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,
GUNNARAqua... just confessed her feelings to me. I was struck with complex emotions as I watched her lose consciousness in my arms. I immediately pulled her close, trusting my wolf to reach deep in the mate bond that was so muted I could barely sense its low, thrumming presence. In that moment, all I wanted to do was open the mate bond. I knew I could do it. I could heal her and wake her from her unconscious state. The thought of not seeing her beautiful blue eyes or her adorable smile almost drove me to madness. I couldn't bear to lose her. I didn't want to. “Everyone, leave.” I ordered, my wolf climbing to the surface. With the state of my emotions, I knew it was only a matter of time before he overpowered me, pushing me to the backseat of our consciousness. “Guard the area. Make sure that no one comes within the mile radius.”The sentinels instantly chorused. “Yes, Your Majesty!”I barely held on a little longer to watch them live before giving up to my wolf. The transformati
GUNNAR Two hours later, I called for a pack meeting, summoning only the elders and the other high-ranking members of the pack.I stated the time of the meeting clearly, but it seemed that most of them barely managed to arrive in time, while the rest were nowhere to be seen. Nathaniel and his son were absent, along with the elders who were loyal to him. I observed the meeting hall through the eyes of my wolves standing at strategic positions surrounding the building. Leaving Aqua in her state was difficult for me, but since I promised her that I was going to give her an explanation, then that's exactly what I was going to do.After waiting for another thirty minutes, I placed Aqua in my bedroom and left some instructions for my daughter before I left the house. Just as I was about to get into my car, another car suddenly arrived in front of my house. My jaw tightened when I saw Hannah stepping out of the car and walking towards me with fast, hurried steps. Before I could say anythi
GUNNARAs I parked my car near the meeting hall, I stopped to check if the people I had been waiting for had arrived. However, their absence could already be sensed by the lack of cars in the parking lot. But I reined in my anger and entered the building, my boots hitting the asphalt with purpose. Once my secretary saw me, she immediately shot to her feet, her posture rigid as she paid her respects. “Y-Your Majesty,” she greeted, her voice trembling. “Y-You are finally here. I have been waiting—”I cut her off, my patience reaching its limits. “Announce me.” My secretary blinked once to process my orders fully, and then she walked towards the door to announce me. “His Majesty is here!”As I walked into the room, a sudden hush fell over the entire place, expelling the previous noise. The people present were mostly elders who had nothing to do with the case and the pack priestess who was here to make sure the chaos happened to a minimal degree. They bowed their heads towards me as
GUNNARNathaniel and his sons knelt down in front of me, their faces scrunched in pain. They must have all forgotten about their beasts' instinct to submit to the most powerful wolf in the pack. I reveled in their unwilling deposition, their human minds warring against the undeniable law of nature.Pathetic creatures.With slow, measured steps, I stood before Nathaniel, observing him. His entire forehead was covered with large beads of sweat, yet he still managed the calm deposition of a head elder. “Now that your third son is out of the way, let's talk about the important matters we need to discuss...” I said, staring down at him. “...the first one being the question about what audacity you had to arrive after me. Did you hit your head somewhere today?”Nathaniel's lips remained shut even though his entire body was trembling from head to toe. I commanded him. “Speak.”“N-No, Your Majesty,” he sputtered. I narrowed my eyes at him, my voice growing darker. “Do I look like your fuckin
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