I never spent a lazy morning in bed for no particular reason, especially not in the last couple of years. If my memory served me right, I faintly remember having the flu as a pup and sleeping through mornings. At the moment, I don’t think I could ever muster up the strength to slip out from underneath the scented, warm sheets. My body was heavy yet weightless, and a pleasant ache stuck to my limbs.
I didn’t have the strength to detach my legs from Axel, my pointy cold toes brushing along his bare ankles, or untangle an arm laying heavily on my waist. My eyes fluttered, realising we were tangled together again, my head resting on his chest, hearing the solid and steady heartbeat right against my ear.
Each thud was like a nail in the coffin of my common sense.
At the sound of steady, approaching footsteps, my eyes widened, turning to where the sound came from. The Alpha let out a furious snarl, his lips pressing against my jaw, tongue teasing the skin there. I gaped at that, expecting him to pull away, but Axel continued his sinful behaviour.“A-Alpha, stop,” I whispered in a low tone, worry gnawing at my insides, scandalised at the thought of being caught again. The obvious embarrassment from last time was still etched in my memory.“My Luna? Are you still there?”It’s Maria. I could recognise that voice amidst the hissing of trees and the howling of wind around us. Oh no. I cannot let the poor omega find us in such a position. 
/Axel’s POV/Embarrassment clouded my face as soon as she pointed it out. I tried my best to appear unfazed by the scrutiny of her stare, back straightwhile legs pulled together. Turning the file, I cleared my throat.“That is a new method to read…you must be unaware of it, Princess Lana.”I mentally scoffed at my excuse, wishing the carriage to drive off the cliff.“Oh really?” She said in a mocking tone, an arrogant tilt of her lips as she stared blankly into my eyes. It’s silly, but I could not avert my stare, a frisson of heat forming inside.
As the carriage neared the fashion street, the green of the Castle faded into the bustling, concrete, narrow streets. Although it took quite some time for us to navigate the way, my dear friend Athea. She had kept all conversation about on dits from the ton and various other nonsensical gossips I did not bother with. The omega had been impatient to spend time with me and bought her family carriage for us to travel. We walked arm in arm on our way to the boutique. It was one of the most classy, high-class shops nestled on the elite side of the town with glass doors and a guard at the main gate.My head whirled most pleasantly as we slid through, inhaling an essence of rose and vanilla. “What do you think?” “It’s certainly something.”Athea was here to get a dress for her cousin’s birthday. She wanted me to tag along so we could explore the street together and have lunch. A stranger's movement from the corner caught my eye as I looked up from Athea’s words. Upon further inspection,
/Axel's POV/There's a panic curling around in my chest; a lump lodged in my throat. I was close to the edge, but it was not the time for me to be melodramatic. Though I had no idea where and how to begin, I was so out of depth that I was this close to completely losing it. Digging my fingers into my sides, I looked up at the dark, hunched-over figure in front of me. "I-I d-don't...What are you saying, Jade?"She went still for a few seconds, but I saw the dark eyes sharpen and narrow. "You can see for yourself.""Huh?""I got a special crystal, my lord.""What do I have to do?""Stand in front of it and keep looking at the glass...""Okay."Leaning down, I held my breath as the witch produced a white crystal in front, steadying it. I exhaled, feeling the throbbing between my temples slowly but steadily move down my throat. "Keep your eyes focused, drown out all the noises..." Jade's voice got lowered, a haze surrounding us as she shut off all windows and doors, making the room dimm
The tremor in Ethan's voice threw me off, but he was so honest as he stared. I stilled, at the loss of words, until the Alpha commander grabbed at my wrist, not thinking about his bold actions. He made me sit on the old, shaky bench before nudging me. “I-I swear, Lana. They changed into this different colour…it’s not only your eyes, but you overpowered me back there...”“Okay…” I sank my teeth into the plush of my bottom lip, hands coming wrapped around my upper body. Why was he saying all these things?“You have no idea your eyes do that?” The genuine confusion in his voice caused my shoulders to sag. I looked at the ground instead, my bare toes digging in the sand. “You know this is not normal, right? I have never seen it happen with one of our kind ever.”Something heavy settled in the pit of my stomach, heart thudding as I lifted my head to stare at him. My voice raised unknowingly, “Uh…What do you mean? Am I not normal?”“N-No…No, that’s not what I am saying, but maybe we shoul
/Axel's POV/I palmed at my temples, sagging in the seat, when the doors of my study burst through. Straightening in my chair, I noticed Alpha David Walters, the royal advisor, and my mother's step brother walk in, a vein ticking in his forehead. He came to stand a few inches away from the table. "Axel, do you know your officers are being investigated right now?"I blinked at him. My beta was making rounds in finding the culprit responsible behind holding information. Ever since I returned from the trip, their words kept playing in my head. Those tribals walked barefoot to deliver their messages and seek help, only for my people to turn them down. "Good afternoon to you too. And yes, I believe so.""And you are condoning this?""Alpha David..." I cleared my throat, hands coming to clasp together on the table. "Yes. I am sure that my people are hiding things from me.""That's preposterous!" He spat, hands falling by his side. "Who is spreading such malicious rumours, Axel? Your peopl
It took us almost an hour to reach the castle gate, a lot of stops and go with my nerves all over. Eventually, I was able to settle into the horse's slow, easy gait, my hips rocking rhythmically with every step. Not only that, but Axels scent helped along the way, making me dig my nails into the flesh of my thighs.A forbidden territory. I reminded myself while looking ahead. So to distract my train of thoughts, I made easy conversation during the Alpha us along the outside of the castle wall towards the beach."Do you do this every month?"There was silence from his side, the sound of his heart the only thing echoing back. I held my breath, waiting for the Alpha to answer.He cleared his throat. "Mhm...It's a tradition my father started, and I want to keep it alive."Oh. Makes sense. They have a large number of population for this very reason. Looking after your people is one of the primary duties of the Pack Alpha. Maybe if my uncle kept that in mind, our people would be just as hap
/Abel’s POV/It's warmer, the sun strong on my back as I lead the horses along the narrow alley. From the corner of my eyes, I saw that Lana settled into William’s rhythm quicker than she had initially, leaning into him and swaying with ease.The pathway was full of lively sounds, of the quiet hum of life, followed by the splash of creek water around the horses' hoofs, the rustle of the bushes as the rabbits and tiny creatures scampered out of sight.It didn’t take us long to locate the pack members standing on either side, their faces gleaming. A chorus of whispers rang in my ears, their eyes taking Lana’s appearance. She didn’t even deter, raising her chin in the air. Of course. Princess Lana was not an ordinary omega; having been born into royalty, she must be used to this. “Good afternoon.” I greeted the over-enthusiastic crowd, waving at them while the omega followed my action. My eyes were trained on the back of her head, watching as she gripped tightly onto the saddle. “I am