The ride to Eortí was a long one, and throughout the journey, I kept praying to the moon goddess to prevent us from encountering a werebie or any demon from Gehenna. We arrived at one of the packs in Eortí, and unlike the blood moon pack back in Trinigad, it felt totally deserted. I expected the place to be crawling with werebies, but it wasn't. It felt like a dead pack. A lost one. Our horses took us further into the pack, and I felt Peter's hand tighten around my waist. I could tell he was scared. I was scared also, but being around Sophia and the others somehow made me feel at peace. "How far is the palace from this pack?" I heard Lucan ask from behind. Sophia halted her horse on the path, her countenance addled as she intently scrutinized the log pose. In response, I brought my horse to a stop, as did Killian. I turned my head around to behold Lucan dismounting the horse while Killian remained atop. My gaze followed his strides as he moved towards Sophia whereupon he collecte
Sophia explained to Jacob and Killian about how Lucan had been able to survive the coup. She also explained that Dhruv was the being that incited that coup in the first place by giving a false prophecy to sage Bernadette, and I wondered how she was aware about that. I was the only one who knew that, Dhruv definitely couldn't have told her, and I knew Lucan shouldn't have known anything about it. She said a lot of things to them, and she also didn't say a lot of things to them. She made sure to leave some things out, like how Lucan was an Omega, like how he was formerly Dhruv's lover, and that he had a child that was Amelia. "So are we clear now?" Sophia asked the awestruck Killian, the brothers, and the dazed Alpha king of Eortí. They kept looking at Lucan as if he was some type of ghost. On the other hand, Lucan had a huge smile on his face as he waved at them, rubbing his neck anxiously. "I feel like a popular performer," he quipped, drifting his eyes away from Killian and the boy
Since only six rooms were available for us in the basement to share. With a shortage of rooms, we were forced to divide them among ourselves. Sophia and Lucan became roommates, while Killian, Peter, and Pierce formed another group. As for myself, I was paired with Chiara-serafina, leaving the remaining room to Jacob and his men.It had been over an hour since I settled down in the room I was to share with Chiara, but I was yet to even see her. I hadn't seen her since I stepped foot into the basement and I wondered where she was. I had no clothes or anything, so I just settled on the bed, resting my head on the pillow. I had gotten rid of my cloak and hung it on the cloak rack next to the door. The room was huge, with two beds at each end, and there was a huge vanity almost close to another door that I was sure led to the bathroom. There was no window in the room, since it was technically still a basement, but there was a huge fan and a humidifier. As I laid on the bed, I couldn't st
Over two weeks had passed since I started staying in the basement with the others, and it was peaceful. Canary had shared some of her clothes with me and Sophia. In all honesty, we all felt like one big happy family, and the only thing keeping us from being entirely happy was the existence of Dhruv. We all knew we couldn't stay in the basement for the rest of our life, a day would come when Dhruv would indubitably discover our existence. It was only a matter of time. However, before then we needed to come up with some sort of plan to defeat Dhruv. Excluding Jacob, who was late, the rest of us were all seated on the dining table eating breakfast. Dhruv's men and Killian were the one's in charge of cooking, and that morning they prepared pancakes with homemade syrup and butter. There was also an option to pick between tea, juice and just water. I went with juice and water, for some reason I had been craving something really sweet as of recently. "We need to change your compression ban
Knowing that Amelia was Dhruv's weakness made me really worried about her well-being. It all got me thinking about the possibility of Dhruv getting her out of the picture, even though she was still his child. Sophia stood up from the dining table, dragging Lucan up with her. She passed me a glance, gesturing towards the direction of the room she shared with Lucan. I understood the message. She left, hand in hand, with Lucan by her side to the room and I followed immediately, ignoring the skeptical gaze of everyone around the dining, including Chiara and Canary.I locked the door behind me once I entered the room. Sophia was already seated on one of the beds with Lucan next to her. I observed Lucan demeanor, noticing the change in his expression. He had a solemn look, one with a totally understandable reason. "You know why I summoned you, right Annalisa?" Sophia asked with a hushed tone, bringing my attention back to her. I nodded. "Regarding Amelia, right?" "We can't tell them abo
Lucan said nothing as we both waited for Dhruv to make his presence known. We both knew he had found us, that much was obvious since time had seized around. I stood next to the dining, my back against Jacob who had been rendered unmoving by Dhruv's time freeze.The air around us was hot, and I noticed the way Lucan kept nibbling on his lower lips. He was anxious, so was I. Suddenly, I felt something fly past me through the air, it was like a boomerang of wind. The wind cut through three of Jacobs men's heads, leaving them decapitated with their severed body falling off the chair they once sat on. Blood splattered across the dining table and the tiled floor. I was tense. My hand cupped my mouth as I gasped, moving closer to where Lucan stood. He remained unmoving, breathing rapidly with tears in his eyes which were beginning to change color, and his bones were beginning to crack. He was shifting into his Lycan form, while I stood defenceless. I watched Lucan undergo a painful transfo
