Chapter 5
Bryson’s POV
After 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, being with Glenda was the most blissful moment of my life. Unlike Elena, she’s a warrior. She understands my pain and thoughts. We had fought alongside each other for a long time.
Slumped on my office chair, I browse a series of documents regarding the post-report we must send to the kingdom. I was in the middle of it when a knock echoed.
“Come in,” I nonchalantly said, continuing what I was doing.
“Alpha, a messenger sent this to us just a few seconds ago,” Collin Henry, my Beta, told me as he placed something on my desk.
“Okay, just leave it there.”
I didn’t pay much attention to it because we usually get letters after a battle, which were mostly just congratulatory messages.
But when I saw Collin’s shadows still looming in front of me, I looked up. “Anything else?”
He pushed the letter forward. “I think you should read this.”
Following his hand, my eyes widened in surprise to see a letter with the King’s stamp on it.
“I’ll leave you to it.”
After Collins closed the door after him, I slowly opened the letter, anticipating it to be another congratulatory letter for my upcoming mating ceremony with Glenda.
However, when I read the first line of it after unfolding, my hands immediately halted.
“It is with great pleasure to know that you have returned to the kingdom with glorious victory, but I advise you not to use this achievement as a ticket to being arrogant. Above and foremost, it is your utmost duty as a man, a husband, and an Alpha to mind your family business before anything else.”
One… Two… Three… I stared at the letter for a couple of seconds before my hands subconsciously fisted, causing the paper to get crumpled.
Elena! She talked with the King! What a scheming bi–
Then suddenly, Glenda’s words to me last night echoed in my mind. “I’m scared, Babe. I don’t think Luna Elena will let us go so quickly. She looks kind and all that, but I feel like, in reality, she’s just hiding her true self and scheming behind us.”
When Glenda said that, I even told her that she might just be overthinking it, but now… I was proven wrong. With her doing this, she’s only proving to me more and more how right I was to choose Glenda over her.
I couldn’t believe that I was being sympathetic to her a couple of minutes ago when she obviously didn’t have any brains and already caused trouble!
Slamming my hands on the desk, I stood up in irritation and took long strides outside of my office before coming straight to our bedroom.
When I came inside, I realized that she wasn’t there.
Wasn’t she home yet? Wasn’t she too old to throw tantrums like this? Unbelievable!
When she didn’t come back to our room last night, I thought it was just a phase and she’d get over it sooner. I didn’t realize, though, that she could be this ridiculous.
“Hey! Where’s your Luna?” I asked frustratedly at one of the Omegas who happened to be walking past.
Trembling, she kept her head bowed down. “S-she’s in her office, Alpha.”
My brows furrowed. What is she on about now?
“What time did she come back?”
She fidgeted her fingers for a while, thinking. “At around seven in the morning…”
“Move along!” I shouted, and she went on.
Seven o’clock? I looked at my wristwatch. It’s nine now. Where did she sleep last night, then?
Without knocking, I barged into her room and found Elena reading a couple of documents.
“What do you want, Alpha Bryson?” she snarled.
“What’s your problem? I can’t believe you’ll do this! Didn’t I tell you not to cause any trouble?” I growled back at her instead as I threw the King’s letter at her face.
Her face scrunched up in confusion.
Huh! As if she didn’t know what she had done.
“Trouble? Is it my problem that the King is trying to lecture you?” she asked, crossing her arms over her shoulder.
“He wouldn’t have sent me this letter if you hadn’t talked to him!”
“Alright, I did talk to him, but—”
“So you admitted it! You talked to him!” I cut her off, fuming with anger. “What did you tell him, huh? Did you ask him to revoke his verdict to marry me and Glenda? Is that what you did?”
Every second I was talking to her just ignited the fire burning in my veins even more. I couldn’t believe she could be this inconsiderate and insensitive.
For a year, she had done great as a Luna. I thought by now she would know how to act and that she must not bring shame to our pack. But what did I get? Disappointment!
“I didn’t admit anything! As I was saying, I talked to the king, but I didn’t ask him to separate you and your lovely fated mate, nor did I ask him to stop the marriage,” she said straight to my face.
I looked at her, stunned. Bitterly, I let out a smile and shook my head. “How can you lie so upright?”
Her jaw drops. Great! More acts!
I couldn’t believe she could be this pretentious, very different from Glenda, who always says what she actually means. Now I knew why Glenda was my fated mate; it was because she was a whole lot better than Elena.
It turned out that Elena was just wearing a mask for the time I thought I knew her.
Now, I’m more confident that I’d never regret my choice of loving Glenda as she’s the one who was really meant for me.
“Lie?” She sneered. “I wasn’t lying about anything.”
“Listen here,” I pointed at her, completely fed up now. “Don’t cause any trouble again, or I swear to the Moon Goddess that I’ll never give you a child! Do you understand me?”
She stared at me dumbfounded. She must have thought I would go soft on her, but she’s wrong. What she did was a huge mess. How could she talk to the Lycan King?
She didn’t only ruin her reputation, but mine and the entire pack as well.
Suddenly, she walked past me and opened the door wide. She pointed outside and pursed her lips, firmly demanding, “Get out! I’ve got enough of your nonsense; get the hell out of my room!”
Fury built up on my chest. Insolent people should be taught a lesson!
With that, I moved with agility and pushed her to the wall with force, but that caused her to almost break…
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 POV“What did you say?” I furrowed my brows and looked at him calculatedly.My heart pounded loudly in my chest when he said that, but those were the kind of words that shouldn’t be said so quickly. “Jayden, this is not a small accusation. You shouldn’t be saying this like this recklessly.”Unfazed, he stood up straight and confidently shook his head, explaining, “I’m not, Alpha Elena. I’ve been thinking about it, and after reminiscing about the past, I can’t help but think there’s more to what we know.”The past? What made him think so?I leaned back on my chair and gave him my full attention. “Elaborate.”“When your father, Alpha Daco, and your brothers successfully won the battle against the rogues, the Rogues didn’t attack us for revenge. Why wait for a year before they attacked us?”I remembered that. For decades, the Rogues and the kingdom had been fighting at the border to claim the Withered Hinterland, which was rich in Blood Cress and Mountain Mace—the golden herbs fo
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 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