Third Person Pov “Have you found out what the alpha has been up to in the past few weeks?” Henrietta, Nicholas's stepmother and former Luna, asked.She had been restless for a while now because she didn't have anyone directly spying on her stepson and because of that reason, it was getting much more difficult for her to keep tabs on him. She knew that he couldn't be trusted, and she had to make sure that he didn't do anything that would end up ruining her plans. “According to what I heard, there hasn't really been anything different with him besides the rumors of his sudden interest in his new cook,” Kelly, who was one of the cleaners in the palace, answered. Kelly had been working in the palace for about a year, and she was considered as one of the most irrelevant people that worked at the palace. She was mostly always bullied by her senior colleagues because of her timid nature and her lack of presence. What they didn't know was that, her attitude was only a facade so that she co
Third Person Pov“Is it true that you used to work in a whore house?” Nicholas asked with an unreadable expression on his face, and Lydia deadpanned. His sudden question was so surprising to her that she didn't even realize it when she choked on her food. She didn't remember anybody ever asking her such a question, and if there was one thing she didn't like to talk about, it had to be this topic that she had worked so hard to bury. Nicholas could tell that Lydia was uncomfortable with his question, but he had no intentions of backing down. Pedro had gotten back to him with the background check on Lydia, and he found out that despite how fragile and weak-minded Lydia seemed, her life had been the farthest thing from being fragile. According to the report, Lydia's father had died even before she was born, and her mother died only a few years after. Her grandmother had raised her to a certain age before passing away, and Lydia had to survive on her own from there, with no family to su
Third Person Pov Lydia waited patiently for the guards to let her in, even though she was slowly getting upset by the fact that they were delaying her. She had already been given a designated time to deliver the alpha's meals and at the moment, she was already about half an hour late to deliver his breakfast. Usually, he would send out a message thirty minutes beforehand to inform her whether he was going to be having breakfast or not, but she hadn't heard anything from him, so she simply assumed that he wasn't ready and waited until thirty minutes after. “You may go in now,” one of the guards said, and Lydia almost growled at them for delaying her unnecessarily. She arrived at the alpha's place, a place that she was getting very used to. She proceeded to arrange his meal on the table before calling out for him and after she was done, she calmly called out his name so that he would know that she was around. “Your breakfast is here, Sir,” she informed like she typically did but u
Nicholas “What did you do now, Nick?” Liam questioned, and as soon as I saw him walk in with that typical look on his face, I knew that I was about to get questioned.“What are you talking about?” I replied, attempting to feign ignorance. He probably ran into Lydia, so I'm expecting him to go off on me and preach to me for the thousandth time. “Oh please, Nicholas, trying to pretend it doesn't suit you at all. You know very well what I'm talking about, and I need a clear response from you right now. Why in the world did you strangle Lydia?” he asked. I scoffed. “If you came all the way here to ask about that girl, then I'm going to ask you to me because she's the last person that I want to talk about. Don't expect me to give you an explanation for every one of my actions just because I've been indulging you all this while. You should be thankful that she was able to walk out of here alive because I definitely had other intentions in mind,” I responded. I didn't want to talk about
Lydia “What's going on with today, Lydia? You've been acting really weird, and I'm starting to get worried,” Nina mentioned while she mixed the dough for the pastries, and I sighed. “As I said earlier, Nina, there is nothing wrong with me, and I'm perfectly fine. I just feel a little under the weather today, but I'm pretty sure I'll be better once I get some rest,” I lied, hoping she would get the memo that I didn't want to talk about anything right now. I haven't been able to concentrate ever since what happened earlier this morning, and the last thing that I wanted to do was talk about it with anyone. I couldn't possibly tell her that I was strangled, and the best that I could do right now is just try my best to forget what happened or at least pretend it never happened. Nina shook her head with a displeased look on her face. “I don't know who you think you're fooling, but I'm most definitely not going to buy that story from you, Lydia. I remember that you were perfectly fine th
Nicholas The entire meeting room unsurprisingly became silent as soon as I walked in, and I didn't need to be told that I was most likely the topic of conversation before I came in. “Greetings, Alpha,” the council of elders greeted unanimously, bowing their heads to show respect for my presence. “Acknowledged,” I responded boredly with an unimpressed look on my face before taking a seat at the head of the table. I carefully scanned the room and to my not so much of a surprise, all six members of the council were in attendance today. Usually, when I'm the one who calls for a meeting like this, at least one or two members are always missing. They would always have an excuse to avoid coming to a meeting that I call, but whenever it was they who called for a meeting that involved taking away my position, they were never too busy to attend. Shameless old barfs! Shortly after I came in, Liam walked in as well and took a seat on the unoccupied seat on my right. Connor, my right-hand
