MALIA’S POVThe way he spoke like I was some kind of puzzle that needed to be solved with carefulness offended me but for someone who had risked his life to save me from the wreck of rouges, I am sure getting furious at him is not one of the ways to show my appreciation. So instead of scowling at him like I intended to, I decided against it last minute and strolled toward him with purpose. He had saved me, so a little word should not get me all riled up.Unhurriedly, I slid into the chair sitting opposite of him all the while he glanced thoughtfully at me. It seems like my theory again has once been proved wrong. I thought with the way he looked at me upfront that he might have figured out a lot of things about me but now that I was close enough to read his gaze, I found out that he was trying to figure me out just the same way I was trying to figure him out.“Who are you?” He didn't hesitate to ask as he let his hands out of his pocket and set them on the table that was between us,
MALIA’S POVMy gaze trailed after him as he stepped out of the door. I didn’t even know what to think of the situation. We were just in the middle of conversing and he just got up and stepped out of the room. Just like that? Was I perhaps missing out on something or this was just a usual way of ending a conversation around here? Zade is pretty much popular so it wasn't a big deal that he recognized him but then that didn't make for a reason for him to just step out of the room with no explanation.My gaze focused on the now closed door as my thoughts rummaged through all the possible reasons that made him leave mid-conversation but nothing I came up with was valid enough. Whatever it was, the least he could do was to give me a headstart. A simple “excuse me” would have saved me from all these thoughts.I tucked my hair behind my ear and stood up from the chair. The window facing this side of the room had a different scene from the other. While the first was showcasing the whole pa
MALIA’S POVAt first, I was so engrossed in my delectable meal that the words easily passed me by and I only heard it when the lady recited it again. Gradually, I dropped the spoon and raised my head to look around, just so I could have a glimpse of who she was addressing. What I wasn't ready for was to see the lady standing directly in front of me. But I still didn't immediately think she was speaking to me until I looked around to make sure I was the only person she was looking expectantly at. Even at that, I intentionally refused to speak a word because the manner she spoke sounded offensive.“She is new he…..” Mary, the petite kitchen staff volunteered to reply but was cut off immediately. “I wasn't addressing my words to you. In front of me is a being with a perfectly normal-shaped mouth so I believe she can speak” She was speaking to Mary but for some reason, had her gaze still drilling holes in the side of my face.I sighed lazily and shifted my gaze to her face for the fi
MALIA’S POVFor the rest of the time I was in the kitchen, my whole mood was down after the thought of Zade had passed through my head. I didn't even get to finish the meal before my instinct forced me to get up and leave the kitchen. I just wanted to be alone all of a sudden.“Oh gracious, you haven't even finished the meal just yet” Mary exclaimed with a displeased tone as I gently slid out of the stool. “I am full to the throat and I need some air” I had to force myself to not let my current mood betray the lightness I have imputed in my words.“If you say so then. I hope I will be seeing a lot of you around here” Her smile was so contagious that I had to smile too when I looked up at her.“Oh sure you will. I have rummaged around this part of the palace and so far this is my favorite place so of course you should be expecting me every other minute of the day” I assured.“Alright, till then” she waved with a chopping knife in her hand as I strode out of the kitchen. Immediately af
MALIA’S POVMy stroll turned out even better than I expected and as I strolled into my room, I realized my mood was more promising than before. Perhaps, my stay in this bizarre land wouldn't be as bad as I initially thought it would. At least, now I have made not only one close alley but two. And they have just proved to me that not everyone is as odd as their Alpha. With purposeful strides, I approached my bed to have a closer glimpse of what seemed to be like hips of clothing dumped on the bed. They were indeed clothing, a whole lot of them dumped on the bed. My brows instinctively went up questionably as I stared at the clothing. Gradually, I inched closer to the bed and began to rummage through the clothes. There were different types of gowns that were overwhelmingly too much for one person. My confusion became more apparent as seconds passed by. A knock on the door made me jolt away from the bed to face the door. I watched closely as a maiden in the usual maid’s uniform walk
MALIA'S POV"Here, cover up" He tossed the piece of clothing that I had laid out on the bed toward me. I did not attempt to catch it and it fell right next to my feet. My gaze veered from him to the dress and I kneeled and gathered it into my hand before ambling back into the bathroom.With so many questions in my head as to what had brought him here all of a sudden after he left in the most bizarre way possible. As much as I wanted to drag my stay in the bathroom, it came to an abrupt end when a firm knock sounded on the door."Can you come out? I do not have all the time in the world?" Well, neither do I. I would have preferred to just stare at myself in the mirror the whole time than face him right now. I just didn't have a good feeling about him.But I strolled out of the bathroom nevertheless, my head facing the well-polished floor the whole time. I only raised my head to inspect if he was still on the bed and when I saw that he wasn't there, I proceeded to skim around the entir
