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
HayleyThe call had ended, but my thoughts were still fixed on the conversation that I had with Candice. Talking with her had caused me nostalgia and I wondered how it will feel if I ever decided to go to the pack again. Candice had emphasised on how it was important for me to return, especially as the children were involved. According to her, they had to be in a place that was home to them. And as much as I made her to understand that Texas was the only home they knew, she still did not accept it. “When they are turn seven, they will need to do the ritual, Hayley.The one that initiates them into the clan, and differentiate them from other wolves.”Candice had not failed to remind me, right before the call dropped. A ritual that I almost forgot about.My response for the most part of talking to her was almost the same as I kept on telling her that I was going to think about all we had discussed.Truly, it was the most I could do in that period.Letting out a sigh, I turned my fa
Damon From what Tim had told me, the time I made him stalk Hayley, she usually left work at around 6pm.But on days that she decided to overwork, it got up to 7pm and even more. “I guess it’s about time then.”I threw the remote of the TV that was with me, and left for my room. I had just checked the time, and it was 45 minutes to 6pm, and as I did not want to keep Hayley waiting for any reason, I thought it wise to go early.Especially as I did not want to give her a reason to go down on our arrangement, using my late timing as an excuse.I walked into the room, the only thing on me being my ash sweat pants and a singlet. The most thing I had done all through the day was to just lay inside and see movies and it felt like what I wanted for myself. Back at the pack, it was always one issue or the other and before I could settle everything, it would be a new day. The cycle never ending and leaving me stressed out.And as much as I did not see my stay in Texas as an excuse to take a
HayleyI woke with a bright smile as memories of yesterday flooded my mind. The liberating air, the joyful howls as we raced through the forest together. It was an experience that would never leave my memory. I rose from the bed and went to the bathroom to ease myself. Damon had dropped me home last night. My memory was blurry, but I remembered going out with him after we had finished running in the woods. My adrenaline was high, and I had challenged him to a drinking contest, a foolish decision that I was not regretting at all. It was one of the few times I'd gotten drunk, and just this once it was a very exciting experience. I recalled the feel of his strong arms against my numb body as he lifted me from the car into the house. He had a bright smile on his face, and although my smiles were drink induced, they were genuine. "You're daydreaming too much.." My wolf teased after five minutes of me fantasizing. She too was excited, it's been so long since she's bonded this well with he
HayleyMy eyes widened in shock at her words, but I was quick to conceal my expressions. Any extravagant reaction will do nothing but give me away, so I avoided it completely. Forcefully, I pulled myself away from her grip and took two steps backwards before breaking into a maniacal laughter. "Werewolf? You've really lost your mind. I understand that you don't like me, but making some stupid story up just to satisfy your untrusting conscience is just extreme." I chastised. Melanie scoffed, her undefied expression proof that she wasn't buying my bluff. "You can hide it all you want, but I know you're not human." She insisted, seriousness etched on her face. "What do you want from me? What is your problem with me?" I asked, visibly exhausted by her incessant taunts. I was certain Alex was worried back at the table. With the two of us gone, he must be lonely by now. I honestly didn't want to further this conversation any longer than this, I'd only end up getting myself annoyed. "I wa
Damon“Tim!”“Yes, Damon.” “Is the car ready?”“It is. We’re all set for you already.”“That’s good. I’ll be down in a few.”I and Tim were communicating between floors as I prepared to head out to finalise the details of the contracts I wanted to sign. While getting back Hayley and my kids was the obvious first reason why I came to Texas, this was also an important part of it for me. Partly because it could help me amass more fortune that I can use to repay Alpha Riva for his investment and permanently send him out of my life, along with his snaky daughter. And also because that was the official reason I left the pack in the first place, so returning without securing any contract would only put more spotlight and scrutiny on my return if my plan to return with Hayley actually works out well. “We can leave now?” Tim asked me as soon as I walked out of the apartment.“Yeah.”We had already walked into the elevator when I remembered something I had asked Tim and Marco to handle for me
Hayley The weekends were here, but I wasn't exactly looking forward to any day right now. My week has been nothing but hectic and just depressing, and it was all thanks to Melanie. Ever since she found out that I was a werewolf, she hadn't let me have peace of mind. Even when she was not constantly threatening me, I still found myself thinking about it in my free time, and it had affected my productivity negatively, and also taken away the time I was supposed to spend with the kids. Time to time, Melanie would send me messages reminding me to stay away from Alex. She would even go as far as sending me packages that screamed death threats all over them. I had no idea how she located my address, but I had a guess she had gotten it from Alex's phone. I did my best to remain strong and not fall to her cheap tricks, and Lanie had helped me to cope during those periods. At a point I considered coming clean to Alex about everything. If I just told him the truth maybe all of this would just
HayleyI got home before Lanie and the kids, and I was happy that I did. I had a little time to put down the groceries that I'd bought and take a cold shower to calm myself down. I had promised myself to not let Melanie get to me, but that wasn't possible anymore. Her last words had gotten my anxiety levels off the charts, and I've not been able to forget about it since she said those words. Telling Alex about me was one thing, telling the whole world was just on a whole different level. I picked up the phone after my bath to call Alex. I needed to meet him so that I could tell him everything. I had made up my mind, and concluded that it was best to tell him before Melanie does. I could calm down to explain everything to him, the situation and all. But Melanie would probably twist the entire truth to make matters worse. Just as I made to dial his number, my screen was blurred by an incoming call, and Damon's caller ID was bold on the screen. I hesitated, unsure if I should answer or
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