AQUAAfter Gunnar passed on his verdict, I heard a sound from behind the closed door. The footsteps of someone leaving the scene sent a cold chill down my spine, but nothing was able to prepare me for the sight I saw when I returned to River's house. It was Hannah once again, trying to seduce my mate. She had her hands all over his body, but the worst part was that Gunnar didn't even seem to care about it. Here, I thought everything was fine between us. “Aqua?” River called out to me. His voice snapped me out of my thoughts, forcing me to turn away from the couple in front of me. “I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I mean, we really did encounter several dangers before coming here.”I released a soft sigh. “Well, I guess we were lucky to return in one piece.”If it wasn't for River's suggestion to hide the witnesses in one place, it would have been much harder to achieve our goal. When we were about to return, we reached a long traffic jam that threatened to delay us. The
AQUAAfter Gunnar left, I stayed behind to chat with River. Hannah kept trying to create an opportunity for us to speak, but River remained by my side all through the time. Eventually, she gave up and exited the house with the elders, casting me one last knowing glance before disappearing into the night. “Thank you for taking good care of me, River,” I said to him when we were finally alone. We cleaned the place together, chatting about the day's events and other trivial stuff. “I really appreciate all the things you have been doing for me.”River gave me a soft smile and replied. “There's no need to be like this. I'm only doing this because I want to take good care of you.”The warmth in his voice made my chest tighten. I felt the weight of his gaze, gentle yet unwavering. River had always conveyed his feelings for me clearly, but unfortunately, I was unable to return them. My heart still ached at the thought of Gunnar being so close with Hannah, and that was all I could think about
AQUAThat evening, I packed my belongings and left Gunnar's house for good. No matter how hard I tried to convince him that there was nothing between me and River, he refused to believe me. Feeling helpless, I decided to leave and move to a new location.The new place was near the sentinel's quarters.When I arrived, I was so sad that I barely spoke to anyone as I settled into the safe house. I stayed indoors, crying on my bed about the day's events until I heard a soft knock on the door.My senses went into full-alert mode as I moved towards the door. The first thing I did was grab the small combat knife Bodhi gifted me before the duel. I suspected it might be Hannah since she had been trying to get me alone for a while. If she was here to fulfill her promise to make my life a living hell, then she definitely had another thing coming.But when I opened the door, my eyes widened with surprise when I saw one of my closest friends standing before me. My eyes scanned her figure from head
AQUAAfter what I saw, I decided to call Bodhi and ask him for additional security. Kianna pleaded for me not to tell him about Baylor, so I gave him a lame excuse about not feeling safe in my new environment. Fortunately, he brought it and sent some sentinels to guard my new home. Kianna and I waited for them to start their patrol before we went to the living room to talk. “Now...” I said, sitting opposite her. She looked weary as she wrapped her robe around her thin body. “...tell me everything. When did Baylor start stalking you?”Kianna twisted her fingers as she contemplated what to say to me. I knew she was thinking about what to say, so I urged her. “Please, Kianna. You have to tell me everything if you want us to stay together.”Kianna stiffened when she heard my words. I didn't want to threaten her with this, but I had no choice since she wasn't willing to tell me the truth. She exhaled before confessing. “It's all started when he discovered that I was his second-chance ma
AQUAThe next day, Kianna and I went to the meeting hall to find Gunnar and tell him about Baylor. We even missed the mandatory pack run because we wanted to avoid any chances of running into Hannah or Baylor, but Gunnar still hadn't shown up. “Are you sure he’s always the first to arrive?” I asked Kianna, my anxiety rising each time a patrolling sentinel passed by and gave us curious looks. Fortunately, they all seemed to relax whenever they saw Kianna, but I feared we might attract unwanted attention.Kianna nodded, her face etched with a frown. “Yes, he’s usually the first one here. I have no idea why he’s late today.”I was also perplexed about his late arrival. From what I knew, the pack run should have ended a few minutes ago, so I wondered what was behind the delay. Did he have some unexpected arrangements, or was he still avoiding me?Sadness flooded my heart when I thought about how things ended for us the previous day. We had an awful argument and no matter how much I tried
AQUABaby?Did he just imply that I was carrying his baby?!My legs felt like lead as I struggled to process the emotions I felt when I heard his words. It felt like my world had suddenly been flipped over, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Gunnar noticed that I was no longer moving, so he turned to face me. His eyes widened with alarm when he saw how pale I looked, causing him to gather me in his strong arms. “Breathe, baby,” he said, his voice filled with panic. “I've got you. You and the baby will be fine, I promise.” I opened my mouth to revoke his claims, but then Kianna's and Hannah's faces appeared in front of me. They also looked very concerned about my condition when they saw me. “Aqua, are you alright?” Kianna asked me. When she tried to take another step towards me, Gunnar's low growl echoed in the air to halt her from moving. She froze and glanced at me. “What's wrong with you?”A wave of dizziness overtook me once again, causing my eyes to roll to the back
AQUAGunnar froze after hearing my words. I could tell he was struggling to process the words that I had spoken, but then he clenched his fists. “You must be joking,” he said, his gaze so intense they nearly burned a hole through my figure. “What does Hannah have to do with this? She's been nothing but nice to you.”I shook my head. “No, she's been bullying and threatening me all this while, so I want her gone.”Gunnar fell silent. He kept staring at me, his eyes holding so much intensity and aura that my knees nearly buckled. I could only hold his gaze for two whole minutes before I redirected my gaze to the floor underneath me. “Tell me everything,” he finally demanded. So I told him everything from the beginning. The time Hannah asked me to be her spy. The time she forced me to stay in my room because she wanted to spend some quality time with him and Fawn. The time she ordered me to lose the match to Gladys. After saying all of these, I thought it would be enough to win him ov
AQUAMy eyes rolled to the back of my head as I screamed in agony. Baylor gave me another slap on the same cheeks, sending me to the floor once again. In the background, I could hear Kianna begging him to stop, but he continued to rain down kicks on my body. Instinctively, I curled my body to withstand his attacks, but I could feel every bone of my body giving under the weight of his boot. Out of desperation, Kianna lunged herself at him with her claws out.But Baylor was a dominant wolf, created with superior strength and speed. He caught her easily midway in the air, his hand wrapped around her throat. She flailed helplessly in his grip, trying to strike him with her claws. “You better not try anything funny, Kianna,” he warned her, his voice edged with cruel amusement. His eyes held a menacing glint, as if he couldn't wait to deal with us the way he wanted. Then he threw her on the floor, leaving her gasping for breath, and turned to me. Instinctively, I recoiled from his grip,
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
AQUAAs I continued to face the crowd, I could feel Fawn trying to yank her hand back, but I didn't let her go. Letting her go wasn’t an option after everything that had just happened. Truthfully, she had caused enough trouble right now, and the last thing I wanted was for someone to find out her true identity. Fortunately, the kid was smart and didn't even try to refute my claim over her. “So you had a child out of wedlock?” The Luna questioned. The curiosity in her voice was quite obvious, but there was something about her tone that rubbed me the same way.I lifted my chin defiantly. “Yes, I did. Is there something wrong with it?”The crowd started murmuring amongst themselves when they heard my words. I was a bit confused about why they were giving me strange looks, but I pretended not to care. “You must not have been informed properly, Aqua, but the requirements for a female wolf to ascend the throne as the Luna Queen are quite clear,” she said. “A female wolf must be a virgin