GUNNARWhen I finally reached the meeting hall, I was glad to see my mate was standing in one piece at least. Aqua pushed her true mate away from her and quickly took a step back to create some distance away from them, but he refused to let her leave. That's when my wolf finally snapped. “You better take your hands from my mate.” I stepped into the arena, my hands turning into fists. “That's not a warning, River.”Silence crashed over the hall as all eyes landed on me. I watched their faces drain of color, their bodies stiffening under the sheer force of my presence. My wolf surged forward, drinking in the thick scent of fear and unease that now poisoned the air.Good. They should be fucking terrified. Because from this moment on, things were about to get very, very messy.Elder Nathaniel exchanged a tense glance with the other elders before rising from his seat. When he and the council finally approached, their heads bowed in reverence.“Your Majesty, I didn't know you had returned
AQUARight until that moment, I had been prepared for the worst. I was prepared to leave the pack or even lie that I had seduced Gunnar for his power and his protection. I was prepared to do anything to protect my second chance mate and his daughter. But I was definitely not prepared for his sudden announcement. D-Did he just say I was his Luna Queen?“You can't be serious!” The pack priestess screamed with fury when she heard his words. The entire crowd had gone into an uproar at the sudden revelation, and I didn't even need to bother to look up to sense their shock and disbelief. I mean, who in the world would believe that a third-tier submissive wolf was the Alpha King's second-chance mate?Gunnar ignored her pained cry and redirected his attention to me. I was grateful that he had chosen to turn to me because I was already having a hard time dodging River's advances. But before I could even blink, Gunnar vanished from my sight and then appeared in front of us. My heart skipped
AQUA My eyes widened as I stared at the bones on the floor. It took a few minutes to comprehend the situation entirely, but then shock flooded my heart when the pieces finally fell into place. I was completely horrified by the shocking revelation that had just unfolded. Hannah... killed her mate?! "T-This is impossible," Hannah stammered, her voice trembling as she stumbled back from the guards. Fear glimmered in her wide eyes as they darted across the gathering crowd. "No one was supposed to find out about this. No one was supposed to know about Stephen!" Gunnar suddenly raised his hand to stop the guards from approaching further. For a fleeting moment, his fierce exterior softened as he looked at her, concern etched on his features. "Why did you do it, Hannah?" "Because you rejected me!" she screamed, the anguish in her voice slicing through the air like a knife. Hannah had completely shed her graceful look, leaving behind a mad look as she glared at us. "You have no idea how t
AQUAA few weeks later...When I opened my eyes again, I opened my eyes to see some women arguing right in front of my face. I had no idea what the hell they were talking about, so I decided to close my eyes and return to my beautiful sleep. But I found it difficult to do so despite my several attempts to block their screaming voices out of my head. When I finally couldn't endure it anymore, I released a low growl as I leaned upright on the bed. “Why the hell are you ladies screaming this early morning?!”The women immediately fell into a hush after my outburst. Guilt gripped my chest when they fell to their knees and bowed their heads onto the floor. Damn it, I cursed in my head. “F-Forgive us, Your Highness. We didn't mean to interrupt your precious sleep.” One of the ladies apologized. She shared a look with the rest of the women before speaking further. “It's just that we were trying to decide the outfit you would wear this afternoon.”I ran my hand through my messy hair, tryi
AQUAI followed the source of the sound and used it to locate the commotion that had been happening for a while. When I finally reached the dining room, my breath caught in my throat as I stared at the mess that had taken place in my absence. “Oh, my goodness,” the first maid commented behind me. The entire room was in chaos. I narrowed my eyes at the claw marks that were practically everywhere I turned. The silverware and dishes were now on the floor, along with the expensive white tablecloth that I had ordered just a week ago. The flower vases had been shattered into several pieces and were now lying on the floor. Because I was so silent for a long time, the maids behind me immediately panicked and started cleaning the mess. But there was something that continued to bother me as I watched them. Although the entire place was currently looking like a war had taken place in the kitchen, I noticed that the previous items that had been brought before I moved in were still intact. If
