As Annie shifted her eyes between us, a teasing glint in them, her lips quirked in an amused smile. “Do you two need some privacy?”
“No!” We both yelled in unison, my cheeks flaming red. What possessed me to jump into his arms like that? I was overjoyed about Axel choosing me over Angel. Something was wrong with me.
I shyly stared at the carpeted floor, my legs pressed together.
“Lana…”Annie’s voice made my head snap, a fond look on her face. “I am happy to know that you are taking an interest in combat. You have all my support. Your late father-in-law used to encourage the omega's active participation in training. Sadly not many of them took advantage of it.”
&
I gaped at her, tongue feeling heavy in my mouth at the lies she spewed. Angel was an instigator. That’s all I could think about while standing in the middle of the room. My arms crossed together, the tip of heels tapping impatiently as I saw her latch onto Axel.The Alpha, however, appeared taken back and uncomfortable. Or so I thought by the grimace on his features and almost freezing on the spot with hands hanging by side awkwardly. At my intense stare, he pushed himself away, clearing his throat.It made my lips twitch.“W-What is going on here?” He asked, resting his back against the wall while eyeing the sweater.
As the chill blasted inside, my toes curled, a shiver running down my spine. Tilting my head, I peeked at the closed window, mouth twisting. What was the sudden change in temperature? Automatically my arms wrapped around the upper body, squeezing them.“Here…” I blinked while staring at the heavy jacket in Axel’s hand, not any jacket but the one he sported seconds ago. His gaze burned into my skin, unabashed and sincere as he held it. “Take it.”“Uh…”“I can see that you are cold.”“No, thank you!” I clenched my jaw, lips quivering from the sudden onslaught of chill.
The day I dreaded the most—our reception ceremony arrived, and I couldn’t be more jittery if possible. It’s probably the nerves; I thought that morning. My food remained untouched in front of me, what felt like rocks sitting heavy in the pit of my belly, preventing me from doing more than nibbling a thing or two. To deviate from the apparent tension in my body, I leaned and started flipping through newspaper lying on the coffee table. It was a halfhearted attempt, my eyes going to the clock over the mantle every few seconds. “Will you be eating the rest of your breakfast, Your Highness?” One of the maids asked, looking over her shoulder as she began folding my clothes. I kept chewing on the bottom lip; I barely managed to give her a grunt.
That last one made my teeth grind, but I paid no mind, head held high, shoulders squared as I confidently walked. Amy did her job anyway, sending all of them nasty looks on my behalf. She was something else.As I reached the bottom, the maids serving around scampered to my side, bowing down. There were few familiar faces, the staff I saw daily but apart from that, I had no idea who the other half was.“Princess Lana.”I turned curiously to see an older Alpha staring at me with a raised brow; his hand folded back. He radiated an aura of arrogance and power, a blank look on his face."Well, it is about time that we can put
My knees wobbled at the sight of Alpha Axel standing by the railing, basking in the moonlight. It made him look ethereal, sharp and glowing. I closed my eyes and bit on the lip, savouring the baritone I could not admit I had missed. Looking up, I met those lovely green eyes for a second before letting out a sigh.“Please leave me alone, Alpha.”The rough tenor was enough to raise the hair on the back of my neck; head bowed down. “I am afraid I am incapable of doing that.”He cleared his throat, letting out a cough as if he realised how odd that sounded. “I meant it’s my place of solace too. As I said, the gardens are lovely.”The smell of rich leather and his natural musk hit me as he cl
Exhaling through my nose, I stayed hidden against the pillar for a long time until Lauren found me. She informed me that my mother in law was trying to find me. That was my cue to stop sneaking and finally face the crowd gathered in the room.I ran a hand over my gown before putting on a smile, taking dainty strides in the direction of the Luna. Her face broke out in a wide grin upon seeing me, opening her arms.“There she is!” She cheerfully said, patting my side. “Lana, I want to introduce you to this pretty lady here.”“Oh! I am sorry I danced with….”“I saw that! You both make a great couple!”
Athea dropped me off after our shopping trip with a promise to see me as soon as I came back from the trip. As much as I wanted to invite my new friend in and continue our fascinating conversation, I had plans with Axel. We were supposed to visit the rogues staying outside the border in the afternoon.The guards standing by the doors rushed to unload all the shopping bags, keeping a neutral face. I was beyond excited as Athea made me visit all the trendy boutiques on the high street. As the sister of the beta, she was well known, and everyone greeted her with a polite smile.While I stepped into the living hall, my eyes fell on Angel. She was lavishly sitting on the couch, her legs crossed together and a china tea tray in front.
I held my ground, trying not to feel conscious about the Alpha being in the same room. Taking a few more breaths, I ran my fingers through damp hair, cringing as they plopped on my forehead. All effort that went into washing and styling it was down the drain. Only if Amy could see my current condition she’d start freaking out. Before anyone of us could break the suffocating silence that settled over us, an omega pushed at the door, her figure hunched and wearing that similar cloth over her head. She had a firm and severe look, bowing her head slightly, and it was painfully bizarre to be on the other end of this gesture, knowing it’s forced. “T-These are