Elena’s POVWith the printed copy of the encrypted file from the flash drive in my hand, I entered and was guided by the palace guards inside the King’s office. “This way…”“Elena, you’ve visited again.” King Desmond delightedly greeted me as he stood up from his seat and gestured me towards one of the sofas while one of his servants keenly served me a cup of tea.Wasting no time, I handed the papers to him, still breathing heavily from the anxiety surging in me. “King Desmond, I have to talk to you about something.”“That’s a lemon tea, it will help you feel better. You look a bit anxious. Are you upset about Bryson and Glenda’s upcoming wedding?”I looked at him in surprise. Wedding? So, they still manage to go through with it.I observed my emotions, but I didn’t feel anything. Hence, I shook my head and replied with a smile. “He and I were done. I don’t care about his affairs anymore.”He stared at me for a while, probably seeing through my eyes if what I was saying was true, befo
Elena’s POVAs soon as I arrived back in the Ironpaw Pack, I hurried back to my room and started packing clothes and a small ration of food.When I got down, I bumped into Jayden, who was carrying logs he had cleaned up from the front yard on his shoulder and had hastily put them down. He looked at me from head to toe before his eyes glinted with realization.“Alpha Elena, are you leaving?” Panic was evident in his voice.“You scared him,” Ava joked.Jayden probably thought I’d leave the pack again.Tapping his shoulders, I assured him, “Don’t worry, I just have important matters to attend to. While I’m away, adhere to the restoration plans I gave you.”He wiped his sweat with the towel hanging from his pants pocket and asked concerningly, “Do you need help? I’ll go with you.”Shaking my head, I replied. “No need. I’ll be back soon.”After I gave him some reminders, I left the pack from the backyard and shifted to my massive black wolf, but all my paws had white furs.I bit on my bag
Elena’s POVMy heart was pounding fast and loud, so much so that it almost felt like it would burst out of my chest any second.His hazel eyes stared down at my brown eyes, almost capturing my soul in the process, and melting my strength made my legs feel weak.Oh, damn, how could he have this much effect on me?He tilted his head and looked at me seriously as he spoke in his deep voice, “Elena Dooley. This is the battlefield, it’s no place for you.”My breathing hitched. I knew that I wasn’t an official warrior despite my background as a Custodes apprentice, but still, the information I have worth every hassle.I stared at his face, which was so familiar and yet so different from how I first saw him at the kingdom’s palace.His sharp jaws were now covered with a long beard, and I could barely see his lips. There’s a gaze on the side of his cheek near his temple, and his hair is tied in the back of his head with a cut fabric.But despite the change in his appearance, his godly face co
Elena’s POVStaring at his mesmerizing eyes took my breath away, especially considering how close we were to each other right now.As if he knew his effect on me, he let out a smug smirk before he sat back down from his seat and pushed a cup of tea toward me. “Here, this will relax your nerves.”Finally, I could breathe, but I looked at him calculatively as I felt his words had two meanings.Shaking those thoughts away, I accepted it. “Thank you, Prince Deacon.”I lifted it to my lips and let the correct temperature of the tea and tasted its fresh but sweet and sour taste lingered on my tongue while I watched his turn into complete blackness.He’s mind-linking someone.Curious, I opened my link as well and listened.“Prepare some food and send it to my barrack.”My brows furrowed in both confusion and shock as I placed down my half-finished tea.When his eyes turned back to its beautiful, mesmerizing hazel eyes, I asked, “Are you not going to ask for the King’s reinforcement? You have
Elena’s POVI looked at him sheepishly and just laughed my embarrassment off, hoping he’d forget about this soon enough.Just in time, though, one of the warriors came with a wooden basket filled with food and placed it down on the table.“Do you need anything else, Prince?” he asked as he put two canteen bottles of water in front of us.“No,” he simply replied and raised his hand as a gesture that he could leave.The warrior gave us a small bow before he turned and left.“Do you eat this kind of food?” he asked while unpacking the things from the basket.Leaning in, I took a closer look, and a smile formed on my lips as I saw the familiar delectable foods especially made for battles for both convenience and nutrients.There were four kinds of MRE in there, which was an abbreviation for Meal Ready-to-Eat foods. Basically, it’s a small pouch containing one meal. If you dip it in water, the self-heating pad inside it will activate, and it will cook by itself within minutes.And voila, t
Elena’s POVI swallowed, feeling overwhelmed by the dominating demeanor radiating all over him, proving that he was the Prince and the god of war that everyone feared to be an enemy of.He was towering over me. His pupils dilated in anger, and fire seemingly glowed beneath its dimness, showing the built-up fury within him while the veins on his neck protruded.I’m so dead.Chill cursed through my every vein as I suddenly felt so small in front of him. I leaned as far back as I could and was even having difficulty looking straight into his eyes.Damn! I’m an Alpha and a newly appointed Princess; I couldn’t believe I could be subdued so much like this by his demeanor.“As a Luna, did you even think twice before you impulsively did this?” he started, but I only kept quiet, supposed by his anger.I think it would be best to let him calm down a bit first before I reason with him.He tapped his index fingertip on the table while sending blazing fire of gaze my way, continuing with his scold
