ElitaDustin really gets on my nerves.After I offered to help him with that boner—that I was not going to do, of course—he said only two words.“ Get. Lost. ”He appeared so serious and angry that I thought disappearing was better. Not so surprisingly, the moment I left his room, my voice disappeared again.Now, I know. I am not suffering from a healing potion’s side effects. It has to be a witch’s spell. It’s scandalous. No werewolf or Lycan King is supposed to use witch spells or potions. This was the same rule that could have gotten Lana killed in the selection ceremony, but this King is so cool about doing the forbidden things. This thought brings me back to the present. Felicity informed me just a few minutes ago that Dustin wants me to go to the North wing of the Wolveshire Citadel. It’s the same wing where his room is. Apparently, that whole wing is his personal space, and now, he wants me in it.This reminds me…He did say that he needed me to risk my life today. I just ho
Elita“ Is this all you will do if someone tries to kill you? ” The pressure on my throat increases. The more I try to breathe or fight back the grip on my throat, the worse it hurts. This time, it feels like he will actually kill me before this episode of madness ends.That’s a scary thought. Especially when I can see my brother and sister hiding in the cupboard, watching our father choking me to death. No one should die in front of people that love you. That’s gruesome. With renewed energy, I try to fight and regain my strength, but it doesn’t work against the Alpha’s grip. He is stronger—he will always be. No matter how much I wriggle, or cry, or become desperate for air, he won’t let me breathe. Dad said this will make me stronger. If someone ever tries to strangle me in the future, I won’t die without putting up a fight if I am already used to getting choked to near death. When I can’t bear it anymore, I stop fighting. I let my body relax and close my blurred eyes. This is
Dustin“ What did you see? ” I repeat my question calmly. But I am so close to losing it. I don’t like how everyone keeps building suspense around things. “ I— ” Amelia sighs and steals another glance at Lana.The corner of my eyes twitch subtly. “ You what? ”“ I didn’t see anything, Dustin,” She reveals at last and looks shocked by this fact. People and their antics. I almost scoff. All that pause for nothing.I am not even surprised. Lana is a special case—I won’t figure her out so easily.I let go of Lana and withdraw from the sparks that were driving me insane. Every time I touch her, my cock decides it’s the best time to harden and throb. Without control, my mind drifts to all sorts of thoughts—thoughts I am not supposed to have about someone I believe is a cunning enemy. “ Why can’t you? ” Tyson comes up behind Amelia and leans closer to her.She turns to him, her brows smoothening instantly. “ I don’t know, Tyson. I just grabbed her hand and tried so hard to see her memor
ElitaI shouldn’t have mistaken his silence for lenience. He was only bidding his time until now, waiting for the right moment to strike. My heart pounds in my chest as I stare at the woman in front of me. She has honey eyes—something uncommon for any werewolf or Lycan.Judging from the color of her eyes, her oddly angled chin, and the cold smile on her lips, she is definitely a witch.I scan the underground room—more like a stone-walled dungeon from the corner of my eyes and swallow the unease in my throat. Dustin releases my arm with a jerk and goes to stand in the corner. The sparks retreat with his figure, leaving me cold and confused.“ She is all yours. ” He says, his voice low but harsh.One moment, the woman is standing two steps away, and the next, she is right in front of me. My hands shake, but I clench them into fists.What can I even do?I can’t scream and let everyone know that I am here. And I can’t fight someone when the Lycan King is right behind me. I can’t win ag
Elita Calm down. Calm down because anger blinds people to their choices, Elita. I hate that I am thinking about what Levian used to tell me.He used to say…My anger will blind me one day, and it will become the reason for my downfall. Anger will consume me. The need to hurt someone for the pain they caused me will haunt me until it becomes a ghost that chases me around.I agree with him.But the truth is that…I believe getting back at others is more important than caring about the consequences. Levian can bid his time, Dustin can show an extreme level of control over his urges, but I…I need instant satisfaction. I smile and grab Dustin’s collar. His brows lift as he waits for my next move.I lunge with precision, falling into his arms. As he reaches out to grab me, acting on an instinct forcefully instilled in him by the bond between us, I reach for his ear and bite down. He can heal super fast, but it doesn’t mean it won’t hurt like a bitch!I chomp on his earlobe and sense him s
Elita“ Are you sure you want to go out wearing full sleeves, Lady Lana? ” Felicity asks for the nth time. “ it’s too hot outside. You might get sick or faint because of the heat. ”“ Don’t worry about it. ” I sigh, walking ahead of her. “ I am your personal maid. I am supposed to be worried about you. ” She mentions as she follows me into the stables. The keepers there do shoot me and my long-sleeved, blue gown sneaky glances, but they don’t say anything to me.While Felicity continues to pester me about the heat and my long sleeves, I choose a brown horse and mount it.“ Now, if your King asks, let him know that Lady Lana is visiting her Dad. ” I tell Felicity before I set out toward Alpha Redley’s Pack.It’s been three days since Dustin left me inside that dungeon, with my ear and my throat very much bleeding. All this time, I waited for him to reach out, but he didn’t.But that’s not the problem. The problem is that Alpha Redley is not reaching out to me either.I am sure he kno
