AVERYI was not expecting this sudden attack of rough and dominating kisses when I dozed off. But now, he doesn’t seem to stop. His hands wander to my butt and my chest as he squeezes my flesh and growls into my mouth. He is a possessed man who is not ready to stop or listen to reason.His firm lips descend on my mouth again and kiss me hard, making my head spin and my belly fill with heat. It’s my mate—Of course, I am bound to feel that I am an animal in mating season whenever he is devouring me like his favorite meal.But I have to be a little more rational.I—Thoughts fly out of the window as he picks me up in his arms. In a blurred moment, we are already on the bed and he is on top of me, still hellbent on stealing every single drop of my sanity. His lips part from my mouth which is already filled with his minty, masculine taste before he lowers his face to my neck, plastering a line of kisses on every spot he finds. I gasp, searching for something to grab as my hands restless
AVERYHe is only saying this now because he already confirmed the truth with his brother!I huff exasperatedly and push at his chest to create some distance. “ Talk without kissing me. ”“ I can’t do that. ” He whispers, in a husky and deep voice. I open my mouth to retort but he grabs my hand and drags it towards his legs. Surprise crosses my face as I cup his hard length.“ Take care of it. ” Aleister demands, sounding whiny.“ Do you usually go crazy after losing your mind because of whatever curse it is? ” I pull my hand back instantly. I am sure there is steam coming out from both my ears.“ Why would I take care of anything? And what is this talk about being on my side? Did you not tell me that you plan on using me all along? That I mean nothing to you and you are not affected by me or the mate bond!? You don’t care about me at— ”He seals my mouth with his lips, not letting me rant on about the problems he caused. I mewl, hitting my fists over his chest to be free.Only after
AVERYHere, I was starting to expect that maybe Goddess knocked some sense into this man and he decided to let me live in peace but well…he still has a screw loss.“ You just want to take advantage of me in the name of my brother’s deal. You just want me Aleister and you don’t care how you get me anymore! ” I state as a matter of fact while barely concealing the explosive anger and stupid hurt. “ I want you. ” Aleister acknowledges instantly, leaving me with a quivering stomach.“ What— ”“ But I also care about how I get you. ” His hand skims down my chest, resting on my lower abdomen. Our eyes meet and an inevitable wave of heat scorches down my body. I grip his shoulders harder as he leans in.“ If I wanted to take advantage of your brother’s deal, I would have fucked you by now. ” He breathes, hot and dangerous. “ but I didn’t, did I? No! Instead, from the time you have come here, I patiently indulged your denial. I let you deny me, Princess, because I don’t want to force my way
AVERYFour days. He went four days without seeing me or letting me anywhere near him. Aleister is surely trying his best to resist. But why should I care? It’s better if he goes mad like this and stays out of my path.“ You are scowling again. ” Draven reminds me.My nose wrinkles. I throw him a stinky look, that tells him how much I dislike him right now. “ What? ” He laughs sarcastically. “ You wanted me as a guard, didn’t you? Now, why do you show me such a long face whenever I follow you? ”“ It’s because you are just…unbearable. ” I nod as if telling him an important secret.“ Princess, don’t ruin your mood. ” Renee grabs my elbow and squeezes gently.I release a soft breath and lean to the side. I was not expecting Aleister to send me Renee. When she first appeared in my room four days, she told me that Draven told her that she must accompany me all the time, and keep an eye on me as my companion. I know it’s not Draven who did that. But the one who issued such orders right
AVERY“ Niana! Come here! ” Suddenly, a woman’s voice echoes in the area.I look to my left, at the entrance of the lounge. A small girl runs inside but is grabbed by her mother who is wearing the clothes of a royal servant.“ I apologize. ” She bows her head slightly when she notices me staring.“ It’s fine. ” Draven replies instead of me.My eyes remain on the child. She appears to be the same age as…her—Aleister’s daughter.During all this, I didn’t pay much attention to that matter, to her in general.It’s clear that Celia stays locked up in that place and Aleister never lets her out. All over again, my heart aches when I think about it. Will it be okay if I visit her sometime? She seemed excited when she first saw me anyway. “ Renee. ” I turn to her.“ Yes, Princess. ” She looks up curiously.“ Go to the main Hall for the women until I call you back. ” I command, without any room for debate but she still glances at Draven as if seeking permission.My eyes twitch as I direct my
AVERY“ You are cheating! ” I shriek, pointing an accusatory finger towards Draven.“ Yes, Uncle! You are a bad boy. You are cheating. ” Celia nods and places her hands on her waist to confront him.Draven smirks. “ How does one cheat in Jenga? ”“ I don’t know! You have some trick up your sleeve. How can you pull that out without dropping the tower? ” I am sure I am going mad with frustration.“ Yes, Uncle! ” Celia huffs, equally frustrated.“ Tsk. Girls are such sore losers. ” He snickers and smugly puts the block he pulled on the top.I glare at the shaking tower which goes back to holding its position. All the solid blocks are already out. Now, pulling out one means losing. Next up is my turn, of course. “ Uncle, you cheater. ” Celia cries out, and slides closer to me. “ Pretty Princess, we have to play without Uncle. ”“ Of course, you want to play without me. You can’t defeat me. ” Draven laughs villainously.My breathing speeds up. “ you are cheating! That’s different from win
AVERY“ Daddy! Help us punish Uncle! ” Celia adds, reaching out to grab Aleister’s hand.His eyes darken as he looks over my shoulder. After a moment, Draven shrieks like a little girl.I turn around and watch in awe as blocks rise in the air due to some invisible force and hit him one by one. He is dancing all around, dodging and protecting himself.Celia giggles, and I follow suit. I can’t help it. Seeing Draven like this is just so satisfying!“ You all are teaming up against me! That’s unfair. ” Draven huffs sulkily after the last block hits him in the back.I giggle harder. Worries cease to exist as I indulge in the moment, losing grip over the lifelong taught manners and poise. “ You truly are terrifying. I won’t play with you anymore. ” He announces, his nose scrunching.“ Who told you to go against us? Hmph! ” I say in between my uncontrollable giggles. The print of a block on his left cheek makes it funnier.“ You look so pretty like this, Pretty Princess! ” To my surprise,
AVERYMy eyes twitch as I glare at the barely standing tower. I am just so done. First, Draven was getting on my nerves. Now, it’s Aleister who is after my sanity.“ What are you waiting for? It’s your turn. Don’t make us wait. ” Draven snorts, his eyes twinkling with satisfaction.“ You— ” I glance at Aleister.Not so surprisingly, he is already drilling holes in my face. I swallow the word ‘Cheater’ when I notice his dark eyes. My stomach turns to mush as I hurriedly look back to the Jenga tower.“ The Princess has lost. Leave her be. ” Agrona chimes in.I shoot her a strained look. My bottom lip is almost sticking out at this point.I do not want to lose for the 14th time. This is just so…stupid. I groan internally.Suddenly, a current jolts down my spine as Aleister’s forefinger brushes down my ear. A pleased sigh escapes my lips before a horrified look crosses my face.“ Put her to bed. ” He whispers.“ Hmm? ” I blink, facing him. His hand is still hovering around my ear. Eithe
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