ASHLEYI got to the restroom. I was just about turning to the ladies when I noticed a guy standing at the entrance.“Ashley!” he called.I stood, waiting for him to speak.“Please I need your help,” he said, softly.I looked at him closely to see if he was someone I recognized but he wasn't.“What do you want?” I asked, wondering if he was up to some mischief.“I sprained my ankle. Please can you help me with my shoe? It won't fit,” he said, leaning on one leg.My wolf growled and immediately I became uncomfortable with his story,“call your friends,” I said to him and walked away.I went into the ladies, eased myself and stepped out. I was frustrated when I realized ‘mr sprained ankle’ was still there.“Help me, Ashley,” he begged.“Don’t you have friends? Just find someone else, please,” I said and turned.“This is unfair. Nobody wants to help me. It's really unfair,” he said.I sighed. My wolf growled again as I moved towards him. I had a strong instinct to ignore him. But if I did,
ASHLEYI walked up the stairs, headed to my mum's room. As soon as I walked in, I leaned into her embrace. We went over to the bed and sat down. One of the things I missed was my mum giving me head rubs. As soon as she started rubbing my head, I dozed off.I woke up an hour later to find her staring at me.“Mum,” I mumbled and placed my head on her thighs.“My princess. It seems you missed my head rubs,” she said, pushing my hair off my face.“Yeah, I did mum. I missed a lot of things and I am so so glad you are around now,” I said and wrapped my hand around her waist, while my head was still on her thighs.“I missed you too, Ashley. Now that we are having this conversation, I think I should let you know that I am traveling again,” she said.I sat up immediately, “what!”“Yes, baby. Alpha Hendrix and I have some important business to finish. I have to be present at a women seminar,” she explained.“How long will you be gone?” I asked, hoping it will only be a few days.“Two weeks,” sh
I woke up downcast. My mum and Alpha Hendrix were leaving to catch their noon flight. After everything I told my mum, she only promised to call me often and to return in exactly two weeks. I knew I would be gone by then. My mind was made up. But I did not tell my mum she would try to talk me out of it. She would further remind me of the importance of family and how amazing my step brothers were. We could only have breakfast that morning. I wished time would just stop so I would not have to return to a life of slavery. But there was nothing I could do to stop it. I would be alone for the next two weeks. Alone with a pack of monsters. I quickly showered and joined everyone at the table for breakfast. My mum kept rubbing my back and reminding me to keep in mind the things she said. “Ashley, I see you are missing us already,” Alpha Hendrix said with a smile and I nodded. “Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it. And your brothers will take good care of you,” he said.My stomach
ASHLEYLife became tough again. The few days of happiness were over and I was back to being the family slave. I woke up before 5 am to begin the chores lined up for me. I had to be in school early to avoid Jasmine's punishment. Since Alpha Hendrix and my mum were around, I had no reason to arrive at school late. Now they were out of town. I knew Carson would no longer carry me in his car. I had to trek. On the other end, there was Jasmine who had not been able to punish me for days. I knew it infuriated her and she would be extremely glad to deal with me. And the Jasmine I knew would triple whatever punishment there was for latecomers.I quickly rushed through the chores and prepared breakfast. By the time I was done, the triplets were downstairs, ready to eat. So far, I have been able to avoid being beaten. And I wished I could keep it that way. My wounds healed completely, thanks to my fast healing ability. I thought of how faster it would have been if I was an Alpha or a Beta. A
ASHLEY“I see you now have a place in Carson's car,” Jasmine said with a bitter look on her face. As usual, my wolf growled as I stood face-to-face with Jasmine. But I made up my mind to contain my wolf. I was not giving her the pleasure of seeing me shiver. “I don't understand what you're saying,” I said to her. “The hell you don't!” she yelled. “Carson offered to carry me in his car,” I said, calmly. Since she was desperate for an explanation, I decided to give her one. Immediately color drained from her face. She is wondering why the same Carson who was cold towards her would offer me a ride. I thought to myself. “Oh, I see,” she said with a raise of her chin, “you seem to have forgotten where you belong,” she added, fondling her knuckle rings. I was triggered by what she said. Jasmine had no right to talk to me about my place. But of course, Axel had given her the audacity to speak to me in such a demeaning way. My fingers started to curl, “I'd like to go to my class now,
ASHLEYAs soon as the bell rang for the lunch break, I rushed out of the class. I was extremely hungry, all I could think of was grabbing something to eat. I walked into the cafeteria and all eyes turned to me. Even though I had gotten used to their spiteful stares, I could not understand how they never got tired. I kept my eyes straight, trying to find where Anita would most likely be seated. She had asked me to meet her at the cafeteria, so we could have lunch together. Just then my wolf snarled and I sensed a familiar presence. The hairs on my skin stood and goosebumps serenaded my body. My senses became extremely heightened, I could tell danger was close. My eyes widened and I turned sharply. Who was here? Fuck me!The triplets were seated on the right side of the hall, looking relaxed and chatting casually. The triplets were in the cafeteria? Usually, they would ask someone to buy them food. It was completely unexpected that they would be there a that time!I could feel s
