Chapter 2
Elena’s POV
After the celebration ceremony, I have not seen Bryson for days. He didn't bring Glenda over, and I wasn't keen on going to them since my Luna work was piling up.
Right now, I was flipping through countless books and pages to keep track of this year's finances when the landline on my desk suddenly rang.
Sighing, I placed the file down and answered, “Hello?”
“I’m sorry, Luna, but I can’t do this anymore. I won’t be treating Mrs. Courtney any further, and I hope you understand.” Dr. Montgomery decided to announce it, which took me in shock.
“Thank you, Dr.” That was all I could say as I personally left my office and met him in the corridor to formally thank him for all his help.
He took a glance back at Courtney’s room and sighed. “This family is just too selfish! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have lasted long in here.”
Oh… So, that’s what happened. Dr. Montgomery had been our family doctor for years. Aside from terrible remarks he must have gotten from them, Glenda's presence probably agitated him the most.
I could only smile a little, knowing he cared for me.
I was about to leave when I heard laughter echoing from Courtney’s room. Hearing another female’s voice, my blood ran cold.
Without thinking twice, I opened the door and saw Courtney lying on the bed while Bryson and Glenda were hand in hand at the side, laughing at something.
As soon as they saw me come in, their smiles immediately faded away, as if I were a nightmare coming to them.
The familiar short-haired woman was the first to react. She came forward and looked at me with those pair of brown eyes that dimmed with masks of pretense. “I’ve heard you want to meet me, Luna. I’m just about to see you later.”
“Is that so?” I asked with authority.
Watching my husband worriedly walk forward to continue holding another woman’s hand to show support brought a chill to my heart. It’s as though a string in me was being pulled, and blood was dripping onto it.
“Your name rings a bell from every corner of the kingdom. Every other woman praises and looks upon you with your distinguished skills and honor. At such a level, let me ask if you are willing to share a position with me?” I asked.
Pointedly looking at her, I continued, “To share not just my title but also my husband?”
“Elena!” Bryson warningly shouted out, but I merely gave him a glare.
Unexpectedly, Glenda put her hand on Bryson’s chest and calmed him down. “It’s okay,” she whispered.
I swallowed as I watched Bryson’s breathing instantly calm. I haven’t even managed to do that…
Smiling calmly at me, Glenda fired back, “The real question here, Luna, is if you are.”
I squinted my eyes at her straightforwardness. After staring at the two of them and rewinding the moment I witnessed earlier of how lovely the three of them looked, I sighed.
“Of course, I am willing to be civil with you,” I replied. I heard Courtney and Bryson sigh in relief, while Glenda remained and looked at me with doubt.
Of course, I was willing. After all, we won’t be sharing anything; I’ll give her everything while I detach myself from this pack, this place, and my husband.
She snickered. “No need to pretend to me, Luna. Sympathetic acts are only useful to men, but I’m no man.”
I laughed at that and vaguely said, “There’s no play in here, Glenda. If you both want to be each other, then why should I put a block on it?”
Snickering, I added, “And sympathetic acts, you say? I don’t need to act to gain one, Glenda. You made it so easy. The second you stepped into this pack and tried to wreck my marriage, everyone already gave it to me.”
“Don’t overdo it, Elena! I’ve let you talk to her so as not to disgrace her!” Bryson immediately came to her rescue.
“Yes, you have to calm down, Elena. It’s all legal. The king gave his word and permission. You have to willingly accept it,” Courtney added.
So what now? They were both on her side?
“As I said to you, as long as you behave, I’ll give you a child. After that…” he tightened his hold on Glenda. “I won’t enter your bedroom ever again.”
“See, my Bryson here is very generous already. He’s even willing to give you a child. Don’t take things the hard way,” Glenda said boldly.
I couldn’t imagine where she was getting all her audacity. My Bryson? MY? They were not even married yet, and she was acting like she had already claimed him.
