ZAHIR.I paced back and forth in my study, my eyes fixed on the wall in front of me. My mind was a chaotic mess, my thoughts jumbled and scrambled. It raced with all the possible scenarios that might take place during the meeting. I could feel Steven's unwavering gaze on me, but I remained silent. I didn't trust myself to speak. The weight of my responsibility as King was crushing, and it was almost suffocating. The council of high–ranking werewolves had always doubted my reign, questioning my authority at every turn, and it irked me to no end. I could feel the anger brewing inside me, threatening to spill over. I glanced at Steven, who remained motionless in his bowed position. He had been my right-hand man for years, and yet, even he hadn't been able to quell the unrest amongst the wolves. It only served to add fuel to my already simmering anger. The meeting was just a day away and I had no idea how to handle the situation. My mind was a battlefield, a warzone of conflicting tho
SERAFINAI found myself perched on the edge of my stool, surveying the scene unfolding before me with a mixture of trepidation and despair. The room was filled with the sorrowful cries and hushed whispers of the other slave girls, similarly dressed in stark white linen that so mercilessly exposed much of our skin, in sharp contrast to our usual attire of black sackcloth we usually wore. Our mode of dressing alone depicted that today wasn't just an ordinary day – it was the day where the High Ranking Werewolves council were coming to the Kingdom for the meeting with Zahir. It was as if we were naked, stripped of our identities, anything that could provide even the slightest bit of comfort or protection in this dehumanizing we were about to be subjected to. I watched as the girls huddled together, their arms tightly wrapped around each other in a desperate attempt to find solace in one another's shared misery.As the silence stretched on, punctuated only by the occasional sniffl
ZAHIRI walked into the meeting hall, my eyes scanning the room as I took in the twelve high-ranking wolves seated around the long table. My gaze settled on Lord Timotee, the head of the council, who sat at the head of the table with an air of superiority that made my stomach turn.To his right sat Lord Adalwolf , the chief strategist of the kingdom. I had always found him aloof and arrogant, believing himself to be the only one with a brain in the entire council. Beside him was Sir Reginald, the captain of the kingdom's army. I had never trusted him, believing him to be far too eager to go to war and shed blood.On the opposite side of the table sat Lord Tadius, the master of the kingdom's treasury. I had always found him greedy and self-serving, hoarding wealth for himself and his own interests. Beside him was Sir Percival, the master of ceremonies. I had never seen the point of his role, finding him to be little more than a glorified party planner. There were hardly any reasons f
ZAHIRSerafina stepped into the hall with us, both her hands latched by the guards that escorted her into the hall. The princess could deceive others with the air of royalty that followed her every step but she couldn’t deceive me or hide the fear in her eyes. Not even the slight tremble of fear as soon as her eyes counted the men in the room. Serafina was dressed just like every of the slaves in the past who have been to this room to satisfy the desires of these men in the most carnal and perverted ways. If I had it my way, she shouldn’t be dressed that way—in a silk linen that showed way too much. As I expected from the men of my court, they howled and jeered, making crude comments about her body. I could see the lecherous gazes of the wolves as they looked at Serafina. It made my blood boil – how dare they gawk blatantly at my personal slave in that manner? It made my fists itch to connect to all of their faces and bruise them badly. However, I knew I had to stay calm and compo
SERAFINA My heart raced with terror as King Zahir violently tore off my clothes, leaving me standing there exposed and vulnerable in front of the leering wolves. The sound of fabric tearing echoed throughout the great hall as he savagely stripped me of everything that protected me, leaving me completely and utterly exposed before the all-too-eager eyes of the council wolves.Tears streamed down my eyes. It was like a surreal nightmare and I wasn't able to comprehend how this could be happening to me. A born princess, trained to reel in dignity and pride. All of that has been stripped away by the cold hands of Zahir and today, he finally put the topping cork on my bottle of shame by stripping me naked before these undeserving eyes. I tried to cover myself with my hands, desperate to shield my body from their greedy gaze. It became readily apparent that my efforts were utterly futile. It was no use. How much could I really cover? The wolves' eyes roamed over me with a lustful hung
SERAFINA My heart was racing so fast that I could hear the thudding of my pulse in my ears. The council's gaze on me as I was standing there naked was humiliating. Nevertheless, I had no place to hide.Zahir's voice was like a whip, cutting through the air with a harsh edge. "Serafina, I said you should get on the table. Now," he barked, his tone laced with cruelty.My legs felt like they were made of lead as I hesitated, trying to find a way out of this situation. But Zahir's commanding presence left me with no choice but to obey. "Please, Your Highness," I whispered, my voice trembling with fear."I said now!" he snapped, his eyes drilling into mine with a steely gaze. It was like he could see every thought in my mind, every fear and doubt that held me back.With tears streaming down my face, I climbed onto the table, feeling like a piece of trash on display for the wolves to feast upon. The council members' lewd cheers and jeers echoed in my ears, their eyes leering at me with a
