Ajax's POV.I stared as Connor made his not-so-subtle escape, as he clearly had achieved his goal. At least that's what he thinks. I have no idea what he hoped to achieve with these scare tactics. “He's clearly stupid.” I thought.“At least make a decent plan and hide yourself”. I screamed at the top of my voice, not caring whether he heard me or not.Apparently, he did because he stopped suddenly and looked at me. He seemed ready to come over for a fight, and I childishly gestured him towards me.“You broke my window, you idiot. You owe me a new one”. I shouted at him.He remained silent and looked at me for a few more seconds, and then went about his way.I knew I had made an enemy of him, and so soon, I must add. I have barely been able to find my footing in this place, out of the comfort and safety of the palace, and I am already making enemies.“Now I have to clean and barricade this hole”. I muttered to myself, sighing, thinking of the strenuous work ahead of me.I found out I
Jake’s POV I immediately left the house as I found the letter Corey left on my doorstep.“He must’ve come around during the night, he should have just let himself in or wake me up,” I muttered to myself. I wouldn’t have minded him waking me up in the middle of the night as long as he had answers to my questions. The letter said to meet at noon, but I was too impatient to wait around my house, I got to the meeting place and I started pacing around as I waited for Corey. I tend to be foolish when I’m curious, I can’t believe I waited for hours in the middle of nowhere when I could have just waited at my house and stuck to the specified time for the meeting. I saw Corey walking towards me, and the weight on my chest was starting to fall off with each step he took closer. He didn’t seem agitated like me, and I was sure he had information about the palace. We exchanged pleasantries and I immediately went straight to the point. “So?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. He grinned, and I be
Aiden's POV.Hearing Simone declare she had something to share with us made me curious as I stared at her. I wonder if that will require even the presence of Alaric.“It will be nice if Ajax can be present too.” She added.The idea of sharing what she knows with all of us struck me as an excellent one. But the problem here is Ajax. Getting him to return to the palace just to preserve our father's throne seems like an impossible task for anyone to achieve. Besides, no one knows where he is at the moment. He left the palace months ago and never reached out to any of us all this while. I also know I am his least favorite between Alaric and me. Ajax and I had been close as kids, going on numerous adventures. But things started to change when I started noticing how high on his horse he seemed to always be when dealing with me. He always thought he was better than I am as he consistently utilized every given opportunity presented before him to humiliate and ridicule me, privately or other
Alaric's POV.The night of the supermoon is one night where all our werewolf powers become heightened. Occasionally it is very hard to control ourselves, and we tend to go berserk, destroying and clearing out everything in our way. As kids, Ajax, Aiden, and I had fun with it. We were all mischievous in our own little way. We had free rein to do whatever we wanted to do. Father had said it was because we were still literally pups, and so we still had the innocence of youth within us. The most harm or damage we could cause was property damage.In recent memories, from two supermoons ago, everyone's powers had risen exponentially, we had become more aware of our environment, the kind of damage we could cause, and how the consequences and repercussions affected us and everything we did. So we learned to control our powers and learn to use them only when necessary.The cold night air brushed on my skin as if soothing the fire of emotions washing throughout my body.I resolved to get a chai
Ajax’s POV I opened my eyes to the bright light of the sky, I flashed back to my conversation with the 3 wolves I had saved from the wrath of Conor, I couldn’t believe I had agreed to become their Alpha, I was beginning to doubt my decision. “I should have taken a few more days to think about it.” I thought to myself. Their determination and persuasive skills got me off guard and now I have to accept my decisions and figure out how to become a good leader. “Leader, huh, that’s a foreign word.” I mocked myself. I had never imagined being in a position where I would’ve to call the shots, I was starting to realize that I had hidden under the wings of Aiden and Alaric for too long. Although I detested how confident and self-acclaimed Aiden was, deep down I was glad he was willing to take most of the responsibilities of the palace. Now I wonder if letting him do all that was the best thing for me. I was selfish, but I couldn’t admit it back then, staying on the sidelines was what, I