“Look, it shows my son still cares for you. Don’t be angry, okay? If he dares to mistreat you, I’ll scold him myself,” Courtney said as she pulled me closer to her bed and patted my hand while sweetly gazing into my eyes.
I knew well though that she was only saying that to ease me with this situation.
I let out a bitter laugh. “A child to shut me up? Are you all hearing yourselves?”
I couldn’t believe them. They all sounded so ridiculous!
“What more do you want? You’ll keep your title and everything. You’ll just have someone to share it with you and help you. In my eyes, it’s an advantage.” Courtney shrugged.
“And besides, if it’s power you are looking for, Glenda and I will mostly be back to war occasionally. You’ll be the one in charge of everything like the last year. Nothing much will change, and you’ll care for your child and maybe soon…” Bryson stopped midway and looked sweetly at Glenda as he continued, “You’ll be looking after me and Glenda’s child.”
That… finally ended all of my last bits of patience. Now, they even want to turn me into their own personal nanny.
How convenient for all of them! They have my inheritance to use like their personal bank, myself as their servant, and now a nanny?
Just the thought of that brought fire through my veins.
I felt like everything in me was sucked in. My entire body froze, and my heart went cold.
Looking at Bryson, I stared at him with dimmed eyes and firmly said in an Alpha tone, “Let’s just end this. Reject me, and let’s get a divorce.”
Chapter 3Elena’s POVSilence momentarily filled the air after I said that as if they were weighing things out and had come to a realization.Severing our ties completely would be the best solution for all this mess.For the entire year, I had been an exceptional Luna, bringing improvements to our pack in every aspect. I was even using my own money to finance everything because the Swiftridge Pack didn’t have enough finances of their own.Well, they must have realized it.If I leave, the pack would feel my absence so bad, and that would cause a massive stir in the pack as the members would significantly feel the impact of my absence.I watched as Bryson clenched his teeth in frustration as if contemplating what he should do.And by the looks of it, he wasn’t the only one who fell into a dilemma because not even a second later, I observed Glenda’s hold on his arm tighten.She pulled Bryson aside and boldly talked to Elena with a raised chin. “I don’t think you’ll be daring enough to do
Chapter 4Elena’s POV“Let me in!” I shouted from the top of my lungs.The kingdom’s guard trembled with hesitation as he blocked my path. “Luna, you don’t have an invitation or access to the kingdom. You can’t…”“You’re much more powerful than these guards. Just push your way in!” Ava insisted, but this just wasn’t the power one had.We were in the kingdom, and there were rules to follow or great consequences would be faced. As much as possible, I didn’t want to use violence.Standing in front of the massive wooden border gate of the kingdom, I stood with grace while wearing clothes I never thought I’d be wearing again.I wore my booths, brown leggings, and high-class thin armor. Though it was lightweight, it could suppress even a silver sword. Wearing this, I was reminded of my days when I trained to be a warrior, my skills excelling even better than those of other male wolves, even my brothers.“Tell the King that I ask for his time. This is urgent and of great importance,” I insis
Chapter 5Bryson’s POVAfter the party and facing Elena, exhaustion got the best of me. That was partly due to the number of people I needed to entertain but primarily because of Elena's stubbornness.I could understand where she was coming from, though. She was right. I indeed vowed to her that I wouldn’t marry and love another woman aside from her. But that was before I met my fated mate.But what really took me by utter surprise was when she managed to block my hand. I could almost not move my hand when she grabbed it, but I think it was only because I was shocked by her action.“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.” My wolf mocked me.I tried not to mind him and just sighed. Soon enough, when Elena sees her fated mate, she’ll probably understand me.“Really? Will you?” Drake, my wolf, suddenly asked me.On cue, a sudden jolt of unknown pain cursed through my heart. Would I really be fine? But I mean, we were already married, she couldn’t go to him, right?But that thought aside, bein
