DamonI watched as Candice's eyes widened in shock, and in the next moment she recoiled in shock and disbelief. "What? No, don't you do this.." she pleaded as tears slowly began to drop from her eyes. "Calm down Candice, I'm not going to force you into anything you don't like. I won't control how you wish to live your life, but I want the best for you. Liam is a good man, and even though you don't view him as a love interest, I'm sure you'll change your mind if you get to know him better." I explained while hoping she'd calm down. It didn't work, her tears worsened and I could see hate steadily building up in her eyes. "I understand that you're looking out for me, but just this once let me make my own choices. Alex needs time, I'm sure of it. He needs a little bit of time—""You keep saying that, but he doesn't look like someone who needs time." I interjected sharply. "When is he going to be ready? Is it when you're past your youthful days? You're not getting any younger Candice!" I
Damon I had barely finished my conversation with Liam when a guard came knocking on the door. "Come in," I ordered and the guard entered after my voice. "Is something the matter?" I asked after he made his entrance into the room. The guard lowered his head in respect before handing a letter over to me. "It came in today. It's a letter from Tim." The guard informed me as I took the piece of paper from his hand. With great care, I began to read everything that was written in the letter. The text would have been more efficient, but because the activities of his phone and calls were being monitored, writing letters and sending them out through crows or a secret delivery man was the best Tim could do at the moment. According to the letter, Tim explained that Gazel had left the pack. He had been invited to some sort of occasion in another pack and had left the previous night. Although Tim was certain that Gazel had left for the neighboring pack, he didn't believe the rumors that said i
DamonThe past three days had been nothing short of hectic and difficult, both mentally and physically. There was no update from Tim, and the elders had begun pushing the Agenda to have the initiation rituals for the children once again. The last one had been interrupted by Annie, and because of that the ritual had been considered null. However, now that it seemed like every distraction was gone, they had begun to demand for another initiation ritual. Although I had no qualms with their decisions this time around, at the same time I couldn't just ignore the issues with Gazel and turn to perform a ritual when a potential war was brewing in the shadows. I had sent a spy to infiltrate the Blue Rose pack, and hadn't gotten a response from him yet. There was no telling whether he was dead or alive, or even worse caught. Distracted by my thoughts, I failed to notice as Liam walked into the room with me. In his hand was a piece of paper too small to be work related, and on his face was a s
Damon The preparation for the second initiation ritual ceremony had begun with a subtle tone, and although many people weren't as excited as they were for the first time, they were still eager and respectful enough to pay their future Alpha the respects he deserved. I had done my best to focus on the upcoming ceremony and distract myself from the letter Tim had sent me, but it was just impossible. Every second, my wind wondered what sort of connection Gazel might have with Hayley, and why exactly was he out to get here? Were they childhood lovers, old acquaintances perhaps? I really couldn't tell, and it was driving me crazy. Hayley had no idea who or what Gazel was. The first time I mentioned anything about him to her she was completely lost and needed a lot of information before she could even catch onto what I was saying. It made no sense how Gazel was somewhat obsessed with Hayley, yet Hayley had no idea who he was. It could be possible that Gazel had spotted her on some fancy
Hayley "I know you're anxious, but don't worry about anything, alright? Mommy and daddy are going to be by your side all the time." I assured before giving him a kiss on the forehead. The ceremony was less than an hour time, and most of the preparations were already done. People were already beginning to walk into the castle, and all that was left was for us to get prepared and officially begin the process. "Are you sure you don't want to let Adriella join? It doesn't matter that she's not improved so much, does it?" Lanie suggested as we picked out Adriel's clothes for the event. "I have no idea what's going on. I suggested the same thing, but apparently the elders said it was best to have Adriel take the ritual first. He's the male after all, and it would help him achieve the title of alpha faster.." I replied before picking out one of the clothes I found interesting. "Traditions are the worst." Lanie commented and I nodded to back her up. These traditions were a
Damon Things died down a bit after the ceremony had ended. There was only one news from Tim, and Liam and I had managed to make our offer to the Alpha of Blue Rose pack. We had the left the day after Adriel's initiation ritual, and had managed to meet up with the Alpha without being spotted by any of Gazel's minions. Alpha Eldric though kind was a vicious man and so were his warriors. It was probably the only reason why Gazel wanted them on his side. They lived close to the mountains, and the harsh conditions had caused them to adapt and become stronger than the average wolf. They weren't very populated, and their lands weren't as fertile as mine, however they managed to survive without outside help. However, now that things had gotten even more difficult thanks to climate change, immediate intervention was needed. "Alpha Damon, it's a surprise to see you in these parts. You haven't visited since five years ago. Did you manage to find your wife?" Alpha Eldric inquired as he gestured
