Hayley Damon sure was crazy and I knew it was not just about me overreacting when it came to him this time.He was definitely crazy. Coming to the house by this time of the day already irked me, and joining for dinner when he knew I will be a part felt like the height of it for me.Especially since the encounter we had last time.My instincts were right, when I guessed that Damon would want to use the children to his advantage.Because why else would he have whispered, “ please accept the necklace. It’s safer that the children don’t think that we are having issues,” when he was fixing the neck piece around me.Why else?And I hated that his breath on my neck caused my heart to flutter. He should not be coming around me, as I did not appreciate his presence. “Do you love it?” Damon questioned, his voice taking me out of my thoughts with an involuntary jerk. “It’s so fine, mommy. Daddy has good eyes.”“The necklace looks so good on you,” Lanie contributed to the children’s remark. I
HayleyI had no choice but to surrender to Adriel and Adriella’s request to let their father spend the night here. “Okay.” I agreed,exhaling exasperatedly.Adriella’s face immediately lit up with some kind of excitement that seemed fishy to me. I turned to look at Adriel and noticed a similar look on his face, he had a sly smile that screamed ‘victory!’ I couldn’t help but suspect that this was actually a plot by Damon to get himself to sleep over. I was a bit disappointed with myself for not putting up better of a fight, but I needed the kids to go to sleep as soon as possible and conceding to them was the only way. Besides, sleeping here doesn’t mean we have to share a bed or even a room. “Now hurry along to bed.” I told my kids. “Goodnight mummy,” Adriella came to place a kiss my cheek. Then she hugged her father and chuckled, leading me to suspect Damon more. Adriel waved me goodnight and scurried along excitedly with his sister to bed.I hadn’t looked at Damon since the kids
Damon “Have a drink guys” I ordered Tim and Marco and with a very large smile on my face.I saw the puzzled look on their faces and that only made me happier for a strange reason. “What’s the celebration about, Alpha?” Tim asked me.“I’m just in a good mood.” I replied. “Can’t I just drink cause I’m in a good mood?” I joked.Tim and Marco were visibly excited about my new outlook. I could not discern what exactly was going on through their minds but perhaps they imagined my happiness had something to do with a progress in the reason I came here and they were just happy that they would soon leave this place and go back home.“Of course Alpha. It’s just that we don’t usually see you this excited.” Marco said.“Yeah, you have to have a solid reason for this excitement. If I had to guess, some thing nice happened last night, right?” Tim added.I responded to his remark only with a sly smile. “I’m right.” Tim concluded. “That’s good news.” he smiled, slightly nudging Marco.I could see t
Hayley“You won’t believe what happened, Alex!” I was so excited, that the first thing I wanted to do was to share my joy with some other person. “Okayyy. What happened? Tell me, I’m all ears.”With a wide smile still on my face, I exhaled again. “Sure, I will tell you. And that is why I called immediately when I heard the news. The deal I had been trying to sign with Jandell corporations was successfully closed this morning.I am so excited, Alex.”“Yeah, you should be. You deserve every good thing. Your company does too.”I blushed hearing his compliments. I was so glad. The progress we had achieved in five years kept me smiling everytime I thought about it.I was determined to set out a good life for my children, myself and Lanie. But if Alex had not come into my life, I doubted how far I would have come. As though Alex was reading my thoughts at that time, he asked. “So where will you be taking me to for dinner? It’s good news, should we not celebrate?”“Ohh… about that?”
HayleyIt felt like a crime wearing a dress from Damon to a dinner with Alex, but I couldn't blame myself. I hadn't actually anticipated the dinner, but when Alex mentioned it I had to quickly begin preparations for it. While I said that our reservations were ready, I was yet to call any restaurant to make one. Getting a reservation at Bemm's was not an easy one. When I called, they were already occupied and I had to plead and beg before they could create a spot for us. After that I had to conclude things at the office before running home to get ready for the dinner. I was in complete disarray, and had immediately picked up the first dress that my eyes caught sight of. I didn't realize it was the same one Damon had gifted me until we arrived at the restaurant, and only then did I genuinely feel guilty about it.Alex didn't complain, I doubted he even had any idea who the dress was from. All he knew was that he didn't get it for me, but he couldn't question its origin, after all I was
Damon The drive home was a slow one, and every five minutes I would glance towards her to make sure she still wasn't crying. She seemed to have calmed down a bit, but I was still worried about her. I was supposed to be at a convention at the moment, but she sounded so desperate that I had to abandon everything to get to her. I drove her to my place since it was a lot closer to the restaurant. It would also be bad for the children to see their mother crying. I was certain Hayley wouldn't want the children to see her in her condition as well. Not only would it make her get emotional, she would end up getting the children worried as well. "Thank you.." she muttered under her breath the moment the car halted in front of the house. I flashed her a brief smile before gesturing that she comes in. While she rested on the couch, I put a call through to the company and asked for the postponement of the meeting. It wasn't in my nature to disappoint or procrastinate, and I was genuinely happ
HayleyI woke up to the smell of food, and soon Damon walked in carrying a tray in his hands. He had made me breakfast, and although he had the help of Tim and Marco to prevent it from being a total disaster, it was kind of him to do so. "Good morning.." He greeted me as he approached my bed. I had slept in the guest room and there were no alarm clocks in here. If the scent of bacon and toast hadn't wafted through the doors and found their way to my nostrils, I probably would still be asleep. "Good morning." I replied with a bright smile before scooting aside to give him some space to settle on the bed. "I made breakfast." He announced with a proud smile. "I had help from Marco, but it was my idea to make you breakfast." He clarified. He wanted to give Marco his credit, but at the same time he wanted to make sure I was aware that he was the one behind the idea of making me breakfast in bed. I smiled at his words, a warm smile that Damon did well to return. "Thank you." I breathed
Hayley“Yes, that would be all. Thank you.”Saying those words to my secretary was the last thing I did deliberately as I sat in my office, looking morose for a period of time that I kept no track of. A multitude of thoughts were running around endlessly in my head and I got so immersed in them that I became oblivious of my surroundings.I spent most of that time trying to figure out what exactly was occupying my thoughts. I wondered if it was the situation with Alex and Melanie, or my increasing comfortability with Damon or the little office issues that I had to settle. No matter how much I thought or how deep my mind wandered on its own, I didn’t seem to get any clarity. Luckily, the sound of my phone ringing pulled me out from my trance-like thinking.I jerked back to reality and grabbed my phone. The number calling wasn’t a saved number so I wasn’t too eager to pick it up. “If it’s important they’ll call again.” I thought.“But what if it’s business related?” My wolf reminded me
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