I took a deep breath, trying to calm the pounding of my heart and the quickening of my breathing. I was used to the insults, but I didn't like people calling Axel a liar.Though he didn’t use that word, everyone knew what he meant. Why did everyone suddenly need proof we were a couple? As the daughter of a Beta, did I not deserve to be with an Alpha?It was as if I didn’t recognize the people in the pack who used to respect me so much. They’ve never spoken malicious or doubtful words to me before. Who had poisoned their minds to change their views about me? Could it be Aspen?“Alpha Axel just experienced great sorrow nine days ago. He lost his pack, family, friends, mate, and those who were loyal to him. No matter how strong the mate bond is, he is not a robot. Is he not allowed to grieve?” Garrett defended, interrupting his wife.“I mean well, dear. Don’t get me wrong,” Tyra said, deflecting.“When ready, he’ll ask my sister to marry him. So, leave them alone. As the wife of a Beta,
[Axel] Our pack was attacked, but I didn’t know the damage was so massive. They burned all the buildings, destroyed every border, killed all the plants, and turned the rest into ashes. Who was so mad at us that they had to destroy everything? We built this pack from nothing when our ancestors decided to stay here. The sunset view was magnificent. It encouraged them to choose Scarlett Sky as our pack’s name. We had ups and downs and faced civil and world war, but we stayed together and grew stronger. They said no one left, raising questions in my heart. We had underground shelters for women, children, and older people. I remembered they all had time to save themselves. So, I rushed to the place to see for myself. Even though there was no hope, I had to know what was happening. From a distance, I saw that the place was left in ruins. I half ran over to it and discovered a reality that hit me hard in the chest. The bunker was on fire, visible from its blackened walls. Those older peo
“Seriously?” I asked her, annoyed with her idea.“Seriously.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the entrance.I walked lazily, letting her take me in. She greeted the front desk and wrote our names on the list provided. She opened the door to the library, and thousands of books welcomed us. She laughed when I sighed deeply, imagining the time we needed to find the information.She strolled, passing bookshelf after bookshelf, looking for the theme she had in mind. I found it first and pulled her to that section. I was surprised to see so many published books about Wolfless. I knew it was not a brand new case, but I never thought many werewolves’ offspring did not have wolves.I grabbed three books and put them on the table. I quickly scanned the information about Wolfless in the first book. I still had my wolf, but we lost communication. Hopefully, the books had something to explain my condition. I needed to know why.“I found something.” Cora put a book closer to me. “So, the book
I drove the car, trying hard to ignore the sharp tool on my neck. He directed the way I should take. I did not know where he wanted to take me, but I smelled blood coming from his body. I hope he didn’t hurt anyone in the Royal Blue Pack.After a drive that felt like hours, he suddenly asked me to stop. We were in the middle of the forest, somewhere near Scarlett Sky. I didn’t see any houses or gates around us. However, I complied when he asked me to get out.We walked too slowly as he carried me while wrapping his hand around my neck and sticking the knife with his other hand. His heart was beating rapidly, and his breathing was ragged, showing he was scared. The condition I should be in, not him.“Your head is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Don’t you know that already? You are not supposed to go anywhere alone because many rogues would do anything to get that money,” he said, giving me a hint.“They won’t give you the money.” I tried to shake his confidence. “Other than the
[Cora]‘Hm... I never get tired of this. His lips are so delicious. He knows how to make our legs weak, barely able to stand. Could we die of a heart attack? My chest was tight, but I didn’t want this kiss to end.‘Ryder. I can’t wait to meet him. He must be a very handsome wolf with his velvety black fur. I’m sure he's more powerful and masculine than Atlas and the other Alphas. The Scarlett Sky Pack is the second largest wolf pack in the kingdom, so Alpha Axel is the second strongest.‘Oh. Yes! Bite me. Bite harder. I want to show it to Cora and Aspen. I love to see their jealousy. Yes, my Alpha. Please, go south, far south,’ Lou whispered seductively.‘Can you, please, just enjoy it? I need to concentrate to do the right thing,’ I protested. ‘Remember, we need to be a perfect mate to change his mind. We can’t lose him after all this, Lou.’‘I can’t help it. He’s sooo good and—’ She stopped abruptly and whimpered when Axel squeezed my right bosom softly.I bit my lips, holding the g
I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes and cheeks were red, holding back anger. I couldn’t meet people with this face. I tried to smile but couldn’t control the wrinkles between my brows. I still looked angry.But I managed to give him my sweetest smile when he passed by my house at the same time I went out the front door. I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts to notice him walking towards the training ground like usual.I wanted to pull away when he kissed my lips. Seeing him enjoy it so much, I hope this moisturizer contains poison. Let him die again so he knew the consequences of playing with my heart.I didn’t realize all this time he was just sweet-talked. I couldn’t believe he didn’t mind my new hair color. He must be laughing at me in his heart. How could it make him want me even more? I liked to beat him to a pulp.We started our training as usual with a warm-up, followed by light to heavy physical exercise. To test the progress of our skills, we ended the pract