Elita“ I am delighted. ” The breeze sways my hair, and with it comes back a voice from my memory. “ They chose me to make you regret your choice, and I will love every moment of it. ”What did I say to Akuji back then? Oh right.“ Where is Levian? ”“ Call Levian here. ”“ Levian will believe me. ”But Levian was gone. It was a testament that he didn’t believe me like I thought. He thought I killed them, making it impossible for Levian to achieve what he always wanted.As I near the gates of the Wolveshire Citadel, my throat clogs, and my gaze flickers towards my hand. I flex my fingers. Lana’s fingers, I tell myself. She was so lucky. She has no scar on her body, no injury that remains unhealed. Yet, she took her life like an ungrateful bitch. And I? Even after Akuji chopped my fingers and waited for the injuries to heal so he could move to another part of me, I yearned to live. I ran, even when blood dripped from my hands and I couldn’t grasp anything. I was so desperate to s
Dustin“ Your Highness, we are being— ”“ Followed. ” I tell Ronac, who is trying to tell me about the little problem on our tail. “ Don’t worry about it. Go inspect that part of the wall and come back to tell me if they are here yet. ”Lana is like a leech. She refuses to stop attaching herself to my side since she saw me at the selection ceremony.I should have known she would follow me all the way to the South to do…What exactly?I press my lips in a thin line. For the first time in my life, I have no idea what someone wants or is planning. I can’t read her face like I do with others. I can’t even wrap my head around any possible reasons to explain why she is acting like this.She has become more of a mystery than I like. Even Ciena can’t figure her out. But this is not what’s annoying me. The real problem is that the Moon Goddess has stopped visiting me like an uninvited guest in my life after Lana came my way.I know that Selene knows everything, and I need to ask her, but she
DustinI grit my jaw. I did say that. But that was when I had full control over my abilities. Now, I am not that same Dustin.I can’t protect them the way I could before. And I don’t want any of them to die on my watch. “ Times have changed and— ” I start, but Elita cuts me off.“ If you don’t understand that he wants to protect you by risking his life, his Kingdom, and everything he holds dear, then you all need to revisit your understanding of him. ” She approaches me and takes a seat beside me. “ he wants you to go back home because you can die here, and Dustin can not bear to let that happen. He is not being stubborn or stupid. He just wants…you to live and stay out of danger. ”A hand curls around my heart and squeezes it tightly. I look at the side of her face, watching as she narrows her eyes on Striker and admiring the way she looks—so fierce, so strong.“ Dustin, I know you want to protect us. But we want to do that for you too. Just like how you don’t want any of us to get
Dustin‘ He was waiting. ’ A voice whispers inside my head, becoming clearer than the other screeches that make me wince.‘ For what? ’ I tilt my head, staring the endless sea.‘ For your return. ’ Another voice shrieks. Something has made the voices restless. I take a sip of the wine and let the taste linger on my tongue.The screeches intensify, a buzz that is impossible to ignore. The pressure on my head increases, as I grit my jaw, trying to drown out the sounds.Just when I know it’s impossible, two tiny arms wrap around my waist and a soft forehead presses on my back. A switch flips, and everything goes silent.I look down at the arms around me. My lips twitch, a warmth I am not used to spreading inside my chest.She doesn’t know what she really does to me, for me. “ I am dead… ” She mumbles in a dramatic voice.“ I know that. ” My lips curl in a smile before I can realize it.“ I have been taking care of everything for you! Do you know how hectic it is?! I couldn’t even slee
ElitaDustin steps inside, his presence filling the room. He leans against the wall like he owns the place, his smirk lazy, daring me to react.He does own the place. It’s his favorite throne room—with a round table where he can manipulate his friends and other important guests—an alternative to the traditional one. But he has no right to smirk at me and look this good after he tricked me into leaving him behind.My blood burns in my veins. My breath comes too fast, and my hands curl into fists by my sides.“ What’s wrong? ” Dustin muses, his gaze raking over me as if he already knows that I am going to lash out. “ You tricked me into leaving… ” I snap, my voice loud with fury. “ You asked him to grab me and send me here. You forced me. I don’t like being forced.”Dustin’s smirk widens, dark amusement flickering in his gaze. He folds his arms over his chest, completely unfazed. “ I know. You can…make me pay for it. I will allow that. ”A violent shudder rolls down my back. I move tow
