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74. Smile For Another I
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My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 75. Smile For Another II
I feel him staring at him, and unwillingly, I turn my gaze to meet his for the first time since I came into this hall. The emotions in his eyes steal my breath and his voice drops into my subconscious, “Are you happy?” My smile shakes, but I don’t dare let it drop. “Of course, I am.” His eyes search mine for a moment, and the rest of the world dissolves into dust. “You lie. Only I can give you that.” “All I see is a bruised ego and an entitlement that stinks.” With that, I shove my mental walls back up. Kier rises, inclining his towards Father and Queen Tara in a curt nod. “Thank you for hosting me. Dinner was amazing, but I’m afraid I must call it a night. It was a long day.”The hall is silent for a while after he leaves, and my emotions are tumultuous. No one notices. I’ve gotten better at hiding them. Darrock keeps caressing my thigh softly, and I swallow my snarl. At some point, I’ll have to surrender to him in bed. At some point after our wedding, it’ll be e
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 76. Spar With Him
KierI can’t sleep. I’m strung up too tight, and my dreams are overwhelmed by Zephyr on a fruitless search for something in the wild. I wake with ash in my mouth and torn sheets, hungry beyond comprehension. It’s been like this since I walked into Jessamine’s dream—though she hates to admit that it was hers.The clothes in my dresser are unexpectedly a comfortable fit, and I change into a pair of long, black pants that seem to expand as I pull them up. I have no idea what the material is, but when I return home, I’ll have them recreate this. It’d be comfortable for the men’s training than fighting leathers.All the shirts are odd, different from the usual designs for tunics, but I find that I might like them as well, when the white I slip on fits rather snugly. Lloyd would love these.A sudden bout of sadness clutches at my chest and I sigh heavily, walking out of my room. I turn left and right, trying to recall where to go. A small man named Coral had given me a tour, but I was too b
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 77. Trample Upon His Feelings
Jessamine“I’ll talk to father again,” I say, sprinting alongside Darrock. “I can fend for myself, you know. You worry for nothing.”“I trust you, but not Kier. He has proven often times that not that he is unable to keep his hands to himself. Plus, it’s dangerous, sending you out alone outside the borders. It was different when I brought you in,” Darrock pants, swiping at the sweat on his neck. “Now that everyone knows you’re heir, our enemies might be looking to ambush you.”“What enemies?” I ask, leaping over a fallen tree as we race each other back to the castle. “Who would dare try to take me and risk a war with my father? No one’s that stupid. Dawn is bigger that Neredia and Hamon’s forces put together. Whichever path we choose automatically becomes the winning party. Atticus wouldn’t risk enraging Father.” Then I think of Nymeria and the baby in her belly. Could it really have been Atticus? What in the world is his end game, causing chaos there and seducing Nymeria? It’s wh
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 78. Hide
JessamineThe notes have returned. I found one tucked beside my pillow, the crippling stench of burnt amber accompanying it. I found yet another riddle written in it and I’m certain someone is trying to mess with me. It read; Tell me, Jessamine Hunter, did you feel relieved when you saw her lying in her blood?Those words threw me off balance. Only I knew the way mother died. She killed herself and my hands were much too small to lift her. I pulled at her corpse for hours, and I remember what the blood looked like, drawing a trail along the rough floor. Her eyes were opened. I didn’t close them. I didn’t look at her face. Or her hands.Maybe I should have. Maybe mother didn’t kill herself. I don’t know what to think. It’s the same way I felt when I returned home that day. While I hate to admit it, we were like each other in the fact that there was never a situation so dire that we would consider harming ourselves. She was ill, but she loved living. To tell me those stories, to tra
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 79. Hurt Him I
JessamineI bite my bottom lip, my clenched fist hesitating in front of the door. This is stupid. This is so stupid. Goddess, why do I have to do this?Blowing out a heavy breath, I knock twice. The doorknob twists and a small, cute face peeks out, staring at me for a few seconds before focusing.The child blinks and pulls the door open wider as she runs out, almost toppling into me. "Y-your Highness." Her head lowers in what looks to be a bow, but she's a child and it just looks funny. Her soft brown locks tumble down, brushing against my skirts. "What...brings you here? Might you be ill?"I laugh nervously, looking left and right on the corridor as I lean over to tickle the back of her ear. When she's giggling, I ask, "A fever. Is your father in?"She bobs her head enthusiastically, grabs as much of my fingers as her smaller hands can hold and tugs me forward. "He's tending to a man in the inner room." She points at one of the two seats by his desk. "You may sit there. I will tell h
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 80. Hurt Him II
