Hi Lovelies, It's a double chapter update day today. Another chapter will be up in an hour :)
Dustin“ Have mercy, Your Highness. ” Maverick whimpers again.I take my eyes off Redley and direct my gaze towards him. The sight of him makes my guts churn once more. The ugly feeling in the pit of my stomach makes my eyes twitch.“ So, according to you both, I should forgive you all for trying to deceive the King? ” I tilt my head, and unconsciously, my gaze flickers towards the right corner where she stands, her face red with fury and restraint. “ As the Alpha of the strongest Pack in the North and the man loyal to the throne, I would accept whatever punishment you deem fit, Your Highness. Take my life, or the life of my daughter if that’s what— ” “ Wait a moment! ” She speaks up at last, her loud voice echoing through the walls of the throne room.The silent people turn to her, surprised to see her marching to the middle as if she is unfazed by their gossip and the hate in their eyes.I feel something pricking my heart, like a soft brush of a feather. Her blue eyes, as deep as
Elita“ Throw Lana Redley in the dungeons. ” Dustin’s heavy voice echoes through the Hall. Several gasps sound around me. I turn to him, my eyes narrowing into slits.But inside, I am gloating. He sure has the best timing.That’s what I wanted him to do. But how did he get it so easily? I thought I might have to send him a few hidden signals before he decided to lock me up.“ Your Highness, please let me prove the truth. ” I cry out, getting giddy about the way the air tinges with curious streaks.The people of the North have always loved seeing powerful people fall. On the outside, they act like they are united under a cause, but once you step into this mud, you realize…they love gossip, backstabbing, and helping to pull others down from cloud nine.Now that Alpha Redley, one of the strongest Alpha in the North, seems to have a flaw…they want to know more about it.“ Your Highness, I am grateful for your trust in me. I would never— ”“ Alpha Redley, Lady Lana will stay in the dungeon
Elita“ Didn’t you get what you wanted? ” I sigh, lying in the cold, dark water. “ you said you wanted me to teach Maverick and your Father the lesson of a lifetime, and I feel it’s important for me to do that now. So…why are you still sad? ”She is sitting in the same spot. I don’t know how I can even tell that it’s the same spot, given that every corner in this dream looks the same. It’s like we both are inside a pitch-dark room swarmed with cold water. The only thing I can see clearly here is her figure as if a bright light is shining only over her.Her small sobs echo in the utter silence, making me sigh once more. Judging from the amount of sighs I exhale these days, I can simply say goodbye to my lungs.Oh. It’s not like they are living and well anyway, so it doesn’t matter, I guess.“ Say something, Lana. If I am stuck in this nightmare with you, I would like for you to not make it too unbearable. ” I sit up and lean back, my eyes fixed on her curled-up form.She is always lik
Elita“ What? ” Lana’s eyes sparkle mischievously. For the first time since I have started seeing her in these strange dreams, I find myself tongue-tied.My head goes blank and before I can get an answer, I jolt awake.I blink my eyes open, only to greet the sight of the dirty dungeon walls. A breath whooshes out of my lungs.“ Why do I have...such a bad feeling about this?” I wonder to myself, my heart racing in my chest.“ I would have considered you mad if you still didn’t have a bad feeling about the mess you have created. ” A deep voice comments from the side.Startled, I gasp and look to my left. Dustin is sitting beside me, his back against the cold wall. The sight of his side profile highlighted by the dim light sends a shudder down my back.“ Dustin! What are you...doing here? ” I breathe, and flex my numbing fingers.He rests his arm over his bent knee and leans back, stealing a glance at me from the corner of his eyes. My heart misses a beat as he looks away and s
Elita“ I deny the accusations. There is no proof, Your Highness. ” Alpha Redley says, his voice clear and firm.The people gathered in the Throne room for the exciting trial fall silent at his denial. I click my tongue and keep my gaze lowered.If Dustin had just agreed or disagreed, I would have been confident in my plan. But he just got up and left after I demanded he take my side.Is it that hard to play along? I want to groan and roll around in annoyance. Dustin Landric will make me go bald with all this stress before I die.That will be highly embarassing.“ What do you have to say to this, Lady Lana? ” A man I recognize as the warrior who accompanied Dustin before stands beside the Throne and asks.I pick up my head and look at him. “ I will lead the way to the evidence. ”“ You need to drop this act, daughter! This is enough! ” Redley growls, losing his initial calm and letting his frustration spill out.“ If this is an act, you don’t need to worry, Father. Once everyone sees
