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
Glenda’s POV“This is absurd. We brought these warriors, and now I’m supposed to step back and let Elena lead them. After everything we did to get in her as fast as possible?” I complained to Bryson as soon as we got out of the main tent and got further enough to know the Prince wouldn’t hear me.How come that unworthy, overprivileged, weak she-wolf like Elena would command my troops and me? I couldn’t accept it!If it weren’t for her father and her brothers, no one would even look at her, let alone know her name!“Bryson, say something!” I demanded as I shook his arm when I noticed that he wasn’t paying attention to my words.When he finally looked up, I added, “This can’t be happening! We’ve been through so much in the South, it’s unacceptable for them to just brush us off to the side!”“Calm down, Babe,” he uttered in a calm and sweet voice as he swung his arm around my shoulder and landed a kiss on my temple. “It’s the Prince’s command. We can’t do anything about it. This is the N
Elena’s POVBefore I knew it, I already lost count of the glasses I drank. Luckily, Prince Deacon only gave me a wine, and the fact that I wasn’t drunk after all that made me realize that it only had a low alcohol level.Narrowing my eyes, I looked at him to scold him, but then I was gritted by his dimmed eyes filled with fury and his fingers with stains of blood on them.“What happened?” Panic coursed through my body. Hurriedly, I leaned forward and grabbed his hand, examining his fingers.But when I lifted up his hand, I found that the side of the armrest of the chair he was sitting on was chipped.I was so drawn into expressing my pain and burden to him that I didn’t think of how it might have affected him. He must have been angry upon hearing about all the mishaps I’ve experienced, considering how righteous he was.Feeling guilty, I grabbed my handkerchief and wiped off the blood from his fingers to find that it had already healed. Indeed, he’s a Lycan, healing way faster than wer
Deacon’s POVElena and I stayed in that position for a while. I let her cry every single tear she had been withholding back for as long as she had tried to, even at the expense of drenching my shirt.My heart clenched as I heard her cry as if I was as heartbroken as she was. If only I could share half of her pain, I’d do so in a heartbeat. No… I’d even take all of it for her.Once she felt better and loosened her hold on me, I stood up and took off my shirt, not minding that I was now shirtless. After all, it was normal for male werewolves to be shirtless, especially during training.Having six brothers with her as she grew up, I’m sure she’s very used to it already.I opened one of the boxes on the corner of the tent and dug deep for the finest wines in there, along with two wine glasses. Sitting on her opposite side, I filled the glasses and handed one to her.“Thank you… I sure needed this,” she forced a smile after letting out a small joke that was obviously a half-truth.As she s
Elena’s POVThough Bryson and Glenda had their arms linked together, Bryson managed to delay his step for half a second, just enough time for him to cast one last glance back at me.Something in my heart flickered as I saw regret in his eyes before he vanished from my sight.Don’t be stupid, Elena!I wanted to smack and scold myself for feeling a fierce pain jolting in my heart whenever I encounter Bryson.He betrayed me, and I had already rejected him, and together with that was my vow to bury every last bit of my feelings for him. I freed him and myself the second I divorced him, which was why it frustrate me inside whenever I felt pain in my heart whenever I see him.“Of course, whether you want it or not, he became a part of us, and once upon a time, we loved him,” Ava reasoned.I blocked her out without wanting to hear Ava’s logical and truthful explanation.When the doors closed, Deacon approached me, his eyes searching my face with surprising tenderness.Though Bryson and Glend