Elena’s POVI heard the synchronized footsteps of warriors taunting nearby and instantly woke up. After blinking for a while, I stretched out and sighed as I looked around.Because I was exhausted from all the running for the past three days, I went straight to bed after Prince Deacon left and slept, so I didn’t have enough time to check out the place.The bed I was on was smaller than the one in the Prince’s tent. Unlike the one in Prince Deacon's, the ground didn’t have any floorings, but the lighting, tables, and chairs were almost the same.What I found notable was that there was a separator on one of the corners to hide me when I was changing, which I very much appreciated.Since they were all men, none needed it, so I reckon they probably made it in haste for me. It’s made of wood and large leaves and straws.I’ve changed into comfortable pants and a simple shirt and still paired it with my combat boots.Just in time, as I finished changing, someone called out.“Luna Elena? This
Elena’s POVI looked at the man before me, completely dumbfounded by his judgment. He didn’t even ask questions about our background or anything, and he dared to reject us just like that.“Excuse me?”“What nonsense are you spouting about?”Saige and Maise respectively spoke. But while Saige merely had her arms crossed over her chest, Maise had her hands slammed over the table, which angered the recruiter, and she stood up with a red face that portrayed a bulldog who was about to go on a rampage.“You three, don’t cause a stir in here! This is a battlefield camp and not some playground for women like you!” he shouted.The three of us looked at each other with hungry jaws for a while before we all looked back at the recruiter with a fierce glare.What’s his reason?“Huh! And yet you have a homewrecker she-wolf as a general! The double standard here is just beyond my understanding!” Maise blown up.“Homewrecker?” The recruiter looked confused before he snickered, “Are you talking about
Deacon’s POVI couldn’t believe that my mom would be moving so fast that she had already summoned Elena. Now, I couldn’t be more thankful to myself that I had warned her early about my mom, but I’m pretty sure that she was still surprised by it, especially with how early she had to face her.Shaking my head, I stood up.“Where are you going, Prince Deacon?” Tyson asked, looking clueless as he stepped aside from the door and followed me with questions in his eyes.“You… You’re not planning to go to the Duchess and stop her, aren’t you? Because I think that will only make her even more irritated and have her hate Princess Elena even more,” he cautiously said as he tried to give me some advice.Halting, I looked at him and gave him a smirk. “She’s my mother. I know her much more than you do.”Tapping his shoulder, I added, “Don’t worry, it’s not her I’m going to.”Furrowing his brows, he followed me, asking, “Who then? The king, I don’t think he’d help, though.”Smirking wider, I answere
Elena’s POVI was relaxing in the comfort of my bed after having a long conversation with Jayden and Zara, feeling completely exhausted.They were very worried about me, which was why I had to make them understand that this decision of mine was for the best.Hence, after everything was settled, including the manners concerning the marriage, I couldn’t help but feel relieved.But all that relief vanished when Jayden knocked on my door a few hours later to say that a messenger from the palace came and handed over a letter“What is it about?” I asked, following him downstairs to receive the letter.The messenger said he didn’t know what it was about either and simply handed the letter to me.Sitting down, I unsealed the envelope to get the letter and unfolded it, but the content of it brought me to utter shock.Countless questions ran through my mind.“What is it?” Jayden asked in worry upon seeing my reaction, but I felt so speechless that I only handed the letter over to him instead of
Deacon’s POVI stared at my mom, waiting for what more she had to say because her laugh was the last thing I expected from her.But when that laugh turned into sarcasm and into mockery, that’s when I shook my head.What else did I expect from her?She continued, “That’s what it is, isn’t it? You admire her swordsmanship, her rough ways? But can’t you see? A woman like that is exactly the opposite of what should fit as your wife! How can you bring disgrace to our name?”By now, she was beyond hysterical. She waved her hand and called for a servant, who served her another cup. Just that this time, instead of tea, she was served with a glass of wine in which she finished in one gulp, making the servant turn back around to refill her glass before she could even go further.Heaving a sigh, I tried to reason with her. “Mom, if you think I care about such things you and so many people label as disgraceful, then you’ve truly forgotten who I am.”With my legs open, I leaned my elbows on my kne