Alaric's POV.“We?” Zelda asked, obviously surprised I had mentioned talking in front of her.“Yes, all of us. This concerns all of us, unfortunately, and thus, my reason for being here” I replied.Zelda looked disappointed after I had responded to her question. She looked like she was expecting me to say something different. Deep down, I knew what she wanted to hear, but I wasn't about to give her the satisfaction of pulling one over me. At least, not this time. I am only here with them in the same room with a serious matter in my mind. Aiden, misreading the room, made a snide remark which was quite insensitive if you ask me.“Look Alaric, about what you saw, I was just playing around, it's not as if you wouldn't have done the same thing in my shoes,” He said, smirking as he spoke.Aiden was dense, really dense. He has always had this uncanny way of getting on your nerves without you realizing it. He was a master of the art of manipulation and gaslighting. I was beginning to get fu
Stacy’s POVI looked at my mother as she stacked my clothes in a bag, I was happy we were going on a vacation for the first time, I have always followed her around the house as she goes about her daily chores. She forced a smile as she looked at me dancing around the room, I realized she hadn’t packed any of her clothes. “Mom, should I help you with your bag?” I asked her happily as I stood beside her. “No, that wouldn’t be necessary, my dear.” She said without glancing at me. I was really looking forward to traveling with her, and I couldn’t wait to meet my cousin whom I have heard so much about. I was a bit sad about leaving my friends, but at least I will have many stories to tell them when I return. I couldn’t sleep all night, I kept tossing and turning until it was morning, “Mom, wake up, we should start getting ready,” I said as I kept shaking her body, she groaned as she opened her eyes, she looked like she would’ve preferred that I let her sleep more, but all I cared ab
AJAX'S POVI sat on my bed, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. The room was dark, and the air outside was chilly. It seemed to reach the deepest part of my body and soul as it seemed to tally and resonate with my thoughts. I tried to reach out to the light switch in my room, and then I began to notice and feel a wetness on my palm. I scrambled to turn on the light, and I eventually did. I slowly looked around, trying to take in things. To my absolute horror, there was blood everywhere. And for the life of me, I couldn't remember what had happened that led to this.I'm still surveying the room, a splitting headache settling in, I turned around to find a bloodied woman right beside me on my bed. I was startled and I jumped out of bed in fear. So many scenarios were running through my head and none of them were making sense.“Who is this? How did she get here?” I thought, trying hard to come up with answers as soon as possible.I tried to go over to the other side of the bed to che
Zelda’s POV Noel exited the room and I looked at Alaric, who was now looking me straight in the eye.“I will be in my room,” I said and slowly walked away, but he was following me and just when I held the door knob to enter my room, he held me back. “You just publicly chose me in front of everyone, you don’t think I’m just going to let you go into your room, right?” He asked as I turned around to look at him. Before I could say anything else, he pushed me inside the room and pushed me to the bed. He suddenly looked like a beast ready to devour me whole, and that excites me. He pulled down his trousers and I looked in between his legs with my eyes open, but I instantly pulled myself together. “You want me now after how badly you have treated me?” I said while sitting up, as I tried hard to stop myself from jumping on him that instant.“You don’t want me?” He asked seductively, and I smiled mischievously.I gestured for him to join me in bed, and he looked at me for a while before
Noel’s POV I opened my eyes and everything that had happened felt like a dream except for the pain that I felt as I watched my father lifeless on the floor. I took a deep breath and stood up to start the day, my dad had always said that dying at his age was no big deal, and I knew it was time I took his words seriously.But now I have no real family and I felt more lost than ever, I decided to go meet the people close enough to be called family. I met a guard on my way, and he handed me a letter that was meant for the princes. “There is a letter for you three,” I informed them as I sat beside Zelda. I handed it over to Alaric and he opened it. “What does it say?” I asked him, but he didn’t say a word and just handed the letter back to me. I cleared my throat after reading it. “Well, it seems like the king left his son one last gift.” I declared. “What do you mean?” Ajax asked. “A solution to the bizarre situation of sharing a mate. Turns out it was quite an easy one.” I expl
Alaric's POV.My body and head were definitely not ready for what has just been happening since. “How in the world is Zelda and missing? Noel too?” I thought to myself, completely dejected.Ajax suddenly sighed loudly and that caught my attention.“What is it?” I asked, red-eyed at this moment.“I know who took Zelda and Noel.” Ajax suddenly declared.With my head on my hands, and me being in deep thought, I had not been a part of the conversation that was going on.“Not when I finally told her my feelings. Not now.” I kept thinking.I felt it was my fault in a way, but I couldn't decipher how.I suddenly stood up from my seat and darted towards Ajax, ripping the letter away from his hand and reading its content. Apparently, our mother had known that the king was going to die, and she had a list of suspects mentioned in her letter. There were two critical pieces of information in her letter.