I woke up in the morning with discomfort all over my body. I rarely get sick because I exercise regularly, maintain my diet, and rest well. It seemed like two nights of going too far on my four paws had made my body protest. My face was pale, so I covered it with makeup. I didn’t want to just lie in bed. There was a lot of work today. Besides, Wednesday was the day of the meeting with Maddox. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to find out the progress of the investigation into Axel’s pack. “The more I look at it, the more green color suits you,” Garrett teased. “Do you want your hair to be colored with green, too?” I glanced at his blonde hair, which was slightly darker than my original hair color. “It suits you, but doesn’t mean it suits me.” He stuck out his tongue. “The culprit will get her reward someday. If not from me, then from someone else.” I stood up and then approached Mom. “I’m leaving, Mom.” I kissed her cheek, then kissed Dad. “See you later, Dad.” Axel was waiti
[Axel] I chose the dungeon as the first place I went to, where they kept criminals. I knew the location because Devon had shown me. I didn’t expect all that information to be helpful to me in the end. It was a shame that our good relationship had come to this. I considered going in and confronting all the guards. But not many people knew I was alive and even survived the river. Maddox said the King ordered that my situation stayed a secret until the investigation was complete and the perpetrator was in custody. I let out a long sigh. Who knew when the King would solve this case? I waited so long to be able to meet him and tell him everything that happened that night. It would be better if the royal investigators interrogated Rory instead of me. I approached the nearest window and listened to the guards’ conversation. It was just chatter about how they were doing with their new partners. I moved to another window. There was also no information regarding their new captive or my stole
[Axel] The messenger Father sent did not say the reason for summoning us to the palace. But hearing the word immediately, I knew I had to get the news directly from his mouth. I was sure this had nothing to do with his health or my mother. Then what was it? Many royal guards were accompanying us. Why would Father add more people to escort us? I didn't hear any bad news from any pack. The disputing Alphas promised to resolve their issues peacefully. The journey seemed too long because I couldn't wait to reach the palace. Cora was silent, busy with her thoughts. She must have been thinking the same thing as me, guessing why Father had urged us to come and see him. The King and Queen not welcoming us in front of the palace. It was the first alarming sign. The bodyguard invited me to follow him to Father's study. Cora and I followed him. Arriving on the second floor, he approached the large door and opened it for us. "Ah, welcome, Elric, Cora," Father greeted. "Thank you, Father," I
After going through a tearful goodbye, Axel and I headed to our new residence. Although it was only temporary, I had a feeling we’d be in that painful place for quite a while. Therefore, I had to brace myself and learn to accept them as new people who would live a long time with me and my little family. The two of us were silent on the way to the new pack. I was pounding in anticipation of our meeting with them while Axel remained calm. His heart was beating regularly, and his breathing was steady. Unlike me, who repeatedly let out a long sigh. Axel held my hand, breaking my reverie. “Don’t worry about our new place. They’ll accept us well.” “I kind of doubt that,” I admitted. “What if someone wants to avenge Devon by hurting us or even our children?” “Devon is not an Alpha to look up to, Baby. In a few days, you’ll believe they’re different from their former Alpha,” Axel said confidently. Hearing that, I realized one thing. Axel had been friends with Devon for a long time. Of cou
I clenched my fist at the conditions he put forward. What an ignorant man. How dare he put forward terms when he was in a difficult situation. We were the ones with the upper hand. Wasn’t he afraid we could cut his head off this very second?His self-confidence made me resentful, but Axel held my hand, calming me down. My heart was beating so fast, and my breathing was ragged with anger, but he was being so calm. He should have been outraged at that sly witch’s arrogant words.“Did you not listen to what I said earlier?” the King asked calmly. “You and we have different beliefs about mates. Forget about your conditions. I propose unconditional peace because we should not let our parents’ problem create a conflict between us.”"Then the war will continue." The man's face turned red. "You are too proud of your power and beliefs to want to unite with us. Who now does not want peace among our people?""The terms you propose-" the King objected."See you later, Edmund." The man effortlessl
