Chapter 63Xavier's POVReturning to my father's house was sure to be dreadful. Kraken, my best friend, was still away on his mission to another pack but he would be back soon, I heard and I could only hope. I wandered outside, an unusual behaviour for me, to meet the most beautiful girl I had ever set my eyes on. I felt different from the moment I saw her. I wanted to talk to her, wanted to know more about the reason for this burning desire that overtook me. It felt a lot like it did in the pool with the moon goddess on the night of my initiation into the pack. My need for her felt natural, like it had always been there and it never did not exist. Her touch over me was powerful, the way her green emerald eyes sparkled in the sun, the way her voice was unlike any other, enchanting and captivating. Zara possessed a quiet, calm yet strong resolve. I could see it from beneath those gem-like eyes."How do I know that you're any different," she asked, clearly in doubt of my character.
Chapter 64Xavier's POVJust as I turned to leave the moulded chair where I sat with my mate, the gates of the compound opened, its two metal arms swung apart and a familiar golden carriage appeared from the other side of it. The customary horn was blown, alerting all inside that we were graced by royalty. My heart sank at the sound of those horns. I immediately felt under the weather as a sudden cold gripped me. The inevitable had come. The time was now. Zara paused at the scene too. One carriage left the house but two returned. The second, from it's majestic look, belonged to none other than the affluent Alpha of the Crescent moon pack, Alpha Alken, Riana's father. "You should go in," I said to Zara, eager that she leave. For some reason I did not want her to see me with Riana. We just had a connection, I could not compromise that.After Zara left, I slipped away too. I was not too hasty to meet the princess or her father. The time would come, I kept telling myself but procrastin
Chapter 65Zara's POVThe two carriages that came into the mansion caught my attention. The scene decorated with the horns blown and formalities, caught Xavier's eyes too. I hated having to leave him, the only seemingly reasonable person in my life.Xavier was a delight to look at. I had found a way to look at him without thinking of his father, the man I hated."Come here," Alpha Damon commanded immediately I walked into his room. I expected that he would be gone by his time, after overhearing his calls from earlier but he was still around, painfully so. "Where have you been?" His voice still carried a bit of anger, although much less than earlier when he hit me."The... the garden. I went to...I, I had to pick some mushrooms," my voice shook and so did I. It was not on purpose, my stuttering. It was merely a malfunction caused by the fear I felt, a fear of being abused by the man standing before me. My father would have scolded at my stutter. He would have said something like, "no
Chapter 66Xavier's POVI appreciated the timely intervention from Kraken. No better time than the present. I wanted him back but he could not have come back in a better way or at a better time."What took you so long man?" I did not know when the question escaped my mind. I meant it like, "thank you for saving me from this uncomfortable spot," but from the look of things, I guess it was interpreted differently, like maybe, "I've missed you."I did miss Kraken, his friendly face was always a delight to see. It was like looking upon an impossible mix between the graceful aunt Rose and her elegant features and the giant and straightforward beta Hugh. "It was a hard one man. Those rebel jackals are a handful. I'll tell you all about it later," he paused and made a teasing face that suggested that he thought he had overstayed your welcome. He had not. I pulled the tall man by his arm, shaking him in a friendly manner. "I think I'll hear about that story now."It should have been weird t
Chapter 67Zara's POVYou know it's amazing how things seemed to switch up so easily with Alpha Damon. One minute I was leaning on him, holding back from letting the sounds out from behind my forcefully closed mouth. He hit me hard, again and again and by the time he was done, I was sure every part of my behind was red, like my cheeks, no, probably more than my blushing cheeks. He pushed me aside with my body exposed and my heart banged against the walls of my chest, hard. I wanted more. Pleasure replaced the pain that I should have felt. I let it out, but only slightly, a hopeless moan from the immense pleasure that engulfed my mind, my body. His next move was unknown to me, why he had pushed me aside, I did not know but I hoped it was momentarily. Every part of me was aroused. Blair was thrown into a frenzy with my efforts being the only thing keeping her from throwing herself at the dominant Alpha wolf sitting on the bed.I watched him from the floor, waiting for some sort of si
Chapter 68Zara's POVRushing out of the room, the ringing sound in my ear persisted. A side of my cheek ached from the slap. Tears rolled down my eyes, shielding part of my vision but I was sure I saw Xavier standing somewhere around the kitchen, by the stairway.I hurried to the kitchen to get Alpha Damon's food, forcing myself to look away from Xavier. I did not want him to see him like I was and I did not want to keep Alpha Damon waiting any longer so as much as I would have loved to talk to him, the choice was not mine.I said nothing to the enraged Alpha as I left the food at his table. Alpha Damon's chambers was huge, the living area where he ate was faced away from the door that led out. While he ate, I used the opportunity to sneak out after wiping tears from my face with my bare hands. I knew sneaking out was risky, beyond risky, it could get me thrown in the dungeons but I did it anyways. I was a fool like that. I had only one mission in my head- to see Xavier, to talk to
