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
Elena’s POVPrince Deacon looked at the recruiter for a while before he shifted his gaze and directed it to Tyson, who was behind him. “Tell me, since when did we start recruiting warriors based on gender?”Tyson stood tall and cleared his throat, looking disapprovingly at the recruiter. “Never heard of any memo about that, Prince.”“Exactly, so… What’s happening here?”It’s impressive how Prince Deacon kept a straight face and a calm voice, but his words still weighed so much that I observed the others getting a chill on their spine.“It’s my fault, Prince Deacon.”My brows raised in surprise when the recruiter readily admitted it. He put his arms on his back and stood up properly in an attention matter or warriors.“Oh?” Saige side-commented as she finally stood up from the table and sent the recruiter the same look of disbelief as Maise was doing.The recruiter looked at each of us with a hint of surprise, admiration, and fear. Swallowing, he went on, “I never really thought in my
Bryson’s POVI sat in the middle of the Swiftridge Pack's grand hall today, wearing a midnight blue tuxedo with perfectly styled hair and expensive champagne in my glass while looking with terror at the scene that was unfolding in front of me here at my marriage ceremony with Glenda. Something I should be excited about, but instead, I’m feeling the opposite.Six days… It’s been exactly six days since Elena rejected me and left the pack. It’s been six days without her, and the pain brought by the rejection was still lingering in my heart.They said the pain should’ve only been for a day or two, so why was I still feeling this way?Six days after Elena left, with every penny I accumulated from begging from every pack, friend, and Alphas I knew, I finally managed to bring my wedding ceremony with Glenda into action. With limited funds, we could only do a limited number of things, including the venue, guest numbers, decorations, and food.Though it wasn’t poorly created, it still wasn’t
Bryson’s POV“King Desmond, Glenda, and I are here to receive your orders and ready to lead troops to the Withered Hinterland any second at your words,” I respectfully greeted as I kneeled down on one knee with Glenda doing the same beside me.We placed our right arm’s elbow on top of our bended knee and bowed our heads in respect to the King.“You may raise.”After hearing that, Glenda and I stood upright with arms on either side of us.Once the King gestured for the seats on the side, we sat down and waited for him to speak. Looking at his bothered face, a feeling of anxiety rushed through my veins.Did something happen?He let out a sigh as he grabbed the goblet beside him, gulping down its contents before looking up at me. “I need the two of you to lead troops in the Withered Hinterland as soon as possible.”“May we know what happened?” I asked.“Yes, isn’t Prince Deacon already in there? The last time I heard, everything was under control.”I gave Glenda a discreet hiss and glare
Elena’s POV“What was that?”“Did you hear that?”“Are those swords clashing?”Maisy, Saige, and I had jolted awake from our sleep almost simultaneously, throwing the blanket on top of us and getting up from bed with alertness.At first, Prince Deacan wanted to give them another tent to share, but I said they could stay with me. After all, we had a lot of things to catch up on.But what we didn’t expect was to wake up in the middle of the night from a series of screams, bombs, and sounds of clashing swords.We all looked at each other and nodded in understanding. In less than a minute, we had our combat clothes on.“Let’s give them aid. I’ll go to the front. Maise, you're in the west. Saige, you're on the east side,” I commanded while peaking from the in-between of the fabric door.But before we could step out, one of the soldiers rushed in. “Luna Elena, I’m sorry for barging in. I need to evacuate you as per Prince’s ord–”He didn’t manage to finish his words when he looked up and sa
Deacon’s POVShe froze for a second as she was caught off guard by my calm but serious reply, making me hold my breath as I awaited her reaction.After a short pause, she blinked her eyes, unfreezing from her daze and leaned back in her seat. She tilted her head and stared at me, studying me. “That’s… far from many reasons I expected for your visit.”My hands clasped tighter, building up my courage, and I tried to sustain my calmness.Hundreds of battles. Liters of blood. Countless dead bodies had come my way, but I had never felt as nervous as I was now, sitting opposite the woman I’ve always looked forward to marrying while she studied my every movement.Taking deep breaths, I pulled myself together and tried to speak in a calm and gentle tone, not wanting to scare her off.“The Lycan King, my brother, has given you three months to choose a husband.” I stared cautiously, watching her every reaction.When she didn’t say anything and her face remained blank of emotions, I continued, “
Deacon’s POVNo one could possibly imagine how hard I tried to hide my fast beating heart from the excitement I felt the moment I locked eyes with Elena and found her looking at me with so much admiration.I woke up early and did my best to look like the version of me she hadn’t seen yet, the prince. And to say that I was satisfied with how she reacted was beyond words. Needless to say, I could proudly state that the time I spent making sure I look my best was all worth it.She tried to play it cool, and believe me when I say that she wasn’t the only one because it’s taking every bit of my control not to stride toward her and pull her into my arms.Especially when she’s out of her military attire and back to being the princess that she was, she’s wearing a strapless, deep blue, flowy dress that fell about an inch or two below her knee paired with a white long sleeve blazer where the body part only lands until her breast line. Was it called a crop top or something?Whatever it was call
