As soon as we woke up the next day, Lilith was shouting through our Mental Link for us to come downstairs for breakfast. We all missed each other terribly, and I was just as eager.So, I got ready for the warm, tropical climate and quickly took the elevator down, carrying our excited little kids. I was more than happy to finally be home, in my own house.The trip had been great, but nothing compared to being home with the people who truly matter and love us. I was proud of my kids, proud of myself, and proud of everything.When we reached the first floor, the kids let loose and ran to the dining room. I followed them quickly but stopped in my tracks at the door when I saw the huge banner decorating the entire large hall.“WELCOME BACK, ALPHA JADEN AND LUNA MALIA.”I stood there, completely stunned. Had they prepared a surprise for us? For our return? I teared up, utterly amazed. My throat tightened for a moment.Then I took a deep breath and walked into the dining room, following the k
One Month Later…“Enjoy yourself!” Jaden murmured. “The kids and I are really going to miss you.”“It’s only going to be a few hours,” I murmured, laughing.“Even so, any moment away from you is torture.” He pulled me in and gave me a kiss.I pulled away from him, smoothing his shoulders. “Let me go, or I’m going to end up staying here because of that face.” I lightly pinched his cheek.I was heading out for a girls’ day in the heart of the pack. Lilith, Maggie — Toby’s wife — Julie, Katalina, and I had planned to meet up before we left to enjoy our favorite coffee one last time.At least I was happy knowing that I didn’t have to leave them behind; instead, we were all starting a new life together. Katalina and Damon were finally engaged. Maggie was going to join Toby, who was now the royal head of security. Lilith, as the wife of my Gamma, was coming with us — and even if she didn’t want to, she had no choice. I wasn’t going to leave her behind.I got into my car and gave the driver
We were surrounded by boxes and suitcases, the typical chaos of moving. The sun was already setting, painting the sky with shades of orange and pink, as Jaden and I rummaged through closets and shelves looking for the last items to pack."I never realized how much stuff we accumulated over the years," Jaden commented, holding a box full of mementos.I looked at him and laughed, unwrapping a small picture frame. "Look at this," I said, showing him a photo of us at a Halloween party two years ago. "Do you remember this day? It was the first time we dressed up together."Jaden looked at the photo and smiled. "Of course, I remember. You were dressed as Bella, and I was Edward. I'm still annoyed you humiliated me like that.""Hey!" I laughed. "I didn't do anything." I rolled my eyes. "Bella doesn't end up with the dog; she ends up with the vampire.""Minus points for Bella. Who wouldn't prefer a hottie like me?" He sighed, shaking his head."Well, she wouldn't." I shrugged. "And if you wer
I was standing in front of the house where Serena and Dandara were living. I was nervous too; it had been a while since the last time I saw my little girl, who by now was five years old—she had celebrated her birthday during my honeymoon.I tried calling, but the phones weren't answered, and I preferred to believe that she hadn't seen the message rather than thinking she was ignoring me. I knocked twice on the door and took a deep breath, waiting for a response that came a few seconds later from Serena.When she opened the door, her eyebrows arched in surprise, and she twisted her mouth, sighing before crossing her arms in front of her body. "Your Majesties," she said, making a brief bow."Serena, hi!" I said, trying to smile. "We came to see Dandara."She let out a slightly bitter laugh."I'm afraid that's not possible," she murmured."Why?" I frowned."Dandara has afternoon classes now," she pointed out. "She asked for it, and I agreed. I'm afraid you won't be able to see her before
I was always actively involved in everything about Jaden and the pack. He always let me know everything that was going on, and I think, deep down, his decision not to let me know that he was giving money to his sister-in-law and niece — who was actually like a daughter to us — was purely accidental. The information was superfluous, and he overlooked it. And apparently, Damon was there too, so both of them knew how manipulative she could be. Did she use the same tactics she used with my ex-husband, Joshua? I'm burning inside to ask for all the details, but I still don't have the courage. I run my fingers over Jaden's and keep my eyes on him, feeling my cheeks burning. "Ask," he ordered. "Oh, I..." I stammered. "Ask already," he said again. "Why didn't you tell me about this?" I finally asked. "I didn't want to burden you with it, love. You have so many worries, and it wasn't any trouble to help..." He slid his fingers down to meet mine and brought them to his lips, kissing
Two days later, we were finally on the grounds of our new pack. The final preparations had been made, and we were just minutes away from being crowned. It felt strange. I wasn’t prepared for this moment. I had been raised in such a different way, and now I realized how much the moon goddess had taken care of us—how much she had blessed us. “It’s time, Your Majesty,” one of the maids said, opening the door to my private room. Jaden was in another room with Damon and Bruno. I knew he was as nervous as I was, though he would never show it. I looked at my children and kissed their foreheads. They were so precious. They were with their trusted nannies, so I felt at ease. “You mean everything to me,” I whispered, more to myself than to them. All of this is for you, I thought. The nannies smiled at me, assuring me that our little ones would be in good hands. Feeling confident, I left the room, following the long corridors that led to the grand hall. My heart was pounding fast. My body
