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{Cayden’s POV}.I felt pain all over the areas of my being— it felt like all the bones inside my body were crushed and all my muscles were torn. But then none of the intensity of the pain could be compared to the intensity of the panic that was tearing through me.Isla.I tore my eyes open to see a very smokey sky. The rain was pouring down in bits but then when I looked around, I realized that a more threatening force was at play. Lava.I hadn’t been daydreaming when I saw the mountain erupt Lava while I had been fighting the Lycan King.We were on a damn Volcano. And the Lava was creeping fast.I pushed myself up to rest on my knees, driving wide eyes around the steaming areas around me as dread gripped my lungs. I hoped nothing had happened to her. I would kill myself if otherwise.My heart started racing faster when, after a moment of looking around, all I could see was Lava and more Lava.I knew Isla had redirected the Lycan King and fought him but now I couldn’t see any of the
{Cayden’s POV}.A campfire was lit and we four gathered around it, but only two of us were conscious… and that broke my heart.I just wish they would wake up. It’s been a day already. I stared at Daniel and he stared back at me before driving his gaze away. We only had each other for our entertainment but we had been instead staring at each other for the past hour because of one fact. We were both quarter naked.And it was uncomfortable. Very.Daniel had sacrificed most of his clothes to make sure Andrea was warm due to the rain and cold that had soaked into her during our battle with the Lycan King, and I had done the same for Isla to keep her warm also. We had done this since their clothes were more battered and soaked. So two guys— two pals, sitting close to each other at a campfire, almost completely naked wasn’t a very comfortable scene to sketch. I mean, I was just a better-angle away from seeing his dick. I didn’t want that.“You were right.” Daniel said, breaking the silence
{Isla’s POV}.I had woken up to find out that I was alive— if that makes any sense.But then I had gone from feeling relieved for being alive to feeling not so happy about being alive because I had looked at my left arm to see a really big scar. I thought I was recovering fine but then the wound from a missing piece doesn’t just heal on its own. So I had spent the night crying in Cayden’s embrace. But then this morning, the sun rose up to give me a clearer view of the outfit everyone was putting on— especially Daniel and Cayden. They looked like Cavemen with their almost almost-naked outfit and the fact that they were very uncomfortable around each other made it way funnier.They had given up their clothes for Andrea and me so that we would be warm but it didn’t stop us from occasionally laughing at them.“Let me help you.” Andrea said as she glued herself to my left side.“I’m fine, Andrea. I can walk.” I told her, turning to smile warmly at her.“But you’ve been unconscious for so
{Isla’s POV}.“There wasn’t much of him left by the time I carried you up. He was closer to the Lava so he was burnt first. But then some of the burns exposed your Ulna bone in the Lycan King’s body, making it stick out, and for some divine reason, it was still intact— blackened but intact.” Cayden said.I took the Ulna bone from him and stared at it for a while and tears glossed up my eyes as I did. I recalled the frightening decision I had made and recalled the following pain that had struck me when I had uprooted a bone from my arm, and I didn’t know why it made me emotional now.Maybe it was because I was already beginning to accept the fact that my left arm was going to be crippled for life and now I was suddenly being told that that might not be true.“Hey.” Cayden said gently as he rested a comforting hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him to see an encouraging look on his face and then I forced a smile. “Thank you.” I told him and then he smiled gently too and nodded.“But I
{Isla’s POV}.My heart rate picked up and I started breathing fast now.I was finally back home. It made me a bit nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. And it also made me angry. The Palace was in complete ruins and it broke my heart that what my father and his father before him had suffered to maintain and conserve was now crumbled to the ground because of the stupid greed of Lycans.The Lycan King was dead but I now wished I could see one more Lycan and kill him three times— keep tearing him into bits until I can no longer tear further. I needed someone to dump this anger on.“Hey.” I heard a warm deep voice beside me and I turned to see Cayden’s blue eyes pouring down on me. “Take it easy. You’re home and everything is fine— everything will be fine.” He said and I realized how hard I was breathing. Even my claws were thrown out— the claws on my right hand. My left-hand claws weren’t controllable as my left hand was dormant, wrapped in thick cloth that went around my neck
{Isla’s POV}.The heart chant of ‘LONG LIVE THE QUEEN’ echoed in my chest and faded in the background as I went further into the Palace. As the Queen, I’ve had the worst welcome ever to the Palace— that day when my mum had slapped me upon my return. But today. Today was just perfect, the best welcome I could dream of— my mother bowed to me and the people adored me. I couldn’t be more grateful. I walked into the Palace wiping off endless streams of tears from my eyes. I was just stricken with so much emotion that I couldn’t control. I had been filled with dread coming here with the idea of chaos and sadness in my mind, but being here now and seeing that the people were all alright and happy made me happy. Very.“Let it all out.” My mother said calmly, squeezing my hand gently as we strolled inside. I sniffed and smiled at her.The Palace was crumbled around every axis but some hallways and buildings were still standing and only damaged property-wise. And fortunately for me, my Cham