Elena’s POV“You’ve been pacing all morning, Princess Elena.”Zara’s words brought me out from my own thoughts while I paced around. Halting by the window, I crossed my arms after opening it to let the morning breeze and sunlight calm my nerves.Glancing at Zara, who was arranging the flowers on the vase on the living room table, she smirked at me and teasingly noted, “It’s rare for me to see you this anxious. Is it because Prince Deacon is coming?”Trying hard to hide my inner feelings and the turmoil I’m having in my mind, I scoffed and turned away to face outside, pretending to admire the lawn. “Anxious? Hardly.” I let out a fake laugh, which sounded more like a terrible scoff. Clearing my throat to save myself from self-humiliation, I added, “I’m just… curious.”Last night, at a late time, one of his personal messengers came in the pack and informed that he’d be visiting the pack first thing in the morning and asked for my presence. The thing was, he didn’t specify why he was com
Deacon’s POV“What do you mean? What did you get?” I asked with full attention. I even motioned for him to sit down as I thought this would be a long talk.Abiding by my command, he sat down and rested his one arm on the table, looking worried and completely at ease.This time, he wasn’t merely talking as my Beta, but as my best friend. “I think the King’s true intention behind this marriage with Princess Elena isn’t as easy as it seems. I think he wants to use her as leverage against you.”My brows furrowed, and my body stiffened. Gazing at him sharply, I coldly said, “Explain.”He shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, everyone close to you with an eye could see that you got a thing for Pricness Elena. Though no one could probably tell how deep it was, I think the King knows as well. And as you may know, Princess Elena is no ordinary woman.”I leaned back in my seat as I considered his words. What he said actually made sense, especially thinking back on the King’s actions and double-meani
Deacon’s POVSeating at my desk , surrounded with a mountain pile of papers, the weight of the day’s reports started pressing down on me.Days like here were the reason why I preferred being on the battlefield and a general, than being on the palace working through paperworks. Not only did I had to work on reports about happening in the kingdom as a prince, but I also had to review the strategies, supplies, and safety protocols aroudn the entire kingdom as a general.I knew it’s a bit ironic to wish to be in a war, considering the lives taken from it…Thinking about that, I sighed and went back to focusing on the reports, knowing that enduring reading through these files of words and working my hands out for signatures were much better than attending a warrior’s wake.I was in the middle of reviewing the safety protocols at the border when a knock came in, which brought a control smile on my lips.“That means break,” I thought to myself.“Come in,” I ordered as I leaned back on my sea
Elena’s POVZara, without hesitation, slapped Courtney’s hand, which was pointing, and firmly said, “With all due respect, Luna Courtney, but you have no shame!”The jaws of everyone around them dropped in shock at Zara’s words while Courtney gasped in rage.Courtney was just about to open her lips to scold her, but Zara wasn’t done. “After everything that happened, how can you have the guts to stand here and accuse Princess Elena? Did you forget that she’s the one who had to endure your son’s betrayal? Not to mention all of your bullying?”“Damn, your Omega doesn’t really hold back,” Saige commented with pride in her voice.Completely enraged, Courtney stepped in and raised her hand, ready to throw a slap on Zara’s way. “You low-life, Omega! How dare you speak to me–”“Don’t forget where you are, Luna Courtney. This is not your pack,” Jayson stepped in and blocked Croutney’s hand while pushing Zara behind him.Jayden’s beta demeanour radiated all over him as he looked at Courtney wit
Elena’s POV“That was fun! I will miss this!” Saige exclaimed as soon as she flopped herself down on the couch of the living room after putting down a couple of bags on the coffee table.Maise, on the other hand, was busy admiring her newly bought set of daggers and other weapon-related accessories with a huge smile on her face. “Shut up. Do you hear that?”“Hear what?” I asked after I handed the things I bought from the mall to Zara.I went near to Maise to listen more carefully as did Saige, but we heard nothing.Maise looked up with a grin on her face and showed us one of her daggers. “The sound of this beautiful baby as my fingertips glided on its sharp edge.”Siage and I looked at each other before shaking our heads and sitting back down in our own seats. What did we even expect?I settled on my seat, drinking a glass of juice Zara served as soon as we arrived. I watched both of my friends as they enjoyed the fruit of our shopping spree, both joy and sadness rushing through my ve
Bryson’s POVElena… Regret? Seeing what Glenda had come to be, regret was an understatement of what I feel for losing her. And by the look of it, as much as everyone was silent, everyone in the pack felt the impact of losing her.Nodding her head with sarcasticness, Glenda continued, “Well, good luck with that! Just so you know, none of this is my fault. You’re simply choking on the consequences of the choices you’ve made!”My mother’s breathing escalated, and she clenched her chest. She looked at Glenda with wide eyes and pursed lips.“Watch your mouth!” I scolded in a low but dangerous voice as my patience finally snapped.“What? All I said is true–”Before Glenda could continue, I stood between her and my mom and, without hesitation, slapped her face hard.From the impact of my slap, her head turned to the side. She slowly turned her head to look at me with shock as the red handprint on her cheek slowly faded away.Slowly, her shock turned enraged. Her eyes turned a combination of
Bryson’s POVAs if Glenda’s scandal wasn’t enough humiliation, my mother decided that barging in at the kingdom’s party and running her mouth wild would be a cherry on top of everything I was facing now.Frustrated, I left the kingdom and went back to the pack with her following behind me, still as frustrated as she first came to me.The irritation I was feeling was intensifying every second I heard her voice. I just got back from the war, and she wasn’t even asking how I was doing or what really happened. No… instead, her sole worry was that she had nothing to use to boast out.As soon as we got back to the pack house, she threw her bag on the couch and turned to look at Julie and me, disdainfully saying, “Where the hell is Glenda?”She raised her hand and pointed nowhere specifically, continuing, “That woman brought nothing but shame to this family!”She gritted with anger and shook her head with utmost disappointment. “After everything you’ve done and sacrificed, son… we gained no