodbyes and leaving. My pack members were doing a good job directing them to the pack guesthouse, where they could stay for the night. I stopped by one or two people to say a few parting words before I headed straight towards the stairs to search for my mate.As soon as I got to the top floor, I discovered that her scent was all over the place. My heart thrummed loudly against my ribcage as I scoured through each room down the hallway. I found her on the third attempt, next to my daughter on the king-sized bed, her delicate features softened by sleep. She held Fawn so close to her bosom like she was trying to protect her from something or someone.The sight tugged at my heart, squeezing it in a mixture of overwhelming love and longing. This was the family I had yearned for over the years, a family I thought I might never have after the loss of Tia eight years ago. As I stood there, watching them, I fel
AQUAI had only heard the news when I awoke from my sleep in the early hours of the morning. Gunnar was gone. I stared at my maids blankly, trying to digest the information I had just received on the bed. I was at the point where I didn't know if I should cry or just tear the entire place down in anger. So that was it? He just left without saying anything to me or his daughter? Not even a goodbye or a kiss?What the hell?Instead, I suppressed all my tumultuous feelings and asked. “Did he say when he was going to return?”The first maid shook her head before staring at the rest of her colleagues, silently asking if they knew anything other than the details she had just provided. When no one said anything, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other when she turned to me. “Well, he did say that you should meet Bodhi if you had any more questions,” she disclosed. “But he's not around right now. I heard he is in a meeting with the elders, and things are not looking good right n
AQUAShit. I stared at the glowing tattoo on my wrist, my breath hitching as Bodhi’s revelation sank in. The energy seared into my skin like molten fire. A sharp hiss slipped past my clenched teeth, my entire body taut with the overwhelming sensation flooding my veins.“B-But this...” I struggled for the right words for some time before settling for one disbelieving question. “How?”Bodhi shrugged cluelessly as he got up from his seat. At first, my body grew tense as he closed the distance between us, but then he simply unlocked the door and raised the curtains. “Maybe your wolf got upgraded because of its sincere desire to protect its mate,” Bodhi cocked his head to the side as he spoke. “Isn't that what dominant wolves do?”Yeah, he was right. Most of my frustration had stemmed from my wolf's restlessness and fear. It was she who was sure that something bad would happen, so she needed to see her mate before she went crazy. I was so caught up in the storm raging within me that I b
AQUAThey say to keep your friends close and keep your enemies even closer.At least, that was my belief until the moment Hannah arrived at my doorstep, her warm smile illuminating the dim hallway. As soon as Fawn learned that her beloved Aunt Hannah was back, she bolted down the stairs with excitement , rushing to greet her with open arms. A sharp pang of jealousy pierced my chest as I watched their affectionate reunion, the way Fawn’s face lit up with delight in Hannah’s presence. I felt a protective instinct surge within me, compelling me to step in."Fawn, it’s time for your lessons," I asserted, striving to maintain a steady and calm demeanor. My voice echoed through the foyer, firm yet measured. "You shouldn't keep your tutor waiting as you did last time."Fawn, her wide eyes filled with longing, turned to me, a protest bubbling on her lips. "But I want to speak to Aunt Hannah—""Fawn, don’t be stubborn now," I said, my tone sharpening as I placed my hands on my hips, unwavering
AQUAWhat the hell was going on?My eyes shifted from my daughter to Odin, who was perched in one corner, looking unfazed by the chaos surrounding him. His presence made me cautious in reacting since I knew he would never have appeared if the situation hadn't been dire. However, there was also a problem with Fawn's naughty behavior that I had to deal with.So, I decided to ask the third person in the room. "What did you do to my daughter, Mrs. Lambert?" I bent down to pick up a torn book near me before stepping inside the room. The maids behind me immediately spread out and started arranging the place while I approached the tutor lying on the floor. “I-I didn't do anything wrong, Your Highness,” she replied. Before she could utter another word, Odin released a warning growl that reverberated throughout the room, making both of us flinch. Many possibilities raced through my mind when I heard her words. My first instinct was to believe her because Fawn had already been displeased by