Lydia The last person that I expected to see was Alora and the fact that I had to meet her under such circumstances felt even more embarrassing than getting caught by any of my coworkers. At least with my co-workers, I could easily just ignore them or bash them across the face if they said anything, but for Alora, I already smashed her face once, and I'm certainly not willing to do it again. “Are you going to keep staring at me like that or will you finally get up and say something?” she hissed, staring down at me with a displeased look on her face. “I'm not exactly sure what you want me to say,” I muttered, not understanding why she wanted me to say anything to her when I had nothing to say. I was already feeling embarrassed enough that she happened to be the one to have caught me crying and seeing her face again, after all this while, was slowly reminding me of the first time I saw her and how she was covered in blood because of me. “You know, normal people would say hello
Nicholas “Go away, go away, go away!” I blurted out repeatedly as soon as I saw Alora walking into my office. She was the very last person I wanted to see at the moment and I just knew that Alora suddenly showing up here could only mean that she had something to complain about, as usual. “What the hell, Nick. I haven't even said anything to you yet or given you a reason why I showed up here, but instead of welcoming me with open arms, you're choosing to send me away like a dog? How unfair of you!” she complained, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at me. “Alora, I'm extremely busy right now, and I just know that you're most probably here to complain about one thing or the other. As much as I would love to listen to your complaints, I have something really important to take care of and today hasn't been a good day for me at all,” I told her, honestly wishing that she would just leave me alone for today. I normally allowed Alora to come and go as she pleased since she an
Lydia As the anticipation swirled around me, I paced back and forth in my private dressing room, my heart fluttering like a bird trapped in a cage. The grand ceremony was about to commence, marking not only the union between Nicholas and me but also my ascension as the new Luna of the Pack. Excitement and nerves danced the tango within me, creating a whirlwind of emotions.To quell my restless energy, I reached for a glass of water and took a sip, the cool liquid soothing my parched throat. But no matter how much I drank, my nervousness persisted. I continued my pacing, back and forth, back and forth, willing myself to find a semblance of calm.Just as I was beginning to lose myself in the rhythmic motion, a gentle knock on the door startled me from my thoughts. I hurriedly composed myself and called out, "Come in."The door creaked open, and Amara, the Beta female, and a dear friend, entered the room. I wanted to rush to help her in but knowing how she was and she preferred to re
Third Person Pov A Month Later… Lydia's eyes fluttered open, the first rays of dawn streaming through the curtains and casting a soft glow in her room. She stretched her limbs, relishing in the warmth of her bed for a few moments longer before slowly sitting up. As she sat up, the weight of her new role as the Luna of the Pack settled upon her, and she was immediately hit with a mix of joy and uncertainty.For the first ten minutes, Lydia found herself lost in thought as she gazed out of her bedroom window. The view of the sprawling forest beyond the palace grounds never failed to captivate her, offering a sense of solace amidst the whirlwind of emotions she now faced. She still couldn't fathom the fact that in just a few days, she would be crowned officially as the new Luna, standing by Nicholas's side as his mate and partner.Everything had changed since Nicholas's return, and sometimes Lydia struggled to keep up with the rapid shifts in her life. Yet, a sense of profound hap
Third Person Pov Henrietta paced restlessly in her opulent room, her anger smoldering like a hidden flame. The realization that Nicholas, the stepson she had tried so hard to eliminate, had returned from the dead, killed her lifelong partner, and now held her captive, gnawed at her insides. It was inconceivable, a twisted nightmare that had somehow materialized into reality.She glanced around her luxurious surroundings, a stark contrast to the bitterness that seethed within her. The walls seemed to close in, suffocating her, as the weight of her actions bore down upon her, leaving her in total disbelief.She had foolishly allowed herself to believe that she had successfully gotten rid of Nicholas from her life, but fate had other plans in store which made her even angrier. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door, and Priscilla burst into the room, her eyes ablaze with fury. The air crackled with tension as mother and daughter locked eyes."You lying fraud!" Pri