Everything had been so beautiful and perfect, just as I had imagined it would be. I was proud of myself and of Jaden, proud of the path we had managed to forge."Attention!" I heard the man shout as the enormous, heavy palace doors creaked open. "Salute the Supreme King and Queen.""LONG LIVE!" they shouted in unison as Jaden and I approached the balcony, smiling and waving.Jaden raised his hand for silence, and it didn’t take long for the crowd to quiet down.“It is well known that we are new here. That we are new to this, but fortunately, we are blessed by the gracious goddess, and she will help us to walk our paths in the best possible way,” he paused. “Thank you for being here in this new phase, and I hope you will support us and welcome us with open arms. We hope to lead our people, our nation, to greatness.”I smiled softly, letting out a quiet laugh. I looked at him — Jaden was so wonderful. He was born to be a king. He shines like one. His eyes are like beacons that illuminate
When I opened my eyes, I sat up in bed, noticing the empty space beside me, and let out a loud, tired sigh. Last night’s party had been so much fun, but I was exhausted from wearing high heels all night.“Jaden?” I called out.No response. I grunted and flopped back onto the bed, glancing over at my bedside table. A small white note was neatly stuck to the lamp. I reached over and grabbed it, quickly reading through the message.“Good morning, love. I’m in my office with Damon. Rest up.”I smiled as I rolled around in bed for a bit before finally getting up, ready to start the day. As I stood up, I began exploring the new room that Jaden and I would be sharing. Well, the new Alpha’s room, since I knew I had a room of my own somewhere.The Alpha’s room was massive, with dark wood furniture and gold accents. The heavy curtains kept the sunlight softened, giving the room a cozy feel. I walked over to the window and opened the curtains, letting the light flood the space. Outside, the roya
20 YEARS LATER“Darling?” I called as I opened Jaden’s office door.“Beautiful.” He smiled warmly at me. “What do you need?”“Nothing,” I murmured, smiling back. “I just missed you.”“Well, lucky for you, I’m finishing up my work now,” he said, grumbling.“Well, even if you hadn’t finished, I would have insisted you stop.” I said, leaning over his office chair. His hands moved to my hips, pulling me closer.His lips met mine, and he drew me in, guiding my legs to either side of his hips. For the past 20 years, Jaden and I couldn’t keep our hands off each other. It was almost as if our bond was continually renewing itself, which was pretty incredible.Our kisses deepened, and he stood up from the chair with me still wrapped around him, placing me on top of his desk. Jaden's fingers traced every inch of my body.“Jaden, we’re running late,” I murmured, feeling him plant kisses all over my neck and chest.“No one will mind, Malia,” he whispered, as I dug my nails into his shoulders.Jade
Two months later…The pain overwhelmed me completely. It was early morning, and I groaned as I got up and placed my feet on the cold floor of my room.“It’s time, Malia,” Fawn said in my head.“Oh my God. Not again,” I groaned.“This time, with just one baby, we can have a natural birth,” Fawn said, excited.“Oh, no! It… it must hurt,” I whimpered.“Malia, we’re strong, dear,” she winked at me. “We’ll manage. We always do. Look at everything we’ve been through,” she sighed.I nodded as another wave of pain hit me, and I groaned while getting out of bed to try and go to the bathroom, only to find water running down my legs and dripping onto the floor.Jaden jumped up, startled, and turned on the bedside lamp. “W-what?” He seemed to be trying to process what was happening.“Dear, I’m in labor,” I said, biting my cheek.“We need to go to the hospital,” he said, jumping out of bed and searching for things I didn’t understand.“Call the doctor, Jaden,” I grumbled. “And your mother. Call bo
I frowned, my gaze shifting between the two women. Sophie’s eyes were downcast, her hands trembling slightly as she kept them clasped. I had never seen her like this before — so vulnerable, so frightened. A shiver ran down my spine.“What’s going on?” I asked, my tone now more serious. “Is something wrong?”Sophie finally raised her head, her eyes meeting mine. They were filled with so much emotion — fear, hope, regret. It was as if she was carrying a weight that was crushing her from within.“Jaden,” she whispered, her voice wavering. “There’s something you need to know… something I should have told you a long time ago.”My heart began to race. Malia squeezed my hand gently, a gesture of support, but I could see the concern in her eyes too. Okay, something was starting to feel very wrong here.“Just tell me,” I urged, trying to keep my voice steady. “What is it?”Sophie took a deep breath, her chest heaving as if she was about to dive into the deepest, darkest part of the ocean. “I…
