AVERY“ Ava. ” Nora takes a step ahead. “ What’s wrong? Why are you…acting like this? ”She is repeating the same questions again. I glance at her, my chest still heaving in anger. They are all there, fitting right into a perfect picture. Friends, and family. They even share the same expressions. Disdain and surprise.And I? I am nowhere. I have never been a part of their group.“ Why? ” I narrow my eyes on my brother. “ why insist on bringing me here, Dustin? ”“ It’s because this is your home, Ava. We couldn’t leave you in that enemy Kingdom. ” Nora whispers, instead of him.My brows lift to my forehead as I stare at Dustin. He appears nonchalant—even after everything, he has nothing to offer. No words, no answers.“ Where was this consideration when Dustin traded me for Amelia? ” I turn to face them.Nora opens her mouth, her eyes meet mine and then she closes her mouth again.“ We waited for you to reach out, Avery. All you needed to do was to ask us and we would have done every
AVERYI steal a glance at King Striker. His expressions match his words. Shock and confusion fill the faces of the others too.Instinctively, I scoff and glare at Dustin. He held back information again.“ Mate? Did you meet your mate in the South, Ava? ” Nora gasps, her eyes widening and flickering towards Dustin.As usual, my brother doesn’t care even if his lies come to light. He is just that unbothered. “ Well, didn’t my brother tell you that Aleister Anasazi…the Lycan King of the South… ” I turn to the others again and trail off. They hold their breaths, their eyes fixed on me. It’s as if the wheels are turning in their heads as they hope that Aleister is not the one.I continue. “ Aleister is my fated mate. ”Amelia yelps dramatically and places her palm over her mouth to suppress further sounds of surprise. With a frown, Tyson stares at me and King Striker appears pissed off as he glares at Dustin.Nora, however, looks comical with her parted lips and twitching brows. “ are yo
AVERY“ Will you threaten me with that secret again? ”My question makes her eyes narrow and her breathing labored. She glares at me for a moment, probably contemplating which approach to take.To my surprise, the others stand by, never interfering or saying anything. “ What are you talking about?! ” When the wheels stop turning in her mind, she fakes innocence and huffs.I shake my head. “ You are the worst of evil. Nothing can ever make you change, Mom. ”“ How dare you! ” She screeches, lifting her hand to hit me.I catch her wrist mid-air, and sneer. “ don’t you dare try it again! ”Her eyes widen. “ You have gone mad! Dustin— ” She looks at him from over her shoulder. “ Look what your sister is doing! ”My gaze flickers towards him. He stands there, still unfazed and as calm as water. There is nothing in his eyes that can betray any emotion.“ Dustin! ” Mom shouts. “ Don’t you get it, Mom? ” I whisper, throwing her hand away. “ Just like he didn’t step in when you hit me, he wo
AVERY“ The boy has risen from the dead. ” The screams were all I could hear.“ The Prince can use his ability. ” They continued to yell.But I was on the rock, my limbs twisted at weird angles. My head hurt, and the pain made it impossible for me to see anything. It felt like there was blood in my eyes and a red veil hid everything from my sight.Dustin. My mind kept calling out to him. The warriors that came to kill him had not taken pity on him. They came with ruthless orders. They had to tighten a rope around Dustin’s neck and halt his breaths. They wanted him to disappear.But I didn’t want him to go.He was the only one who played with me, comforted me, and protected me. He was always there when Dad wanted to hurt me or when Mom shouted at me.I tried to save him. But he kept pushing me away. He wanted me to live. But how could I live without him? My Brother. He was my only family. The pain kept growing in my spine. It felt like it was broken. That’s why a bone was poking ou
AVERY“ You knew. ” “ Now I can say…you have grown up. ” Dustin’s face appears in my sight that was filled with the ceiling before. “ but you still haven’t learned to keep yourself together. ”“ You knew. ” I repeat, a lump forming in my throat again.My eyes hurt. I touch them with my fingers to find them swollen. “ About Mom, Dad, and everything else? ” Dustin lifts his brows.He knew. Why don’t I find it surprising? “ You knew what I did. ” I mumble, sitting up in the bed. “ You always knew. Is that why you were disappointed in me? ”Dustin steps away to let me sit up properly before he takes a seat on the bed beside my feet.“ Is that why you let Mom trample all over you? ” Dustin’s gaze rests on the window.I purse my lips. “ You knew she was abusing me all this time? ” Dustin glances my way, a strange fleeting look in his eyes before he fixes his gaze on the window again.“ It’s time you know one thing. ” He says, composed and calm.I stiffen. “ what? ”“ That woman… ” He sta
AVERYRight after Dustin leaves, Nora comes barging inside. Startled, I stare at her as she closes the distance between us hurriedly and grabs my arms.“ Don’t you know you shouldn’t stress yourself at such an important time?! ” She says, frowning at me.Dumbfounded, I don’t even get the time to push her away as she wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me.“ I am sorry. I am so sorry. ” She whispers. “ I should have done better with you. I should have…not treated you like that. ”My whole body stiffens as my hands hang in the air. “ Leave me, Nora. ”“ No, you told me everything that was going through your head so you should listen to what I have to say too. ” She says, shaking her head.Annoyed, I grab her arms to push her away but she keeps holding me.“ I never wanted to hurt you. Trust me. I could never imagine you were feeling like this. ” She utters.“ I have heard all of that, Nora. ” Sighing, I give up on forcing her away. “ I said what I wanted to say to you. Now I am at pe
