Tessa’s POVI gasped as I felt something wet land on my neck, a spot just a bit below the back of my ear.The burning feeling caused by the bond punishment slowly became bearable as a tongue slowly slid on the temporary mark on my neck.“No…” I tried to protest, but a moan came out of me instead as Zane started sucking on my skin and his body touching mine, but not enough for me to carry his weight.And just like that, the burning feeling in me turned into a heat of lust, making me thirst for more. Subconsciously, I raised my hand, pressing my palms on his chest and sliding it up until I had it wrapped around his nape.Just as I arched my body, I slowly drowned in the tingling sensations brought by Zane’s actions and the temporary mark he gave me. He pulled away from me as if nothing happened, leaving me restless and needing more.I panted as my body fell on the mattress, feeling so wet in my core like I’d never been before, and my throat went dry like I’d been thirsty to death.“Bett
Tessa’s POVIt had been days since I rejected Eric as a mate. I felt more relaxed than I had since the bond had formed. Finally, I’m free of the pain and torment that plagued me constantly before.As my father had warned, I’d gotten very weak after.Zane had been the one to carry me back to my room in the aftermath because I could barely move. He’d had two omegas keep watch over me, ordering them to attend to my every need until I got better.They’d done as he’d asked, waiting on me hand and foot for the last three days since. I was incredibly grateful to them, not to mention him for giving the order.Even now, I was still very weak, but at least I could walk around again and move on my own. That was an incredible feat, considering I could barely lift my head a few days ago.“You can move now.” I shrank in surprise as an omega soundlessly came in with a new set of clothes in her arms.She placed the clothes down on the edge of the bed. With hostility, she spoke, “King Zane will be wai
Tessa’s POVAn omega around her 20s smiled at me. Unlike most of the members I encountered, she seemed nice.Scratching her head, unsure, she replied, “I don’t know… King Zane might…”Showing her my puppy eyes, I begged, “Please?”I really wanted to cook, partly because I was bored and partly because I wanted to give something to Zane. One reason would be to thank him for the partial freedom he gave me, and another to get into his good graces.Who knew? Maybe I’ll be on his good side, and he’ll completely free me soon.After staring at me and contemplating for a while, the omega heaved a sigh of defeat and smiled in victory.She attempted to help me, but I insisted that I prefer to do it by myself. In the process, I learned that her name was Mildred.She’d apparently been in the kingdom for almost two decades and was around when Zane was a boy. Thus, she was the perfect subject for me to interview to learn more about Zane.Honestly, as harsh and a bit manipulative as Zane was, it’s st
Zane’s POVI was leisurely sitting on my black high-back leather executive chair, browsing through essential yet boring documents I needed to review and sign, when a series of knocks irritated me.“What?” I shouted, irritably placing the documents on the table and glaring at the opened door.Benji, one of the guards stationed at the entrance of the pack house, cautiously entered with fear and urgency all over his face. The drops of sweat on the side of my forehead told me that it was not only because of his fear of me but because he ran in there.“What’s so urgent about?”I lay back in my chair, not caring much. I’m the Lycan King. More than anything, I’m the Dark Lord. No one in their right mind would attack the kingdom, and even if someone did so, my well-trained warriors would easily wipe them off.We were known to be ruthless. What exactly there in this word could even shake me?I was overflowing with confidence—I had never been so sure in my life. That was until Benji’s next word
Tessa’s POVAngry. Fear. Flustered. Frustration.I felt like I was in a rollercoaster ride. When I saw Zane earlier, I thought he’d take my side, but I guess I got so used to him being a bit kinder to me that I overestimated myself.Not only did he not help me, but he even intentionally let me get hurt. Yes, I saw him from my peripheral vision.What? If I wasn’t about to get killed, he wouldn’t intervened.And he carried me like I was some kind of rag doll! A rag doll! I was so frustrated then that I sent punches on his back, but when he slapped my ass, I reddened in shame.It’s official. I hate him!“I asked Mildred to let me cook because I want to cook you your favorite dish, but that gamma of yours threw it all away!”After I said that in an outburst, he halted and stared deep into my eyes as if reading me. What? Was it so surprising that someone wanted to cook for him?I was about to get nosy and ask more when the door was busted open.Fred, with his sling medical bag on his shoul
