DAVIEN~~The day had just begun, and I was already unsure of how the rest of the day would turn out. Waking up to find Alpha Prince Kyle in my mate’s bed was only one of the unexpected surprises, and I must confess that feeling Katie’s lips on mine was my favorite unexpected incident.Her lips molded against mine like they were my long-lost piece. Instantly, my lungs gave way to a deep groan, and my hands itched to touch this bold woman. I had never felt like this with any woman.If I were being honest, I would say I had never kissed a woman before.Yes, this was my first kiss, and as Katie pressed her lips against mine, I feared she would discover that I was inexperienced. Would I be seen as man enough if I didn’t live up to her sexual expectations?What are her expectations, and on what experiences are they based?Could she have—Focus, Davien!I scolded myself. A first kiss should be memorable, so I should burn this moment into my memory.Slowly, I let my hands sneak all the way
Princess Katie Anne~~If there was any place I felt confident and powerful, it would be in the training arena or any training field where I could demonstrate myself freely. Although the last war recorded in the history of the realm was the one my mom fought with Larisa, the dark witch, and also Alpha Tristan, someone I once loved, I have been decorated as the best female warrior after my mom.Also, I participated in the Quinquennial Pack Games, where I won many awards and, with the help of other warriors in the pack, brought the trophy home for my pack. I have participated twice: when I was ten and when I was fifteen. The goddess knew I had been looking forward to the next one.“I don’t understand why anyone would choose violence over fighting with spiritual strength," Zuri clamored within me as soon as I stepped into the arena.Of course, she could feel the excitement flowing through me, and as her words resonated in my head, I rolled my eyes. I was about to respond, but Zoe beat m
Princess Katie Anne~~“Today will be easy because you are just recovering. If you didn't have to begin spiritual training immediately, I wouldn't have asked you to join us.”My mom had said it was time, confirming that today would simply be a preview, but that didn’t make it easier. At some point, I found myself asking, “Why do I have to train spiritually, Mom? What if I don’t have the skills?”“You have abilities, Katie. How else would you have predicted the sex of your brothers? How else would you have been able to create such a strong bond with Dolf? How else would you have a pure white wolf who radiates pure energy?”My mom retorted, pointing out some of the exceptional things I had done when I was younger. She even added, “The only reason you aren’t skilled when it comes to your abilities is because you didn’t start training early. You were obsessed with training physically. Plus, I didn’t know how to be a mother to a young girl who could be just like me or completely differen
Princess Katie Anne~~My twin brother has always been afraid of the dark. To be honest, I couldn't recall when that fear began, but I knew it had something to do with Larisa—the crazy woman who almost tore our family apart. The details are blurry in my mind, but I remember that she kidnapped Kyle at some point, and even though my parents lied to me about Kyle’s whereabouts, as I grew up, I realized the truth. However, Kyle and I never spoke about that day, despite how many times he had been haunted in his sleep.Our parents don't know about Kyle’s nightmares because he didn't want them to worry, but I knew, and that’s the reason I wasn’t surprised that Davien found Kyle in my bed that morning.What surprised me was finding Kyle in the darkness that his room had become. I was the dark princess with a dark-themed room, while Kyle made sure his room had enough space and light. So this was new.And so was the strong smell of alcohol that invaded my nostrils as I stepped into my brother’
Alpha Prince Kyle’s POV~~ Anger wasn’t the first emotion that I thought I would feel when Katie finally used her hidden abilities; neither did I think disappointment would be my second emotion in this situation. Heck! I should be happy right now and celebrating with my sister, but how could she read my thoughts when she knew I always dropped my guard around her? Before now, she was the only normal person in my family, but I guess unlocking her powers meant she would no longer be like me—the plain normal one.I was alone.“Will you just stop it? You aren’t alone, Kyle. I will always be here for you and with you.” Katie countered, doing the same thing again. “What part of Leave Me Alone did you not hear?” I spat, unable to control my emotions, which had been spiraling since I perceived Camila as my mate in the library. ”If you are going to invade my mind, please leave. I don’t have the strength to put up a wall right now.”At this point, living within these walls and with these pe
DAVIEN~~“You are a long way from home.”The former Beta of my birth pack, Louis, who, despite living away from home for over a decade, remains a legend. Stories about him and Alpha Tristan have been told over and over again, and I have seen my dad trying so hard to fit into the enormous shoes that this duo left behind.To the rest of the realm, Alpha Tristan was the villain who stood with the witch Larisa, and Beta Louis was a betrayal, but somehow, the people of Black Fur had moved past that and have come to respect them, especially Beta Louis, because he restored our home and dignity and gave up control of the pack so we could start afresh.Maybe he wouldn’t have done that if he knew that the so-called fresh start would be my dad—I mean, he was lacking in so many ways, and someday, the rest of the realm would know this fact.“You’ve been away from home for many years.” I countered as Louis and I walked toward the shade in the arena.For hours, he had been showing me how to find m