Chapter 69Xavier's POV"A drink?" Zara's expression softened with a smile. Her face lit but just barely and just enough to make me feel better. Seconds ago I was sure I had lost her to the cruel world of jealousy. Now that I think of it, why would she be jealous? Of Riana at that. I had no feelings at all for Riana and I was still not completely sure that Zara knew we were mated."Yes. You don't drink?" I watched as her eyebrows raised slyly in response to my question. So she did drink? Her silence was eating into me. "You've never drank?" I asked again, fairly certain that I was finally asking the right question. Zara looked no more than a teenager to me, a sheltered teenager. There was something about the innocent look in her eyes, the calm elegance to everything she did, even when she spoke that hinted at the kind of shielded childhood she had experienced.So it did not come as much of a shock when she responded with just the words that I was expecting to hear, "no, I have not
Chapter 70Zara's POVI forced a look of determination as I stared into Xavier's vast blue eyes. I hoped he did not see through me, through my forced bravado.Alcohol? It was one of the things that I was banned from doing by my father and had never thought of trying it, even with the restriction. Restrictions foster curiosity and curiosity breeds want, a strange desire to do something just to know what it feels like.In my case, alcohol never bred any kind of curiosity within me. I was just fine not having any at all and I was sure I would not try it until Xavier asked.There was something about the way words twirled in his mouth and danced around his tongue, something about the way the light in his eyes flickered rapidly that made it impossible to say no to his requests. Even when his defeated words came, "I guess it does not have to be alcohol," a go ahead to refuse his offer, I went ahead to bring the thought back into the conversation. "I want alcohol," I said to him. Was I lyin
Chapter 105Xavier’s POVI watched in fear as Riana left. She said thank you and just left. Her back turned to me, exposing her magnificent body. I knew she knew something, but not enough to conclude or figure out that I was planning an escape.There was something about the way she said thank you, the way she walked in and walked away so quickly. Her eyes had lost their light. They looked like two empty spheres in her wide eye sockets.She didn’t press hard when she asked if I loved her. She didn’t push herself toward me. I found it strange that she never asked for more sex after that day. She became an entirely different person. Changed. I should’ve worried more but I didn’t. I closed my eyes to it because I believed that anything keeping her away from me was a good thing.I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care at all, but I shoved that feeling aside because it was a distraction.That evening, I happened to be outside my room far from it. Thoughts of the wedding suffocated me. How easi
Chapter 104Xavier's POV“She knows!” Lucas burst into my room saying. It was evening when he came. Light was slowly leaving the sky as day transitioned to night. His face held worry in a way that warned onlookers not to look away—not to take his dreadful expression for granted.I was immediately alarmed by this. “What’s wrong?” I asked. The huge man was not much of a talker, I knew from the moment I met him, three days ago. I mean that I really met him three days ago—he had always been around, but we never had any need to speak to each other until we did.His head was balding but he still let it grow out, even though it showed at the trimming edges that formed deep cups that ate into the sides. It was only a matter of years,maybe a year,until all of his hair was gone, or at least most of it.I kept looking at his hair while we spoke, while I told him what I wanted him to do.“I just need you to give these to her. Nothing more,” I said to him. This was three days ago, while he was on
Chapter 103Riana's POVThe shameless look in Brownie’s eyes cleared any doubts I had before. This was her. This whole thing was her plan, her doing. She profited off my squabble with Zara like kings and country rulers profited by selling weapons to warring countries.Did I regret telling her she could have the dress? A slight moment of second guessing, rethinking my hasty decision to trust this scam of a girl with having any reasonable information. Potent weapons are sold by crafty leaders for future patronage, it was a business, just like my interaction with Brownie. She needed to be trusted for future deals, if there would be any, so she would offer only the best, most reliable news to me. This was my reasoning, my consolation as I pondered her trustworthiness.“He slipped a piece of paper between the door and a hand reached out to take it from him. No doubt the girl’s hand,” Brownie said, and I wondered why she referred to Zara that way. “The girl,” she said, and it angered me. I