ASHLEYMy eyes flew open hours later. I quickly sat up in bed and looked around the room. It looked quite familiar but my brain took a while to adjust. Then Anita walked in holding a wet towel.“Why am I here?” I asked Anita while looking at myself. Her face lit up as she saw me. She rushed over and sat beside me. She touched my forehead, my neck, and my hands. Then she raised my eyelids, one after the other. I pulled away from her touch, with a frown. “What is this about?” I asked, giving her a side glance. “I’m so glad you are back, Ashley. You went off for almost twenty-four hours.”“Off, how?” “You passed out!” she said with a creased forehead, “after everything Axel did to you.”It all made sense then. I passed out right after my breath became labored. Anita must have picked me up. Right then my head began to bang. I held my forehead and lay down. Anita leaned towards me, “Ashley, I am really worried. That guy hates you. This has gone beyond just bullying. In my opinion, he
ASHLEY“Axel…” I mouthed as I stared up at him, wide-eyed. Axel stared back at me. His eyes mirrored the contempt he felt for me. I retreated from him, while I still sat on the floor. His chest rose and fell, as he let out a gush of air from his lungs.I watched as his eyes traveled all over my body. He looked at my wounds closely. His eyes flooded with satisfaction when he saw how much my body was bruised. “You could have gotten me killed,” I said, trying to cover my wounds from him. “Why do you think I pursued you? Huh? Why!”His thunderous voice echoed through the forest, causing me to shudder. I swallowed, my eyes still on him. I thought of everything Anita told me earlier. Axel wanted to kill me. But why did he want me dead? I suffered so much maltreatment from him, yet I did not report him to his father. I did not even mention anything to my mother. What exactly was the problem?I needed to know what this was all about. I let out a gasp, gathered my courage, and asked him.
ASHLEY I recognized them the minute I saw them. Their faces were covered as were the faces of every guard in the palace. But there was something different when our eyes met. I felt a spark on my inside. My wolf surged within me, causing my heartbeat to triple. “They have come to rescue you. Your true mates!” I tried to wrap my head around it but my mind was blurred. I knew them, I felt it strongly, but I did not know exactly why they came for me. I wanted to stay back and check what it was about, but Killian would not let me. When he insisted that I left the throne room, I had no choice but to leave. As I went to my chamber, I saw another wolf. His eyes ignited the same spark in me. We stood staring at each other and just like the other two, he also was dressed as a guard. “Who are you?” I asked, calmly. “You do not know me? Ashley?” He looked heartbroken and shattered. “I feel a connection with you, but I do not know exactly who you are.” We went into my chamber and he took h
AXEL“All we need now is to reach the palace,” Carson whispered as he crouched beside me in the forest.Things were not the same after Killian defeated us and took Ashley away. Breaking the mate bond was extreme. It made it impossible for us to connect with Ashley, thereby making the search for her longer than normal. But we finally found Killian’s pack.While he was busy shuffling between his pack and the capital,we were busy making our way deeper into his territory. We had killed many of his guards and he had no idea what was going on. We had eaten deep into his territory. We took our time, knowing that this was no small battle.As the days went on, we were able to make our way into the village, hiding behind cabins and caves.“Now that they know we are here, we have to be more careful. I would also suggest that we hurry up and get into the palace,” Brody said as we sat down to strategize.We entered the palace at night, through the back. We injected the guards and put them to sleep
KILLIANAfter the marriage ceremony between Ashley and me, a wave of fulfillment washed over me. I stared at her with pride. My labor of many years finally paid off.I instructed the maids to set up a room specially for Ashley. She was my Luna and I wanted that to be evident in e etu way. I assigned some maids a d to get. They were to ensure that her needs were met.I visited my secret room to do a power check. I was elated when I discovered that some heights which had seemed impossible a while back, I now surpassed.I had a meeting with the elders later in the day. I could see the hidden questions in their eyes as they stared at me. But no one dared to ask me questions.“The time to claim what was rightfully mine is here. It's time to ascend to the throne.”They stared at me, still confused. Then they began exchanging confused comments among themselves. I wonder how I surrounded myself with such dummies.“It's time to declare myself as king of the entire capital. I will now be the
