~Storme~The grand dining hall was so luxurious and Magnificent. One look at it, and there would be no doubt that this was indeed a royal diner. Servants filed in and out of the hall, carrying with them trays of food and setting them down on the massive mahogany table before us. Massive chandeliers adorned with crystals glittered above us, casting a beautiful shadow on the long mahogany table lined with dishes fit for a royal feast. The scent of roasted meats, fresh herbs, and spiced wine filled the air, yet my appetite was nonexistent. My heart pounded against my ribcage as I sat stiffly near the king, painfully aware of the glare of the man seated on the other side of the table.Theo.His gaze was unflinching, almost burning a hole through my forehead. It wasn’t gentle, or flirty. It was pissed. Annoyed. Vengeful. Almost as if he was planning some kind of devious plan that he couldn’t wait to execute.His presence was magnetic. Every movement he made, every glance he threw my way,
~Storme~I wanted to disappear into the floor. Theo, however, appeared unfazed. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze never leaving mine. “She’s… captivating,” he said, his voice thick with meaning. “More than I expected.”My cheeks burned, and I risked a glance at the king, who seemed pleased with the response. He had no idea that the tension in the room had nothing to do with polite conversation.“That’s good to hear,” Marcellus said, raising his glass in a toast. “I trust you’ll make her feel welcome.”Theo’s grin deepened, and he shook his head. “Of course, Father. In fact, I’d be happy to give her a tour of the Palace after dinner.”The king nodded approvingly, oblivious to the undercurrent of Theo’s offer. I, on the other hand, felt a wave of panic. Spending more time alone with Theo was the last thing I needed, but there was no polite way to refuse.Soon, we were done with dinner. True to his promise, Theo stood and offered me his hand. “Shall we?”I hesitated, my mind racing f
~Theo~My fingers thrummed softly on the desk, creating a nice distraction for me as I waited for my father to say something. He continued perusing his long line of conquest awards, touching each one reverently as if they were sacred objects.Over the years as a young king, I’ve heard and also witnessed the viciousness of my father. Both in battle and when it comes to matters of the kingdom. King Marcellus wouldn’t waste time in having the head of whoever flaunted his order, alphas and Pack members alike.When he got older, he had looked up to me to carry on with his legacy, but I was a far cry from what he is. I preferred not to see the heads of innocent people severed from their spasming bodies. If there was anything I loved more, it was women.And no, I never want them in that forever bond type of way. I preferred to hit and ghost. Maybe that was why the moon goddess had decided that I wasn’t fit to have a mate. It’s been twenty-five years of being on earth, and yet all efforts, wh
~Storme~The minute I got into the kitchen, I released an exasperated breath. Why did he have to be in the king’s study at the time that I was supposed to serve tea? Couldn’t he have waited until I was done serving the king before inserting himself into a situation that didn’t need him?That self-conceited handsome devil. Always trying to make me nervous around him. The most annoying part was that he was always successful. I always find myself weak in the knees after every encounter with him.“How can one person be so handsome and annoying at the same time?” I half-yelled.“Didn’t know you thought that I was so handsome. Could have told me sooner so that I can make you mine.”I spun around to see the handsome devil entering the kitchen. A silly smile played on his lips as he walked towards me, hands in his pockets.“Is that why you’re stalking me?” I retorted, “Because you can’t seem to get your head over me?”“On the contrary, baby doll, I hate you. I hate you so much that all I want
~Theo~“Where were you? I kept looking everywhere for you. Did you forget that we had to train the other werewolves for the hunting competition?” I glanced at Fred who kept on looking at me funny. I raised my assaulted finger and placed it at the bridge of my nose before sniffing deeply. “I was very thirsty. So, I decided to hunt for some kind of rare juice.”The expression on his face was that of uninterest, as if he was waiting for me to tell the truth. This was my problem with people knowing everything about me. Having been my best friend for the better part of my years, even before becoming my beta, Fred knew me more than necessary.He began to unsheathe the swords that we would use for the training session. We had to train harder since we would be competing with other kingdoms on a hunting spree. It had been a tradition since my father became king, and that silly tradition had stuck. I don’t understand the need to run around in forests with a damn sword in this modern time.A gu
~Storme~A week in the palace, and it feels like I’ve been living a dream. A bad dream. King Marcellus has been insistent on his needs, leaving me to wonder how such an old man could have such primal needs. It was such a pity that I wasn’t into older men, or worse still, an older man who looked like him. That was besides almost dragging me everywhere he went and boasting to whoever cared to listen that I was the virgin bride whom he paid for.Now, as I lay on his bed after another three seconds of him penetrating me this evening, I started to wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn’t been sold by Alpha Morgan. Perhaps by now, my mate would have found me, and we would be living happily.I glanced at his fat hand draped across my breast and drew the cover up my chest, slightly shifting and pushing his hand away in the process. It earned me a glare, but I was past the boundaries of caring right now.My mission at this point was to get the king under my thumb and make him fall