SERAFINA As I stood there, in nothing but my nakedness, I couldn't fathom what was unfolding before me. My heart raced with fear as Lord Timothee, with a foreboding air , presented a casket to the council. My mind was consumed with questions, but I dared not utter a word.My gaze was fixed on the brown, wooden construct, and as the guards brought it closer, confusion etched onto my face. The council shared Lord Timothee's grave mood, and their somber expressions only added to my bewilderment.My senses were heightened as they dipped the casket, and my breath caught in my throat. Instinctively, I shifted away and got down from the table, unsure of what was to come next. My heart pounded so loudly that I feared it would give me away.At that moment, I felt small and insignificant, a mere spectator in a game of which I had no knowledge. From the looks of it, I was the only one who was clueless about the contents of the casket, which only added to my fear and confusion.My mind was racin
ZAHIRAs soon as the casket entered the court, I knew what Lord Timothee was trying to do. He was trying to use the death of his son as an opportunity to gain ownership of Serafina. But I was determined not to let him manipulate me so easily.I watched with a cold rage as Lord Timothee presented the casket, his eyes gleaming with a smug sense of satisfaction. He was convinced that he had me cornered and that I would have no choice but to accept his demand. But little did he know, I was not one to be played so easily.As he ordered his guards to open the casket, I felt a smirk curve my lips. I was eager to see the look on his face when he realized that his plan had failed. He was expecting to see the body of his son, but instead, he was met with an unpleasant surprise. Lord Timothee's face twisted in confusion and surprise as he opened the casket, expecting to see his son's body, only to find the rotting remains of another man. I could see the proud smile on his face fade away as he l
Yes, the book has come to and end! God, it fills me with so much joy to have finally give. This book a befitting ending☺️ I would like to say a big thank you to my readers for putting up with me and still sticking around to read my book. Special shout outs readers with the names Pab, Debra LeBaron Mixer and Chanlin Davies! Y’all are the real MVPs who also almost made me cry whenever I didn’t update and I read your comments, lol. Although I understand that it all came from a place of love for my book and I am so grateful! Thank you so much for coming on this journey with Zahir and Serafina! Now, I know some commonly asked questions. Will there be bonus chapters? Well, I’m thinking about but chances are…I won’t, lol because it will be a huge spoiler for the next book. Yes, the heard right, the next book!☺️In case you haven’t noticed, our dearest human and Lycan couple are having the first hybrid! You did not also forget the prophecy too, did you? Haha😅Well, writing the next book s
ZAHIR It was still dusk and the first morning light was yet to appear. The silence was deafening and I was sure that if I screamed, my voice was going to ring around the whole of Lycaronia. I was relieved. So relieved that everyone was able to escape. I had watched Serafina leave with King Zach and Dahlia in the carriage, not calming down until I got information that they were out of the boundaries. It was just me. Even Steven had left with the others. I had ridden him with the duty of taking care of everything until my return, if it ever happened. But I knew I had to end this once and for all so I stayed back and waited for the Prince to arrive. He was going to meet the shock of his life. I mounted my horse and rode to the eastern part of the boundary as King Zach instructed. According to him, he was going to be coming in through that direction. So I waited on my horse, rage boiling through me when I heard the sound of heavy hooves beating and drawing close to the b
ZAHIR. Several men were stationed in different parts of the border. In less than an hour, the human army had filled the whole place, coming with horses, chariots and carriages. They all helped in informing people. They went from house to house, warning the people about an impending attack while the others helped in the evacuation. Some families left with their vehicles while some were helped into carriages and transported to different Kingdoms. It was safer that way. This went on for several hours nonstop but this didn't eradicate the panic that filled my soul. I remained restless, making enquiries on how things were going on functional posts. I was assured not to worry by Steven. "Where are they being evacuated to though?" Steven asked when he returned from his inspector to give me details of what was happening. "They would have to stay in the Kingdoms for the main time. It's the only option we have because Aries is probably on his way here. We can't risk him finding
