Of course, I was filled with joy knowing that my family had decided - on their own - to attend my ceremony. They seemed so happy for me, even though I still felt upset and rejected by my father.I mean, I don't know if, despite the years of harsh insults from him - and I have to admit this - I can still see a different sparkle in his eyes when he looks at me. It's not gratitude or love, like my siblings have for me, it's something I can't quite identify."You look beautiful," Mom says, running her hand down the side of my dress. She cups my face and makes me look at her. "You are strong, Malia. Go in there and do better than I ever could have done.""My girl," Peter says, pulling me into a hug. "I never imagined you would be with Jaden. With Jaden.""Is it really that hard to believe?" I laugh softly, looking at him."He was my friend, dear," he holds my fingers. "We weren't the best, but we were close. He always pointed out how cool he thought it was to treat you so well...""Well,"
Catherine | Malia’s Arrival"Good morning," I muttered, grumpy."Good morning, dear," Paul said as he put on his lab coat."What time is it?" I asked."Late." He stared at me, his eyes scanning my entire body, and let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "How long are we going to live like this?""What do you mean?" I asked."How long are we going to ignore the fact that you don't love me? That, in reality, you hate me with all your might," he said through gritted teeth. "That we put on a show in front of others and that you are disgusted by me and my touch. That you wish for someone else... someone who wouldn't even look at you that way, to take you to bed and give you a child.""You don't know what you're talking about," I rolled my eyes, throwing the blanket aside and heading to the bathroom in our suite."Don't try to deny it, you told me everything last night," he muttered, rubbing his face. "But give it up, Catherine!""What did I tell you?" I asked, feeling the blood drain from my face
He stops abruptly. "You won’t get far with that girl, Bruno. I want to finish her off myself," the familiar voice echoes, sending shivers down my spine.I turn my neck, trying to focus my vision now and I find Catherine standing in front of me. I open my mouth, a little shocked."Catherine, let me pass," Bruno asks. "What are you doing?""What part didn't you understand?" She snorts. "I’m telling you to hand over the girl. She and I have unfinished business. You don’t need to get involved.""Move aside, Catherine, I'm warning you," he growls."Or what?" She rolls her eyes at him. "Going to threaten me? You? Who doesn’t even have the guts to admit you're that witch’s mate? Deep down, we are the same.""We are not the same," he growls. "Lilith and I have our reasons for not being together," he narrows his eyes at her. "How do you know all this? I never…""I'm not as stupid as the others, Bruno," she scoffs. "But what does it matter? If you don't hand over Malia, you’ll be a dead wolf and
**Jaden**My heart was beating so rapidly, I was afraid I might die of a sudden heart attack at any moment. Nervousness coursed through my veins.I can't believe that Catherine is the traitor. It simply doesn't make any sense, and I can't believe this is really happening right now.On top of us being invaded, Malia discovered she can heal wounds made by silver.I never expected much from Joshua, to be honest, but knowing that he managed to infiltrate among people I fully trust showed me that maybe I had underestimated him too much. He is a treacherous man, and I doubt he didn't take after our parents.I grab Malia's fingers as we run outside. The pack's castle had not been invaded yet, but I knew it was just a matter of time. Joshua looks down from a horse, like a fool living in ancient times, and smiles at me, slowly dismounting and walking towards me.The battle is fought by our warriors, but he walks towards me unconcerned, as if he knows no one is capable of hurting him. He is arro
"Jaden needs to have time to rest," Bruno opines, still confused."He needs to learn to control his strength, his powers," Lilith says, turning to me.We are in a small group in an empty room of the castle. The curtains are closed and the doors properly locked. Lilith even went to the trouble of sealing the gaps with cotton and tape so that no one could see what was happening here."That's what the enemy expects, for you to rest and have the confidence to go to the battlefield without preparing. That's why we're here," she explains. "Everyone present must promise absolute secrecy.""Well, there's a problem," Malia says, shrugging. "My brothers owe their loyalty to Joshua. Even though they are here, if he uses the alpha bond against them, they won't be able to keep their mouths shut.""Malia is right," Peter murmurs."What can we do?""Actually," Now it's Toby who speaks, walking toward us with his broad shoulders and threatening posture. Deep down, his expression was always like that,
MaliaI can't fall asleep. Even with my body relaxed and wrapped in Jaden's arms, I still feel completely suffocated and scared. Scared to sleep and wake up tomorrow, only for everything to go wrong and for me to lose him.In my head, all the scenes Jaden and I have shared replay, scene by scene.And here we are, in what could easily be our last night together. I mean, who would have thought?I never imagined I would be so afraid of losing Jaden like I am now. I wish I could wrap him around me and never let go, like a caterpillar cocooning itself. I want to take care of him and keep him here.“What’s worrying you?” Jaden asks, his voice hoarse.A lump forms in my throat and I lift my eyes to meet his. My lips tremble, my fingers grip him tighter, and I cling to him, hiding my face in his neck. God, I'm so scared of losing him. My man, my mate, my fiancé, my future husband, and above all, my king!“I’m so afraid of losing you,” I whisper.“You’re not going to lose me, Malia. Never!” he
Sitting at the breakfast table, I laughed out loud as Jaden and his best friend, Damon, joked with each other for almost two hours.The atmosphere seemed much more relaxed for us now, but I could see the nervous eyes of the pack members, anxious about what was about to happen.Everyone paid their respects to Jaden, some even daring to voice their displeasure with the upcoming fight. The fear of falling into the hands of another cruel leader drove the pack to despise Joshua even more."A man who can't recognize the good you've done for us, my son, doesn't deserve the power of our pack," said an elderly woman. "I hope you win, or we'll fall into a new limbo like the old one."She had the courage to approach us. She was old and had been born into this pack. She had lived through two Alphas before Jaden, father and son, both with a terrible track record with their packs.She had begun to thrive after the arrival of my mate, and that was why they feared a man like Joshua so much."I'd be wi
**Jaden**Of course, I was completely terrified that night. But, in some strange way, I managed not to show it and conveyed confidence to my mate, who seemed on the verge of bursting into painful, fearful tears at any moment.I understood her. I knew some things might spiral out of my control, that my fate could be to die there, among a million other possibilities, but I wanted to pretend everything was fine and that things would turn out well, as I always had.When we arrived at the place where the fight would take place—a huge training arena—Joshua was on the other side, talking with my father-in-law and some other unknown men. I sat at the small table set up, next to Damon and Bruno, and took a sip from the water bottle they had given me.“It’s going to be okay, man,” Damon smiled at me.“It has to be,” I sighed, letting out a breath. “I still wonder why he’s so confident.”“I find it strange too. Either your brother is very arrogant, or he really has something up his sleeve.”“I w
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,