~Theo~I stalked around my room, waiting for the signal from Fred. My eyes went to my wristwatch for the umpteenth time. It was already late at night. Why wasn’t she here yet?Fred’s move was supposed to make her jealous, and perhaps evoke that feeling that she’s been trying to suppress. Knowing her impatient nature, I half-expected her to storm through my door and bark at me for leading her on and then turning around to make plans with someone else. That was the reason I’d left my door open. For easy access.“Baby, come to bed already. Let’s get started while the night’s still young.”I glanced at the lady on my bed and cursed silently. Of all the girls in the kingdom to get me, Fred decided that my ex, Mimi, was the perfect one. His reason was that she wouldn’t be too uptight and our act would be more believable, making Storme fall quicker.Looking at her right now, she was totally standing on more than business. She looked every bit beautiful with the red lingerie that barely cover
~Theo~“Fred! You fucker!”Without restraining myself or my wolf, I landed a blow on Fred’s face. The big smile which had been on his face when he saw me, died immediately. First blood spill from his broken nose and I wasn’t satisfied.“You know how crazy Mimi can be. How could you put me in that precarious position with her? Why the hell did you tell her that I wanted to get back together with her?”Another heavy punch from me sent Fred reeling and flopping to the ground. I was beyond pissed at him for putting me in such a situation with my ex, especially since he knew what I was after.He picked himself up and cradled his stomach. The tortured look on his face wasn’t nearly enough for me. I couldn’t tell if this was just about Mimi or if it was about someone else. In all, I needed him to feel a lot of pain.“T-Theo,” he gasped, holding a hand out, “hear me out, please.”I curled a wave from my hair and raised an eyebrow. “Sure. After I’m satisfied knowing that you need a new set of
~Theo~Days after, I avoided Storme as much as I could. Her rejection had hurt me tremendously, more than I ever imagined that I could. Choosing to stay with my father rather than building a new life with me? I could never understand that. What was she so afraid of, anyway? I’d told her countless times that I was going to protect her.A sigh of defeat left my lungs as I covered my face with my hands. My body has felt weak ever since, unable to do most of the things that it used to. Maybe a run would do me some good right now. Yes, I should do a bit of sprinting.Willing my body to move with me, I stood and went to the little door hidden in the deep crevices of my closet. It was a door that led to a very private and secret place where the royal family could go for a run and get back into their rooms without worrying about their nakedness.The moment I transformed into my wolf and began to sprint through the woods, the wind hitting my fur, my paws hitting the soil, trying to drain my
~Theo~The moment we stepped back into the hall, I felt the shift in the air, and the change in Karen’s body language.She had recovered quickly from her shock, too quickly for my liking.I kept my expression neutral, but my body remained tense, every nerve on high alert.Karen sat gracefully in her seat, her lips curling into a knowing smile as she swirled the wine in her glass. “This is interesting,” she mused, her gaze flicking between me and Storme.Storme didn’t react. She was always careful, always guarded. But I could feel the way her pulse had quickened, how she had subtly shifted, and how her body turned stiff.Karen knew something, but she wasn’t going to expose us. At least not yet. She wanted to play the long game.I clenched my jaw, my mind already working through the possibilities. If she had wanted to ruin us immediately, she would have screamed the truth the moment she saw us together. But instead, she was choosing to bide her time, to weave a web of manipulation bef
~Storme~As Theo and I walked side by side into the palace’s private garden, I couldn’t stop the thoughts that kept on warring inside of me. I couldn’t hold off the jealousy that I’d felt seeing another woman trying to lay claim on my mate.My heart was beating an unsteady rhythm, but my face remained composed.The moon goddess must be having such a fun time, seeing how she had managed to turn such sensitive matters into a game. Maybe this was part of the cruel fate that she had prepared for me.Get married to the father, and be the son’s mate.I must really applaud her for her twisted sense of humor.Theo had barely spoken since he followed me out of the dinner. I could feel his emotions crackling in the air between us; anger, frustration, perhaps a little bit of desire.His fists were clenched at his sides, his jaw tight. I thought that I could have apologized for the way I acted, but I didn’t think that I did anything wrong. He was the one who had allowed her talk about his sexine
