Arden's POVAlthough something doesn't feel right about my decision to punish Serena, I still proceeded to inform Emma about it.Somehow, I felt Sylvia had lied against her, but I had to do what I thought was the right thing to do. It was just to save face before Sylvia.However, instead of putting Serena in the general prison, I ordered them to put her in a private room.If she was gone for a while, by the time she returns everything would have calm down. And I had intended to keep her of everyone's focus for the time being.The prison seemed like the only safe place for her to be. That way, she doesn't get bullied by anyone, and she would not provoke me, and I could keep her off Zone's sight.I had specifically asked that they treat her well and must not join other prisoners to do any hard labor.The whole family was already waiting for me at the dinning room. The aroma of whatever the chef had prepared was splashed in the atmosphere.I could not wait to see what it was. Just when I
Serena's POVEveryone is a saint until their secret is exposed to the world. Just because we haven't seen a flaw with someone does not mean they are with no blame.I have faced continuous humiliation both in Derek's pack and here in the place all because of the false image Derek and Cora painted about me.I have been asking myself that would things be different between Arden and If he had not walked in on me in that state? Would he treat me with respect?It is not so regular for a King to pay attention to a mere maid. So I understood why everyone would think that I seduced Arden. But he brought me here, not just as a maid, but I was his mate.I did not understand why he refused to take responsibility for his actions. If he did the right things, other werewolves in the palace would not misunderstand me, and I won't be falsely accused.It was not a game of blame, I just thought as a responsible adult, one needs to be accountable for certain things.“Here is your room for the time being.
WILL SHE MAKE IT?Arden's POVI have never experienced such panic before. Alf keeps trying to calm me down. Soon Beta came over to the hospital too.I stood aside in shock as I watched everyone rushing into the ICU. I was becoming restless. I rushed towards the door, trying to get in too.“I'm sorry Your Majesty, but you can't go in. A family shouldn't do that” The security guards restricted me.I was aware of that principle. I would be disrespecting myself if I had argued with them. So I composed myself and left the door area.Although the ICU was built with glass, it was impossible to see through it or know what was going on inside. I was restless. It felt as though my world had crumbled.“Your Majesty, you have to calm down. She will be alright” Beta comforted.“I believe you. But what I don't understand is why anyone would want to poison Serena. I specifically asked them to look after her in the prison. How can they be so careless?”“I passed the order for everyone related to the
Arden's POV “Where are you headed to, your Highness?” Beta asked with curiosity splashed all over his face. I was getting tired of all his questions. There was just no time to answer irrelevant questions. “You already know where I am going. Why are you delaying me with questions? Do you have any motives I should be worried about?” Everyone was now a suspect to me, I felt whatever happened was a result of a collaborative effort. It was not only was person that carried out the evil act. I pushed him aside and walked towards the disciplinary centre. I knew it was already late, the time was 11 pm. They would probably be asleep. It was fine by me, I would get to find out how seriously they took their job or they just do whatever they wanted. The driver drove the car after me and I hopped in. Soon, we arrived there and it was quiet like a deadly zone. “Where is the investigation room?” I asked with a cold voice.“On the last floor, Your Majesty!” The chief guard replied quickly. “Goo
Arden's POV“Your Majesty, we have searched everywhere, we are unable to locate the maid” the chief guard shamelessly reported to me, an hour later.“Hahaha! Are you telling me now that a suspect successfully escaped from the palace under your watch? Does that mean your position is just for ceremony and our lives are under threat?”“I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I will do better…from..” Before he could finish his words, I had landed a hard slap on his face.If Serena's case did not happen, we wouldn't have known the danger we lived in. This was the royal palace, even close relatives were actively after the throne and would go to any length, not to of an enemy that was not willing to hide away.This single incident had shown the level of his incompetence, and how porous the security system of the royal palace was.It means that anyone can go in and out of the palace without fear of security restrictions, because no one would check them in. It doesn't even matter if they had good intentions