MALIA'S POVIt was approximately an hour after he left when a knock sounded on my door, I knew who it was without even answering the door but I did get up anyway, to confirm my theory."Hey, fancy seeing you around" I waved enthusiastically at Ronan, who wore a smile brighter than the departing sun."Apologies for keeping you waiting. I had to hand-pick this because I thought you would appreciate it. Ladies love flowers right?" He scratched the back of his head with a bit of nervousness, which to me, was cute."Why, of course, ladies love flowers and above all, I am obsessed with red roses" I said, easing him off the load by collecting it from his hand and walking back into my room. He followed after as the door was widely ajar. I gently dropped them inside the empty flower vase on the coffee table and veered around to face him, a natural smile playing on my lips. "Oh gracious, this was so nice of you and I greatly appreciate it, I tell you" I weaved my hands around to demonstrate m
MALIA'S POV"I...uhm don't know I was supposed to have let that piece of information out" He raised his hands in surrender, under my unapproved gaze. "You are a Beta. The beta of this pack and when introducing yourself to me, you thought that piece of information was not worth sharing?" I questioned, folding my hands in front of my chest disapprovingly. "I should have" He nodded as if he had just realized his mistake. "But I thought you were going to figure it out or something" "How was I supposed to figure it out? I've only been here for a day." I couldn't help the genuine smile that was threatening to break free from my lips at the sincere confusion in his gaze."You are right. I should have told you, I guess. But it has become such an ordinary part of my life that I thought everyone could just simply figure it out" The way he went to great length to express what was on his mind, I love that."Alright, I will let this slide but next time I won't. For your own sake, I hope there
MALIA’S POV Zade came to see me a week later. I had tried not to look excited at all when Penelope had come to tell me that he was waiting for me in the conference room. “Or should I ask him to come up to your chambers?” she queried and I gave her a withering look. “Oooh. How scary. I just hope he is not scared of you at all,” she said. She frowned when I didn't immediately get up from my bed but returned to the book that I had been reading before she came to inform me about my mate’s presence. After the incident, I had taken to reading books. I had gone to the library to check for any book that had to do with the witches of the Alfea tribe. I wanted to learn how to use my powers at will and I think that I was already getting a hang of it. The other day, I had managed to make Penelope’s dress wet when she had dared to make fun of my voice. We had decided to join a music class just for the fun of it and I realized that it was best I left singing alone. I also learned that pl
MALIA’S POV After making both Ryder and Victoria as weak as I could with extra help from Tommy(thank the Goddess the paralysis spell was temporary), I had to render them even more helpless by taking away Ryder’s wolf with the same spell that Victoria had used. I didn't even have to do any spells to take away her magic, she protested weakly when I lay my hand on her chest as though she already knew what was going to happen. I felt her power leave her body and go into mine with such force that I nearly lost consciousness. When it was over, I hurried to Zade’s side as fast as my weak body could carry me. Tommy was already by his side performing CPR to keep him awake. “This isn't going to work,” he said with fear in his eyes. “He needs his wolf right now or else, he is going to die. You can return his wolf to him, right?” I shook my head. I didn't know how but I was going to try everything in my power. He wasn't going to die on my watch. I bent my head close to his face and swipe
MALIA’S POV I must have fallen asleep again even though I had desperately tried to stay awake. Victoria had been forcing some sort of liquid down my throat for reasons best known to her and it had been making me fall asleep. I had vaguely overheard Ryder speaking to Zade. I prayed to the Moon Goddess that he should not fall for their trap but I knew that even if the Moon Goddess wanted to save him and prevent him from taking the bait, he was still going to find a way to come and save me. For the first time, my wolf hoped he wouldn't come. We were well aware that Ryder just wanted to kill him and claim his pack for himself. I lost count of the number of times I had wept because of Ryder’s betrayal. Never in my life have I felt so used and totally stupid. I wondered if Penelope had noticed my suspicious disappearance. And even if she did and discovered that Ryder was behind it, I doubted she would be able to do anything about it. He could easily threaten her with the lives of her ki