Ajax’s POV I couldn’t believe my eyes, I didn’t understand what was going through my mind as I watched Zelda and Alaric trying to put on their clothes. I exited the room unable to say a word, I had no idea what to do or where to go. I saw Alaric approaching me and a part of me wanted to walk away again, but I remained still. “I’m sorry, Ajax.” He said softly.“For what?” I snapped at him. “For everything.” He whispered. “No, Alaric. You are saying the wrong words. What I want from you is an explanation of what I just witnessed.” I replied angrily as I tried hard to stop myself from punching him.“I love Zelda.” He confessed. I was dumbfounded by his words.“Since when?” I questioned further. “From the very beginning.” He said gently. “You are nothing but a hypocrite.” I scoffed. He looked at me with his eyes full of sadness. “Aiden and I must’ve looked like
Alaric’s POV “Uncle Jamie?” I said to myself. I looked at Aiden and then Ajax, and they had the same horrifying look on their faces. “Uncle Jamie! We weren’t expecting you.” Aiden blurted out. “Well, I heard there was a problem within the council and as the only elder in the royal family I thought it was about time I stepped in.” He calmly explained as he sat on one of the empty chairs.“I’m glad you are here my lord, the young princes seem to be forgetting how things work, I think they require enlightenment.” Lord Thomas informed Uncle Jamie confidently. “None of you can sit on that throne without the approval of the council.” He stated clearly. “Not when their claims sound like an excuse to prevent any of us from being the king,” Aiden said with anger in his voice. “You will have no choice but to listen to them, unless you want to be a king with no subjects.” He threatened. It was cl
Ajax’s POV Coming out of Zelda’s room, I saw Aiden, I instantly concealed my sad expression as I wouldn’t want to give any privilege to tease me. I extended my hand for a handshake and just like I expected, he was taken aback by my gesture. “May the best man win.” I declared and walked away feeling a bit satisfied. The next morning…Jonathan, Connor, and I were already waiting for Zelda at the entrance of the palace. “You said you were going to show us around the town, but you somehow turned into a date with your mate.” Connor sarcastically complained. “Are we supposed to give you two some space when we are out?” Jonathan teased. “You two! Cut it out. She will be here any moment.” I cautioned them. “Was this your plan all along? To use us as an excuse?” Connor accused. I didn’t say anything, but instead, I was just smiling at his silly reaction. “I suddenly don’t fe
SIMONE'S POV.I must have wandered for days, just waiting for the earth to take me and put me out of my misery. I had run away from the only home I had ever known due to the incessant crisis in my community. I had lost my brother and my mother. And I got separated from my father, and now I am all alone.I wandered into this country with no hope and no property to my name. And since I knew no one, it was hard for me to plant my roots.Just as I was about to give up hope, I stumbled to a large gate. It looked like the owner of the building was very influential, and I was determined to plead my case before them.I knocked on the gate and I was immediately accosted by some men who looked like they were guarding the place. I got scared and cowered in fear, but I was determined.“Who are you and what are you doing here?” The plump and most gentle among them asked me.I was too tired and hungry to give him an answer. And so I
Aiden's POV.“Where are we heading to, Noel?” I asked as she kept walking ahead, sounding all giddy.“Don't you trust me, Aiden?” She asked, teasingly.“I do… but,” I said before she cut me short.“Don't be scared. I just want to show you something.” She declared, finally putting my fear to rest.“We are here!.” She exclaimed, shrieking as she spoke.I looked around and sure enough, it was a place in the palace no one had visited in a long time. The Queen's Garden.Being here brought about a flood of emotions and memories of my mother, the late queen. A cold chill of air suddenly ran down my spine as my hair stood on its end.“You can almost feel her presence, can't you?” Noel questioned, shuddering in between her questions.“Why'd you bring me here, Noel?” I inquired, a stern look on my face.Coming here was just too sad for any of us, and so we avoided it like a plague. Though, when
Corey’s POV “Did you get the book?” Lord Jamie asked immediately after I entered the room, I could sense his impatience and without further delay, I handed the book and the journal to him. “And the man?” He inquired as he dropped the book on the table. “You have nothing to worry about, my lord, he has been taken care of,” I assured him. “Good, make sure you deliver his reward to his family. I did make a promise after all.” He said and I nodded. “But make sure you are discreet about it.” He added. He picked the book up and flipped a few pages as he hummed to himself, I watched him carefully, waiting to be enlightened by his next move. He dropped the book and picked up the journal, he opened the journal and stared at the blank space for some seconds. “What do you intend to do with an empty journal?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. “I’m going to read it.” He replied with a misch