GazelNo matter how much I tried, I couldn't stop myself from getting angry at everything. I had been too lenient and it had cost me. Somehow Damon had found out about the plan to align myself with the Blue Rose pack, and he had made a move to disrupt my progress. I couldn't fight him, not when I didn't possess enough resources to even take over the Clover pack. Alpha Damon had managed to completely ruin my plans, and had made things more difficult than they were supposed to be. I initially had no serious problems with him, but now he was beginning to step out of boundaries and get in my way. I wanted to be mad at him, but unfortunately I didn't have the time to be mad at someone who wasn't my primary problem at the time. I had no idea how Damon had come to know of my plans, and that had bothered me for a great while. I considered the possibility of a traitor, but my people respected me far too much to even think of going against me. They knew quite well the punishment that would co
GazelTwo hours to midnight, I canceled all forms of communication in and out of the pack. The last thing I wanted was for Alpha Mathews to call for external aid. I was already short on men, having to fight another extra would definitely lead to my defeat. "Are the entrance and exit of the pack sealed?" I inquired from Frederick, my assistant as we both walked down the hallway. "Yes, even if the Alpha calls out for help, aid won't make it into the pack. I've also stationed men outside the pack to ambush and kill any sort of help that might be coming this way." He answered in a formal tone. As always Frederick was committed to the cause and was ready to help me even without me having to give him formal orders.He was definitely a faithful servant, and I'd reward him when all of this was over. We spent the remaining time scheming and getting into position, and every passing second felt like a torturous hour to me. In a few hours everything was going to change for the better, and I w
Epilogue It had been a week since Hayley passed out, the exact time the war came to an end. In a rage, Damon had strangled Gazel, going as much as killing by snapping off his head. From the onset, it was not part of his plan to kill Gazel even as he had agreed to a duel. He was hoping that Gazel could be imprisoned at least, and given some time to amend his ways. But after seeing what Hayley had to go through, he could not bear it. The wolf that had shot at Hayley was also caught by Alex, and he and all of Gazel’s other warriors were imprisoned. “Is she up yet, Daddy?” Adriel who had just met Damon coming out of Hayley’s room asked, and disappointed, he shook his head. “Not yet.”Adriella who was walking some distance away from Adriel heard their conversation, and sad, she ran to her room. She had been trying her best to be calm about everything for the past week. But it was killing to know that her mother was still unconscious from the attack. The best doctors had attended to
HayleyAfter further investigation, we discovered that the message hadn't been about Gazel and Damon, but between Alpha Mathews and Gazel. Since I had reported about the coup d'état and not the war, the council had responded to the coup. I felt bad for what Alpha Mathews was going through, but all I could do was sympathize with him. There was nothing we could do from now onwards, and only a duel between Alpha Mathews and Gazel could settle the conflict. The winner would become the alpha, and the loser would be tossed in the dungeon. The council would have punished Gazel for the coup d'état, but because Alpha Mathews had made a public announcement denouncing his claim to the leadership of the pack, the council could no longer do anything about the coup. It might have been forced at the beginning, but Alpha Mathews' speech and handover had covered up for Gazel's crime. Gazel was a trickster, and that much was known. He was a man who thought ahead, and that was exactly what made him ve
Damon I steadied my footing, and with a powerful swipe of my claw decapitated three opponents at once. These men were weak, a lot more weaker than I had anticipated, but they were definitely larger in numbers. I was yet to spot Gazel, and not seeing in front of the army made my fears return once more. I knew Gazel was a cunning man, but I hadn't expected him to be a hypocrite as well. Leaping to the side, I let out a loud howl before chowing down on a smaller Wolf's head. It let out a stifled cry before I tossed it into the body of its comrades. I had been taking things easy at first because I wanted to believe that they were under mind control. But that mistake had cost me during the earlier stages of the war. Now, I was going on full throttle, and I was willing to take down any opponent that crossed my path with full force. If pitied, these men were going to destroy the entirety of my kingdom, and that was not a sacrifice I was willing to make. I tackled a young wolf and slammed