ZADE’S POV There was no way Victoria could have broken out of that house and killed about five of the highly trained guards I had placed there to prevent her from leaving and any person other than me and our son from going in. It wasn't just possible. I knew she was strong but she wasn't trained and didn't even stand a chance against one of the guards. So how had she been able to kill all five? I had immediately sent some of my soldiers to go after her when I discovered what had happened and was still waiting for them to return. “I think we should keep an eye on your son at all times. She loves him so much and might want to come pick him up. We can catch her that way,” Tommy was saying. I still couldn't get past the deaths of those guards. It wasn't just about the fact that they were killed but how they were killed too. It must have taken someone with a lot more physical strength and bigger size than Victoria. “There is no way she could have done it all alone. She had help,”
MALIA’S POV After skimming through the pages of about five books, we were able to learn a few things about the witches of the Alfea tribe. Like Alice had told us, there could only be one Alfea witch in a lineage and I was the chosen one in mine. The age at which the witch may discover her powers is different for everyone. But this discovery would be at a period in her life when she was going to need it. We were the most powerful of all the witches and were never supposed to act in rage because it could lead to the loss of many lives. Penelope and I had read open-mouthed, the story of an Alfea witch who had set a whole village on fire with her mind just because she had thought the King had something to do with the death of her only child. But she found out at the end of the day that her child had been killed by her best friend. “Well, now we have to get you to an anger management class,” Penelope said. I rolled my eyes. “I do not need it. I know how to control my emotions,”
MALIA’S POV While we were on our way back to the palace, Lucien warned us not to talk about my newly discovered identity as a witch. Penelope was not even supposed to tell Damien and he was not even going to tell Margaret. “If so many people know about it, it might cause them to be hostile towards you and some may even exploit you to their own advantage,” he had explained. I had so much to learn. I didn’t know the first thing about being a witch. I was just even getting used to being a proper werewolf. “You are not going to keep on wearing that hat forever are you?” Penelope queried. “I don’t know,” I replied, looking at Lucien for guidance. He shrugged. “Well, people are going to wonder why their Luna is suddenly covering her hair all of the time. It is going to make them more curious and when they discover that your hair colour has changed, they are going to be even more curious about why you had chosen to hide it. And trust me, they are going to find out.” “So I guess I
MALIA’S POV Penelope took off my hat without my permission as soon as we entered her chambers and Lucien gasped. “It is pretty, right?” she asked her father-in-law with a smile and I rolled my eyes. “That is not the point here, Penelope,” I said. She giggled. “I am so sorry but I can not just help but say it,” she replied. “Do you know if you have any witches in your ancestry?” Lucien asked. My eyes narrowed in suspicion. I had a feeling where this was leading and I was not sure I liked it. “I do not know. My mother never made mention of it. Neither did my father,” I replied. He was thoughtful for a moment. “It is better that we confirm what I have in mind. I think we should go to the witch that the Alpha took you to, to have your curse lifted,” he suggested. Penelope bounced in excitement. “Do you think she is a witch? Oh, I have always wanted to have a witch as a friend.” Lucien and I both rolled our eyes. “Are you not supposed to be taking care of my grandkids instea
MALIA’S POV There was nothing as sweet as your own independence and freedom. This I realized in the first few days of being alone in my room without Ryder in my space. He was sorely mistaken if he felt that giving me space was going to strengthen whatever attraction I had left for him. The more I stayed away from him, the more the attraction died and my wolf was beside herself with happiness. She was still insisting that I leave the palace and reunite with our mate. But I just didn't want any man in my space. I was dreading the day Ryder would ask me to return to his chambers. Maybe that was when I was eventually going to decide to leave him, go somewhere else and start afresh. The first time I heard him sneak out of his chambers, I thought perhaps, that he was going to his study to work overnight. He had done it a couple of times when I was still sleeping in his chambers. The same thing happened the next day and then the next and I began to get curious. I decided to ask him a
ZADE’S POV I returned to my Pack with mixed feelings. When I had decided to go meet my step-brother for help, I had known that there was a very high possibility that he wasn't going to help me but I just had to give it a shot for the sake of my Pack. What I had not been expecting, was to see my mate there. And the worst of all was that she was already married to that monster. I banged my desk hard in anger just as my Beta came in. He looked somewhat pissed that I hadn't allowed him to accompany me to my step-brother’s Pack but I didn't care at that moment. His expression changed to one of concern when he saw how pissed I was. “I take it things didn't go well at your brother’s Pack,” he said as he took his seat in front of the desk. “He is no brother of mine,” I spat out. “Woah! Okay, please just calm down and tell me what happened.” His mouth hung open as I told him how I had seen Malia and how she was already married to him. It took him a while to recover. “Then why d