KILLIANI took Ashley to a dimly lit chamber. It was bare and cold, save for a funny-looking bed. I had to be sure that she was ready to do my bidding. She had to prove herself worthy of my palace.I stood over her, my gaze unwavering.“You will be my Luna,” I declared, enjoying the way my voice echoed in the room, “we will be married, and you will serve your purpose.”“Never!” she barked, her eyes spitting fire.I chuckled, a low sound that ended almost immediately, “we'll see about that.”I began pacing the room, speaking of our future, of our children, of a life together. The more I spoke, the angrier Ashley became. She was not willing to do my bidding. Her eyes pierced my heart as she shot daggers with them. But I didn't care.I had come a long way on this plan. I had put in so much to ensure that I got Ashley as my Luna. Having her tight here in my territory was proof that the universe was granting my long-term desire.I tried to resist the urge to hit her. She kept swearing at m
ASHLEYThe moon was full and heavy, sending shadows all over the forest. I looked around trying to understand where we were at the time. I looked around trying to trace the road from where Killian parked his car.“My men will take care of you for the night. Enjoy the space given you in the cabin. Tomorrow, we will continue the journey to my park.”I did not respond to him, neither did I look in his direction.“You heard me right?”I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that this evil creature was the same Long Leg Ahjussi that I had known for so long. I felt miserable. I had been played. I let myself be used! To think I had sold some information to an enemy. “I want some time alone!”He looked down at me for a few seconds, “you can have your time alone but don’t try anything funny,” he said dangling his index finger in front of me.“I don't care what you would do to me!” I said, angrily.“Ashley!” he shouted, his voice laced with a wickedness, “I would advise you to corporate
ASHLEY“I am Ashley's online lover!”I stared at Killian with my jaw dropping in shock.Axel and Brody turned to look at me with confusion. I couldn't believe I was in such a terrible situation. It was too overwhelming to find out so many things at once.I thought we had escaped.Brody told me that waiting in the underground room was too risky.“That Killian guy is too sensitive and smart. We cannot let him get us so easily,” he paused and looked around, thoughtfully.Then he pointed to the wall at the other end of the room. I looked at the wall, wondering how we would go through it. He held my hand and rushed towards the wall. He stretched and tapped the wall and a pad of buttons appeared from the side. I had no idea that the wall was computerized. It opened up, creating a space for us to go through.I followed behind Brody and waited for him to close the wall again.“Carson is waiting for us outside the school walls. Just follow my lead and we will be fine. I'm sure Axel is facing h
AXELWas Killian monitoring us?I couldn't get my mind off what Ashley had shared with us. Killian was definitely monitoring us. We all agreed to be more watchful of him and to report any suspicious movement to the rest of us.I sat beside Killian during basketball training. Our team had just scored a superb goal and we were leading. Killian jumped on his feet and cheered for the goal. I remained in my seat while shouting at the top of my voice.Just then, Killian's phone chimed, and a message popped on the screen.If you let the info slip, then I think we need to act fast.I gasped and looked up. I was relieved to see that he was still occupied with cheering our teammates.His phone chimed again.She might have sensed something was off already and might have told the others. Was this about Ashley?I looked up to find Killian staring down at me. He quirked his brow questioningly at me. I ignored him and looked ahead.He sat quietly and picked up his phone. I expected him to check hi
ASHLEYHanging out with Killian was quite comforting. Being with him gave me a break from all the hurdles and pressure back in the palace. His presence always brought a sense of calm, a kind of balance in the weight of my life.There was so much to plan. I attended a series of meetings with my mates and the elders. Aside from the stress, I was getting used to the real life of royalty. But I found myself looking forward to the relief that came with spending time with Killian.I told Anita about him and I also told Long Leg Ahjussi. He said he was happy for me but he wouldn’t want someone else to take his place in my life. I laughed at him for being jealous.I reassured him that no one could take his place. While I relaxed with Killian in school, I did not discuss my life issues with him. I was careful to avoid telling him personal things and other occurrences in the palace. I felt more comfortable telling them to Long Leg Ahjussi. He was very understanding and we had come a long way.J
AXELI could not avoid the smell of sweat that filled the air in the basketball room. I sat in the front row, watching the others play, while waiting for my turn. The repeated thud of the ball against the floor echoed in my ears, while my eyes got busy with something else.I watched Killian, the new guy, with a mix of admiration and unease. His movements were effortless and his shots were calculated. There was an uncommon grace to his play that resonated with something deep within me. I concluded it had to be born from years of practice since he did not mention anything about being from a special breed or having any powers at all.But that grace, it was something. The fierceness with which he played could not be possessed by just any wolf. He seemed to have a perfect blend of expertise and that feral touch I couldn't place.At first, I'd been wary of him. His arrival had disrupted the school in a very haughty way. It felt like a sudden intrusion into our territory. But as the days pas