AVERYCan a few words rattle your world, make your breath stop, and freeze you in the moment forever? Yes, they can.“ You are pregnant… Did you not want it? Is that why you are turning pale? ”The voice in my ear is so faint, I can hardly hear it.“ Are you feeling alright? Is something wrong, Ava? ”Ava.Avery.Avi. Princess.To others, I have assumed so many names and gave them a version they wanted.But what did I always want? ‘ You can’t even bear a child. What use is a woman who can not bear a King’s child? ’ That woman’s voice is still there, hateful and angry.Yes, that’s what I always have wanted. I have wanted a child to prove that I am a worthy woman. A child will fix everything. If only I carry a child, I won’t be called those names again. Barren. Useless. Unworthy. But Aleister didn’t think that. For him, in all truth, I have been a perfect woman. Someone he loved despite knowing what I couldn’t provide him.Maybe…That’s why…This news doesn’t bring me relief. This c
AVERY“ What are you doing now? ” Nora is hot on my tail while Renee comes around the corner and joins the others.“ Princess.”“ I told you what I am doing. ” I can’t stop smiling.“ Who are you trying to hurt? ” Nora sighs.“ Princess Avery, I suggest you stop pushing your limits. You should be resting. ” King Striker comments.“ Striker is right, Avery. Why do you keep running around? I get that you are angry, but it’s too much now. You need to think about your health. ” Tyson joins in.“ Why don’t you tell that to your mate, Your Highness? Stop eating my brain. I told you, I have no desire to be friends with my ex-fiance. Besides, you were never a good fiance anyway. I am glad you got Amelia and I got rid of you. ” I snicker.An awkward silence hangs in the air before Nora sighs. “ Ava. ”“ Oh, here we are. ” I stop outside that woman’s room.The group halts behind me, all looming over my head, and concerned about my next move.“ Ava, think this through. ” Nora pokes my arm again.
AVERYLife is unpredictable, they say.I caress the cheek of the newborn, my finger trembling softly. I am awed and reduced to a teary-eyed, half-conscious woman with nothing more meaningful in life than the bundle lying on the bed beside me. So, I believe now…Life is unpredictable. If someone had told me that I will give birth to a beautiful girl, with glassy grey eyes and a sharp cry…I would have told them that I didn’t need them to fool me into believing things that would never happen.But it has happened.“ You have the right. ” Aleister lays on the other side, watching the girl lying between us with similar expressions. He looks dazed as if he is in a dream and scared of touching this beautiful creature.“ We decided on that. You will get to name her if it’s a girl. ” I pull my knees to my chest, trying hard to forget the pain I felt during labor yesterday. People say something else too—they say giving birth is no easy feat. It’s like dying and coming back to life after seei
AVERY“ Was this really as necessary as you make it out to be? ” I ask, moving across his room, smoothening down the non-existent creases in the dress.It’s the same gown that I wore to the festival. Back then, Aleister sent me away without even looking at me but he carried this dress with him wherever he went when I left him.Now, he wants me to wear it on my initiation. I told him it’s unnecessary, but he insists that I must wear this.“ I can get you a new dress if you want, my Princess. ” Aleister says, stepping out of the dressing room and pulling me into his arms immediately. I notice the dark suit he is wearing, the material fitting every bulging muscle and making him appear bigger than he already is. Our eyes meet and warmth spreads in my insides—It’s instant and soothing. “ How do I look? ” I whisper, reaching up to press my lips to his mouth gently.“ Like my Princess. ” Aleister tilts his head, connecting our lips again. “ Like the greatest star in the sky or the beautif
AVERYIt was not as bad as I imagined it. Aleister did stick out from the others, but no matter how wary they were, they couldn’t say anything about it or him anymore.We had breakfast together, and then I showed Aleister around. As expected, Dustin gave us a side eye whenever we stumbled across him but he couldn’t do anything about it which left me giddy.For the first time in my life, I have my own team. Aleister and I are together, and I don’t care if the whole world is on the other side. He is enough for me.But I like that my former friends and acquaintances have accepted him as my mate.“ You have been smiling from the morning. ” Aleister mumbles, pressing a kiss to my neck from behind.“ Do you not like it when I smile? ” I inquire playfully.“ Of course, I love it, Princess. ” He trails a path of kisses up my neck as his hand rests on my stomach, caressing it softly. “ I want you to keep smiling like this forever. Will you do that for me? ”“ If you don’t make me mad, I will. ”
