Ariana walked down the long aisles behind Trenton, who led her to her parents’ new house. Although she wondered if she should really go to them, especially when Daniel reminded her of them remodeling their new house. She wasn’t even sure if they would have a place to sit.
“Here it is.” Trenton stopped in front of a slender, two-story house. From the outside, the house looked ordinary. It fits in stylishly with the entire street. Simple pastel shutters and flower pots on the windowsills, currently without flowers. It was obvious no one had really lived in the house for a long time. Ariana saw a set of windows that her mother hadn’t washed yet. She couldn’t see inside through them. The windows on the second floor were wide open. This marked the ongoing reconstruction of the second floor. According to Ariana’s assumption, her parents first wanted to restore the
Leaving her parents’ new home, Ariana made her way to the tavern she passed as Trenton led her to the house. The tavern was not far. It was basically right next to the house, exactly as Daniel had described. Just a little walk down the street.“Hello. What will you have, lafdi?” Ariana had to control herself a lot not to laugh. The young woman’s speech reminded her of the speech of the farmers who came to the town to sell their crops. The last word Ariana didn’t even understand. She didn’t know what the girl told her. The first part, including the greetings Ariana could decipher, thanks to being partially used to this kind of language.“Do you have lemonade?” Ariana asked her, hoping she could drink something cold. Spring started only a few weeks ago but the weather today was warmer than she woul
Ariana wasn’t quite sure what to do. She could not endanger her unborn child, so fighting the girl was out of the question. As they exited the tavern and made their way straight away from the inn, Ariana became confused. They didn’t go back to the castle, nor did they go towards her parents’ house, where she could discreetly signal her father. They just went deeper into the smaller backside aisles.“Where are you taking me?” Ariana wanted to know. She kept her emotions under control and tried to think rationally. There had to be a way out of this mess, but she hadn’t seen it yet.“It is not important. Smile nicely and nothing will happen to you.” The young woman replied in a low tone. All the while, she subtly looked back to see if anyone was following them. She felt someone’s eyes on her, but sh
“Did you really think you would run away with my child?” Ariana got goosebumps all over her body just hearing his voice. The sharp tone radiated the anger boiling within him. Ariana couldn’t tell if she was in imminent danger or not. She still hoped he wouldn’t harm her, purely because of the child. A young woman lying at her feet with a broken neck gave her some hope.“Your child? As far as I know, you rejected me. The moment you renounced our bond, you lost any claim to my child. This child is mine”. Ariana was careful not to let the information about the baby’s gender slip out of her mouth. She didn’t want Marcus to know she was expecting a girl. In the depths of her soul, she hoped for Daniel to arrive soon. She had to believe it. She simply had no other way out of this situation.“I see cour
“Escort his people back to the border. I don’t want to see any of them in our territory.” Daniel gave a direct order to his general, Trenton.“You can’t be serious. We should execute them on the spot. What do you plan to do with the Lycan king?” David Parker, the minister of war, used a sharp tone against his king.“Of course I’ll let him go. What can I do now?” Daniel answered him calmly, although he absolutely did not like David’s aggressive tone.Daniel did not want to start an open conflict so close to his capital. He had enough warriors inside the city to handle a single Lycan, but Daniel didn’t know how many of his men Marcus had nearby. Although Marcus faced him alone in the forest and there was no sign of his people within fi
“How do you feel? Are you feeling better?” As soon as Ariana opened her eyes, he was at her side in an instant, wanting to know how she was doing. She was exhausted. There was no doubt about that, but he wanted to know if Marcus had hurt her in any way.“I am OK. At least I think so. What about the young woman?” Ariana wanted to know about the girl who ambushed her in the tavern and led her out of town.“She belonged to a group of smugglers. They transport goods across borders. Especially the goods that I have forbidden to export. I assume she got an offer from one of Marcus’ people. These people will usually do anything for money. We have been trying to get rid of them for several years, but they are like rats in the sewers. We can’t find their smuggling routes. I know about that trail in the mountains, but
“You wanted to tell me something earlier, but your parents interrupted us,” Daniel reminded Ariana of her unspoken request. Ariana had to think for a moment to remember what this was all about. It didn’t take long for her thoughts to turn back to the moment she was in the infirmary with only him.“I would like to ask you for a teacher.” Ariana gave no explanation. Daniel didn’t know which teacher she meant. He couldn’t decipher what exactly she wanted.“Probably several teachers. As I said before, we are not an aristocratic family. Although I only have the usual education from school, I am not suited to be your queen with the knowledge of the world I have now. Furthermore, you can probably imagine the manner in which teaching is carried out in schools in a country that preaches strong Lycan propaganda.
“I won’t let you do that. Are you crazy?" Hearing Ariana’s request, Tanya was filled with horror. She looked at her with utter horror in her eyes. It had been several days since she had last talked to Ariana about the pregnancy, and she hadn’t had a chance to fully explain to Ariana the rules she would have to follow. As her pregnancy progresses and the baby grows, Ariana will be more and more confined to bed if she does not want to endanger her life or that of her baby. “Why? So far, my belly is still small. I can move without restriction.” Ariana insisted. She wanted to avoid another incident like the one she experienced yesterday. If she knew even basic self-defense, the young woman would never have gained such dominance over her. She could stand up to her with confidence and get out of the situation before it became dire. “Because the child you are expecting is not a wolf, but a Lycan. If you want to endanger yourself or your child, do whatever you want. Otherwise, it’s probably
“You don’t need to be sorry for everything you do. Since I arrived here, you have treated me nothing but nicely and with care and love. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for being such a nuisance and a child. But I promise I’ll change that. I’ll become worthy of standing by your side, be your support and be your queen,” Ariana whispered silently as she blushed at such boldness. She literally named herself his future queen, although they hadn’t discussed their mating yet. They were on the stage of getting to know each other, yet Ariana took the initiative and technically accepted their bond for both.“Should I take it as your agreement to become my mate?” Daniel couldn’t hide the excitement which erupted upon hearing her words. His dream finally came closer. Much closer than he ever expected it would be.