Tyris’ POV“And you are?”“Serena, Serena my lord.” She answered seductively.My fingers met with her hair, it had a semblance of Denera’s. It probably was what caught my attention to her in the first place. The thoughts of Denera’s screams the previous night painted a vivid image in my head, making my anger boil more, and due to that, my grip on her hair hardened and she winced from the sudden change in my countenance. I should’ve been the one making Denera moan like that. “You know why you’re here, right?” I pressed on, forcing her head up so she could look at me. I watched the struggle in her eyes as her jaw tightened from the pain that came from pulling her hair down. “Yes my lord,” she whispered curtly. “And do you fully agree to this?” I pressed on with my questions even when I knew she had no say in it entirely.Even with my rage, I was still a gentleman and I would rather not disrespect another man’s property. Unlike my brother who doesn’t care about the consequences of h
DeneraThe maid stood silently as I ate, her presence both comforting and unnerving. I picked at the food, overwhelmed by the lavish spread in front of me.“Is there anything else you need?” I asked, breaking the silence.“No, my lady,” she replied, her tone respectful but firm. “I am here to assist you.”“Assist me?” I repeated, unsure of what that entailed.“Yes, I will be by your side from now on, to teach you our ways and to serve you,” she said. “I will only leave when the Alpha returns.”Her words surprised me. “And your name?”“Rachel,” she answered, a soft smile gracing her lips. “Shall we begin your day?”I nodded, still trying to adjust to this new life. Rachel led me to the bathroom, where she filled the tub with warm water, fragrant with herbs.As I sank into the water, I felt the tension in my muscles ease. Rachel began to wash my hair, her fingers gentle but firm.“You don’t have to do this, you know,” I said, feeling a twinge of guilt.“It’s my duty, my lady,” she replie
RockanI walked into the room, my mind preoccupied with thoughts of Denera. I waited all day just to see her once again. She was sitting on the couch, her posture stiff and her eyes flickering nervously around the room. It was obvious she was still afraid of me, and I couldn't blame her. My reputation precedes me, and the half-mask I wore on my face did nothing to soften my image. But I needed to try, to show her that I wasn't the monster she thought I was.Well, I was, but I didn’t plan to become one with her. “I’m still figuring out what that means.” She tensed up and I shook my head. I reached out, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “You will, in time.”She was quiet, still very stiff, and afraid of my presence. I sighed internally. This wasn't going to be easy. She had been on my mind all day, and I had to constantly remind myself that the softness I felt towards her was because of the mate bond we shared. But was it really just the bond? I wasn't sure anymore."Denera
Denera “Please, stop,” I pleaded, hugging my legs tighter to my chest. There was fire everywhere. Nothing made any sense and I could hear the screaming of children from a far distance. It wasn't safe to be here but my legs would not move. “Help,” I croaked. I was surrounded by trees and they were all covered in flames, I watched as some fell to the ground and whimpered when the hot scattered pieces met with my skin. “Mum, Dad,” I cried out to no one in particular. “Denera!”***I jolted upright in bed, my eyes flying open wide as my heart raced frantically. Drops of sweat covered my entire body, with some trickling down my face. The sudden sensation of fear left me confused and uneasy.A dream - another vivid, unsettling dream. But this one had felt different, in it, I called out to my parents. I never really knew my parents. A heaviness settled in my chest. They were a blank space in my life, a big hole that my subconscious mind seemed determined to try and fill, even if o
TyrisI lay still on the bed, my eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. My mind had drifted far away from this room, my thoughts consumed by Denera.Denera. The mere thought of her filled me with a powerful longing to have her here in my arms. But she was out of my reach, belonging instead to my own brother. I found myself thinking back to the first time I had seen her, that moment when I had realized she was my true mate.If only I had spoken up and acted more quickly, I could have claimed her as mine before my brother had the chance. The whole kingdom would already know that Denera was meant to be with me. For just a brief moment, I even felt a twinge of blame towards myself. After all, it was because of my own persuasion that my brother had agreed to hold this mate-picking ceremony in the first place. That decision ultimately led to me losing Denera to him.I sighed heavily, my heart aching with the pain of this loss. Denera should be here with me, not with my brother. But the ch
Denera“Morning, little mate,” I was awoken by the most masculine morning voice anyone could ever imagine. I felt strands of my hair being pulled away from my neck. I gasped as I felt his warm lips press a soft kiss on my skin. My eyes flew open at the sensation, now fully alert.Shifting into a more comfortable position, I became very aware of Rockan's strong arms wrapped tightly around me, holding me close. The realization of our close embrace sent a shiver through me.Looking up at him, I smiled at my masked mate. His dark hair was nicely messy, making him look very handsome.A small smile was on his lips as he met my gaze. "Did you sleep well?" Rockan asked, his finger tracing a light path along my neck. The tender touch sent a pleasant shiver through me, the slight sting mixed with a pleasurable sensation.My hand instinctively flew to my neck, fingers tracing the sensitive, stinging spot where Rockan's teeth had sunk into my flesh. A shiver ran down my spine as the realization
