Tessa’s POVI was woken in the morning by a persistent knock at my door that didn’t go away no matter how long I ignored it. I sat up with a groan and padded to the door to turn open the lock.A maid came through a moment later and curtsied. “Good morning, Miss. The King wants you to get ready and come downstairs immediately.”I frowned at her, confused, my sleep-addled brain not comprehending what was going on. I was even more confused when she pressed what looked like a tracksuit piece and some trainers in my hand. I unfolded the cloth to reveal that it was indeed that.Looking back to the maid, she offered no other insight, so I nodded hesitantly. “Alright. Tell him to please give me a few minutes.”She nodded and curtsied again before leaving me to prepare.I didn’t bother to shower because of the nature of the clothes I’d been given. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I dressed in the clothes and slipped on the trainers. I pulled my hair into a messy ponytail and bounde
Tessa’s POVAfter the training, I went back inside my room to take a bath. With all that excessive force, my entire body muscles were stiff. The instant my body touched the warm water, I sighed in relief.While I was dressing, another maid came in to tell me Zane requested my presence at the dining table for a meal. I told her to give me a few minutes, and she nodded before leaving.I changed into a pair of leggings and a cotton shirt, did as asked, and went downstairs. There was no one else in the dining room, but I was greeted by the delectable scent of fried, saucy chicken.Arriving, I couldn’t help the frown that formed on my lips upon seeing a single set of tableware.“Isn’t the Dark Lord coming?” I doubted it, but I couldn’t help the sliver of hope that needled its way into my chest.“No, miss. Sorry. He said he would be at the Packhouse for a meeting. If you need anything at all, please let me know. I was also asked to remind you not to leave the palace without your guard. For
Zane’s POV“We’re yet to get the receipts for the samples from Alpha Tristan. He’s being suspiciously tight-lipped about where he got this latest stock from.” Fred informed me.We were seated in my study, me behind my desk, him in one of the visitor's chairs across from me. A bottle of whiskey sat between us, with both our glasses left largely untouched on the table.“Hmm.” I leaned back in my seat. “Perhaps Tristan needs some stronger motivation to make him more compliant.”Tristan was the alpha of Dark Hail Pack. Their pack was known to be the distributor for medicine because of their skilled analyst and vast connections in both legal and illegal sides of the business.Fred raised a brow. “I don’t think it’s come to any drastic measures. I’ll let him get back to us first. If he’s still being shady we’ll give him a stern talking to.”I reached for my whiskey and took a sip. “Good. What about the Malteeve contract? Has the Red White Clan gotten back to you on that?”Red White Clan was
Tessa’s POVI groaned and bent forward, leaning my upper body on my thighs while I panted and tried to keep myself from crumpling into an exhausted heap.“I can’t…go…on…” I panted at Zane, and he chuckled.“That’s the attitude that’s keeping you from running the same number of laps every day. You need to push yourself. You can do it. You just don’t think you can.”I straightened, trying to slow my breaths. “I really want to…” I paused to take several more breaths. “It’s just that.... it’s so hard.”My breaths finally evened out but my legs remained rubbery and exhausted, my body weakened by the constant activity. We’d been at it for hours, teaching me some defensive combinations to try out after the laps I’d run around the training ground.My size should give me an advantage in terms of speed and agility, at least according to Zane. Unfortunately for us both, it wasn’t happening. I was too slow, too clumsy, and too weak.“Don’t worry. Just make sure you keep practicing. As long as you
Tessa’s POVI looked around, sniffing the lovely scent of fresh sweet flowers, tree musks, and even the dirt.Bitterly, I smiled while I slid my fingers on the bushes while I walked. “It would have been great if I could shift.”“You can’t shift?” Zane halted and looked at me with narrowed eyes.Spreading my arms with my shoulders up, I sarcastically joked, “Surprise, surprise! Just when you thought I couldn’t be more weaker than I am, huh?”“And still, you dare to have that stubbornness and uncontrollable guts of yours!” I stared at him, trying to see if he was being serious or joking to make me feel better. But with his usual stoic face, it’s useless.Really! Seeing him smile and be at ease was as rare as stumbling into a gem!“I wasn’t blessed with physical strength or shifting abilities! Should I also have a weak will? Then I’d be a real joke.” With that, I hastened my phase.“You’re not weak,” he suddenly said, making me halt.Slowly, I turned around to face him. “What did you say
Zane’s POV“You're dead!” I said through gritted teeth as I caught the flying knife with my bare hand.Sure, its sting and pain cursed through my system, but it was bearable. After being in countless battles and tortures, one would be surprised how much pain they could learn to tolerate.I didn’t know who they were, but they were obviously mere pawns. It didn’t even take me so much time to fight and defeat the three of them. And because they only had small knives, they weren’t as prepared as they thought they were.“Let’s go. Are you alright?” I asked Tessa, who nodded in shock.“Good, let’s go.”After disposing of the would-be assassin, I had my men escort us back to the mansion just to be sure we weren’t ambushed on the road.Tessa was pretty shaken up by the whole thing. The last blade especially had nearly gotten to her until I’d yanked her once more into safety.“I’m fine.” She reassured me when I glanced over at her for what had to be the thousandth time in this not-so-long car
Tessa's POVI woke up early the next morning feeling far better than I had the evening before, entirely refreshed to start a new day. I got out of bed with renewed vigor, determined to excel at my training today with Zane.Yesterday had been terrifying for me, and I still found it difficult to believe that somebody out there wanted me dead. If Zane hadn't been there, they would have succeeded, a thought that haunted me even now as it crossed my mind.I didn't understand why anyone would want to kill me. I had, to my knowledge, done nothing wrong. At first, I'd thought he'd been coming for Zane, but after the second knife had flown straight at me, it was clear that I was the target.While I was happy Zane had been there to save my life, it was clear I needed to take my training more seriously so I could protect myself even when I was alone.After Zane left me in the bedroom last night, Fred came to check on me and make sure I was okay. I'd appreciated his gentleness, and the little jok
Tessa’s POV“Who can say? You know what happened between those two the first time.”I was still reeling over that Zane had found his mate and remained unbonded to her. He was already as powerful as he was now.He would be unstoppable once he fully bonded with fated mate, so why on earth hadn’t he done so already?And what the hell was he doing with me, knowing he had a mate? Was that why he avoided me now? Was he, even now, trying to reconcile with her? I forced my mind to stop buzzing, needing to eavesdrop on the rest of this conversation in a way I’d never needed to before.“I hope he does it. King Zane will be unstoppable if he finally gives in to his mate bond. Our pack will be the strongest in the country, and no one could fight him for the throne anymore!” The maid who asked the first question giggled to her companions.The third, who had been silent until now, made a sound of dissent “Hm. I don’t know. I don’t think he’ll do it. It’s not like he even summoned her to come. He se