{Isla’s POV}.I said those words and the entire hall flew up in harsh murmuring. I didn’t know what they were talking about but I could feel the tension rise. Some strong guards immediately left to go to the dungeons to fetch the offenders and just then, I felt Cayden’s presence— Cora and Niwei alerted me.>> Damn. Our mate is hot >I heard the voices of my wolves as they adored Cayden and I had to remind myself they were there— I have to get used to their presence. With their utterance, my eyes fell on Cayden as he quietly made his way through the crowd and their raging chattering. From his movements, it was obvious that he didn’t want to be noticed and he continued that way until he got to the front where he joined the other Generals standing at the side.He didn’t know my eyes were on him.I smiled at his behavior.I wanted him to be noticed. While we waited for the crooks to be brought out, I continued staring at Cayden and he didn’t notice as he wa
{Isla’s POV}.Ivanka was standing before me, bleeding from her mouth and abdomen and I stared at her in shock and disbelief. I had impulsively clawed her— with my left arm.The guards immediately rushed over to subdue her from making any further advances, but she was seemingly subdued by my blow as my hand had dug deeply into her abdomen, disarranging her organs and creating a gaping wound now. I stared at her as she bled to her death, but then my eyes trailed back to my arm, my left arm— the one I thought to be disabled. I looked at its bloodstained length and studied the stitches Artuhla had made when she inserted my Ulna back and then I noticed that my claws were out. I had grown them.Ivanka was busy choking on her own blood while I was busy staring at my arm because I couldn’t make sense of what had just happened. I tried to move my fingers now and after a brief moment, there was a twitch… and then my fingers moved.I sighed heavily in relief and delight.Cayden touched my shou
{Isla’s POV}I was robed in a very elegant dress, and the dress was beautiful this time because my belly wasn’t 30 centimeters big anymore. It was coming down to its normal size.It was the break of dawn, since I had spent the rest of last night giving birth, and the sunrise was beautiful. I stood now, watching it from my Chamber’s east window, and just then, I felt a hand trail around my waist before I took in the calling scent of my mate and father of my child.His scent and the scent of our Son were my two most familiar scents in the world. I’m still getting used to the latter since he only just arrived a few hours ago— but I’m getting used to it fast.“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I asked Cayden, staring at the overlying colors of red, orange, and blue clothing in the skies as the sun rose.“It sure is.” Cayden responded, his voice sweet and gentle. “But it can never match your beauty, my Queen.” He added and I blushed violet.“Well, I know someone who is more stunning than me and t
{Isla’s POV}I groaned and then I struggled to push my eyelids open. It was weighty but I overcame it and became conscious to a piercing sound ringing near my ears.… and then I realized it sounded like a baby. At once, my eyes stretched wide open and I threw my gaze in the direction of the sound to see Cayden sitting before me, carrying what I suspected in his arms.A Cub. Seeing it, I became aware of the pressure on my finger and I looked to see that the Cub was holding my finger. I promptly looked back at Cayden, wanting to get some sort of clarification from him.He smiled warmly at me and leaned in to kiss me deeply on my forehead. I closed my eyes as he did so.“I was never going to let you leave me.” He said with tears in his eyes as he pulled away and then he gently handed me the baby. “Meet our Son.”A wave of warmth swept over my body as I motioned to carry the baby. I felt very weak all around my body but grabbing hold of the baby seemed to revitalize me. And make me emo
{Cayden’s POV}The rhythmic sound of an infantile cry filled the room and the moment I rested my eyes on our Cub, I froze completely.It was pink, breathing and crying. It was real.The Midwives carried the Cub happily and came close to me. “My King, It’s a boy.” One of them announced as they attempted to hand him over to me but then I was unresponsive. It was hard to move a muscle and I could only just stare.The Midwives proceeded to talk to me but then their voices sounded muffled to my hearing and it felt like the world had faded behind me. It felt like it was now only I, the baby, and Isla that were in the room— the family I had created. And I stared between both of them and tears glossed up my eyes. I was scared.But then I was…I was happy. Very happy.I couldn’t believe that this moment was real.I had a son.I finally had a child… with the woman I loved. I finally started my own family. “Your Majesty!”“My King!” I kept hearing them call me with their seemingly muffled vo