DustinI won’t lie and say I didn’t go along with her plan because I was simply curious. I wanted to see what else she was capable of.Or maybe...I just couldn’t refuse her. It felt so foolish. I have never given into anyone’s demands, not until giving in leads to achieving my goals. But with her, I gave in, just like this.I was still annoyed at the way I was acting—without any conscious efforts, or deliberate actions when she pulled Redley to that cliff.It took me just a moment—a small moment to figure out what she was about to do. For others, she was calling for help, but for me, she was repeating her usual trick. She was playing a damsel who was getting murdered by her own father.I have met all sorts of people in life, but I have never come across someone like her. She is wicked—that’s nothing special. It’s her lack of any regard for herself and the absence of fear and remorse that sets her apart from others.‘ She is the woman you will love. She is Elita, your mate,
DustinI am clueless.I, Dustin Landric, the man who knows about everything that goes on inside the Four Kingdoms of Wolves, am clueless.One day has passed—one whole night and day—and she is nowhere to be found.Redley’s people didn’t take her. Maverick’s friends didn’t take her. Levian didn’t come anywhere near her.She has disappeared into thin air. Even the voices in the water refuse to tell me where she has gone.It’s the first time in my life—like all first times with her—that I find myself helpless. It’s like my power has reduced to nothing, like I have reduced to nothing but a desperate man who is looking for his lost mate.What loser thoughts!I will find that little trouble, and I am going to make her regret getting on my nerves this time. She has pushed me to my limits, and I am so done playing nice and staying low.“ The divers didn’t find anything but a floating piece of her dress, Your Highness. The body must have been carried away by the sea. ” Ronac enters the sitting a
ElitaI knew knowledge about the future was my power. Yet, I didn’t use it properly.When Maverick came to slander Lana, and Redley was hellbent on sending her—me to the vampires, I realized that staying as Lana in this world was a mistake.No matter how cautious I tried to be, Lana’s enemies, or so-called family, or the vampires would never let her be. She was too important to be overlooked.I knew that Lana needed to go—or precisely, her face and body needed to go so I could stay by Dustin’s side without anyone getting on my nerves every day.But how? I wondered at first. It was not like I could go back inside my body or wear a veil. I was thinking about it when Maverick ran his mouth in the Throne room.And then suddenly, Princess Avery’s words rang in my ears. She thought I was using a witch’s potion to take on Lana’s appearance. What sounded absurd to me before became my lifeline.That’s why I staged Lana’s death, turned Redley into a murderer, and then disappeared without saying
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
Elita“ I got a little taste of you, Ms. Folke… ” Dustin says, his voice low, husky. “ I need more now. ”My breath catches in my throat, the tension between us thick and suffocating.“ Still need more? ” I ask, my voice barely a whisper. “ Even after I acted like an ungrateful bitch and hurt you every time I opened my mouth? ”His hands slide down my sides with a precision that sends shivers down my spine. There is no hesitation in his touch, only certainty as if every move is part of a calculated plan. He grips my thighs firmly, lifting me with ease and wrapping my legs around his torso. His body feels like steel against mine—so hard, yet so warm. “ Those words meant nothing to me. I knew you were trying to push me away… ” He says, his tone devoid of softness. His eyes trail to my parted lips before snapping back to meet my gaze. “ You can try to push me away, but it won’t work. Because I always get what I want. And what I want right now is to have this… ”He leans down, so close
Elita“You destroyed me, Dustin! Don't you understand?! ”Dustin’s jaw tightens. He watches as I storm to the door and step outside. The cold mountain air bites into my skin, but I do not care. I need space. I need air that does not smell like him. Just as I take a few steps forth and pick up my head, I see similar small huts surrounding me.Several warriors turn towards me and watch me standing there like a dummy. I take in a deep breath and start walking towards the right.Did Alpha King Striker have to trick me like this? What was he even hoping to achieve?I scoff, stomping forward to find a silent, lonely corner. I stop only when I reach the ditch again.It’s so visible even in the night. Why did I miss earlier then? I narrow my eyes on it, glaring at if I can blame it for everything going wrong. I don’t know how long I do it, but I know that my legs start feeling heavy.I crouch down and wrap my arms around my knees. I always knew what to do, but now, I feel like a fool.May