Arden's POVI left the control room, tired, defeated and exhausted. There was no right word to describe how I was feeling.I head back to the Manor, it was quite like no one has ever stepped foot into it. I went in quietly and had a warm shower and then I laid down on my bed.My mind was blank. So much has happened in one day. I was torn between mixed feelings, and the series of discoveries concerning the faulty security operation in the palace.If my family finds out, they would be thrown into panic and the issue would even become more ambiguous. What was bothering more than anything was the fact that if our enemies found out about the porousness of the palace security system, they would want to take advantage of that.How can I be so sure that they were not even aware? At least a lot of things that had happened during the day had shown me that something was not right somewhere. How do I protect my family?As the Lycan King, it was my responsibility to protect the affairs of the wolf
Serena's POV‘You have no reason to give up as long as you have the privilege each day' I this from somewhere I can't recall again. But whenever I think deeply about life, and the happenings around me, this has been what kept me on my feet.The last thing I remembered was crawling to the door area before I passed out.I felt a sharp pain around my abdomen, and my head was banging from a headache. My body was not mine. All that I could feel was pain.My nose was feeling weak and attacked by a strange smell hanging arrogantly in the air, one that was not familiar and could never be perceived somewhere else except where it was meant to be.I opened my tired sleepy eyes slightly and I was sure it was not a familiar room. The room was packed with unfamiliar machines like I was in a factory.I tried to look around, I was in the hospital gown, lying down on the kind of mattress I had never seen before. I was in the hospital. I tried to get up but I failed. I was too weak to do so.How did I
Sylvia was one sly fox. Who would have thought that she was capable of doing such a thing? I had the urge to plug out her eyes, or her heart and place it in her hand.No one has ever dared to challenge me in any capacity until. The truth is, I felt challenged by Sylvia's actions.However, instead of reacting negatively, I decided to direct my focus on strengthening my empire.I had summoned all the security guards in the palace, they were placed under observation and probation. It would be a secret operation.My goal was to fish out every weak individual who might be a liability to us someday and to return the palace to the power centre it used to be.Until I achieve what I intended to do with Sylvia, I will continue to act neutral around her. I can't believe she had already attempted to kill someone when she had not even spent a week in the palace.“I want a mini control room prepared in one of the rooms in the Manor. No one should not know about this” I said to Beta.“Also, I want m
Serena PoVI walked into the medical wing and the scent of medicine hit my nose. Rachel stayed silently at her workstation blending medicinal salves while Marcus sat alone on his cot, looking determined though he didn't feel well. Luca kept his head down while sitting on a chair, picking at the edges of his shirt.Marcus looked at me right away while holding his injuries despite the pain. He spoke to me quietly, saying, "Serena," while struggling to speak clearly.I moved my chair close to his hospital bed and gave him a warm look. “Marcus,” I said softly. “Tell me everything.”Despite what had happened, Marcus spoke to me calmly about it. He told me how he entered Caden's camp with Luca, tried talking to Evelyn, and how Caden clawed at him.Marcus told me how Evelyn pleaded with our enemy to free them. “She struggled her whole way through to keep me safe.” He said, talking about Evelyn.Instantly, Luca ag
Evelyn PoVMy past choices pressed heavily on me during my walk through the camp. Every move I made was accompanied by the memories of my victims and the people I harmed. Gloria's comments sounded louder than ever in my thoughts with her gentle and convincing tone. She assured me that I possessed the potential to achieve great things.Her pledges started to break down under pressure.As I gazed at the night sky Gloria softly noted "Your power comes from our bond. Without me, you’re nothing. Remember that, Evelyn.”Her words initially, would have provided me comfort and guidance toward my goals. But now it felt like I was in a prison since she held me in her grip and kept me from making free decisions. Gloria took advantage of me just like Caden did.I clenched my fists. Did the pursuit of power need to destroy lives this way?“You didn’t need to scare my mother away. I think I’m getting the hang of it now. My mo
Serena PoVThe room was filled with tension. On the table, the map was spread with Ardan and Alpha Joachim facing each other while arguing about their next military move. I rested my back against the wall with my arms folded while my head itched from the mounting stress.“I think we should make our first move from this area.” Ardan proposed, circling an area on the map. “Striking this location will split the the red blood moon pack’s military divisions.”Joachim shook his head. “Ardan you fixate solely on using power in your approach. Caden's wolves learn to handle strife during physical confrontations. Our strike must be slow and deliberate to reach Evelyn since moving too quickly would cost us many wolf lives.”Evelyn. I remembered how our last conversation went. My love for her hurt deeply but I couldn't find a way to be with her. Gloria took complete control of Evelyn's mind and every time I thought about her