Chapter 102.Riana’s POV.Two days until the wedding. I have forced myself to remain quiet and imposed sanity on my raging mind.Two weeks feel like forever when you are stuck in your room with thoughts of a man you are to marry and the woman trying to take him from you.Silence, even though my body ached for adventure and my heart longed for the extermination of a certain person. I have never felt such hate, such anger and jealousy because of a person, not even to the man that raped me as a child.My emotions towards him were conflicting to say the least. I do not know how I feel about the man that harassed me, tore my clothes and opened me up to a world I have come to enjoy. Maybe enjoyment is an overstatement because the thrill that comes with not being tied down to a man was exciting but at the same time the pleasure was satiable unfulfilling.I want to be tied down. I want to be loved by someone, by Xavier. Only two days now.Today is like any other day for the last two weeks, ex
Chapter 101Zara's POVThe intruder pushed again and the door shook but it was hinged too tight to be moved too far from its fixed point. I was too afraid to ask who it was so instead I crouched down on the floor and waited for the intruder to tire himself out and leave. I hoped he would leave.The knocking continued and after a minute or two I knew that he would not go away. Could it be that Alpha Damon was back to inflict more pain or he was going to finish me off properly this time?Each time the handle of the door moved, I felt my heart almost leave my chest. Like I was naked, I felt exposed. The only thing that separated me from the intruder was a door, a relatively small, wooden bathroom door."Open up Zara. It's me," the voice behind the door announced. I know that soothing low pitched voice. I'd recognise it anywhere. Its lustre was distinguishable even in the midst of confusion. Xavier's voice was calming.I opened the door, relieved to see him standing before me because part
Chapter 100Zara's POV"Where is it?" Loud footsteps came before the thunderous voice announced itself in the room and the tall, dark man appeared before me. A sense of danger immediately engulfed me. His deep blue eyes were marked with a hint of boiling red rage."Where have you hidden it?" He repeated himself, a rarity for the alpha of the Bloodmoon pack. His rage was apparent but something lay beneath it, masked and well hidden by the anger but I spotted it. It was one thing I knew too well, fear.Underneath the guise of anger was an intensifying fear. Alpha Damon was afraid. I was afraid. This foreign feeling would no doubt bring with it unpredictable actions. I had never seen Alpha Damon like this, I did not know what to expect, not like I did all the other times he burst in with rage but something was different about him this time, more dangerous."You better tell me where you have kept it," he said and started walking closer towards me. My heartbeat immediately quickened as he
Chapter 99Xavier's POVI shed the false bravado as soon as she left. The truth is I was even more whimpering that she was. I hate to admit the truth, which is the fact that I cower before my father, the man who had been raised high and mighty by the exaggerated stories, endless tales that Lady Rose told of him, of their past together.She said, "our past," when she referred to her and my father's shared experiences, like there was something more to it.I felt pretentious. I asked Zara to put her faith in me. I asked for her trust when I was not even sure of my plan. How could I expect to help somebody else when I could not even help myself. All these years living under my father's wing, under his watchful eye, I had never defied him.I should blame aunt Rose for my compliant behaviour. I like to believe that she was the one that kept me in check."He has his reasons," she would say, making excuses for his unfatherly actions or, "give it time. He'll come around." Her words barricaded
Chapter 98Zara's POVA jab, loud shuffling through books, clothes, possessions, hasty movements. I immediately get disturbed by these. Unconsciously, my heartbeat quickens and my body is reminded of fear. My father is rushing towards me with his hands raised, it strikes me. I can never escape that fear.Alpha Damon is back in the room. He does not look happy. I did not expect him to be. I am just happy that I made it back to the room before he got back.More movement. He is searching for something, rummaging endlessly through his belongings. I dare not to ask, I dare not disturb his search so I sat quiet, frozen. My mind drifted to earlier in the day, with Xavier.He whispered his plan to me, as though we were not alone and someone could sneak up behind us as he spoke. I liked the feel of his breath against my ear."That's it?" I asked, unsatisfied by what he had told me. "What next? We can't possibly..."He raised his finger to my lips and stopped me from talking. "I'll tell you whe
Chapter 97Zara's POVTime existed no more. Seconds, maybe hours, had gone by since I came to Xavier's room. I did not care. Everything was perfect.Xavier lay next to me, quiet and motionless for a while. His fingers had been stroking the side of my cheek very softly and slowly."I love you," he whispered in my ear. Our bodies were mingled under his sheets, just like I had imagined him with Riana.His words sent shivers down my spine. I felt as every syllable travelled from my ear to the rest of my body. Love? Too soon? I barely knew Xavier Elord. There was an undeniable connection between us but that was it. It did not change the fact that I met him a few weeks ago. I did not say it back. Awkwardness and silence lingered in the air, until, like a rotten smell, it dissipated.I looked at him to notice that he was not waiting for a reply, he was not even looking at me. He appeared to be sleeping. His face is peaceful and begging to be left alone."I have a plan to get us out of all t