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 POVMy heart was pounding fast and loud, so much so that it almost felt like it would burst out of my chest any second.His hazel eyes stared down at my brown eyes, almost capturing my soul in the process, and melting my strength made my legs feel weak.Oh, damn, how could he have this much effect on me?He tilted his head and looked at me seriously as he spoke in his deep voice, “Elena Dooley. This is the battlefield, it’s no place for you.”My breathing hitched. I knew that I wasn’t an official warrior despite my background as a Custodes apprentice, but still, the information I have worth every hassle.I stared at his face, which was so familiar and yet so different from how I first saw him at the kingdom’s palace.His sharp jaws were now covered with a long beard, and I could barely see his lips. There’s a gaze on the side of his cheek near his temple, and his hair is tied in the back of his head with a cut fabric.But despite the change in his appearance, his godly face co
Elena’s POVStaring at his mesmerizing eyes took my breath away, especially considering how close we were to each other right now.As if he knew his effect on me, he let out a smug smirk before he sat back down from his seat and pushed a cup of tea toward me. “Here, this will relax your nerves.”Finally, I could breathe, but I looked at him calculatively as I felt his words had two meanings.Shaking those thoughts away, I accepted it. “Thank you, Prince Deacon.”I lifted it to my lips and let the correct temperature of the tea and tasted its fresh but sweet and sour taste lingered on my tongue while I watched his turn into complete blackness.He’s mind-linking someone.Curious, I opened my link as well and listened.“Prepare some food and send it to my barrack.”My brows furrowed in both confusion and shock as I placed down my half-finished tea.When his eyes turned back to its beautiful, mesmerizing hazel eyes, I asked, “Are you not going to ask for the King’s reinforcement? You have
Elena’s POVI looked at him sheepishly and just laughed my embarrassment off, hoping he’d forget about this soon enough.Just in time, though, one of the warriors came with a wooden basket filled with food and placed it down on the table.“Do you need anything else, Prince?” he asked as he put two canteen bottles of water in front of us.“No,” he simply replied and raised his hand as a gesture that he could leave.The warrior gave us a small bow before he turned and left.“Do you eat this kind of food?” he asked while unpacking the things from the basket.Leaning in, I took a closer look, and a smile formed on my lips as I saw the familiar delectable foods especially made for battles for both convenience and nutrients.There were four kinds of MRE in there, which was an abbreviation for Meal Ready-to-Eat foods. Basically, it’s a small pouch containing one meal. If you dip it in water, the self-heating pad inside it will activate, and it will cook by itself within minutes.And voila, t
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