Hayley"The walls have been breached!" A guard yelled out and my heart immediately sank to the stomach. It was just as Damon had predicted, Gazel had sent some of his men to attack the pack. "Archers fire!" Another order was yelled and soon flaming arrows were being rained on the invading enemies. "You shouldn't be out here, my lady. It's best to remain underground where it's safe. Damon would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you." Liam urged while doing his best to make me follow him into the underground chambers that had been prepared in case of this situation. "No, I'm the Luna, and I will not cower in fear in the face of my enemies. If they think Damon is the only person they should be afraid of, then they are heavily mistaken. I am a mother and a leader, and I'll do anything to make sure that no harm comes to my children and subjects." I made it clear to Liam. He watched me in awe, and I was sure the idea of me being a weakling disappeared from his thoughts. "What
Damon "I won't stay back Damon! I'm marching to the war front with you!" Liam opposed. I had just ordered that he remained at the pack to take care of things while we were at war. I had barely finished when he began to yell out his own opinion. It was the first time Liam was speaking to me without any sense of formality in his voice and character. It was obvious he wasn't going to let me go, not while he wasn't part of my troops. "You have to be here, you're the only one I can trust with Hayley and the children's lives. Alex will be with you, please do this for me." I pleaded rather than order. At this point it was obvious Liam wasn't speaking to me as my beta, but as a friend who wanted to support their friend at all cost. He wouldn't obey orders even if I gave him one, the only way I could possibly get to him was by exploiting his kind heart. "You need me by your side, in stronger than all of them—" "And that's exactly why I want you here. If Gazel has men ambushing the pack, I
Damon"We've managed to camp a few kilometers from Wolfsbane field. The soldiers can begin their march now." Liam informed me. I stared at him for a while before giving him a reassuring smile. I could see the fear and concern in his eyes, and even though he fought hard to hide it, it was as bright as day. "There's no need to hide your fear, Liam. I feel the same way, and I'm sure everybody else does. It would be foolish to be happy and unbothered during the times of war." I said before giving him a pat on the back. "You've done well with preparing everybody, you should take some time to rest. I'll handle everything from here onwards." Liam shook his head fervently in disagreement. "I can't rest, not when there's much to do. Gazel is marching here with an army by his side. We need all the help we can get. I'm not exhausted yet, I'll continue to help in any way I can." He argued. "If you exhaust all your energy now, then you'd be useless when the need comes. I know you want to do mor
Gazel"What do we do about those two? Isn't this bad? Those two could spill all our plans to the enemy." Frederick said in a frantic tone. He was fidgeting in both fear and rage, and his reaction was completely understandable. Lisa had just escaped, and alongside her was a spy I never noticed early enough to dispose. I had to give Tim props, he had been extra careful, and was without a doubt the most dangerous man to me at the moment. I had no idea how much he knew, and there was no telling how much he had stolen. If he exposed much about my plans to Damon, I was sure to fail, but regardless I didn't halt the preparations for war. "Aren't you going to do something? They might have valuable information." Frederick asked with an inquisitive look in his eyes. "There's nothing we can do at the moment. Those two would have probably reached Damon's pack by now. Chasing after them is meaningless at the moment. Focus on getting more men into our troops and forget about those two." I instru
DamonThere was no denying the fear that crept into my heart each time I remembered that I was going to war. I was confident that we would win, but there was no predicting or preventing casualties in war. If I could do anything to prevent it, I definitely would have done it, but that was impossible when Gazel was involved. He was determined to bring me down at all cost, and he had made that fact abundantly clear. He was out for blood, and I too wanted to match his energy. There was no way I was going to let him have his way and do anything he wanted, especially not when it had something to do with Hayley. "Have the walls been fortified? Any reports of ambushes?" I questioned one of the guards that walked with me as I inspected the preparations being made for the incoming war. We had received reports from one of our scouts that Gazel would be marching north with an army of twenty thousand in two days. If we began our match on the same day, our armies would meet on the fields of Wolfs
DamonIt was tough to get everything out of my mind, but with Hayley and the children's help, I've been able to keep my mind off the things that threatened my mental stability. We were yet to hear from Tim, but I didn't let it bother me anymore. Thanks to Hayley's help, I was convinced that he was doing alright, and I wanted to trust in her words more than my fears. "Dad, when will you take us horse riding?" Adriella asked as she brushed the hair of her doll. She had been watching a lot of horse riding shows with her mother and now she wanted to try out the sport for herself. "Once you're old enough to ride a horse." I answered softly before rubbing her head gently. The little girl pouted her mouth in disappointment, but I gave her a smile to comfort her a little. There was too much going on, the last thing I wanted on the long list of troubles was a crying child. "How are their lessons going?" I asked Hayley who was helping Adriel with his assignment. "It's been going smoothly, t