JessamineMy hand rises to his chest to shove him off, but it flattens instead, almost unconsciously, letting the warmth of him seep up through my palm. I hadn’t realized how cold I’d become. How warm he was. How perfect he felt.And he’s kissing me like he never has before. It is life. It is a revival. Mine. It is a reunion, a rediscovery. It is a tempest, a rage of emotions unleashed. It is war. It is violent. It is a storm. A bittersweet echo, a memory rewritten, rewoven into every living cell of my body. It is a bridge rebuilt, broken, mended and torn down again. It is a rekindling. I am an ember. I am floating. I am dying. I am soaring. I am falling.I’m forgetting everything. My brain is ash, and I am liquid flame, fanned into existence by breath he instils into me. His hands are cradling my head, his mouth grounding against mine, his tongue stroking and lashing at mine. I taste my own blood and his. I don’t care. I don’t remember why I should. I can’t get close enough.“You lov
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 81. Feel Guilty
JessamineDarrock's not speaking to me. I shouldn't feel terrible. We did have an agreement not to butt into each other's affairs. He beds whoever, and I do whatever I want. Yet, I feel guilty. My gaze keeps darting to him throughout the gathering, even if the Alphas are practically hounding me with questions and queries.I can't concentrate. It's hard, too hard to focus on anything after this morning. All I can think of is Kier in my hands and Darrock's face right after."How do we trust the Alpha King with our men? It is not unlike his blood to betray us. We cannot all march to war. We have provinces to rule over. Who is to lead our army and being them back in one piece?" Alpha Laif asks, his eyes like the color of overripe oranges narrowing at me. "Efficient as the princess may be, she is no warrior." He says efficient as an insult, and it hits too close to home after what happened recently. I bare my teeth at him. "How about we duel? You and I? No weapons? No overs
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 82. Darrock's POV
DarrockJessamine dances, a crown of bloomed roses bouncing atop her brows. Wicked violet eyes glint with mirth as she takes the arm another, granting him the reward of her dance. Soft, luscious lips curve with joy, bejeweled fingers rising to the air as her lush hips sway left and right, beckoning us forward, capturing and holding our attention.We watch her, helpless to her charm. Her wiles. Her cruel yet innocent laughter. She tosses her silvery blonde hair back and a sultry sound leaves her lips as the moonlight descends, illuminating her skin. She is divine. She is something ethereal. The court watch her with fascination. They hate her, but they watch her with the same reverence with which we worship the goddess. Such is the lure of the crown. When she laughs, they laugh. When she dances, their feet move. The joy is sickening, addicting. It used to be so when the king was happy, before he lost his joy to an enchantress himself. Now, with her, it has returned.My fingers brus
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My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back Epilogue
Az rubbed his eyes tiredly. It’d been days since he last had a peaceful night’s rest. Lord of Grimstone. He often found himself laughing at the title. He wasn’t lord of anything—at least not yet. His people didn’t seem to think so with their constant rebellion of him and stealing from him, no matter that he tried his best to ensure even the darkest parts of Grimstone got ridded of their poverty.They didn’t warm up to him. They called him a freak. It was pathetic and he should have known Jessamine was lying the moment she started batting those long lashes of hers and speaking to him sweetly.He left Dawn after the wedding and he’d been at Grimstone for a total of seven months now. And in that time she’d come to see him thrice, with her twin boys, Wren and Alder. They both had their mother's eyes, but that was where the resemblance ended. The rest was all Kier. From their red hair down to their angry growls whenever Az didn't give them what they wanted.Of course, Jessamine had come to
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 124. WIN
Jessamine If you’ve ever been away from home for too long, you’d understand the feeling of your stomach plummeting at the most familiar scents, the urge to breathe in deeply, feel everything, reacquaint yourself with every single detail—details that suddenly seem more vivid and…and intense. That is all I can call this—coming home. Somehow, between punching Kier and telling him I hate him and I’ll return to my father’s castle and find me a man who isn’t quite as infuriating as he is, he’d kissed me. Concussion be damned, Kier’s lips heal me in more ways than any physician could. I walk Kier back into the throne room, pushing off the remains of his shirt. His fingers tangle in my hair as his lips on mine reminds me of the first time…the first time I saw him. His eyes looked like a tear from an ocean of peridots. His hair was shorter, not long enough to run my fingers through, but I was fascinated by the rich hue of it. He rarely smiled then, but when he did, it was bright as starlight
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 123. Fight II
My fingers shake and I hide them behind my back as I round the corner. Slowly, I approach, the large oak door standing ominously in the distance. I wipe the sweat from my wrist against my light skirts and grip tightly as my chest thumps. Once. Twice. The closer I draw, the heavier the dagger under my skirt weighs. The maids behind me chatter, but I barely hear the words they say. I try to hide it behind a show of boredom but the fear creeps up my spine and it is all I can do to keep going. It takes an eternity, but I reach the door eventually. “He’s not in,” the guard tells me when I start to open the door. There usually aren’t any, but after this morning, I understand why he has his chambers guarded. My fingers still by the door. Not in? This is when we have dinner. Every night. I didn’t factor his possible absence into my plans. Gods above. “Where is he?”“Throne room. The reports from the prisoners came back. He’s off attending to it and said to tell you to wait for him.”Oh no.