Nicholas I hurriedly walked down the prison hallway, trying to get to Lydia as quickly as possible and see how she was doing. Every step I took felt heavy with anticipation and I also couldn’t help the guilt I felt as I got closer to seeing her again. I couldn't shake off the feeling that I had failed her by taking so much time and letting her remain locked for so long. I didn’t even want to imagine how tired and frustrated she must be feeling right now and seeing how I haven’t been able to reach other to her via mindlink or get a feel of her emotions, it could only mean she was too weak to receive my attempt to talk or, she could have blocked me from reaching her. After what felt like forever, I finally arrived in front of the cell she was locked in and as soon as I did, I sensed that her presence was fragile. "Unlock the cell," I instructed the guard, mentally preparing myself to have every one of them fired for disrespecting my mate. The guard seemed a little surprised to see
Third Person PovIt was a dark, moonless night when Henrietta slipped out of her chambers in plain clothes and with a small bag slung over her shoulder.As much as she had always tried to act nonchalant and unbothered by Gerald and whatever he was up to, Gerald was the one person besides her daughter, Priscilla, that she couldn't live without. And because she hadn't heard anything from him in a while, which was unusual, she believed she needed to go see him for herself and put her uneasy feeling at ease.As she made her way out of the palace, she attempted to go through the secret passage to avoid coming across any guards who would find her attempt to sneak out at night suspicious. However, when she arrived at the passage, she was shocked to see two guards in front of it. She was certain they weren't assigned to guard the passageway because to the best of her knowledge and with how long she had been using the passageway as her getaway route, she had always believed that no one, not e
Third Person Pov Henrietta had not been able to get over the fact that she hadn't heard from Gerald in almost two days, despite the fact that they had agreed to meet up yesterday and figure out how to, without evidence, announce to the general public that Nicholas had passed and use it as a chance to coronate Priscilla as the next Alpha.She had tried reaching him through several means and even sent her men to visit but according to them, no one had seen Gerald the last few days and since his guards weren't allowed into his house without permission, they couldn't confirm if he was home or out. She tried not to think that anything bad could have happened to him but for some reason, she wasn't having a very good feeling about his sudden absence especially because she knew that Gerald would never suddenly disappear at such an important moment. "What is it, Mother?" Priscilla asked as she walked in, distracting Henrietta from her thoughts. "What do you mean?" Henrietta replied, not e
Third Person Pov Amara clutched her walking stick firmly as she moved across the complex halls of the palace. She had never walked through the palace's opulent halls before, and it was daunting, considering the fact that she was blind and also considering the fact that she disliked the mere thought of being here and being seen. Still, she was determined to visit her friend Lydia, who had been imprisoned unjustly for over a week now, and bring her some food and water since she doubted that the guards would feed her proper food. Amara’s heightened senses were her only guide as she made her way down the long and winding corridors of the palace. She relied on her super-sensitive hearing, touch, and smell to navigate her way to the prison area without being seen by anyone.She already had a backup plan just in case she'd get caught but she preferred not to be seen by anyone at all to avoid her worst nightmare coming to light. The unfamiliar surroundings were a challenge even for her
Third Person Pov Nicholas glared down at Gerald's almost lifeless body, his eyes reflecting a mix of emotions, including anger, hatred, and a strange sense of satisfaction. The man lying in front of him was also one of the people responsible for what led to his mother getting killed unjustly and the pain and frustration that Gerald, with the aid of Henrietta, had caused him over the years was something that Nicholas had never for one second forgotten. Seeing Gerald lying there, in his own pool of blood, cold and on the verge of dying, gave him a sense of partial closure that he didn't know he needed, and as demented as it may sound, he was ecstatic that he got to kill Gerald himself and watch him die a painful death. Gerald was barely breathing, and from the blood that kept pouring out of his mouth, it was clear to Nicholas that time was running out and that Gerald would be a thing of the past in only a few seconds. Gerald knew Nicholas was staring down at him and despite finding
Nicholas's Pov I moved stealthily over the fence surrounding Gerald's house which was located far into town and away from most houses in town. One would think a wealthy and corrupt thief like Gerald would have his house located near the palace since he was so obsessed with the place, but surprisingly, after I kicked him out, he chose to buy himself a house that was very far away from the palace. Of course, I knew he probably only did it to follow Henrietta's instruction cause I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have agreed for her lover to buy a house in a place that was too close to hers, where they could easily be seen by others. The night sky was already pretty dark, and fortunately for me, the guards at the main gate were seemingly occupied with something else, so neither of them heard any sound from my direction.I expected Gerald, knowing how paranoid he was, to have his house swamped with guards but, to my surprise, the place was not as heavily guarded as I had anticipated. Befor