GUNNAR"I've already made my choice!" Aqua screamed angrily.Even though I tried to control my emotions, my heart involuntarily skipped a beat when I heard her words. My second chance mate had been standing beside me all this time, yet it seemed like a wall had risen between us. She lied to me and even went on a date with her true mate. At that moment, I had no hope that she would choose me. Perhaps she was simply having a lover's spat with him and wanted to use me to make him jealous.Thinking like that made my heart squeeze in my chest. Although I hadn't been sweet and attentive like River probably was to her, at least my intentions were pure and true. Since the moment she entered my life, my every thought had been consumed by her, longing to cherish and protect her. But is this what I was going to get in return?She was just going to walk away, turning her back on our future? On everything we had up to now?Aqua interlinked our fingers with each other before unmuting the mate bond.
AQUAAs Gunnar finally pulled up in front of my house, a wave of dread washed over me, causing my legs to tremble uncontrollably as I opened the car door. The chill of the evening air seemed to seep into my bones, but that was nothing compared to the heavy weight of apprehension sitting in my chest. Somewhere in my mind, I knew I should be grateful that he had delivered me safely in one piece, but this situation felt worse. Perhaps it would have been better if he had made a scene or even shouted at me, but he did nothing.The entire drive had been a stifling silence, wrapping around me and squeezing the breath from my lungs. Although the windows were open, cold sweat trickled down my spine as I tried to figure out how to fix this mess I had created.I should have never kept this a secret from Gunnar. I knew this was going to happen, yet I stubbornly clung to my stupid belief that I could fix this all by myself.Now, I was going to lose the man I loved.When Gunnar turned to leave, my
AQUAThe next morning, I jolted awake to the frantic sound of Kianna's voice cutting through the fog of sleep. As I sat upright on my bed, I bit my bottom lip to suppress the throbbing pain in my head. At that moment, I didn't even remember how I ended up tucked in my bed or how I even got my clothes changed.“Aqua, you need to see this!” Her urgency dripped with a mix of panic and dread as she pressed a crumpled flyer into my hand before settling beside me on the edge of the bed.I rubbed my sleepy eyes before staring at the paper in my hand. As I scanned the words on the flyer, my eyes slowly widened with shock as I struggled to process what I had just seen.I turned to Kianna and asked. "What's the meaning of this?""I swear I didn't say anything," Kianna said with a trace of panic. "When I went for a pack run, I noticed there were whispers in the pack, so I decided to ask about it. That's when my friend gave me this flyer.""What the hell?" I cursed under my breath. Kianna shifted
AQUAThe next moment, I found myself standing in front of the entire pack with my hands and legs bound in chains. My wolf screamed against the injustice of the situation but I used every willpower I had to suppress her unreasonable whines. I wasn't offended by the rough treatment and derogatory words I had been subjected to for the past hour, but rather I was more concerned about how this situation would end.Things were truly going to get messy, I thought to myself. Just when I was about to close my eyes for a quick nap, the door suddenly burst open without warning. The pack priestess stood at the entrance of my cold, dark cell with a grim expression that spoke a lot of volumes."Greetings, priestess," I said, bowing my head respectfully despite the prickling fear dancing along my spine. At first, I was curious about the purpose of her visit but then, I started to suspect that she was the one behind the flyer incident.The old woman ignored my greetings and approached me. At that mo
AQUAThe entire crowd went into an uproar when they heard my confession. I knew what the consequences of my confession would entail, but I just couldn't let go of the opportunity to mess with them. My fearlessness came from the certainty that Gunnar would surely come to my rescue, but first, I decided to see what exactly these people were up to. Elder Nathaniel's expression darkened when he heard my words. He leaned against his chair and looked at the nearby guards who started moving at his silent command. “Well, since you have confessed, we should move on to your punishment,” he declared, his voice a chilling echo that reverberated among the crowd, silencing their whispers. “Aqua, you are hereby punished—"“Wait!” I yelled. A guard behind me immediately scolded me for daring to interrupt the Head Elder's judgment, but I ignored him and kept my focus on the man in front of me. “May I ask how exactly I disobeyed the moon goddess's wishes? I thought I was being arrested for having an a
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
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