Chapter 6Elena’s POVReacting quickly, I shifted to the side and dodged his arm, which was about to touch me. Then, I tightly grabbed hold of it and twisted his arm onto his back.He was momentarily shocked, but he moved by instinct as well and maneuvered his body to face me and free from my hold. As soon as he faced me, I raised my leg and sent a fierce kick that sent him to his back and knocked the tall vases behind him, causing a loud noise to echo everywhere.“What’s happening here?” Courtney, escorted by Glenda, rushed inside the room with a furious expression as she found her son fixing his dusted clothes in the middle of the shards of the broken vase.“Why don’t you ask your son?” I fired back and grabbed my phone from my desk before turning around and leaving, but Courtney suddenly spoke.“Wait! Don’t leave yet. I have something to say to you.” Courtney reached out and held my hand tightly as she called me out, successfully halting my steps.“What is it?” I asked coldly.She
Elena’s POVStanding on the podium of the pack, everyone was cheering for either Bryson’s victory or mine. We were wearing our training gear and mouthpieces as we circled each other calculatingly.“Just give up. Don’t hurt yourself, Elena,” Bryson warned.I smirked. “Put your worry to yourself instead.”With that, I made the first move and sent a hard punch to his stomach, which made him back away and whimper. He looked at me with utter surprise, unaware that I could fight.When many of the members stood up from their seats to cheer, I saw Bryson’s jaw clenched in anger, and the light in his eyes dimmed with seriousness.Okay, now we’re really on.We moved at the speed of light, sending punches and kicks to each other several times, but every time, I’d succeed in hitting him while I managed to block most of his attacks.When the right time came, I taunted, “Don’t take it to heart.”After saying that, I used my leg to put pressure on his until he fell, and then I used my arms to hold h
Elena’s POV“Wait, don’t—" Bryson looked at me in panic as he took a step forward near me. He reached out his hand, seemingly wanting to hold me, but I moved with agility and stepped back.Standing tall, I decisively and firmly uttered the formal separation of our bond. “I, Elena Dooley, Princess of Lycan Kingdom, reject you, Bryson Renner, Alpha of Swiftridge Pack, as my mate.”“Aghhh!”Bryson clutched his chest and bent down as he fell to his knees. His face grimaced, and his breathing became rugged. He couldn’t help but shout while his other fist was punching the ground, as though all of his actions would lessen the burning pain he was in.I froze on the spot and fisted my hands together while my breathing hitched. Though the pain would be felt more by the rejected mate, I still could feel a bit of pain and a slight sense of emptiness in me as the string that attached us was cut off.Courtney pushed me to the side and attentively crouched down to hold Bryson. Gazing up at me, she s
Bryson’s POVI looked at the woman who was taking steps away from me and wondered why I was frozen in my spot. The pain was still cursing through my body, and yet I felt so numb as I stared at her retreating figure.Why was I feeling affected?My eyes flickered when I saw Elena’s footsteps halting midway, but then my heart immediately tingled with unexplainable emotions when she continued walking until she vanished from my sight.My heart cramped in pain again, almost making me crawl if it weren’t for Glenda, who hastily supported me.“Bryson, are you okay?” Glenda asked, but I kept silent.‘No, I’m not,’ I thought as I pushed her away and went back to my study room in hopes of relaxing.“Here, drink this, Alpha. The pain should subside and be more bearable in a few minutes.” One of the pack doctors gave me a potion, which I immediately gulped down.The drink burnt through my throat, but it was incomparable to the burn and pain the mate rejection had brought my body.“What should we d
Elena’s POV“Home sweet home,” I commented as I got out of the car. I stood in front of the massive steel gates covered with vines and dust, a vivid symbol of how long I’ve been gone.I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes, feeling the cold breeze brush against my skin, and the familiar scent of the pine woods from the forest filled my nose.I miss this place.The first place I stopped by was the place where my family was buried. One after another, I placed flowers on their graveyards that surprisingly looked clean.“Whose there?” I shouted in alertness as I stood up and looked around.I couldn’t be wrong. I’m pretty sure someone was staring at me. Squinting my eyes, I observed every blow of wind, every movement of grasses and trees, and every sound in the surroundings.Shifting, I looked at the bushes not so far from me. “Come out! Now!”My eyes widened.“She’s just a child…” Ava uttered in shock.The little girl looked at me cluelessly, but her eyes were filled with fear. She kep