AQUAWhen we finally finished the preparations for the welcoming ceremony, my maids immediately brought in the beauticians to help me prepare for the evening. Two hours later, I was stunned when they finally gave me a mirror, allowing me to gaze upon my reflection."Oh my," I gasped, covering my mouth with a manicured hand. "I look so pretty."My hair cascaded past my shoulders in voluminous waves, dark and glossy under the light above me. My skin was smooth and flawless, perfect for my contoured cheekbones. As I blinked twice, I was captivated by my striking blue eyes, framed by lush, fluttering lashes and brought to life with expertly applied smoky eyeshadow.My lips, painted in a bold shade of red, curved into a radiant smile.“I believe the right word is stunning, Your Highness,” the beautician remarked, her voice filled with admiration. "I'm sure His Majesty will be astonished when he sees you."My smile faded as I stared at my phone on the dresser. Before I went to wash up, I ha
GUNNARI wrapped my hand around her waist, breathing in her scent as we faced the guest. After entering the pack with a blood-stained naked body, I barely had enough time to clean myself in time for the party. My wolf was prancing beneath the surface of my mind, but I used all my willpower to subdue his restless thoughts.But that didn't mean my patience was not treading on a thin edge tonight. I buried my nose in Aqua's tresses again, trying to calm the beast inside me."Your Majesty," The woman curtsied elegantly. When I murmured back a greeting, she rose to her full height. "You have grown more handsome since the last time we met. I hope you have been doing well."My lips flattened into a dry smile. "Diane."Aqua immediately turned to me when she heard our conversation. I could sense her confusion and unease through the mate bond, and that was enough to wipe the smile off my face. "Do you know her?" she asked.Before I could even respond, Diane answered first. "Yes, Gunnar and I ha
AQUA After Gunnar left my side, my maids immediately guided me to the ladies' room, where they helped me retouch my makeup. I stood in front of the bathroom, staring at my reflection. “Does anyone know anything about Diane?” I asked. Tension immediately filled the air as the ladies paused, staring at me. Feeling uneasy, I tried to explain. “I heard she was Tia's best friend. Is it true?”One of the maids finally spoke up. “To be honest, Your Highness, we also don't know much about Diane Rioss. But what we know is that she is the first pairless Luna.”My eyes widened when I heard their words. “Did her alpha mate die?”“No, Your Highness," the maid shook her head before she started applying blush on my cheeks. “She rose to the top without one. No one knows what happened to her mate.”My heart sank as I listened to their conversation. It is incredibly challenging for a woman to rule over a pack alone, especially given the high number of dominant men. If she managed to reach such a posi
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
AQUA After Gunnar left my side, my maids immediately guided me to the ladies' room, where they helped me retouch my makeup. I stood in front of the bathroom, staring at my reflection. “Does anyone know anything about Diane?” I asked. Tension immediately filled the air as the ladies paused, staring at me. Feeling uneasy, I tried to explain. “I heard she was Tia's best friend. Is it true?”One of the maids finally spoke up. “To be honest, Your Highness, we also don't know much about Diane Rioss. But what we know is that she is the first pairless Luna.”My eyes widened when I heard their words. “Did her alpha mate die?”“No, Your Highness," the maid shook her head before she started applying blush on my cheeks. “She rose to the top without one. No one knows what happened to her mate.”My heart sank as I listened to their conversation. It is incredibly challenging for a woman to rule over a pack alone, especially given the high number of dominant men. If she managed to reach such a posi