I was determined. Today would be the day I would reveal everything to everyone. Finally, Jaden would know that Sophie was his biological mother, the one who had been prevented from raising him due to the cruelty of others.When Sophie entered the room to bring my breakfast, she looked as calm and composed as ever. She walked in with a tray and a smile on her face, but there was something in her eyes that made me feel it was the right moment."Good morning, Queen Malia," Sophie said, placing the tray on the table beside the bed. "As always, I prepared your coffee myself.""Good morning, Sophie," I replied, watching her closely. "Actually, I need to talk to you about something very important."Sophie raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised, and sat on the edge of the bed. "What happened? It sounds serious.""It is serious," I confirmed, looking at her firmly.I hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words to express my discovery. Like it or not, it was something serious to share,
I woke up with the weak afternoon sun filtering through the curtains, feeling a restless sleep overtaking me. I barely noticed when I fell asleep. The time seemed to drag on throughout the afternoon, and every minute I waited for the results was a torment. I looked at Jaden, who was still sleeping peacefully beside me, and carefully got up to avoid waking him. I dressed quickly before anyone could appear and left my room, checking to make sure I was alone. I descended the castle’s corridors, my heart racing with each step toward the doctor’s office. Each footfall seemed to echo in my chest, reflecting the mix of anxiety and hope I felt. The need for confirmation and the fear of facing a painful truth was almost paralyzing. When I finally reached the doctor’s office door, I knocked softly and entered as soon as he gave a brief “come in.” He was sitting at his desk with a grave expression, which instantly sent a shiver down my spine. “Majesty, the results are ready,” he said, his
"Why do you want to know about my mother?" he asks, his eyes dropping to me with a gleam. "She died, as you know, and—" "No, dear. Your real mother. Didn't your father tell you about her?" I ask. "Oh, that..." He clears his throat and looks at the ceiling. "Dad didn’t give me any photos or descriptions. But he said her name was Sophie, that she lived in our pack, but they were forbidden to live their love after they turned eighteen, when they hadn’t discovered they were mates." He pauses slightly, my eyes widening with each new piece of information. "So, my grandfather took my mother away. They reunited sometime later and spent one night together, making love. The next day, my father found his true mate, and my mother completely disappeared again. Dad tried to move on with his bond, but a year later, when I was only three months old, my mother showed up at his door, begging him to raise me." "What do you mean?" I frown. "Why?" "My mother had a cruel mate, love." His fingers twi
Soph had a mother’s love. She took care of me with a tenderness I had only experienced in my childhood. Now, after my bath, I'm finishing my chicken sandwich while she brushes my hair in front of the mirror in my room.“You have beautiful hair,” she says, gently pulling it back to keep it from falling into my face.“Thank you,” I smile. “So, is the weather here always like this? Does it change so quickly?”“Ever since I got here, yes.” She nods.“So, you’re not from around here?” I ask, surprised.“No,” she laughs. “I’m from the other side.”“Where from?” I ask.“Well…” She clears her throat. “I think this is the only place I’ve really put down roots. I used to travel a lot,” she stammers a bit.“That must have been hard to do with a child,” I murmur.“Actually, no.” Her cheeks flush a little. “I did it alone. Reuniting with my son felt like receiving a gift from the goddess.”“That’s so touching,” my eyes sparkle. “Why did you leave him?”“Oh, I had a problem with my mate, who wasn’t
The days have been almost all the same. I think the pregnancy has made me slower and sleepier, so by the time I wake up, Jaden has already left to start his work as king.I know he's trying to protect me because of the baby, but I want to help while I still can since, during my postpartum recovery, it will be impossible to do much. Besides, we'll have a newborn to take care of.A week ago, we found out that I'm pregnant with a boy. He’s huge, a bit bigger than the twins were, since he doesn’t have to share the womb with anyone else. I can already imagine that he’ll be a big, strong man when he grows up.I sighed as I placed my feet on the cold floor of my room and shivered. A cold front had arrived in the city, and I couldn’t quite handle it. I discovered that the climate here is much milder than in my old pack — which is several miles away from here.I was wrapped in one of Jaden’s hoodies, which was several sizes too big and reached halfway down my thighs, along with a pair of my sw
I smiled widely when I saw Jaden. I walked over to him and gently threw myself into his arms. “Hi, dear. How was your day?”“Good,” I murmured. “But it's even better to be home.”The clock on the nightstand read 7:30 PM, which meant we had spent much more time out than we had planned. Anyway, today had been wonderful, and I felt more connected to the culture of the country.“And how was it here?” I asked, looking up at him.“Tiring,” he said, brushing a strand of my hair from my eyes.“You know you can always call on me for support,” I murmured. “I also have responsibilities in this pack.”“For now, you’re busy producing organs and tissues; I think you can take a break for a while,” he joked, and I laughed, rolling my eyes.“I still want to see the kids before dinner,” I said.“I stopped by earlier; they were in the bath, and I decided not to disturb them,” he murmured. “I was waiting for you.”I smiled at him, leaning in for a chaste kiss. As we embraced, I heard the children’s loud,