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 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
Elena’s POVI sat in there, in front of Deacon, utterly dumbfounded and stoned on my seat while looking at him blankly, trying to process what I heard from him as I couldn’t believe my own ears.Did he say what I think he said?He never ceased to surprise me, making me feel all kinds of emotions I never felt before, but this was the first time I actually felt like I was at a complete loss for words.“I… ahh…” I stuttered, not knowing how to reply.In the end, I could only blink a couple of times in disbelief and uttered in pure shock, “What?”With my heart still pounding in my chest and oxygen seemingly being pulled from my lungs, I let out an awkward laugh filled with disbelief.Shaking my head and crossing my arms in a subconscious move to keep my emotions safe from these butterflies he’s giving my stomach, I commented, “You can’t be serious, Deacon. You and I…”Pointing at him and me back and forth, I continued, “We… we barely knew each other before this war.”I admit he brought me
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