Deacon’s POVMy mother was a diva. She’s used to living in the elite society, and her being the second wife of my father probably brought the worst in her, making her even more spoiled in the process of my father trying to compensate for the fact that the one he really loved was Queen Liz.Everyone knew about my mother and how she was. It’s not a secret, which was why even my brother was aware of what a headache my mother would be.She’d definitely discriminate and try to push Elena away. Because despite her now being titled as a princess, it wouldn't mask the fact that she wasn’t a royal blood in the first place and that she’s a divorced woman.I expected that I’d be receiving her wrath as soon as I got Desmond's approval for marriage, which was probably way easier than facing my mother. But what I didn’t expect was for it to be a lot harder than I thought it would be.“You must be out of your mind!” My mom’s loud voice, filled with disbelief and wrath, was what greeted me when I cam
Deacon’s POVI was tapping my fingers on a placed down leather partition in the backseat of the car with my eyes looking outside, watching the drifting shadows of the trees and roads we passed by.“That's a nice smile in there,” Tyson pointed out, looking through me with the rear view mirror.My smile got even bigger, but I sent him a glare in between, making him clear his throat and continue focusing on his driving instead.Who wouldn’t be wearing a huge smile as I do when the woman I had always dreamt of marrying just said yes to me? Yes, it might not be in a conventional way or out of love, but knowing she had that part of her ready to be with me made me happy.What brought me more happiness was how she was the one who opened the idea of not having a divorce.But the joy I felt slowly vanished as I got closer back to the palace, closer to where the hard part really lies. The part where I had to ensure I paved the way to this marriage as smoothly as I could.“We’re here,” Tyson said
Elena’s POVI laughed it off, thinking he was joking. I simply set my utensils down and finished my water. Leaning back in my seat, I looked at him seriously. “You’re really the one criticising them first?”“You’re being too kind. I’m being serious. They’ll be living with us. For how long, I don’t know. But what I’m sure of is that they could be challenging to handle,” he explained.The gears in my head started moving as I tried to process his words. Seeing the seriousness in his face, I knew he was really worried.But how bad could they really be? I managed to handle Courtney, and I don’t think anyone could suppress her rudeness and greediness.Besides, Deacon’s mother was the Duchess, and his cousin was technically a princess. They were of royalty. With those titles, it’s no surprise if they had some attitude, considering they literally had a crown on their heads.Seeing how down-to-earth and kind Deacon was a real surprising fact.Feeling his worried gaze lingering on my face, I de
Elena’s POVShit! What in the world did I just say?I closed my eyes in embarrassment, hands discreetly pinching the side of my legs at how my reply to him ended up sounding more excited and desperate than what I was intending to show – which was annoyed and frustrated. Without a doubt, his proposal was the best solution so far for this matter regarding marriage. Besides, every time I found a reason to reject him, he always managed to refute it and turn the tables in such a way that everything became favorable to us getting married.If it wasn’t obvious how much devoted he was to that one girl he loved, I would be feeling all over the moon right now. I don’t love him. I’m sure I didn’t.At least, not right now. But the attraction was there. And hopefully, I won’t be biting my own head off for agreeing to this marriage without room for divorce despite knowing I had no room in his heart.The good thing was that we had talked about this marriage like a business matter, making everything
Elena’s POVI thought Deacon would feel dejected from my straight answer, but to my surprise, he leaned back with ease, a smirk forming on his lips. “And that is exactly why you should marry me.”My brows furrowed. Am I too stupid for Deacon’s mind?Seeing my confusion, he chuckled a little. “Do you think Desmond would rather see you marry someone like Bryson if you decided not to marry him?”I stared at him, and disgust immediately rushed through me upon hearing Bryson’s name and remembering my messed up marriage with him.Scoffing, I shook my head with great disdain, exclaiming, “Now, that’s an unearthly terrifying thought!”Deacon shamelessly laughed at my reaction. I watched him in admiration as he freely laughed, unlike the emotionally restricted person he was during the battle.After a few minutes, he finally calmed down. Pointing at me, he smirked as if I had just proven his point, which I might indeed have. “That’s exactly why. No matter what his real intention was, I think De
Elena’s POV“How long do you plan to make him stay there?”Jayden’s voice echoed, pulling me out of my deep thoughts. Sitting on the patio of the graden of the backyard, I put my hands behind me on the pavement and leaned back to look up at Jayden, who had worry pasted all over his face.Sighing, I told him, “I just need to sort my thoughts is all.”He nodded his head in understanding before crouching down to my level and handing me a glass of wine. Winking knowingly, he commented, “I guessed you might need some boost.”Laughing a little, I asked, “Boast of confidence to make rejection?”Standing up, he bobbed his head in laughter and seriously said, “More like confidence, to be honest.”With that, he turned around and left me with my jaws dropped on the ground.I think I’ve given them too much freedom to speak their mind, and they have become too bold. Nonetheless, I always appreciate his and Zara’s honest comments and advice.Staying seated on the step of the porch of the backyard g