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
Ralph’s POVI sat down in the wooden chair inside my cabin in the middle of the Sahdowpine Wood, a huge smirk on my face. My fingers tap the armrest of my chair, and I lean back cosily. I imagined the grimace on Zane and Tessa's faces right now.“Alpha, we managed to cause significant fatalities on those patrolling around our borders,” one of the Rogues said, which brightened my mood even better.Joyful laughter immediately escaped my lips as I waved my hand to dismiss him.Standing up, I stood beside the window and looked far to the forest as I watched the Rogues training hard and completely wrapped around my fingers.When Zane came to ambush my pack and bring it to ruin, I was rage-filled, especially when Tessa escaped from me.Remembering those moments was enough to make my blood boil once again. Without control, I slammed my fist on the window sill, causing the wooden frame of my window to crack, but I couldn’t care less.“Alpha, is everything alright?” Some of the Rogues immediat
Jessica’s POVMy heart raced in an incredible beat as I watched him struggle to breathe properly from shock.Bending down a bit, I grabbed his arm and guided him to stand up properly. Looking at him in the eyes, I remained calm and guided him to breathe. “Take a deep breath and exhale.”He nodded his head and momentarily closed his eyes to calm his nerves.“Yes, just like that,” I added when I saw him taking deep breaths.As he started calming down, I let go of him and let him take his time.Opening his eyes, he sighed, swallowed the lump in his throat, and pantingly said, “They hit us hard…”My eyes narrowed. They? Did he mean the Rogues and Ralph?He shook his head in disbelief before continuing, “They are too organised for Rogues. They moved strategically. We were with some warriors who were doing patrols while we rechecked our tracking, but they ambushed us on the northern border.”“What?” I asked in shock before worry crept into me. “What’s the casualty? Did we lose a lot of warr
Jessica’s POVMy breathing hitched, and my heart went into shock. His scent drowned me, and his touches made me freeze.“I… I…” I closed my eyes and silently cursed myself. I couldn’t even form a reply without stuttering and feeling blank.Pulling away a little bit from me, which gave me room to breathe from all the tension between us, he kept his eagle-like eyes on me while his hands remained on my neck with his thumb on my cheek.“What?” he asked in a deep and demanding voice. Before, I would have easily pushed him away, but I was too tense to respond properly with how close he was.Hence, from the pressure he was giving me, my mind completely shut off, and before I knew it, I was blurting out the words I shouldn’t have ever said, “He’s gay.”As soon as I said that, my eyes widened, and I pursed my lips close in shock. Though it wasn’t secret that Hansel was gay, it wasn’t my business to spread it out either.“What?” Zane asked, almost as shocked as I was from what he heard.Taking
Jessica’s POVThe room instantly fell into a deafening silence from my outburst, increasing the tension around us as I was seemingly the only one who would dare to snap at the kingdom’s king.The others were looking at each other, weighing the room’s atmosphere, but couldn’t find a way to break the silence.Seeing as he was probably the only one in the same position who could break the tension, Wendell cleared his throat to grab our attention and spoke with authority, “We’ll increase the warriors patrolling near the Shadowpine Woods for now. If Ralph tries anything, I’m sure we’ll know.”Ralph…Hearing his name suddenly brought back a memory within me, and that chilling feeling I had when I was on the border of the Red Wood Pack earlier suddenly rushed back to me.I was lost in my own thoughts and was looking into oblivion until I felt a heavy tap on my shoulder that almost felt like a push tap, bringing me back to reality.“What?” I snapped at Hansel, but he didn’t feel the same unfa