AQUAWhen I vowed to myself that Hannah was going to pay for what she did, I truly meant it. That was why she was currently repeating a section of the rules, explaining it for the fourth time. I could tell she was about to lose her temper, but that was exactly what I wanted.I needed an excuse to make her pay for her actions. "That's enough," I interrupted her before she could repeat it for the seventh time. My ears were already aching, and the person I was waiting for had yet to arrive. "Why don't you go and fetch me some juice?"Hannah’s eyes blazed with indignation. "But you have maids waiting on you! Why the hell are you sending me?" She protested, her voice sharp and rising."Because serving the Luna Queen is an honor," I replied coolly. On a normal day, I took pleasure in reminding her that soon, I would become the most prestigious woman in the Wysteria continent. Today felt especially fitting for this reminder, as she appeared ready to explode.When she stubbornly refused to m
AQUAWhen I opened my eyes again, I found myself in my room. The curtains were already closed, and the lights above my head were dim. I leaned against the headboard, trying to gather the scattered fragments of my memory. My lessons...the orange juice...me falling unconscious. My heart hammered in my chest when I remembered that I was poisoned. Now it all made sense why my throat felt dry and itchy; also, it must be the reason why my body ached all over. Just when I was about to reach for my phone to call someone in, the door suddenly swung open with a loud thud. Ella stood at the door, holding a tray in her hand. “Your Highness!” She gasped, clearly surprised to see me awake. “I'm so glad that you have finally regained consciousness. You have no idea how worried we all were about you.”I watched her place the tray on the bedside drawer, revealing a bowl of soup. “Have the guards caught Hannah like I instructed?” I asked. Ella nodded. “Yes, they did. They managed to apprehend her
GUNNARAfter several days spent among the Storm Fire Pack, my men and I finally tracked down the remaining soldiers under Bodhi's command. Whispers about him lingered in the pack, yet no one seemed to know the true story behind his demise. It appeared that River, in an unexpected act of mercy, had allowed the survivors to return to their families, but that hardly mattered to me.He was going to pay for killing my friend.“Is it true that the pack priestess is also gone?” I asked my deputy commander, my voice breaking the uneasy silence. I had overheard a group of women murmuring about it during my visit to the grocery store.At my question, my deputy commander stiffened, a flicker of shock crossing his face before he nodded with a grave expression. I felt my fists clench at my sides, anger and confusion swirling within me. I had left the pack for only two weeks, and already, it felt as if everything had caught fire and turned to ash.“How did she die?” I pressed, the heavy question we
AQUA I woke up to the sound of water running somewhere. My vision blurred for a second, and then I was able to recognize my surroundings. This seemed to be River’s bedroom, a place that I had visited so many times. The room was well-lit but extremely messy, like he hadn't visited the place for a long time. There were clothes spilling out of his closet and some books scattered across the floor, the kind of mess that River would have never tolerated in the past. I tried to flex my aching limbs to adjust my position only to discover they were bound. The biting grip of the rough ropes digging into my flesh hurt enough to bring tears into my eyes. Panic instantly gripped my heart before my mind could even catch up to the situation. How the hell did I even get here? Where was River? Instinct immediately took over as I tried to retract my claws, hoping to free myself from the tight ropes. But these things were sturdier than I had anticipated, almost as if they were made from another
GUNNAR The sun was high in the sky when we finally reached the boundary of the Storm Fire pack. My men were exhausted from the heat, their bodies glistening with sweat after fighting off a pack of hyenas lingering near the territory. I could sense their fatigue through the pack link but chose not to acknowledge it. I wasn't trying to be ruthless; I knew their job wasn't unfinished. As soon as I stepped into the forest that marked our pack territory, I sensed something was wrong. The weapons the patrols were carrying were not the standard gear I had approved for pack security, which likely meant my family was in danger.I held up my hand to warn my men, who were trudging right behind me. The noise instantly faded into silence as tension seeped into the air. We watched the patrols head towards our location as we concealed ourselves behind the trees.Even their uniforms were different, I noticed when my eyes landed on a badge on one of the men's shirts. At this point, I was starting to
AQUAWhen we returned to the pack, Wilder took us straight to the Kincaid mansion, where the elders were already waiting. My stomach twisted as I climbed the stairs, flanked by guards, every step heavier than the last.Their eyes followed me like a shadow, and the fact that I sensed it made me even more nauseous. These were the same familiar faces that had stood in my living room just two weeks ago, offering smiles, congratulations on my engagement, and pledging undying loyalty to the Alpha King. Now, they sat cold and silent, the weight of their betrayal hanging in the air like a storm about to break.They’d all chosen Nathaniel.And that meant Gunnar’s throne…was no longer safe."What, are you surprised that we got the elders on our side?" Wilder released a low chuckle after he noticed my glare. "Don't be, darling. You'd be surprised at how dissatisfied they have been with your mate's way of doing things."At that moment, I was barely restraining myself from punching him in the fac