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 122. Fight I
Jessamine“I didn’t do it,” Killian growls for the umpteenth time. His gaze darts to me. “She did. This is her attempt at trying to get rid of me. Tell me what motive I would have to set the freak free. I’d gain nothing from it. I wasn’t even in the castle!”His argument would seem solid enough to Atticus if he wasn’t also accusing me of framing him. Darrock got out last night. Kier didn’t. When I heard the news, I bawled for hours in the bathroom, keeping the water running to drown out the sound. Why didn’t he leave? Because he’s mad at me? He claimed that I destroyed him last night. His eyes were hurt and broken. Why didn’t he just fucking leave?Atticus’s head tilts left. “Where were you last night?”Killian hesitates, his jaw grinding. I ponder on his reluctance to tell Atticus where he’d run off to. The bonfire. His gaze cuts to Raya and his fists clench. “The queen informed me of Raya’s plans to leave. I had to go bring her back.”Raya gives me a look that is equal parts be
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 121. Begin Plotting
JessamineHe’s drunk. I should have known serving him glass after glass would lead here. My hands trapped in his, held above my head, and his body a cage above mine. His long lashes flutter as he breathes in deeply. “Say it again.”The lie comes as easy as breathing. “I’m yours.”His canines gleam as he gives me a smile no one else has seen. “Youknowwhat intriguesme themostaboutyou?” His words tumble out together and it takes only a second to pull them apart as he leans in, his hot breath tickling my nose. “That I can’t tell your lies apart from your truths.”“Now, that is a terrible lie,” I whisper, reaching up to brush my lips against his chin. He shudders, a strangled noise building in his throat. “You like that you never know what I’m thinking. You love the danger I present. It excites you. It is why you keep me close, despite knowing I have a dagger strapped to my thigh, especially made to kill you. You romanticize with death, and death I will be, for you.”His response is a hea
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 120. Kier's Pov
JessamineKier might have been in chains and covered in dirt and blood, but there will never be any man as beautiful as him. He hasn’t noticed me yet, his teeth bared at the guards fighting to put him on his knees. The humans gasp, the smell of their fear filling the room when his bound arms ram into the side of a guard’s head, knocking him out.That earns him a growl from Killian who doesn’t hesitate to draw his sword and ram it into the back of Kier’s head. My mate stumbles, his blood spilling down his torn brown shirt, and he falls on one knee. I start to stand from Atticus’s lap, a growl traveling up my throat, when Atticus breathes against my neck, “Does his discomfort trouble you? You forget that he abandoned you, left you to rot here while he chose them again over you.”Kier would never, but I don’t say that. My mind is whirling in so many directions. How could he surrender? How could he let them…take him? How…my eyes widen when Lloyd walks in next and bows low, to the hip as h
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 119. Get Married II
JessamineI’ve been involved in an unhealthy number of ceremonies, and each time, it’s even less eventful. That isn’t to say that our wedding wasn’t a large affair. I’m fairly certain nearly all of Ashbourne was in attendance, all eager to see the werewolf princess with eyes like precious stones. Yes, someone said that as she delivered gifts to me, wishing me a long, happy marriage—a duchess, maybe. If only she knew.The castle couldn’t contain all of the guests and the guards around me were triple the normal size, like Atticus half expected someone to disrupt the ceremony. Someone who I can bet is Kier. Nervous, the entire time, I’d waited, staring at the door, hoping for a commotion that would bring a special redhead to me.But Kier never showed up and the ceremony was sealed. I was the puppet queen of Ashbourne. I was Atticus’s dove, his pet. I was thankful that nothing else was expected of me, other than sitting still and looking pretty. Unlike Kier, Atticus didn’t entertain the
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 118. Get Married I
JessamineI get a visitor a few minutes to my…wedding. My gaze lands on Darrock’s and nothing could have held me back. I launch myself at him with whatever little strength I have garnered in the past hour—which is close to nothing and he snatches my wrist before I can impale him with the butterknife I’d stolen from my dinner tray earlier.“Violet, please,” he rasps. “Listen to me—”Reaching up, I slam my head into his. He groans, retreating a step back and I see that I have caused no damage except the ache spreading through my head. I stumble in the bid to attack him again and he steadies me before I can fall. “Take your hands off me—” A firm hand clamps down on my mouth, silencing my scream of outrage before it can escape. “I’m trying to help,” he whispers. “We’re leaving. Now.”I let him see the response to that in my gaze; Over my dead body will I follow him anywhere.Darrock glances over his shoulder and when his eyes return to me, they’re troubled. “I know you have questions, an
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 117. Kier's POV
Kier“It can’t be breached,” Lloyd explains and a disgruntled sound from the man seated beside me, whose aura rivals against mine greatly seems to set us all over the edge again. “Do not speak in absolutes,” King Hunter murmurs, his grimace turning darker. “He doesn’t have enough of us to guard his foothold. Surely, an army of humans can’t be that lethal.”Lloyd laughs, and it is nothing charming. He’d been the first I’d gone to for help after Randale convinced me that I’d get myself and Jessamine killed if I headed first into Ashbourne without a plan, and it had taken a lot of convincing to get him in here—the council room. “They have weapons and banes that’d render you useless in the twinkle of an eye. If you wish to bring him down, you must do it from within. An outright attack will if anything, help him kill your daughter quicker—and believe me, there is no level of relevance that would prevent him from doing that once he decides he has no use for her.”Pain flickers behind Lloyd