~Storme~“You haven’t said a word to your fiancée since she arrived, son,” Marcellus grunted, popping a forkful of steak in his mouth, “Isn’t that rude?”Theo’s jaw tightened, and his fingers drummed against the table in agitation. But before he could speak, Karen turned to him with a radiant smile.“I think he’s just overwhelmed to see me, Your Majesty.” she purred, resting a hand on Theo’s arm as if she had every right to. “It’s been far too long, Theo. Didn’t you miss me even a little bit?”Theo didn’t respond immediately, his body tense beneath her touch.“And you seem to have been working out more these days. You’re all so bulky more than you used to be. And you look even more sexy.”Oh, now she’s feeling him up like dough. And what does she even know about his muscles? I slid a aside glance towards her all snuggled up in Theo’s arm.And why wasn’t he trying to get out of her grasp? Was he enjoying her touch that much?Hmph! So much for telling me how much he wanted to imprint
~Storme~The next day, Grace prepared me for the introductory dinner which the king had called for Theo’s fated mate.Even as Grace helped me with my clothes, hair, and makeup, I still felt uneasy. There was this tightness in my chest, almost as if my windpipe had been blocked. Air could hardly penetrate, and before I knew it, I couldn’t take it anymore.I clutched my chest, bending over and gasping for breath. A shaky breath left my lips, and I began to feel the beginning of a sob bubbling in my throat.“Your Highness,” Grace asked, concern etched on her forehead, “are you alright? You suddenly look pale.”What was this feeling?Why did I feel like I was about to lose something extremely dear to me?‘You know you could always let him know that you don’t want to see him with any other girl instead of letting us suffer like this.’ Sunny whispered in my head. ‘Just tell Theo. He’d do anything for you.’‘This isn’t about Theo, Sunny,” I mind-linked, “I just feel sick.”‘The very moment y
~Storme~“Why am I suddenly having so many unfortunate incidents in my life lately?” I muttered as I made my way to my room, clutching the book to my chest like a baby.Getting to my room, I brought up the book, my heart aching at the roughened edges and the bent spine.“Who was that crazy girl by the way?” I fumed, trying my best to smoothen the cover. “She’s so lucky that I’m trying to avoid any more attention this week. I could have dragged her all over that library by her hair. Stupid bitch!”I had barely finished straightening it to my taste when someone rapped on my door. It sounded urgent so I quickly went over to see who it could be.Theo stood at the door, his charming personality on display. I turned just as he shut the door behind him, his piercing gaze locking onto mine. He looked breathless, his broad shoulders rising and falling as he flashed me a dangerous smile.A rush of warmth spread through my chest, wicked, and intoxicating at the same time. The anger that I felt
~Storme~After the frustration of everything that had happened within the week, I decided to go to my most favorite spot in the palace; the library.Thankfully, the two people who I was avoiding the most right now weren’t heavy users of the library. Marcellus had a whole study in his wing, while Theo wasn’t a very heavy reader. So, the library was always almost empty or occupied with a few sets of people.I sighed contentedly as I leaned against the chair, the pages of my book putting a smile on my face. This was one of the few places where I could be alone, where no one expected anything from me because of my title. Here, I was just Storme; a lover of books, and a seeker of quiet moments.That quiet moment, however, seemed to elude me because of the bad decisions that the female lead kept making. I wanted to reach into the book and give her a vigorous shake so that she would quit making decisions that would hurt her at the end.“She’s stressing me out so bad,” I murmured, sighing
~Storme~“I can’t believe this. How could you betray my trust in this manner? I trusted you!”I couldn’t tell if I was upset because she had lied to me, or because it was with the last person that I expected it to be. And why does everyone need to sneak around to love themselves? Is there no more free love in the world?Grace stood by the window, her head bowed deeply. Her lips parted as if to explain herself, but I beat her to it."What were you thinking? I thought we were closer than that. You couldn’t even tell me about that?"Grace flinched but quickly lifted her chin in defiance. "Your Highness, it's not what you think. We weren’t—""I saw you," I cut her off. "By the lake. You and Fred. You were kissing. A minute later and you two would have swallowed each other’s faces. Do you still want to tell me that it isn’t what I think it is?"Color bloomed across her cheeks, and she looked down again. I knew that I was being too touchy about a subject that wasn’t really mine to care abou
~Storme~I paced around my room, gazing occasionally from my window to see if I could get a glimpse of Theo and the king. I wondered what they could possibly be talking about.It’s almost been thirty minutes and they haven’t gotten back. I haven’t seen signs of either Theo or his father.Maybe he already knew about us? Or was it about Theo’s mating to his chosen mate?I exhaled deeply and plopped on the bed. I’ve always known that the risk of what Theo and I were doing was too much.A knock rapped at my door as I was still berating myself, and a servant walked in.“Your Highness, the king is demanding to see you right now.”My heart jumped straight into my mouth. I swallowed hard, trying to put on a mask of indifference.“The king? Did he tell you why he wanted to see me?”The maid shook her head. “He just said to make sure you come to his room immediately.”I waved the maid away and straightened my clothes. I haven’t had the chance to take off the shimmery dress that I’d used for the