Elena’s POVPatrolling the borders of the newly reclaimed lands with Saige, Maise, other Warriors, and some Omegas, we analyzed what must be done to rebuild and restore the land.The sound of hammers and saws filled the air as Warriors, Omegas, and newly arrived laborers worked to rebuild the border posts that were destroyed during the war. Despite the end of war, Rogues still exist and it’s better to be prepared that sorry later.Soem of the posts were already rebuilt but despite the progress, it was still far from finish, making me still head on work.“Make sure the eastern tower is reinforced before the rains come. We can’t risk another collapse. And send supplies to the other barracks in the south side, those men haven’t had a proper meal in days,” I indicated at one of the warriors besides me whose keeping tabs of my orders.Maise stared at me with admiration, making me take a step back and asked with a narrowed eyes, “What?”She shook her head and proudly pointed out, “You soun
Third Person’s POVThe news of the victorious war in the northern zone spread across the kingdom like wildfire, reaching every corner of the kingdom. Every newspaper, article, poster, broadcast, and post was related to the successful fight against the Northern Rogues and the reclamation of the kingdom’s lands.Together with the king’s overjoyed and proud declaration of the historic moment for the kingdom, every media outline of every form buzzed with reports of the heroic deeds of a female general who had fought alongside Prince Deacon in reclaiming the lost territories along with great warriors.Names of warriors who made significant contributions were being whispered from pack to pack, member to member, but all were speculation as no names had been released yet.However, being the only known female general in the kingdom, everyone assumed the female general was Glenda.Meanwhile, in the Swiftridge Pack, the Bryson family’s main residence was bustling with preparation for a grand ban
Elena’s POVUpon hearing my question, Prince Deacon nodded his head slowly, replying, “They will. They have to consider their pack’s survival, after all.”He looked outside and meaningfully said, “The northern war might have ended today, but the war between the Rogues and the kingdom isn’t over… not entirely. For now, they’ve avenged their Alpha’s son without exposing the truth behind his death. If that ever comes out, they’ll have a stronger claim to loyalty—they’ve already paid the price for their betrayal.”I tilted my head, watching his expression carefully. His eyes looked distant, his brows furrowed, and his lips formed a frown.A small smile formed on my lips, seeing how he felt compassion even for those who committed treason. “And you’re frowning because you’re still worried.”He blinked out of a trance, looked back at me, and let out a soft laugh. Looking at me with admiration, he commented, “You know me too well.”Leaning closer to his seat, I reached out and briefly squeeze
Elena’s POV“What, you don’t like it?” I felt Prince Deacon’s warm hands landing on top of my shoulder, giving it a little squeeze as he leaned his face down near my cheek, asking.I swallowed with difficulty as I palpated from how close he was to me.Blinking a couple of times in disbelief, I stared at what was in front of me once again, making sure that what I was seeing was really what it was.In the middle of the back lawn of the camp, there was a newly set up medium-sized tent. He opened the door for me, and the amazing aroma of meat greeted me. A meat!After months of being here with only dry foods and ready-to-eat meals, I never thought I’d be able to eat meat again. At least not while we were here.I salivated with desir,e and my stomach crumbled at the sight of well-presented medium-rare steak in front of us.“Are you kidding me? Is that even a question?” I asked with excitement as I gestured to the food inside.Prince Deacon laughed wholeheartedly as he stepped forward and