BrunoShutting my eyes tightly, I quickly drank the rest of the strong, yellow liquid in the glass. The burning feeling as it went down my throat was calming, helping to settle the intense emotions inside my mind."More!" I demanded, my voice low and rough as I glared across the dimly lit bar at the bartender. The hazy, golden glow of the overhead lights cast dark shadows across the man's face, but I could still see the questioning raise of his eyebrow."Are you sure about that, Mr.?" he asked, keeping his tone neutral.The gesture only made me glare harder, my lips pulling back a little in a growl. "Are you questioning me?" I said, feeling angry at the perceived disrespect.The bartender held up his hands in a calming way. "I'm sorry, sir, but we have a strict rule about the maximum number of drinks a person can have at one time," he explained, his gaze briefly looking at the contents of my glass. "This drink has wolfsbane in it, you see, and it can be very...dangerous for a werewolf
DeneraTwo days had passed since Rockan marked me, and within that time, I found myself already getting used to the walls and layout of my new surroundings. While I didn't know every part of the castle, I had managed to learn the way out and the location of the big kitchen, thanks to the help of Rachel of course. She had been the only pack member I had talked to the most during these first few days.However, Rockan was hardly ever around, his time and attention taken up by his various duties as the Alpha king of different packs. He didn’t sleep in the same room with me last night either. As for Tyris, he had disappeared after the night he had found out about my... close experience with his brother. I honestly would not blame him for his pain and anger. He had announced that we were mates but the pull I felt towards Rockan was far much stronger than what I felt from any other person. Not even Bruno. The thought of Bruno crossed my mind, but I quickly shrugged it off. Where I stood
ROCKAN’S POV I rushed outside to see my people being injured and hurt, probably killed by some hoodlums from the goddess knows where.The attack was so secretly arranged that my guards and sentinels were caught unaware and some of them also suffered from the attack.As soon as I got to the scene, my first instinct was to morph and remove all the attackers' heads from their bodies but there were younger kids and women here, some who might be pregnant and seeing a gory sight might be harmful to them.And most of all, I could feel and smell her… Denara, my mate, was here too. She didn’t wait inside like I instructed her to and I wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t like I expected her to stay inside in a situation like this. She was a Luna, a strong one at that.The only way to salvage the situation without making it overly dramatic was letting out my alpha aura to overpower them and that was exactly what I did.I closed my eyes and let my alpha aura flow through me and out in anger. The ground
ROCKAN’S POV “You killed my son.” The crying woman pointed at me accusingly.The guards rushed over with the intention of dragging her out but I signaled them to let her be.“But alpha, they are disrespecting you.” Someone from the crowd shouted.“They’re grieving.” I simply replied. The people didn’t bother to hide their shock at what I said and they started murmuring among themselves.They were probably surprised at my sudden change and how I was now caring and being understanding, which wasn’t very typical of me.Somehow I understood what it felt like to lose a child after Denara miscarried our baby. It wasn’t even a child yet, we hadn’t seen or felt the child or even knew it’s gender yet we felt this much devastated how much more a parent that lost a full grown adult.I felt bad for them but that was it, the mother would have prevented it from happening but she didn’t, rather she left the house in the middle of crisis and chaos for the goddess knows what and I did my best to not
ROCKAN’S POV The elders and the people stood up and bowed as soon as I entered with my mate and remained that way until we had our seats. I made sure Denara sat down first before joining her.“You may now sit.” I said and the people obeyed. Though the seats were not enough for the crowd.“Why are they so many? It feels like all the pack members are here.” I mindlinked Denara and she smiled at me.“They’re worried about their alpha.” She simply replied.After waiting for the goddess knows how long for someone to say something and no one did, I cleared my throat and started, “thank you all for coming and for your support when I was having a hard time.”The people started whispering and murmuring among themselves. That was when I realized they were still in shock of seeing me without my mask.I was already tired of the stares and the expressions I got. I didn’t know the people were so eager to see my face. What for? I wouldn’t be bothered if I were in their shoes though.“Yeah right.” M