{Isla’s POV}I felt my blood pressure rise and its volume pushing against my veins as the maids and Midwives surrounded me in their attempt to lead me to my Chambers.But then Cayden offered to carry me and he did but he immediately put me down as I let out another piercing cry. Carrying me made it worse.It felt like my groin was tearing apart.My water broke and tension swept into our midst. But I still preferred to walk.And so, planting my arms on the shoulders of a midwife on my left and Cayden on my right, I painfully started strolling. The entire Hall of Blissful Lovers was dead quiet now as they all stared in my direction and I knew that this occurrence had successfully put, on hold, every after-party or post-celebration that was to happen.I didn’t want that.My mum and the rest of my General family rushed from the crowd to meet me now, and when they got us, they visibly panicked seeing my pain-stricken face. My mum immediately ran to me. “Isla!” She voiced. “Are you—”I gn
{Isla’s POV}The Divine bliss.That unearthly feeling… It poured on the Reigns as the Full moon poked itself through the Reignile Skies into visibility. It was magnificent.It was powerful and I could just feel its empyrean effect throughout the stretch of my body. Wolves started howling as fated mates found one another. I immediately turned to Daniel and Andrea to find out that they hadn’t marked each other yet. They didn’t need to…They were mates— fated mates! Fate had divinely bound them together!The Moon goddess does pay attention. “They are fated to each other!” I screamed and jumped. My mum and Cayden looked at me smiling beautifully too.“Yes, they are.” Cayden said with an obvious elation in his voice.“Which is no surprise. The moon goddess knows the right souls to pair, and Daniel and Andrea look right for each other.” My mother contributed and stroked my back comfortingly.I couldn’t stop smiling and staring at them as they hugged each other now. It was beautiful and t
{Isla’s POV}As I had calculated, there was still time for Andrea to do everything she wanted on my skin and my claws. After having a bout of entertainment— going to the dungeons and killing that Butcher Cunt, sitting in that make-up chair for a few more hours wasn’t so bad. I didn’t feel that bored anymore, and in less time than I expected, Andrea was done.I was in my beautiful Royal maternity dress— which was most importantly comfortable while Andrea was in a purple silk dress— the same one I had worn years ago when I had started this journey of hatred to love and scoff to intimacy. She looked beautiful and I had almost worn my cheeks off smiling at her. We were ready to leave now. It was nighttime and an hour to when the full moon would reveal itself and the moment felt divinely peaceful. But then Cayden arrived and we both had to start acting. — Andrea was not very good at acting or lying so it became an issue when Cayden asked what the two of us had been doing all day asides g
{Isla’s POV}I forced my eyes open and blinked, and then I realized I was in the Royal Clinic.I immediately shot up to a sitting position to look at my belly. It was still huge and there was no blood anywhere. I sighed. “Hey hey.” A deep voice said and Cayden gripped me comfortingly. I turned to him with a look of relief. “It’s okay. You’re okay. You just got dizzy and fainted so we had to bring you here.” He said and he pulled me into his arms and hugged me. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” He apologized.“Mh-hmm.” I wrapped lazy arms around him and hugged him back and then he kissed me on the forehead afterwards. “Your Mum and Andrea…” He started to say but then the people in question stormed into the room just then. “Isla…” My mum rushed towards us and stole me away from Cayden’s clinch. “Are you okay?” She cupped my cheeks and ran her gaze around my body.“Yes, mum. I’m fine.” I said to her and she sighed.“We brought you food.” She said as she placed a plate of some vegetables and
{Isla’s POV}It was now two days to the Night of the Full Mating Moon and preparations were heavily ongoing. This would be one of the biggest celebrations for a full Mating moon night so we had to make a lot of preparations and provisions.During the Last Full Mating Moon, the Reigns was in turmoil and there was bloodshed due to the Lycans’ attack, and so the natural process of being mated had been disrupted, meaning fated mates couldn’t conveniently meet each other and establish their union. So this next Full Moon which was just a few days away now was more like a combined ceremony— a re-celebration for those that had been mated last time and a mating Ceremony for those who were about to be mated this time around.So it was going to be wildly amazing with a huge love-filled crowd, but the best part?My best friend was going to be part of that crowd.I’ve hugged Andrea like a thousand times before now. And it would have been up to a million if Shrilly wasn’t always coming to interrupt
{Isla’s POV}[Several months Later]Over the past few months, life has proved that having Cayden in my life as lover and King would make things better. The first time Cayden replaced me to go and hunt down the Rogue Lycans, we were only halfway into our feast when reports came back that Cayden had caught the Pilfers— yes, I had sent some guards to monitor the process.Not that I didn’t trust Cayden but it had been my first time completely letting go of my responsibilities for another person to handle. So I had been really worried and couldn’t help but pry. But as expected, Cayden had effortlessly trashed and captured the Rogue Lycans and he’s been doing so ever since. We had tried several times to squeeze more information from these captured Rogue Lycans regarding where their other gang settlements were but it had been in vain. They preferred to be tortured and wounded rather than talk, so we had to carry on with our blind hunt for the rest. But then, the amazing part was that I di