ElitaThe quiet of the night almost stings my ears as I see myself back in that place—the first time I saw the Lycan King up close, a decade ago.His hand wraps around my wrist just as I try to turn and retreat. My heart races, a drumbeat of panic. I have already lured him into the trap. Death looms close, waiting to claim him in the form of a vampire king—the same monster who made me into this.It feels surreal. The memory had turned foggy after so many years among vampires and humans. I could no longer remember the sharpness of his features, the exact look in his eyes. But now, it is painfully clear.He is not glaring at me. There is no hatred in his gaze, not even blame.Maybe he already knew it was a trap. Dustin always knows everything.And still, he came.I pull, trying to wrench free, but it is no use. Levian stalks closer from behind. Yet Dustin does not shift his focus. His eyes never leave mine.“You will regret it.” His thumb brushes my pulse point, lingering just long enoug
ElitaI lie awake, staring at the ceiling above my head, my mind too full to let sleep take me. Tonight, it feels so cold in here. I feel this itch under my skin to go find that Lycan King and snuggle into his arms but I hold still. He is warm when his limbs are entangled with mine, but I am still angry at him.That’s not all. There is an ache between my legs, a constant, needy ache that demands his touch. It’s driving me crazy. Suddenly, someone knocks at the door. My heart misses a beat.Dustin. It has to be him. He knocked on my door hours ago and I just pretended to be asleep.The thought of him sends a rush through me—anger, longing, something that twists low in my belly—but I force myself to stay put. I won’t answer. I won’t let him in.“ Elita. ” The voice from the other side of the door calls out, and it’s not him. It’s Striker. “ Come out. ”I sigh and move my legs over the side of the bed, bare feet touching the cold floor. When I open the door, he stands there in the dim
DustinI reach for the handle of her door, but it doesn’t budge. She locked it.Releasing a breath, I let my hand fall to my side and stand there, listening. Her movements are light on the other side. Every shift of her feet, every rustle of the bed sheets, fills my ears. But it’s her heartbeat that holds me in place—too fast, too loud, a constant drum reminding me that she is still alive.I saved her. I press my palm against the wood. It’s cool beneath my skin. “ Open the door, Elita… ” I murmur.She doesn’t answer. My lips twitch. She is pretending to be sleeping. I know it. Her breathing pattern is not right—it’s too shallow, too aware.I smirk. What a weird tactic to ignore me. For a brief second, I consider breaking the door down. One sharp kick and it will go down. What will she do then, I wonder? Will she continue to pretend to sleep so she doesn’t have to face me? As the thoughts linger, something warm trickles down my lip. Again.I step back, wiping the blood away with
ElitaI struggle free from his hold and rush towards the lounge. But he is hot on my tail, like a predator set on hunting a prey down.When I enter, the Kings and Kalix are already seated, leaving only a double couch vacant. Reluctantly, I walk towards it and perch on the corner.But the Northern King doesn’t take the hint at all. He comes to sit beside me, leaving no distance between our bodies. His arm brushes mine, and I feel the warmth seeping through my skin. Kalix clears his throat, looking right at us. “ Karlias is on house arrest. Some of the warriors are heading to the mountains to get the witch. ”My heart misses a beat. “ Matiana? ”He sighs, giving a slow nod. “ Yes. She was the one who told us all about the prophecy of a woman and man coming—The one you talked about when you first came here.”I lean back but stiffen when his arm presses more into my side. Why does he have to make it so hard for me? Kalix eyes me curiously. “ I am still wondering about the same thing Eli
ElitaKalix’s grip tightens on my wrist, his wide eyes filled with something I can’t quite understand—desperation? Relief? Maybe both. He stares at me as if I am a ghost returned to haunt him. “ It worked… ” He breathes, his voice rough with disbelief. “ It actually worked. ”His fingers tremble against my skin, the intensity of his hold making my heartbeat quicken. I take a cautious step back, my voice low. “ What are you talking about, Kalix? ”He doesn’t answer right away. His gaze travels over me, his eyes scanning every inch like he is trying to piece together an impossible puzzle. “ I don’t understand. It worked. Then…how are you still alive? ”Before I can respond, the air shifts. It’s subtle at first—a faint chill that deepens until the entire room is gripped by an icy stillness. My breath turns to mist. A blur moves through the space beside me. Kalix’s hand is ripped away from my wrist with a brutal jerk.I gasp, just in time to see Dustin slam Kalix into the wall. The en