AQUAThe next day...When I finally arrived at the dueling podium at dawn, I was stunned to see the large amount of crowd that had gathered to witness the fight. The truth was that werewolves were deeply connected to our wild and primitive beasts, so some of us were always eager to observe violence.My heart raced with fear and anticipation as I approached the crowd with shaky steps. In times like this, both my wolf and I always wished that our mate would be here to comfort us but he was nowhere to be seen.Once it was dawn, Gunnar and Bodhi wished me victory in my upcoming duel before exiting the training quarters, But it wasn't until I heard him speaking with Bodhi that I finally realized something important."So what happens if I lose the match?" I asked him, my voice hesitant. "I mean, I understand that I would have to leave the pack so that just means that I can stay in a nearby pack or something, right?" A low rumble escaped from Gunnar's chest, and his gaze darkened when he h
AQUAAs soon as I stepped onto the podium, I felt the change of atmosphere immediately. Gladys stood at the other end of the corner, baring her teeth at me. I noticed she had sharpened her teeth in preparation for this duel while I had spent all night learning defense until it was ingrained into my bones.I couldn't wait to start the match already."Both opponents should please step forward," the pack priestess ushered us to the center of the ring. Once we faced each other, she waved her cane over us and incanted some blessings on us. My back straightened as she applied some kind of red paste on my face and then did the same for Gladys."You are going to pay for this, Aqua," Gladys swore under her breath. "I swear to the moon goddess you are going to pay for everything you have done. For crippling my mate. For embarrassing me and ruining my life!"I shot a look at the pack priestess, hoping that she would say something but she simply stood there. There was a look of cold disdain lurki
GUNNARSomething was wrong with my mate.When she didn't get back up like I had expected, I instantly knew that she was in trouble. I was torn between the urge to descend there and take her in my arms or simply wait for her to stand up. My wolf urged me to wait. He was not the type to panic in such situations, but I could sense his unease as he watched the situation. Although Aqua was still a submissive wolf, we both knew she was one of the most resilient women we'd ever met. My claws tore from my skin when Gladys kicked Aqua, sending her flying in the air. I barely managed to suppress a low guttural moan when she landed on the ground. Panic seized my heart seeing her look so weak and helpless.“Gunnar?” Someone called out to me, but I ignored it. My eyes stayed locked on Aqua, every fibre of my being connected to her. It felt like a sudden pressure was weighing hard on my chest, making it hard for me to breathe. Aqua barely managed to get on her feet, but I could see her whole bod
AQUAI could feel the poison taking effect as I staggered back for the fourth time. My wolf was fighting it as much as she could, but we both knew it was only a matter before I succumbed. My head felt like someone threw a rock at me, and 90% of my vision was already gone. Now, I was relying on my primal instincts of sound and smell but still, Gladys couldn't put me out yet."You're a fast one, I 'd admit that," Gladys said grudgingly, adjusting her stance. A small, nasty smirk appeared on her lips as she wiped the sweat running down her brow. "So I heard that you managed to get one of the sentinels to train you for the duel. Did you fuck him too?"My eyes immediately went to Bodhi who was acting as one of the umpires for the duel. From the slight narrowing of his eyes, I knew he heard us and that made me even angrier. "I told you to watch your dirty mouth, didn't I? Not every man cheats on his woman like yours, Gladys." I mocked.Gladys's face flushed red at my statement, providing me
AQUAI opened my eyes and found myself staring at the ceiling. The smell of herbs wafted into my nose, grounding me in the reality before me. As I blinked twice, memories came rushing into my head. The fight. The poison. I won.The knowledge hit me like a racing car crashing into my mind. Within a second, I rose from the bed with wide eyes. I scanned my surroundings, taking in the darkly lit room in which I was. The place was very tidy and neatly arranged, but what caught my attention was the scent that lingered in the room. The scent belonged to River. My eyes fell on the heavy fur blanket covering the lower part of my body. The sight made me curl my toes, flexing each muscle to make sure my legs were fine. Once I had confirmed that they were doing just fine, I lifted my head to stare at the blue curtains, which were shut close to block the sunlight. Curious to find out what the time was, I gingerly stepped left of the bed and walked towards the door with slow, deliberate steps.
GUNNARFor the first time, I felt my emotions almost overwhelm me when I heard them talking about Aqua in such a derogatory manner. They clearly could not accept Aqua's victory and the consequences that followed. If they had come to me and begged for mercy, I still might not have relented, especially since Gladys dared to poison my mate. But at least things wouldn’t have escalated to this point. When Tristan's grandmother and the others heard my wager, they panicked. I ignored their murmurs and crossed my arms, observing them. The good thing was that all the elders present were not related to Nathaniel Kincaid, which meant he wanted nothing to do with the situation. A wise decision. Hannah, who had sensed the intense atmosphere, cast a glance at the elders before intervening. "Gunnar, there's no need to be so harsh with them. They only wanted to clear up their suspicions concerning Aqua." She took a step closer and wrapped her arms around mine. "If you want them to drop the matter
GUNNARAfter Aqua left with River, I stayed behind with the elders and Hannah in the house. I secretly sent one of my wolves to guard them since I knew Oprah would do her best to stop them. That's why I stayed behind to make sure they didn't make sure they didn't try anything funny.As I moved about the kitchen, the rich aroma of brewing coffee began to fill the space, cutting through the thick silence. Suddenly, Hannah entered with a remorseful expression. I pretended not to see it as I worked the coffee machine, but then she grabbed a cup and placed it on the kitchen counter."Look, I know you are still mad about me trying to help the elders," Hannah said, "But I only did it because all of them have been good to you since your reign began. It wouldn't be good if you keep butting heads with them."Calmly, I poured the coffee into both cups she placed on the table before facing her. "Is that the only reason you have been helping them?" I asked her.Hannah's expression stiffened when
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
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