[Cora]I knew something awful would happen. Everything ran too smoothly, which raised my suspicion. My life had never been so peaceful since I met Axel. Even a daily routine became a nightmare. It was an excellent opportunity for them to harm us on my big day.Many influential people gathered in one place was a temptation for our enemies. I didn’t know the reason for their attack. I hoped the King had prepared a defense plan for this unexpected event.I shouldn’t have to worry because everyone here is a strong man. Axel is not the only royal lycan who shapeshifts to face the enemy. Many other royal lycans had sprung up and spread out to counterattack.Nevertheless, the enemy wouldn’t be so reckless as to attack if they weren’t sure of winning. I’ve seen the proof myself. Scarlett Sky Pack was flattened to the ground. Their attack was no joke. They managed to wipe out one pack from the northern kingdom.'Mom, I know you're strong. But please enter the shelter with the others. I can't l
She didn’t speak while I relayed the things we needed to discuss. After I finished saying everything, she was still silent. She wrinkled her forehead, a sign that she was thinking about it seriously. I knew this was a big decision.Although she was used to her job as a trainer of young wolves to become formidable warriors in their pack, I believed she could be my best companion in leadership. The Moon Goddess would not have matched us if we were not compatible.But what she would do in the future requires enormous sacrifice, especially in the transition. I didn’t want to go back there and rehash every single one of those excruciating moments. Moreover, Cora lost our baby there.That was why the King asked my parents to move out immediately. So, they didn’t have to come with me and Cora. They would refuse to stay in a place that has treated them terribly. If it wasn’t for my responsibility, I wouldn’t want to do this, either.“The King asked that you lead the Blood River Pack until the
I couldn’t sleep that night after talking to the King. The duty of leading this country was nothing compared to the special responsibility he gave me. I didn’t expect that the solution he had in mind would involve me. His offer for my foster parents to live in the capital made sense. I could lead with peace of mind if they were in a safe place, unreachable by my old or new enemies. My coronation as crown prince would cause turmoil in the witch community. But if all werewolves and royal lycans were united, they couldn’t divide us. The strength of all of us was enough to fight back if they rebelled in the future. That was why they were looking for someone like Devon to ruin the peace between us. To ease my mind, I let Ryder go for a morning run in the forest near the palace. I only stopped near the lake I'd seen with the King on my first night of shapeshifting. The view was much more beautiful near sunrise. 'We can do this,' Ryder said, reassuring me. 'You led a large pack once. So y
[Axel] I didn’t expect my parents to announce my identity so soon. Gathering all the people from different parts of the world was no easy feat. No wonder they rushed back to the palace after defusing Devon’s attack on the Royal Blue Pack. They asked all the Kings to attend today. I was not ready to take on my duties as a prince. But I wouldn’t be prepared if I didn’t force myself to learn. After lunch, I did not return to the bedroom with Cora. Father requested something from the King, which he immediately granted. We headed for the dungeon, and I walked behind, allowing my second parent to get closer to the destination cell. We had no trouble figuring out where he was because since we entered, he was the only one yelling for the guards to let him go. I didn’t hear anyone protest. Perhaps there were no other prisoners in the same corridor, so they weren’t bothered by his screaming. “Looks like you enjoy your new home,” Father teased the man inside. Egor moved his head and was stu
The King, Queen, and Alphas stood in the first row while I and the rest stood behind them. Axel was on my right, Alicia on my left. They all knew what happened, but only my entourage was clueless.When three cars entered the grounds, I knew they belonged to the royalty who must have just picked them up from the airport. They were the guests of honor. Oh my! Were the envoys from the neighboring kingdoms coming to join us?"King and Queen of the West Kingdom," the attendant announced.I turned to Axel, who frowned, equally confused. Then I glanced at Alicia, who was smiling meaningfully. I squinted at her, but she just chuckled, unwilling to open her mouth about what was going on.The King and Queen greeted their honored guests, while we just smiled and nodded our heads to them. The King took them to a side garden, so we followed as quietly as possible.I was amazed that the garden had been decorated with beautiful little lights. A round table had been neatly arranged with chairs surrou
“Maddox!? What are you doing? Are you crazy!” shouted Dad as he approached him and took the knife from his hand. “What have you done?”He looked at the bodies in horror. They were lying on the floor, so I could not see them from my side. The conference table covered their bodies from my sight. Dad knelt and mourned for his best friends. My chest tightened as I witnessed my best friend doing an unexpected action.Maddox looked cold. His expression was unreadable. Could he turn mad because he lost his mate? Everything was fine yesterday until last night. He was attending the dinner and giving a speech. He didn’t show any suspicious behavior."Oh, Goddess!" Dad suddenly stood up and took a step back. His face turned pale as white as a sheet."What happened?" asked Mom and Aunt Ursula in unison. They approached Dad and looked at the floor where the bodies were. "My Goddess!" they closed their mouths with their hands, shocked."They still have my parents," Maddox declared, surprising us. H