Princess Katie Anne~~My heart went out to Kyle, and I knew it wouldn’t be easy to stay away from Camila, but I also knew Kyle would do everything to make sure he did. This was me helping him and also getting my way. No one said I couldn’t kill two birds with one stone. I have done that many times in the past. “So this is it.” I chimed with a smile, knowing that Davien and Kyle were anxiously waiting to hear me out. The suspense was killing them, but I was enjoying this. “I have come to understand that you both need each other and the good news I have is to help you both bond better–” “Why do I have to bond with him?” Davien was quick to mutter, looking down at me. I mean that literally because he was taller than me.I made use of my famous pout that had worked on all the men in my life, starting with my dad and ending with Kennedy. “Because he is my brother, Davien.” Davien stared at me for the longest minute before he sighed defeatedly. “Fine.” The power of my pout. I didn’t
Alpha Prince Kyle ~~Oh, dear goddess!Shopping?What was he? An attention-seeking princess? Even if he were, I still wouldn’t go shopping with him. He should ask Katie and Elora–I ceased thinking in that minute as my eyes fell on Katie’s pale face. I didn’t need to be a mind reader to know she was thinking about how I would reject her mate without thinking twice. After all, she knew that I wouldn’t go shopping with anyone. My clothes and shoes get delivered to my room after I place orders online, and most likely, Ma does the shopping for me. I was a proud mama’s boy.But in that instant, I knew I couldn’t ruin this for Katie. I wouldn’t want to make her worry about me after I shut her mate down just because he mentioned shopping. “Goddess, I hate this.” Rio clamored, protesting within me as soon as he felt one of my core resolves faltering. I said to my wolf, my gaze shifting from Katie’s pale face to Davien’s bright one—he was so clueless, “I hate this too, but look at those
Princess Katie Anne~~Walking around the pack didn’t help me clear my head; neither did it help me stop thinking about Davien. I desperately yearned to be with him, to apologize to him not just because I was in his mind but because of the hell he had to grow up in.“I feel so sad,” Zuri eventually broke the silent bubble she had popped around herself.Zoe, who had been pointing out how she was wrong since Davien ran out of the purifying hut, added, “Me too. I have been mean to him, and all of this happened because of me. I was pushy and unreasonable.”“You sure were, Zoe, but you had to. I believe this happened for a reason,” Zuri said to Zoe, comforting her even though that was the last thing I expected from her.Clearly, what happened with Davien had bridged the gap between my wolves and me, and I could only hope that this bridge wouldn’t collapse anytime soon. I mean, both Zuri and Zoe can be very unpredictable.“Still, I'm sorry,” Zoe apologized to Zuri and me.Her sincerity br
Princess Katie Anne~~“Davien!” I called out as he ran out of the purifying hut with undiluted terror in his eyes. “Please wait, Davien.”I pushed myself out of the lake, ready to run after the man whose mind I had seen and now knew like the back of my own hands. I didn’t just have a small peek. I was in Davien’s mind long enough to have a glimpse of every memory he had stored.I still didn’t know how I did it, but I knew I saw him laugh a few times, and when I went deeper, I saw the real him. The young boy whose family failed him in all ways. I saw the real him, and my heart ached for him.My heart nearly ripped itself out of my chest when he screamed in the memory realm. Seeing him shake even in that space made me realize the kind of damage that had been done to his mind and soul.Fuck!Why was I in his mind?Before I could make it out of the lake, fatigue hit me like an enemy who was hell-bent on stopping me from going after my mate. Auntie Susanna caught me before I could lose
DAVIEN~~At first, I thought nothing was happening because, despite how much the white wolves Gamma, Susanna, and a famous mind reader tried to instruct Katie, I felt nothing.Katie felt nothing as well.Until it happened.An electrifying sensation crackled between Katie and me, and before I knew it, my mind transitioned into a space that was completely out of the ordinary.It felt strange. I was both confused and curious, looking around for answers that seemed to be slipping out of my grasp. In fact, nothing felt familiar until my voice sliced through the thick, foggy air, invading my ears.“Mom, please,” I cried.I cried, but at the same time, the cry wasn't mine. I mean, I don't sound like that anymore. Over the years, my voice had thickened, but the voice that I heard at that point was soft.Soft yet recognizable because it was the younger version of me.“Please let me attend the party with you and Damien. I won't try to make friends. I won't disgrace you and Dad,” my younger se