Elena’s POVI kept my cool and stared at Bryson as what I imagined would be Gelnda’s reaction unfolded before me.“I…” In panic, Bryson immediately shook his head and defensively replied, “I didn’t bring her. She... she followed me.”I let out a scoff as I looked at him dumbfoundedly. What a coward!Hearing that, Glenda snarled despite her weakness and clawed Bryson on his arm, but it didn’t go deep and immediately healed. “Don’t lie to me! You let her in... and make me face humiliation!”She looked at me and growled. “What now? Are you letting the other in and humiliating me even more? Because I’m sure that’s what you want. Isn’t –”Tired of this ridiculousness, I cut her off, “This isn’t about you, Glenda. This is about the truth. We already had a meeting with James Stewart, Alpha heir of the Moonblake pack and current leader of the Rogues. Peace had been made. It’s time to come clean, Glenda.”Glenda froze as her hand turned into a fist.Bryson, on the other hand, stared at Glenda’
Elena’s POVI stared at Bryson as images of the dead bodies of my family and pack members flashed before my mind countless times.Socffing, I thought, “How could I know?”Because both James and I lost the people we love due to injustice…He knew as I do that death wasn’t a real punishment for those people who sinned so gravely like Glenda. And unlike me, who goes by the rules and respects the rules, someone like James, I’d assume, goes by “A tooth for a tooth, and an eye for an eye.”Just like what happened to Kurt, he probably wanted to break Glenda. He wanted to strip her of her dignity and reputation and force her to the edge until she decided to commit suicide,e just as how she pushed Kurt to his own death.Instead of explaining it to him, I’ve chosen to reply. He wants her broken. That’s worse than death for someone like Glenda."Bryson’s eyes widened, and that’s when I realized that I had failed to hide the venom in my voice.He stared at me for a long time as if reading me thro
Elena’s POVBryson looked back at James. His eyes fluttered for a while before he narrowed his eyes and made his eyes more stern, replying, “Keep on telling lies. I’ll only believe my mate.”What a fool!If I could just slap him so hard, crack his head open, and reboot him to sanity, I would have done it long ago. How could someone like him, who easily threw me at the side when he found another woman, be so foolishly devoted?In the end, I just shook my head as James, Prince Deacon, and I looked at each other in disbelief.Since the private conversations were already done, Prince Deacon already called the warriors, and they followed us, lining up properly behind us.As they arrived, Bryson was already walking up the mountain. Seeing that, one of the warriors took a cautious step forward and whispered to me, “General, should we follow?”He gestured to Bryson, who was going alone.Seeing his back and weighing what they might witness, I immediately shook my head and raised my hand to tel
Elena’s POVJames’ right… It could never be forgotten. The pain and the wounds that those deaths brought to us will always be engraved in our hearts. It would be like a thorn in our hearts that would make us bleed every now and then.But all we could do was live with it.A bitter smirk formed on my lips as my eyes glistened with suppressed tears. “I guess we aren’t so different, are we?”Shrugging my shoulders, I shook my head slowly as I bit the inside of my cheek and clenched my fist. “You lost your brother, and I… I lost everyone. The pain may never fade, but it has shaped us both.”Seeing the pain and sorrow building up in his eyes, his body tensed, and his shoulders slouched, I opened my lips with hesitation and softened my tone as I spoke with empathy, “I know that I am not qualified to apologize for what happened to Kurt. But know this, the agony you and I feel today is something we will always carry. As much as it broke us, it molded us to be stronger.”Those words seemed to h
Elena’s POVBryson trembled in anger as he took a step forward, looking at me with blazing eyes as if he wanted to send a laser right through my head and kill me. With a shaking voice filled with rage, he spoke, “You’re cold, Elena. You always have been since everything happened. Is this the revenge you plotted for what happened between us? For Glenda taking—”Every word he said, he would take a small threatening step toward me. Just as he was about to reach me, I was planning to teach him a lesson. However, Prince Deacon already took action.Without warning, he stepped in front of me, blocking me from Bryson, and pushed him on the chest, commanding, “Enough, Bryson. If you can’t control your mouth, leave this discussion to those who can.”Prince Deacon’s jaws were clenched together, and his hands were balled into fists. Peaking from behind him, I could see his menacing eyes and dimmed expression.Seeing that he might lose control and attack Bryon if he made another remark, my hands v