ZAHIR. It had to be a dream of some sorts because I didn't believe it was King Zach standing before us. A bigger dream that Serafina was carrying my child. If anyone told me two surprises couldn't coexist, I could easily debunk their statement with these scenarios happening before me. As soon as he set eyes on Serafina, his lips trembled as tears filled his eyes. He moved towards her, his arms spread out to wrap her in a hug but I stretched out my hand, stopping him as he made a move. "How dare you?" I asked, my voice in a low rumble. "What are you doing here? How did you get into my Kingdom?" My eyes narrowed on him. He raised both of his hands in surrender, his expression giving nothing away. "I mean no harm. I am here with good intentions." "Then state it." I gritted out, ignoring Serafina who stood beside me, moving from one side to the other. "I am here to warn you about something," He continued, then his eyes darted towards Serafina. "I am sure she know
SERAFINA. A gust of wind blew my hair forwards and I forced it back behind my ear before taking in my environment. I was standing on a pier. I recognised this immediately. Turning, I began to walk out of the pier towards the sandy beaches. I was finally back to my mother and this time, I wanted to remain here for good. I wanted to be with my mother. I was done going through all the pain and suffering and didn't want to go back anymore. Being here, right where my mother was, mattered the most to me and I was glad to finally make my way back here. I caught sight of her. She was still dressed in the same clothing. She was gathering sticks to make a fire and when she caught sight of me coming towards her, they dropped to the ground and she straightened. I stopped before her with a teary smile on my face and she pulled me into a hug. We remained in silence until she pulled away and wiped the tears off my cheek. "I want to remain here with you, mother. I don't want to go bac
ZAHIR. For days, I stayed locked up in my room, drinking my life away and inflicting pain on her when I had the chance to. It was equivalent to inflicting pain on myself but I was unable to stop myself, unable to stop this pain in my chest. Hell, I was far more miserable than she was, beating myself up each time I inflicted pain on her. But there was nothing I could do about it. I was long gone. Things had gone awry in a space of a few days since finding her rummaging my things. I had sent her out in anger and so much hurt. Hell, I had expected her to say something to pacify me at least. Something she really meant and not some stupid fucking apology. Then I thought she had escaped from the palace, unable to take more from me. It had put me through so much panic. I knew how I had searched for her while beating myself up for putting her through a lot only for her to coke running back to me herself. My anger had returned, only intensifying when I caught a whiff of an all too famili
HERA. Thunk! Sweat dropped from my brows as I kept cutting wood with a heavy ax. Well, it wasn't so heavy but with how I had moved from a position where maids were at my beck and call, this was a fucking downgrade. But that didn't really matter right now. Not even the splinter that pierced through the other surface of my skin. I pulled it out and continued to split wood, sweat pouring down my back. Once I was done, I gathered the wood in my arm and took it to the furnace where I usually cooked, dropping them all to the floor and looking down at my palm. With every passing day, it was a countdown to the tone Zahir would tire of Serafina and come back to me. Very soon, I was going to be out of this terrible place and in his arms once again. Hours ago, I'd been returning from the river after going to fetch water for my hut. It was really far away and I was so exhausted and had been on the verge of breaking down and bursting into tears. I had cursed Serafina in my mind, wish
SERAFINA. "Remain still and I'll let you go. I mean no harm." A distinct familiar voice said from behind me. I nodded and the hold was released. Turning, it was Prince Aries standing before me. My eyes widened in surprise and I blinked to be sure I wasn't seeing an apparition. I had seen a lot of that recently and I wasn't sure what to believe anymore. He smiled. "Yes, it's me. I know you don't believe but it's me, Sera, it’s Aries." "I know who you are," I blinked, taking a few steps back and wondering if I should be happy about this development or if I should feel uncomfortable. However, I couldn’t hide my shock. It’s the second time Aries has found his way into Lycaronia somehow. “How are you here?” In one move, he was standing before me, his eyes light with cheer. Then he pulled me into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around me and filling me with his warmth. I was just taking all of this in when he pulled slightly away and cupped my cheeks. His lips brushed mine in a so
SERAFINA. In a space of one day, things had fallen apart. So bad that I couldn't even pick up the pieces. I'd be thrown out of his chambers thereby, reducing me from the post of his mistress to a mere slave once again. I had returned to my room in a teary mess, trying not to think of how he had looked at me with utter disdain, like he couldn't stand me. How had he gone from being all over me to barely wanting me to be in his presence? As much as I tried not to think too much about it, I was greatly hurt by it. I couldn't stand the gossip from the maids either. Whenever I passed by a group, all they did was glance at each other, their gazes telling tales I didn't need to hear verbally. A few of them were bold enough to whisper when I passed by. I couldn't even snap at them to stop. That respect had been stripped off like it was never even there. I had lost favor in the sight of the king, they said. He must have gotten tired of me because I couldn't satisfy his needs, all