Evelyn PoVI stood in Caden’s war room with tension thick in the air and my hands shaking at my sides. Territory maps of various packs, slashed through in red to show how many we’d been able to bring under our control, were spread across the table. At the head of the table, my father, Caden gripped the map with his shining bionic arm as he laid out our next move.“After we claim the Eastern moon pack,” Caden said coldly, “we will have power over all major territory in a hundred-mile radius. The rest will be compelled to fall in line.”I couldn’t take my eyes off him; I was disgusted. “And if they don’t?” I asked, though I knew the answer.Caden turned to me, narrowing his eyes. “Then we crush them. No one defies us, Evelyn. This is what it takes to unite the wolves and ensure peace.”“Peace,” I repeated bitterly. “Is this what peace feels l
Evelyn’s PoVI was standing at the forefront of Caden’s soldiers, with my father staring me down from across the battlefield. His words from earlier rang in my ears: “This is not just another battle, Evelyn. It’s about sending a message. We have to make them understand that whoever dares to side with Ardan cannot withstand us.”I realised that it was not merely a matter of asserting one’s authority - it was much more personal. And now, I was leading the charge.I was afraid. My hands shook slightly and I had to hide it. Gloria’s whispers had decided to take a break but I know I was doing this on my own accord. Her whispers or not, Gloria was forever present.“Ready, Evelyn?” Caden asked in a commanding tone.I simply bowed my head, swallowing the disgust that rose from deep within my heart. “I’m ready.”The attack started off as being vicious and unrelenting. Wolves foug
Evelyn’s PoVThe night was dark, and the atmosphere was rather oppressive, as if everyone was expecting a fight. I was by my father side, Caden, at the forest and across from us was the rogue pack which we were enemies with. We had encroached their territory and we wanted war. I felt my pulse quicken, but it was not due to any kind of apprehension. It was something else—a feeling of anxiety intertwined with adrenaline and Gloria’s spirit was all I needed to charge up.“Are you ready?” Caden asked.I could not escape the doubt I felt but I attempted to mask with a nod. Was I truly ready? Is this the road I am to travel?“This isn’t just about war. It’s about making sure our pack is going to be safe from threats that may exist in the future. If left unaddressed, ‘they’ will be a constant thorn in the side of everything we are trying to construct here.”I forced myself to believe him, a
Serena PoVI had learned about the changes that took place in Evelyn and the revelation was eye-opening for me. My daughter—the one I had wanted to shield from the reality of the world—was now a part of an immeasurable force. But it was not only power, it was power stained with blood. Caden had manhandled her and had exploited her strength for his own gain. Worse still, the spirit of Gloria had successfully taken over Evelyn and is determined to finish her off as well.I sat in my room, with the curtains drawn and my mind tormented by guilt and sorrow. How had it come to this? Evelyn was meant to be protected, enveloped in affection, but what I had offered her was anything but that. Now she was beyond my reach, entangled with Caden and manipulated by Gloria.I tried to reach her. With my eyes shut tight, I focused on our connection and communicated with her via my wolf mother link.“Evelyn,” I said through our telepathic connection. “It’s me, your mother. Please, talk to me.”At that
Evelyn’s PoVThe change that happened in me was not sudden like a snap of the fingers; it was a slow process like the encroachment of night over day. At first, it was subtle: was always accompanied by a keener sense of presence, a liveliness that surged through me, making me feel as though I were unstoppable. But as days turned into weeks, I began to know other things.Although, when I concentrated, I realised that I could control the wind. I could also feel with my mind the thoughts and intentions of people around as if they were exposed to me like an open diary… something akin to what my mother can do. It was rather daunting, but at the same time, it was liberating.I first felt this transformation while going through an attack with pure wolves like my mother and me. We were caught off guard while patrolling the outskirts of the territory. Caden had taken me along with a group of his pack to check on my commitment and ability to survive in his pack, which was a pack of killers.Our
Evelyn’s PoVIt wasn’t long before Caden came to pick me up. His rogue wolves stood next to him, their faces cold and emotionless. My mother, Serena, stood firm in front of me, her aura protected me and prevented the wolves from coming any closer to me.“I will personally cut your genitals off if you dare to lay a finger on her,” she snarled.Caden smirked, unfazed. “Relax, Serena. She’s my daughter. I am taking her to her rightful place.”“She is my daughter too,” Serena replied heatedly her eyes burning with anger. “And I’m warning you, Caden. Evelyn is more than what meets the eye.” Then she lowered her tone. “Evelyn is in contact with Gloria. Someone like you can use that to your advantage but not when my daughter’s life is at stake.”Caden’s expression turned from one of annoyance to a cool one. “You worry too much, Serena. I’ll handle it.”“Caden, this isn’t some joke!” My mom yelled.I placed a hand on her arm. “Mom, it’s okay. I’ll be fine. I promise.”She relaxed her eyes. “P