What Dhruv said was right. If we killed him, we would only be taking everyone in the kingdom down with him. Killing him only meant we would be leaving Amelia and Rhea alone with the demons of Gehenna. It left me torn. I was going crazy looking for a way we could get out of our current mess. Dhruv had used the people in all five kingdoms as his own back up plan. He knew we wouldn't be able to take him down knowing we risked killing everyone in the whole five kingdoms. Dhruv's red eyes landed on me again. He didn't smile this time around, he only passed me a fleeting gaze before looking away from me. With measured steps, he advanced toward Lucan and I, where we stood adjacent to the dining area. On the other hand, Lucan remained resolute, his arrow slotted into place on his bow, aimed firmly at Dhruv. "Don't move," Lucan said firmly. "Or what?" Dhruv taunted, moving closer. "I'd shoot," Lucan replied. "And kill you right now." Dhruv erupted into laughter as he stopped walking. "I
“My life. . .I wish life had a reset button so I would reset mine.”-Lucan Trinigad.HEART TO HEART. I sheathed my gleaming, razor-sharp sword, falling to the floor as I panted loudly. My hands, cudgeled and swollen, bore testament to the iron grip with which I had clutched the hilt of my sword. The pungent aroma of sweat, mingled with the delicate scent of lavender, ambushed my senses as Azure Sophia, my best friend, laid breathlessly on top of me, her laughter echoing through the hall."That's 0-3," she triumphantly declared, her voice resounding with pride. "I won again, suck on that, sucker.""I let you win," I replied, trying to catch my breath. "You know that.""Whatever you say, my dear defeated Lucan."Sophia rolled away from me, stretching out alongside me, her head resting gently upon my shoulder. Both of us gazed in awe at the splendid candelabrum, ablaze with a luminous hue of vibrant orange-yellow. It extravasated an enchanting effulgence that perfectly harmonized with t
I continued to scream as the two guards entered into the room with panic written across their faces. The pain I was feeling in my belly felt like a strong menstrual cramp that got progressively more and more intense as time went on. One of the guard helped me steady my movement as I spoke through my pain. "I need a physician. The baby. . .I think it's coming already." "Lord Dhruv needs to be aware of this," one of the guards, the brawny one, told the skinny looking one. "I'll be back," the skinny guard left while the brawny one helped me lay on the bed. He was still panic-stricken as he watched me whirl around in pain on the bed. A loud moan came out of my mouth as I felt my abdomen contract. It wasn't even up to a minute that the skinny guard left, but he soon returned along with Aliya, the physician and for the first time in months I saw Dhruv, standing with a dangerous aura outside the dungeon as he watched me swirl around in pain on the bed. The physician wasn't alone this
PRESENT TIME — ANNALISA POV."A war is coming, Annalisa. It's only you that can help win that war if only you open your heart. Embrace the red apple and pluck out the golden one. I promise, more fruits will grow on your tree." It was that same old woman again, the one I'd met back in Cessi. She was dressed in a tattered red gown with silvery, unkempt hair. She was blind, staring down at me with cataract eyes. "Pluck out the golden Apple, Annalisa. You have to. If you don't, the devil will win." I was trapped in a dark place, with the only light in the room illuminated on the older woman before me. My heart was beating fast out of fear as I tried backing away from the woman, but I couldn't, I was held down on a spot with an iron grip. The older woman's grip was strong. For a fragile adult she had a titanium grip."Guard your heart against the Devil, Annalisa," she admonished, her grip on me tightening.I winced."The Devil himself dwells among us and you are well acquainted with his p
Thirty whole days had passed since the last night I'd seen Alexander. He had promised to come back to the palace with Alphonse to help terminate the pregnancy, yet, he was nowhere to be seen. My mind was in a turbulence as I tried to think of how to get rid of the growing life inside of me. With each day the child lived in me, I dreaded the emotions that would want me to keep it. The palace was in a disarray. Some palace knights had refused to take orders from my father anymore. The prophecy shared by lady Bernadette had traveled across the Kingdom. The people of Trinigad were beginning to call for my father to abdicate his position as Alpha king.There was a whisper in the air as I looked towards my window. The curtains were flapping with the wind. I noticed the once beautiful postcard-perfect night had now become a dome of dark nimbostratus clouds, domineering over the full moon that hung in the night sky as a mandela. It was obvious what was to come, a heavy rain accompanied by th