GUNNARI wrapped my hand around her waist, breathing in her scent as we faced the guest. After entering the pack with a blood-stained naked body, I barely had enough time to clean myself in time for the party. My wolf was prancing beneath the surface of my mind, but I used all my willpower to subdue his restless thoughts.But that didn't mean my patience was not treading on a thin edge tonight. I buried my nose in Aqua's tresses again, trying to calm the beast inside me."Your Majesty," The woman curtsied elegantly. When I murmured back a greeting, she rose to her full height. "You have grown more handsome since the last time we met. I hope you have been doing well."My lips flattened into a dry smile. "Diane."Aqua immediately turned to me when she heard our conversation. I could sense her confusion and unease through the mate bond, and that was enough to wipe the smile off my face. "Do you know her?" she asked.Before I could even respond, Diane answered first. "Yes, Gunnar and I ha
AQUAWhen we finally finished the preparations for the welcoming ceremony, my maids immediately brought in the beauticians to help me prepare for the evening. Two hours later, I was stunned when they finally gave me a mirror, allowing me to gaze upon my reflection."Oh my," I gasped, covering my mouth with a manicured hand. "I look so pretty."My hair cascaded past my shoulders in voluminous waves, dark and glossy under the light above me. My skin was smooth and flawless, perfect for my contoured cheekbones. As I blinked twice, I was captivated by my striking blue eyes, framed by lush, fluttering lashes and brought to life with expertly applied smoky eyeshadow.My lips, painted in a bold shade of red, curved into a radiant smile.“I believe the right word is stunning, Your Highness,” the beautician remarked, her voice filled with admiration. "I'm sure His Majesty will be astonished when he sees you."My smile faded as I stared at my phone on the dresser. Before I went to wash up, I ha
AQUAI followed the source of the sound and used it to locate the commotion that had been happening for a while. When I finally reached the dining room, my breath caught in my throat as I stared at the mess that had taken place in my absence. “Oh, my goodness,” the first maid commented behind me. The entire room was in chaos. I narrowed my eyes at the claw marks that were practically everywhere I turned. The silverware and dishes were now on the floor, along with the expensive white tablecloth that I had ordered just a week ago. The flower vases had been shattered into several pieces and were now lying on the floor. Because I was so silent for a long time, the maids behind me immediately panicked and started cleaning the mess. But there was something that continued to bother me as I watched them. Although the entire place was currently looking like a war had taken place in the kitchen, I noticed that the previous items that had been brought before I moved in were still intact. If
AQUAA few weeks later...When I opened my eyes again, I opened my eyes to see some women arguing right in front of my face. I had no idea what the hell they were talking about, so I decided to close my eyes and return to my beautiful sleep. But I found it difficult to do so despite my several attempts to block their screaming voices out of my head. When I finally couldn't endure it anymore, I released a low growl as I leaned upright on the bed. “Why the hell are you ladies screaming this early morning?!”The women immediately fell into a hush after my outburst. Guilt gripped my chest when they fell to their knees and bowed their heads onto the floor. Damn it, I cursed in my head. “F-Forgive us, Your Highness. We didn't mean to interrupt your precious sleep.” One of the ladies apologized. She shared a look with the rest of the women before speaking further. “It's just that we were trying to decide the outfit you would wear this afternoon.”I ran my hand through my messy hair, tryi
AQUA My eyes widened as I stared at the bones on the floor. It took a few minutes to comprehend the situation entirely, but then shock flooded my heart when the pieces finally fell into place. I was completely horrified by the shocking revelation that had just unfolded. Hannah... killed her mate?! "T-This is impossible," Hannah stammered, her voice trembling as she stumbled back from the guards. Fear glimmered in her wide eyes as they darted across the gathering crowd. "No one was supposed to find out about this. No one was supposed to know about Stephen!" Gunnar suddenly raised his hand to stop the guards from approaching further. For a fleeting moment, his fierce exterior softened as he looked at her, concern etched on his features. "Why did you do it, Hannah?" "Because you rejected me!" she screamed, the anguish in her voice slicing through the air like a knife. Hannah had completely shed her graceful look, leaving behind a mad look as she glared at us. "You have no idea how t