"Let us begin the trial of the former Alpha of the Red Stone Pack," the Elder says, as my father is roughly lifted from his chair and dragged to the center, where he is placed in an iron seat.I watch him from where I am and can't help but want to cry, but I hold back. He is still my father, he still raised me, and gave me all the love he could give."You are being accused of several crimes," the Elder starts, adjusting his glasses and beginning to read from the white paper in his slightly trembling hands. "Attempted murder, crimes against the honor and integrity of King Alpha Jaden, and moreover, you were present while they dueled," the man raises his head to look at my father. "Well, do you have anything to say?""Firstly," my father seems to choose his words carefully. "the duel wasn't my choice, I tried to intervene, but what can a former Alpha do? Nothing! Secondly, in a strange way, I agree with you, I committed all those crimes, but above all, I failed as Jaden's father," he loo
"Now, we can continue the trial for Miss Meredith Brown, Jaden's mother," he begins, dragging out his words."No," I say loudly and clearly. Mark had forced these words out, not me. I try to hold back, but he pushes me to the back of my mind and takes control. "Do not refer to that woman as Jaden's mother; she is not and does not deserve to be treated as such. She was the reason Jaden suffered greatly, and she is no mother in any sense, besides not sharing the same blood," he says and then leaves, abandoning me with all this mess.He was upset; that was very clear. Mark didn't like to see me sad and upset. He always longed for the arrival of our mate, always dreamed of it. He said her arrival would lift the darkness from my heart—and he was right. Malia came into my life like a damn beacon, making me happy and enlightened.I have loved her from the first moment until now, and I am so happy and fulfilled.The silence that followed was a bit awkward for me, so I just sat down and let Mal
“Well, the trial is officially over, with all the living defendants judged,” Kiutter says in a drawl.I stare at him with a frown, my mind slowly processing and understanding that everything is wrong.“Catherine, our last defendant, was just found lifeless in her cell. She committed suicide, leaving no note or farewell. We believe this was due to her wolf and her mate rejecting her on the same day,” he says seriously. “Thank you to everyone who has been with us; the sentences will be carried out within two hours.”Shock is written all over my face as the words leave his lips. I can't believe this all happened in such a cruel and harsh way. Things I never imagined would happen. However, I can’t shed a tear; I feel nothing but a deep pain in my chest, which hurts like hell, reminding me that my family has no real control over anything.Everyone gets up to leave, including Malia, who stops in front of me with worried eyes, but I can't move properly.‘You’re worrying our mate,’ Mark growl
Lilith stops in the middle of the room and scans the surroundings with both hands on her hips, as if analyzing everything. Then, she seems to have an epiphany and walks toward her nightstand, rummaging inside in search of something.She turns to me with a mischievous smile and shakes a pregnancy test box excitedly in my direction. I jump, startled, and laugh incredulously: “I’m not pregnant, Lilith. This is crazy!”“It’s not crazy,” she hands me the box. “Your scent has changed, and my wolf is certain that you’re pregnant.”“I don’t know…” I rub my eyes. “You know, I just lost a baby.”“‘Just’ isn’t exactly the right word, dear,” she shrugs. “It’s been a long time, so technically, you’re pretty much ready to have another pup. I know you’re scared because of what happened last time, but you can’t stay trapped in fear and denial. Maybe this is what you and Jaden need to be okay,” she holds my hand and places the box on it. “Malia, I know, alright? It doesn’t seem like the best time, but
Jaden"Man, how are you?" Bruno asks, handing me a cup of tea."I feel like the world is pressing down on my shoulders with all its force," I sigh, closing my eyes. "I'm trying to stay strong for Malia, but I just feel like I'm being dragged down.""You don't always have to be okay for Malia, my friend," he gives me a weak smile. "Sometimes, you need love and affection too, and that's okay.""I agree," Damon says. "We treat our wives like they're untouchable, and they are, but we also need love and care when everything falls apart.""I know, I just don't want to worry her more.""Keeping your feelings bottled up will only push her away," Bruno shrugs. "Look at everything Lilith and I went through. Take us as an example of what not to do, my friend," he gives me two gentle pats on the back. "We fought against our love and bond for the sake of others, people who weren't worth it.""Your mother..." Damon interjects. "Your mother, to be more specific.""That's why it wasn't worth it. My m
(Jaden)I was feeling very complete now. Something inside me seemed to have been liberated. I mean, I felt so good and happy knowing that I would finally be a father.I mean, Malia and I had gone through such a difficult time, and having another child now wasn't in our plans. I think, deep down, we were afraid to bring up the subject again and end up hurt.Malia held onto me, pressing me against her waist as we stood by the small stage that had been set up in the same place for years. Alpha King Arthur was standing there, looking at everyone with those icy eyes that only he seemed to have.When I was a child, I used to be very afraid of him. As I grew up, I came to respect him. Even at almost eighty years old, he still had the appearance of a forty-year-old man due to his slowed aging.The elder seemed tired. Given his long age, he just stared at everyone, looking bored. Has he lived this same scene many times before?As an elder, he usually traveled to all the packs in the world or a
**Attention, this chapter may contain uncomfortable scenes of gore**For some reason, I couldn't feel any pain or remorse for her. I couldn't help but feel a deep disgust for the woman who screamed and struggled while being dragged by two warriors to the place where she would finally be killed.I know I should be crying, but I can't. Not with her staring at me with those eyes. Not when I know she would kill my mate without a second thought and without shedding a single tear if she were in my place.If the roles were reversed, she would be smiling, feeling triumphant. Every time I think about what she and my brother would have done to Malia if I had died… she would have been broken, and to make things worse, I would have left a child behind. An innocent child who would grow up amidst suffering.Just thinking about it makes me want to move, leave everything behind, and protect my family from anything that could harm them. Oh, how I hate this woman. I hate her so much.She kneels with di
MaliaI knew Jaden wasn't doing well at all, so I wanted him to feel loved and complete now. I placed my hands on his shoulder and massaged it.Jaden was sitting at the edge of the bed, eyes closed and arms tense. How long had it been since we just spent time together, just for the sake of it? It's been so long that we've only lived for wars and thinking about others. Gosh, how hard this is!"Love," I called, making him look at me. "I think we should take a few days just for us. You know, to relax. I think you need it."He exhaled and turned, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me to sit on his lap."I don't think it's the right time to leave the pack. A lot has happened recently, and we need unity with our members more than ever," he said, bringing the back of my hand to his lips and kissing it lightly. "I know you just want what's best for me, but we're the alpha royalty, love, and we need to be here.""I understand," I said, resting my head on his shoulder. "Well, there's