DENARA’S POV After staying to monitor our healing process for one week, Luna Danielle and Adrianna were finally going back home today. It was really beautiful having them care for me, making me see the bright side of things and now they were leaving. I felt like begging them to stay a little longer but they had tried.“Come here my girl.” Luna Danielle said and grabbed me into her warm embrace once more. “I’ll miss you so much Denara.” She patted my head as she talked.“I’ll miss you too, great aunt.” I replied and she smiled, wiping a stray tear off my face.“Please masked alpha…” Luna Danielle started and paused momentarily to laugh when she saw there was no mask on his face. “Make sure you take care of my baby girl.” She warned.“You don’t have to say that. It’s all I live for.” Rockan replied.“If you ever stop or make her sad I’ll come back here and take her from you.” Luna Danielle sounded both playful and rigid.“You won’t have a reason to.” He affirmed.“Denara…” Adrianna cri
TYRIS’ POV Days had passed, yet it felt like months since I embarked on this relentless search. Each hour dragged on, a heavy chain of dread around my neck, as I combed through towns and packs in search of Serena. Who would have thought finding someone could be so impossibly difficult? With every mile traveled, my sense of urgency grew; my thoughts spiraled into a dark abyss of worry and regret.“Sir, are you sure we shouldn't stop somewhere? You seem really exhausted,” the driver said, glancing up at me through the rearview mirror. Concern etched across his face, a reflection of my own inner turmoil. “Your eyes on the road,” I curtly responded, irritation creeping into my voice. I didn’t want to entertain his concern, though a part of me appreciated it. He was the only soul I had with me, a simple man enlisted to help with my search. We had spent the last several days moving from one neighboring town to another, each stopping at a dead end. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wa
TYRIS’ POV I tossed and turned in bed, the sheets tangled around my legs like the mess my life had become. For what felt like the hundredth time to night, I shifted positions, trying to find a semblance of comfort. Sleep eluded me, and my mind raced with thoughts that twisted like a storm in my head. I hated my life, I hated who I had become. Chasing after Denera for so long had led me here, to this moment of turmoil. I had watched my brother, Rockan, fall in love with her, and a bitter taste lingered in my mouth. It still hurts to remember. At first, I had so much hate for him. How could he have won her heart when I had pursued her with such fervor? But now, as I lay in this bed, I realized there was no point in that anger anymore. Rockan and Denera obviously loved each other, and their bond was something I couldn't break. Still, the ache in my chest felt raw. I had wanted her to be with me, to see me as her mate, yet here I was, alone and grappling with my own failure. Each t
DENARA’S POV My eyes felt heavy, too heavy to open. Every nerve in my brain pulsed with pain as my head throbbed, a dull ache that seemed to echo in the quiet room. It took a while for me to gather the strength to finally crack my eyelids open, the morning light spilling in like a gentle reminder of the world outside.As I blinked into focus, memories of the night flooded back: the tears, the heartache, the overwhelming sadness that had consumed me. I had spent the entire night curled up, sobbing into the sheets, feeling utterly lost. Rockan was the only one who could bear witness to my pain, holding me close, and whispering comforting words that felt like a lifeline amidst my despair. Turning my head slowly, I looked at him. Rockan was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He had been through so much, yet here he was, the man I loved, resting peacefully beside me. My heart swelled with gratitude as I gazed at his mask-less face, a sight I had longed to se
DENARA’S POV The world around me felt like a haze, a blur of voices and shadows. I blinked slowly, trying to piece together the chaos that had erupted. I had thought I passed out but I didn’t. I couldn’t, it was like the pain wanted me to feel every bit of it.My body was heavy, weighed down by the remnants of pain, but there was a soothing numbness spreading through me, courtesy of the anesthetic shot I had received.As the wave of anesthesia began to lift, I blinked against the bright light that filled the room. My heart raced, and the world around me slowly came into focus. The sterile smell of antiseptic mingled with something else—something warm and familiar. And then I saw him. It wasn’t a dream all along and I was definitely not dead. “Rockan,” I breathed, my voice a mere whisper, but it felt like a shout in the silence of the room. The sight of him propped up against the pillows, his hair tousled and eyes bright, filled me with a wave of relief. It felt like I had been los
TYRIS’ POV “Sir, your attention is needed quickly.” The urgency in the maid's voice snapped me from my thoughts. I turned, my heart racing as I searched her eyes for any hint of good news. My brother had been in critical condition, and every minute felt like an eternity. “What is going on?” I asked, forcing myself to remain calm, though my insides churned with anxiety.“I was asked to call you down to the emergency ward,” she replied, her voice steady but lacking the reassurance I desperately sought. “The emergency ward?” The words felt heavy on my tongue, and a sinking sensation settled in my stomach. I forced my legs into action, propelling myself through the hallway of the hospital, each step a frantic prayer that the news would be good.As I approached the entrance to the emergency ward, I paused, staring at the glaring sign that loomed above me. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. Whatever had happened to Rockan, it couldn’t be good. I braced myself for wh