Within the palace, there was a heavy turmoil, one that left my father restless and snappy. The whole council was against us, and our rulership, especially after the prophecy given by sage Bernadette. The knights were slowly turning their loyalty to my father's beta — Benetton. I knew, without a doubt, that it was only a matter of time before a coup broke out.I laid still on my bed as the moonlight shone through my window, the wind gently flapping the curtains. It was almost the rainy season, the moisture in the air gave that away. As a Lycan, I hated the rain. The rain, rather than a blessing from the moon goddess, was a shackle to we Lycans. We tend to lose two thirds of our power whenever it rains. I held on to a document in my hand, glancing through it with a scowl on my face. The document was a photocopy of the council letter to my father, requesting my father to renounce his position as Alpha king. My father had ceased to say anything regarding the matter. Instead, he had locked
Three months had passed since Alexander and I became couples. Three months since the first time Alexander and I slept together. Ever since then, sleeping together had become a thing of norm between us, albeit we had to keep our relationship a secret. I couldn't even tell Sophia.Although people raised an eye after Alexander mate appointment because he didn't pick a mate. He was quick to address the situation, telling the masses that he was in no hurry to pick a mate, and he was awaiting the moon goddess fated mate. His parents said nothing about that, but Alexander did tell me they were furious.A sigh left my lips as I applied an ointment on the exterior of my anus. I winced as the cold cream came in contact with my skin. My ass had been hurting since the last time Alexander and I had sex, which was almost a week ago. Alexander was gentle with me, but his thrust was rough and that could be accounted for why my backside was hurting. The pain was unbearable, and I had first assumed I h
It was only when I felt Alexander wet kisses on my collar bone did I realize that he had unbuttoned my shirt. I tensed a bit, feeling insecure as his eyes met the full moon birthmark on my chest. There was an unreadable expression in his eyes, one that hiked up my concerns about my status as an omega. I wondered if he was repulsed by me, but my concerns were wiped away once his lips fell on my chest.His tongue traced the birthmark, leaving behind a trail of spit. My heartbeat kept on running at a fast pace, akin to the heartbeat of one running a marathon.Alexander took off my shirt completely, leaving me half naked on the grass. I had barely been able to comprehend everything that was happening when his lips captured my nipples. Even though I was an omega, my physique was like that of a man. I had no breasts, but it seemed like Alexander didn't mind as he concentrated solely on my chest, biting, suckling, and teasing my nipples. I moaned, unashamedly, as he assaulted my nipples. "I
I didn't know where I planned on going, but I followed my intuition and kept on walking deep into the woods until I luckily stumbled upon a pathway. I was angry at my sister. More like, I was angry at myself. Angry at the stupid feelings growing in my heart towards Alexander. I was even angrier that I couldn't do anything to stop those feelings. However, amidst the anger in my heart, there was one other emotion that remained prominent; and that was confusion. Alexander had kissed me. He had declared his love towards me. Yet, that same man was currently searching for his mate. What happened to. . .to us? The kiss we shared? The heart to heart conversations? Was it all just a ploy to play with my feelings? Was he not being genuine towards me? As I kept on running on the pathway, I eventually reached a dead end. I stopped running, standing akimbo style as I panted, taking my gaze around to observe my surroundings. I knew I was already in the white pack territory, but everywhere was mos
I whistled as the carriage began to move. It was finally the day of Alexander's mate appointment, and sitting next to Sharon made me feel nervous for a lot of reasons. I also couldn't stop thinking about what my mother had said about Sharon wanting to pick Alexander as her erasthai. It bothered me to know that my sister was also in love with the man my heart was after, but what hurt me the most was Alexander's betrayal. . .could I really call it a betrayal when we weren't even official? But he confessed to me. He told me he loved me, but. . .it was. . .it was all a lie. "Stop whistling, it's annoying," Sharon complained from where she sat next to me. I turned my gaze to her and saw her with a scowl on her face as she stared at me, fanning herself. "Your whistling is driving me to sleep."I didn't give her any response as I wondered why she was even riding the same carriage with me. She had the option of taking another carriage, yet she decided to ride with me. I knew whatever the re
I stood on my feet, holding the book close to my chest as I heard Alexander say those words. "And then you chose me?" My words came out as a question. "Why me?"He cupped my cheeks. "Only an Omega, the embodiment of the moon goddess, can successfully bear the child of a god," he explained, and I was finally coming to terms with everything. I felt like I could finally understand Alexander. "I do admit we started off on the wrong foot, and that's because I find it difficult to express love.""But you did mention that our marriage was of convenience, and that your heart already belonged elsewhere," I reminded him, feeling a pang of jealousy. An intense spark ignited in his eyes as he looked at me, causing my body to tingle. Suddenly, he chuckled and retrieved something from his pocket, passing it to me. It was a necklace adorned with a portrait of Amelia. "This is your sister."With a nod, he continued, "I once believed it was impossible to love more than one person simultaneously, so I