ElitaI was not wrong.After Tyson, Striker appeared the next day. Their return made it easier for me to get people to listen, but it didn’t ease my worry.I was relieved that Lenora and Amelia had their mates back. But where was mine? Why did he have to send me before everyone else?I would have been fine if he had sent Tyson, then Striker, then Aleister…I wouldn’t have complained even if he had chosen to go before me.But he thought…Oh! I should let Elita suffer instead of letting her spend her days in peace.I huff as I stare out the window. Six days have passed now. The warriors are stationed in their positions. They have Vitora flower, training to fight vampires, and even the will to keep guard all the time.I have already worked with some Alphas to develop a few things they will need in the war.The Kings have gathered their men, readying the Army needed for support.Princess Avery has somehow handled her parents and made sure they don’t come out of their rooms. I don’t know
ElitaOnce again in life, I am forced to realize that waiting is the hardest thing to do.Waiting for someone is like dragging your body over a bed of nails. It is slow. It is painful. It does not kill, but it leaves me writhing. Time stretches, moving too slow, making every breath feel heavy, every heartbeat feel too slow.The worst part of it?Not knowing if they are even coming back, or if I am waiting for nothing, or if I should do something instead of just…sitting around and waiting. I pace around in the throne room, occasionally watching the vacant throne, then turning to the window that overlooks the sea. The water has been too calm, for too long. It’s unnatural. It’s been…four days now. Four days since Dustin Landric forced me into returning to the North! And he is not back!I keep thinking…If I could get ahold of him right now...I would curse at him. I would strangle him. I would kiss him. And tell him if he ever did this again, I would hate him forever. It might be a l
LevianSometimes, I do wonder. What’s the point of everything they do to fight back? The pride they hold onto, the dignity they so cherish, the trust they have in their Goddess…It’s childish. So naive, as if holding onto those ideals will protect them from the harsh truths of the world. They fight and fight, convinced that their strength and their loyalty to some higher cause will save them, but all I see is a cycle of failure repeating itself. They believe in their righteousness, their purity, their connections to forces they cannot fully understand. But it is all an illusion.The Gods or the world does not care about pride. It does not care about dignity. It does not recognize the strength they claim to possess. No, the world and the Gods respect only power—the kind that bends others to your will, the kind that ensures survival by any means. They are too wrapped up in their fantasies to see the reality. Survival is not about pride. It is about doing what they must, without in
DustinI stare back as Aleister glares at me. “ the distance was— ”“ Bigger than you expected? ” I shrug and turn to walk towards my horse.“ You already knew, didn’t you? ” He masks his anger behind a cold smirk.“ What? That you wouldn’t be able to teleport all of us? ” I look towards Striker, then Tyson. They are glaring at me just like Aleister. “ You knew. ” Aleister lets out a breath, his voice tinged with disbelief.“ This teleportation? It’s not the power of the South. It’s just some added perk from your submissive witch blood. Of course, I knew you could only teleport one or perhaps two of us before it stopped working for some time. ” I tell him honestly, not wanting to drag this out longer than needed. “ But I was hoping…you could send two back. Tyson would have been a good option. He knows Levian better than us. ”“ You knew he could only send one or two of us back, and you still chose her? ” Striker lifts his brows.“ You would have done the same if it was Lenora. She is
ElitaI am back here again. The fire is consuming me, licking at my skin, searing through my lungs. And water seeps from the statue’s cold stone eyes, inching toward me as if trying to free me from the flames.Why do I always end up here? What does this even mean?Before I can make sense of anything, I jolt awake. My heart pounds against my ribcages as my wide eyes land on the plain, dirty ceiling. My breathing is uneven, and my body is still caught somewhere between the dream and reality.“ Did I scare you? ” Dustin’s soft voice sounds from beside me. I stiffen, and turn my head in his direction. He is standing beside the bed, his warm hand placed over my shoulder. His dark eyes hold something unreadable, but his face remains impassive.I blink, once, twice. Trying to gather my thoughts.“ I would have let you rest longer, but it’s urgent… ” Dustin says, straightening to his height. “ Get up and get ready. We need to leave. Now. ”Dread tightens a knot in my stomach. “ What happene
ElitaIt will always remain this way. I will never register sex. I try to claw at his shoulder to ground my mind to this moment, to continue to look into his beautiful eyes, but everything is already blank before my gaze.Just when I think I am going to slip away from him, my body is flipped again. My heart misses a beat in my chest as everything clears in my view.I am above him, straddling his hips, with his length still inside me, filling me deeper now. My hands drop to his stomach, and my back arches when I register the burn in my core. He is stretching me so good.“ You are not…forgetting about this again. ” His deep, restrained voice echoes in my ears as he commands. Confused, I look down at our joined bodies, and then up at his clenched jaw, dark eyes, and hands that are clasped together, raised above his head. It takes me a moment to register what’s happening. But when I do, everything inside me turns warm and melts into a puddle.Dustin Landric, the man who can’t bear to l