Jessica’s POV“Yeah, right.” I merely rolled my eyes as a reply to Eric and walked past him to hide the redness that crept to my cheeks in disguise of hurrying to the meeting room to discuss my encounter with Eric.However, just after a few steps, I heard his heavy footsteps and long strides that followed me in a hurry, managing to grab my wrist to a halt. “You’re not harm, right?”I kept my back facing him, still not confident that my flashed face wouldn’t fail me and show how hard my heart was pounding right now with how much worry and care was vividly plastered on his face.“I came back as how I left, King Zane. Don’t underestimate me,” I replied in a faint voice as I pulled my arms away from him.“I never did…” I heard him reply in a low voice as I retreated, bringing a smile to my face.However, as soon as I turned the knob of the meeting room and entered, all my emotions were swept away to the back of my mind, and seriousness filled me while I walked in and slammed myself down o
Jessica’s POV“I’ll give you until dawn. I'm coming for you if you’re not back by then.”I dumbfoundedly stood by my room’s doorway, watching Zane storm out with conviction. Staring at his retreating, I involuntarily raised my hand and touched my pounding heart.Later, a smile formed on my lips, and I closed my door completely before turning to change my clothes.Since I wanted Eric to think I was still the same weakling he knew me as before, I rampaged through my wardrobe and found the most.A smile formed on my lips as I found the perfect piece. I changed into a white, innocent-looking box collar dress and paired it with black rubber shoes while tying my hair in a simple, messy bun.When I came out of my room, I heard the door next to mine open and involuntarily swallowed Zane’s dimmed expression as he closed his door and stared at me blankly.He’s wearing combat clothes – camouflage pants, a black shirt with a leather jacket, and tactical boots. With that menacing look on his face
Jessica’s POVI turned so fast and glared at Morgan, “How do you know about it? How did you know that it's right next to the Red Wood Pack?”My mind was in turmoil out of shock from what I discovered and annoyance that Morgan knew about it and didn’t state it properly earlier.She shrugged and mockingly replied, “Well, you didn’t seem to appreciate my contribution, so I just kept silent.”I wanted to punch the life out of her because she and I both knew that she just did it to spite me.“Wait, so it’s on their border. Why? Is that something we should take into account?” Wendell asked, stepping between Morgan and I.Closing my eyes, I took a couple of deep breaths and heaved a sigh.“Because that’s Eric’s pack. My… fated mate’s pack. The one who rejected me and sold me to Zane.”My fist automatically clenched in anger as I was reminded of those days – the days I was treated as a maid and a mistress. The day I was sold like an item.I could still remember running into that forest every t
Jessica’s POVAfter the heated meeting earlier, I decided to blow off some steam and go around the kingdom’s perimeter to run a random patrol check.Since none had yet to be decided, I didn’t find any great reason why I should stay there longer.However, I was just about to finally calm down and let all my anger subside when I smelled that familiar scent and felt that familiar demeanor approaching me.I didn’t say anything, and he didn’t either. We just walked together in silence until, after a few minutes, I finally broke it and asked what had been bothering me since earlier.“If she’s your ex, why is she still around?” I almost slapped my own forehead after that. Though it sounded casual, I couldn’t help but worry that he might think I was jealous. Which I wasn’t.Or was I?I was still in conflict with myself when Zane suddenly stopped and looked at me hesitantly. He explained, “Morgan has… some trouble, so she has to stay.”His eyes widened as he immediately added, “She’s not a thr
Jessica’s POVI woke up feeling alive early in the morning as I rushed to the meeting room. I was the first to arrive, vividly waiting for the tracker’s reports with my back on my seat and my fingers expectantly tapping on the table to pass the time.“You’re early.” Zane arrived with two coffees in hand.I narrowed my eyes as he approached me and handed me the other one, which was my favorite. Reluctantly, I accepted it and took a sip while keeping my eyes on him as he sat beside me.“So are you,” I replied, putting my cup down and nodding toward the clock.The meeting wouldn’t start until half an hour, and he usually arrived either on the dot or five minutes later. His impatience caused him to want everyone to be here already and not waste any of his time.“I thought you’d be early and bring your coffee. But if I knew you would be this early, I would have come earlier,” he uttered without batting an eye.I blinked a couple of times, feeling my heart pumping incredibly fast in my ches