DUSTIN“ What are you thinking now? ” Lenora asks curiously.“ That’s not the right question, Lenora. ” I tell her and place my palm over the edge of the window. The sea appears calm today, or maybe, it’s just me. I am calm, inside out. There is no noise inside my head right now. After seeing Avi genuinely happy, I think I will be better for some time. “ Did you always know that King is her mate? ” She inquires and stands beside me.“ Does it matter? ” I wonder. Why does everyone make a fuss about it? If I know, so what? Does it change anything?The loser thinking makes me want to roll my eyes. If you jump into the ditch after knowing that it’s not deep or you jump without knowing it’s not deep…it’s all the same. In the end, you still have to jump in the ditch. “ How did you know? ” She turns her head and studies me curiously.“ Moon Goddess told me. ” I vowed to not lie to Lenora before, so she gets all the honest answers.She snickers. “ I am serious, Dustin. ”It’s another thi
ALEISTER“ Levian…can tell when someone is lying. If you had stayed back, he would have found out about your child. You don’t realize how brutal he can be when it comes to getting what he wants. And right now, it’s not the time for the war. It’s time to hide that you are pregnant, Avi. ” Dustin explains to her.“ You want to hide my child? ” She huffs. “ that’s not happening. ”“ That’s why I didn’t tell you before. Now that your mate here has told Levian that you are not pregnant and that he is not allied with the other three Kingdoms, Levian is not desperate to snatch your child. He will wait. Because he believes we are weak when we are not united as the four Kingdoms. ” He says and wipes the dried blood from under his nose again. “ He will wait for you to find your mate. ” I conclude neutrally.“ He will wait for me to break and join him. Or he will wait for a mate to come to break me and get me to lose my mind like the rest of you. ” Dustin replies, and smirks. “ but that’s never
ALEISTERI have a hunch that Dustin Landric—the twat let me hit him intentionally. I would have preferred if he fought back. I don’t enjoy hitting those who want to get hit.“ Aleister. ” My Princess nuzzles into my neck, and peer at me with her puppy eyes.My throat feels heavy as I stare into those eyes. I came here to be mad at her. Her friend sent me a letter and informed me that my Princess hadn’t left me and it was all her brother’s plot. He drugged her and kidnapped her.But she could have let me know about it.And she didn’t.I was mad, but what do I feel right now? The heaviness in my throat increases. She loves me, she is carrying my child and she is showing me that she cares about me without giving a fuck about the watching eyes.It’s like I am in a dream. Maybe, I lost my mind back in the South and this is a part of a beautiful imagination.If it’s that…I slide her stray hair behind her ear and watch as she smiles at me brightly. Her blue eyes are moist, and they still l
AVERY“ Once we are done, do you want me to give you a visit to the Wolveshire Citadel? ” I wonder, clinging to Aleister’s arm.He glances at my eyes, slowly looks down at my arm wrapped around his bicep, blinks, then looks away. From where I walk beside him, I can see his neck turning slightly red.“ I don’t think your brother would like that. ” Aleister grumbles under his breath as we step into the sitting area.“ I think the same. ” I nod quickly. “ but I don’t mind. He can be broody about it and go sulk in his room. ” My eyes wander off to my brother who is standing in front of the window, his back to us. “ Ava. ” Nora squeaks, grabbing my attention.I look to my right and find the rest of them standing beside the couches stiffly. Their wary glares filter towards Aleister, making me frown.Subtly, Tyson pushes Amelia behind him and stands in front of her protectively while the girl looks as horrified as a dying fish. Nora and King Striker are beside them, all in their defensive s
AVERYI fake a gasp and roll on the bed. Instantly, Aleister halts and turns to me worriedly.“ What happened? ” He asks, approaching me hurriedly.I clutch my head until he is standing in front of me. When he leans in, I grab his shoulder and sit him on the bed again.My eyes narrow. “ I liked what we did but I don’t want anyone to see this view. ”I point towards his abdomen before rolling out of the bed and grabbing his pants to throw them at him.“ You faked it? ” He rolls his eyes.“ I know what works with you. I just used that information. ” I shrug, searching for my dress. The look of disbelief comes back on his face. He leans back, dropping the pants on the floor again.“ I am not wearing them. You wanted to fuck me in your room. Now you can’t hide me, Princess. ” He chuckles, balancing himself on his palms.“ First of all, we didn’t do what you said we did. We— ”“ Made love? That’s the same as fucking. My cock goes in and out your— ” A knock silences him. Gasping, I drop t
AVERYI am getting worried now. Aleister hasn’t said anything for like an hour after what I told him.I am comfortably lying on top of him now, and I am so tired that I want to sleep. But the hundred different emotions that keep surging back and forth in my mind keep me wide awake.I yawn, snuggling into his neck. “ say something. This silence is irritating me now. ”Silence meets me as a reply again.I huff and draw my face out of his neck just to glare at him. But he looks lost and his eyes see right through me.“ Are you that shocked? Did you not want— ”“ You said…it’s not possible. ” Aleister finally mumbles, his heart beating like a loud drum under my palm.My gaze meets his wide eyes as I sigh. “ Well, my Mom lied about that. I am perfectly fine. I confirmed with a Healer. ”“ What? ” Aleister whispers, his eyes still holding disbelief.“ Yes, Mom lied and made me believe I couldn’t get pregnant. ” I shrug, dropping my head back. “ but who knew…her lie would get me pregnant mor