Elena’s POVGlenda froze as her words were caught in her throat upon feeling Prince Deacon’s powerful aura that demanded submission. Like the rest of us, there was no doubt that she felt that chilling sensation that crept to our spine, and hers would have been far worse as it was directed to her. Eventually, she could only look away, silent for once, probably realizing that its futile for her to argue further.“Listen here, and listen well, Glenda. No matter how many merits you gained through war, there’s no amount of merit in this kingdom you could ever earn to have the privilege to disrespect me nor the King!” Prince Deacon uttered in a chilling voice as his eyes turned a glint of reddish-gold that’s a mark of Lycan wolves.“The King… I never…” she stuttered, as confused as I was.Indeed, Glenda was reckless and boldly retorted to Prince Deacon, but I never heard her badmouth the King—that would be like her asking for a death sentence.Abruptly, Prince Deacon grabbed my wrist and p
Elena’s POVMy gaze froze as my eyes started to grow red, but as I felt my heart clenching with pain and grief, I saw the slight grin that was about to form on Glenda’s lips.Not wanting her to feel any sense of satisfaction, I clenched my fist tightly and helped myself stay calm despite the overwhelming ounce of fury and grievance resurfacing in my heart. Thankfully, Prince Deacon gave me a glance of worry, which kept me straight upon seeing the comfort in his eyes.I could feel the heavy weight as everyone’s gaze fell on me, waiting for my explanation. Taking a deep breath, I held my head high, calmed myself, and kept my breathing steady.Once the storm in me dispersed, I uttered in an unwavering voice, “The rogues that my father and brothers fought here… They didn’t just claim territories. They went back and… massacred my entire family, my pack… everyone.”Though I had to take a pause now and then as flashes of their dead bodies flashed in my mind, I ensured that my voice would rem
Elena’s POVAt first, I was trembling with mixed emotions of anger, pain, and disgust as I watched Bryson and Glenda support each other, especially when I heard Glenda’s intentional remark, which was clearly intended to put me on edge.And I’d be honest, I almost lost my calm after seeing her shamelessness and audacity to ask me such a question.Thankfully, Prince Deacon came to my side. And like these recent days, his touch seemingly had a magic effect on me that always brought me warmth and comfort and kept me on my toes.Straightening my back, I gazed back at Glenda and let out an unbothered smile.“Well, I find it unnecessary to publicly announce such trivial matters, especially when it is I who…” I gave Bryson a quick glance before I smirked, “rejected him.”Turning my gaze back at Glenda, my smirk widened as I pointed out, “Now, there’s no need for me to be so cruel and further implicate damage to your Alpha’s pride by broadcasting it to the entire kingdom, is there?”Satisfacti
Deacon’s POV“Prince Deacon! I, Alpha Bryson, together with General Glenda, greet you! We’re sent here to aid you, feeling honored to be at your disposal,” Bryson said as soon as he came in and kneeled at his one knee, which Glenda followed.I stared at him before I returned his gesture with a curt nod.Upon seeing my response, his face became bitter, but he dared not say anything as he stood back up with Glenda in an attention stance—standing straight, with hands on their sides.As they waited for my words, my eyes shifted to Elena, who was surprisingly not turning around to greet her husband. Instead, she remained standing with her back behind them, and her eyes still focused on the battle map on the table.My eyes narrowed in confusion as I observed her facial expression, which was void of emotion.Did they have a fight? Was that why she was here?It’s clear that they were in some tension, but I could not pinpoint what exactly it was.Knowing only time could tell, I turned back aro
Third Person’s POVIt was already late at night, but King Desmond was still at his office, fully awake and excited as his eyes scanned the latest report sent by the Kingdom’s messenger from the Northern battlefield.His Beta, Jude, stood by his side, feeling the same gladness from the good news they received. All the worries they had felt days ago vanished when they learned that the threat Princess Elena had told them about had been proven to be true.“Excellent! Outstanding!” King Desmond couldn’t help but keep uttering words of praise as he read Prince Deacon and Princess Elena's accomplishments.At first, he couldn’t believe that they managed to handle the Rogue threat on their own and take back one of the important Rogue-controlled cities, which was a vital step in reclaiming the entire northern side of the kingdom.King Desmond excitedly tapped the table and announced, “Remember, as soon as they get back, they shall receive a reward for their bravery and outstanding success!”See