Princess Katie Anne~~"Open your damn eyes, Katie Anne." Zoe’s vicious voice snapped through my mind in a way that made me groan even though I was trying to pretend to be asleep.Even though I have been awake for the past ten minutes.I just didn't want to open my eyes—“That's because you can feel our mate waiting for you, Katie. He even went downstairs to get breakfast for you,” Zuri muttered so softly.She was such a lover girl, the opposite of Zoe, of course.“Whatever. Just get your ass up and get it to the purifying, but where we have to be to channel enough to go into Dolf’s memory,” Zoe chimed emotionlessly.Although she didn't say it, I knew she believed that Davien went to get breakfast for me because he was hoping I would change my mind about taking the trip down memory lane with him. She didn't have to say it. I have come to know that she would read meaning into every action, including the meaningless and harmless.“You should get up, Katie. I agree with Zoe on this one,
ALPHA PRINCE KYLE~~As soon as dinner ended that day, my Ma and Pa chose to walk me to my bedroom even though they had a nighttime ritual they performed with Elora, Ronald, and Kennedy. My younger siblings weren't pleased they wouldn't have the attention tonight, but I wasn't delighted to be getting it either. I wanted to be left alone, but in this house, it seemed like I was asking for too much. “You can leave now, Ma, and you too, Pa,” I said to my parents as soon as I got to the front of my bedroom door. The walk from the dining hall was silent, and I knew they had many questions to ask me, but I wasn't in the mood to entertain them tonight. “You know I am not leaving, young man.” My Ma chimed, countering and walking past me to enter my bedroom.I looked towards my Pa for help, but he raised his hand and shrugged, saying, “I can't leave now, can I?” With that said, he also stepped into my room. I began to panic because I knew my Ma would make me break down before her in a
DAVIEN~~After Katie decided to read Dolf’s memory the next day because she was tired and also had to join the family for dinner, I also decided to tell her about my father’s text tomorrow. It would be if she could read my memories too and find out that I wasn’t involved in whatever conspiracy my family was cooking.I would do that tomorrow. I promised myself, walking side by side with Katie into the dining hall, where I was welcomed with warmth and smiles.Elora asked me to sit by her side, and to my surprise, Ronald and Kennedy began to talk about having a date with me, individually and also together.It was a wholesome time until Luna Queen Aurelia exhaled, her eyes on Katie, who seemed to be focusing on her meal. “Your brother isn’t here again tonight, Katie. What is it you aren't telling us?”Katie tensed for a minute before she looked back at her mom and stated, “You worry too much, Mom. Kyle is fine, and I already told you I have nothing to share with you. You can ask Kyle y
Princess Katie Anne~~“Go down memory lane with me, Katie, and if you can, let’s peek at the future while at it.”Dolf’s voice echoed in my mind, instantly resulting in a drop of my jaw, as I didn’t expect this conversation to lead us here. I thought he would be hurt, and Davien too. I knew I would be hurt if he were to tell me that he didn’t trust me, even though I had done nothing to earn his distrust.Hurt and anger were what I expected, but Davien was staring at me with those warm honey-brown eyes, and Dolf's voice was soothing in my mind.Dolf’s offer was tempting, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that.“And why on earth would you not?” Zoe’s voice resonated in my mind, leaving Dolf out of the conversation even though his consciousness was stirring within my mind as well.Before I could respond, Zuri chimed in, “Because if he is offering to do that, then he has nothing to hide, Zoe. We can’t keep hurting them just because of what someone in the past did to us. It’s not fair to
DAVIEN~~“Experiencing the war so close and having two parents actively fighting a war that could have been avoided broke me. My mom returned bloody and in tears. She was wounded, but she didn’t care about herself because my dad was unconscious,” Katie said.Although this was not how the conversation started, we got to this point where she opened her heart and bore her soul to me. I moved to sit beside her on the bed, and I held her hands when I noticed how difficult it was for her to continue.I didn’t want to speak or interrupt her, but I still wanted her to know that I was listening and would always listen to her.“My dad’s condition almost tore us apart. Mom lost herself and could barely look at us. Kyle and I had to manage our feelings. I’m not blaming my mom for not paying attention to us then because I know how difficult it was for her. What I am saying is that although the entire realm felt the scorching wildfire of the war, my family and I were the closest to the flame.”My
Princess Katie Anne~~The conversation with Auntie Susanna didn't end with her telling me I was sabotaging my connection with Davien because of my fears.After she let that sink in, she added softly, holding my hand, “I'm not invalidating your fears, Katie. It's okay to be afraid, and this is bound to happen after you had your trust broken as a kid. However, I'm invalidating your doubts about Davien. Although doubts are part of life, you can't let them stop you from living your life like you should.”I nodded but still asked, “How do I trust him? Zoe could be right. He might be bad for me, and I don't want to get hurt again, Auntie Suzy. I can't bear to be hurt again.”Auntie Susanna sighed while I looked at her expectantly. She seemed lost in thought, but before I could ask her to say anything to my racing heart, she voiced, “Sweetie, I wish I could promise you that you won't get hurt. Life has a way of testing us, and during those challenging days, we might get hurt, but we usual