AQUA After Saint's death, Odin led Fawn and me to the pack boundary, the weight of our grief hanging heavily in the air. We journeyed for an entire day under a dense canopy of trees without taking a single break. Sunlight filtered through the tree, casting a path over me and my stepdaughter.I nearly stumbled over a root but managed to catch myself before I hit the ground. However, the sudden impact jolted Fawn awake, so I mumbled a soft apology before adjusting her to my body. Despite everything, the wolf didn't stop and continued to walk ahead of us. With each step, I could sense the exhaustion radiating from the wolf beside us, his powerful frame still trembling from the ferocity of that intense fight. He must have been devastated about the loss of his brother, yet he continued to push himself to complete the mission given to him. As we moved deeper into the woods, the air grew thick and rich with the scent of damp earth and pine, grounding yet unsettling. The guards had stopped
GUNNARI was several miles away from the Storm Fire pack when I felt it.The pain. The sorrow. The fury.All these feelings struck my heart like a tempest, consuming my senses until I couldn't think anymore. My heart felt so constricted that I couldn't stand anymore, causing me to fall on one knee. When my men saw this, they immediately rushed towards me in concern, but I stopped them with my raised hand. They must have been so shocked they couldn't control their emotions because I felt all their fears crash into my heart.Was it possible they were almost scared to death because of my sudden fall?No, that wasn't it. The general sense of unease spread among the soldiers, making them jittery. I pushed myself to stand, my legs trembling as they bore my weight against the unseen burden pressing down on my heart. Then, a piercing howl sliced through the heavy air, sharp and haunting, reverberating off the trees and sending a chill down my spine. Others might not know where it came from, b
AQUAThe first time I heard about hunter wolves was when I was in the Wind Ridge Pack. They were used to hunt a notorious thief who had broken into Julie's house one summer. The news spread across the pack in less than four hours, mostly because they didn't give us a choice to accept it or not. But if there was one thing I learned back then, it was that those people were ruthless. The kind of people capable of doing anything as long as they captured their prey. Some said they did it because they didn't have any other choice, considering the tight competition in the business. But others said they were psychos, people who enjoyed seeing the pain they inflicted on others. That's why I knew we were in deep shit now. The hunter wolf inhaled, breathing in the cool night air that was faint with our scents. It's the very reason why I had chosen to stay up in the trees, holding that the harsh wind current would mask our scents. But he still catches it nonetheless. “Their scents are still
AQUAOnce I heard the noise from the living room, I pushed Fawn into the kitchen and locked the door. The air was thick with tension, and our ragged breaths broke the eerie silence that enveloped the room. My heart raced as we waited, straining to hear the sounds from the other side of the door. But then, a sharp scream pierced through the air, followed by a series of female cries that sent a fresh wave of panic through me."Shut the fuck up!" Nathaniel barked. When the women's cries were finally reduced to frightened sobs, he muttered some words to the guards before turning to them. "I have no intention to hurt you, but if you don't tell me where Aqua and that little devil spawn are right now, then all of you are going to pay dearly for your silence."Ella remained unfazed by his threat. "But we are telling the truth! No one saw where Her Highness went after she gave us orders to search for her daughter."Nathaniel ignored her and continued to speak to the other ladies, but none of t
AQUAHogan froze midstep when he heard my words. The six-foot, muscular blonde man who had been cooking for Gunnar for over ten years gave me the most sinister look I have ever received. I couldn't help but retreat when I saw him take a menacing step towards me."You're not supposed to be here, Your Highness," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Does anyone know you're here?""I don't need to report to anyone about whereabouts because this is my house," I asserted, my voice sharp and clear. I noticed he had already retracted his claws so I did the same. "What were you doing in the kitchen storage room?"It was the only place we hadn't checked in the house, mostly because Hogan had always been sensitive about letting people in. He would spend the entire day talking about food contamination so I guess all of us were just subconsciously afraid of getting on his bad side.But now, it turned out that he was the traitor we had been looking for."Move aside, Hogan," I ordered. The air in the ro