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89. Attend The Ball
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Jessamine
Swift and painless. Obviously, she's setting someone up to die. Me. I've barely even had a breath in this place and she's already trying to kill me. What I don't understand though, is how she came to the decision that I'd even be at the ball.Az clucks his tongue distastefully. "Your pacing is wearing holes into the ground.""You're wearing holes into my couch with your tears," I retort, scowling down at him. I made a mistake letting him sleep on my couch. Now he's lounging around my chambers like we both own it, eating my food, snuggling my pillows and using my oils in his hair. He's acting like the brother nobody wants around."I don't think it's you," Mikkel says, turning over the note I rewrote in his hands. "If it was, she'd be making conscious effort to ensure your appearance at the ball."Camilla nods, pretending to be wiping dust from my many dresses as she eavesdrops. Who would have thought the maid who called me bitter would love hanging
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My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 91. Save Him II
KierHours pass. It could have been days. I can hardly tell as my waking moments blend together with my dreams. I don’t remember many things, and the things I do, I am unsure they are real, because of the absurdity of them.I remember a tear that isn’t mine rolling down my cheek. I remember the cold, freezing bath. I remember soft hands washing my hair and an even softer voice singing me to sleep. I remember the tonics and herbs, I also recall puking. I remember my claws digging into my skin and shredding it. Not long after, ropes dig into my wrists and foot, tying them away from me.For a time, I am in hell. I lord over it. It’s easier when those hands are on me. When lips press against my forehead and my neck. When that familiar warmth seeps into my skin as arms wrap around me. Those are the only moments I sleep.There are times I am left alone. I roar, I cry, I retch. I can’t move and have to piss myself. And then she comes and changes the sheets. I
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 92. Kier's POV
KierThere's a wave roaring in my head as I walk the hallways of my castle on unsteady feet. The bed calls my name, but I can hardly sleep anymore, tormented by the flashes of Jessamine's body on mine, her fingers pressing against my chest as her hips move against mine. I close my eyes and I see her. I breathe and I smell her arousal, her release on my fingers. I taste it on my lips.I need to know what the fuck happened.It is that thought that occupies my mind alone as I trail her scent to the breakfast hall, barely walking in before a violent wave of nausea crashes into me. I blink, hard, and suck in a sharp breath, holding the doors for support."Kier?" I hear Moira say, and I meet her gaze across the hall, her blue eyes alit with surprise. Her fork thuds on the table as she sweeps to her feet. Beside her, mother stares at me, her complexion pale. There's Kat, Helen, Mikkel, a few more of Moira's friends and...there, at the very edge of the table,
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 93. Confront His Mother
JessamineI hurry down the stairs, making my way over to the library to catch Renae's next message before it gets taken. In the days Kier has been away, I have barely been able to keep tabs on the woman. More worried that she might have eyes on Az and I, all of my energy had been focused on not being followed. Or caught in Kier's study. It was difficult, but Mikkel and Camilla helped ensure they didn't miss us while we were away. It wasn't a very difficult job, because Renae had planned it all so terribly well. How best to kill her son and cover up his murder. Beta Randale received a message the next morning, apparently handwritten by Kier that there had been a fire in the villages and he took a handful of my men along with him.Forged, the letter was, but the fire had been a lie until it wasn't. An entire village burned to the ground, oddly the one with the largest supplies of weapons. Barely fifteen families survived, and it had been Randale w
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 94. Retaliate I
JessamineWhen I return to my chambers, Moira is waiting for me, her face fixed in a sneer as Az monitors her every movement with a stoic stare. Her blue eyes rake over my figure, noting the blood, but she says nothing. I press past her, walking further into my room. "What do you want?" I demand, pulling my dresser open. "I must speak with you." A soft exhale. "In private."I hold out a bunch of dresses I've never worn before, searching through for something appropriate to wear to the meeting with Kier and the council, after I wash off the blood on me. "You can speak freely in front of Az. I trust him.""I don't," she snaps."I don't trust you either, not as far as I can throw you," I mutter, taking out another dress. Too bright. A contrast from how chaotic and angry I feel. That had gone terribly. Maybe I should have just killed her and hidden the body--"Are you sleeping with Alpha Kier?"I freeze. I've been putting it off for as long as I can. La
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 95. Retaliate II
KierThere's something wrong with Jessamine. Or right. I'm unsure what to make of this, but I'd prefer she not do this to me right now, in the council meeting.The toe of her heel rises higher and higher up my leg and I have no idea what the fuck Gerald or the Alphas are saying. Only this morning, she clearly told me in more ways than one that she didn't care about last night.Now, she's...toying with me. She's messing with me again, and fuck me, I want this meeting over right now. I try to keep my expression stoic because Moira's seated beside me, her sharp gaze fixed on me, but I have begun to sweat profusely as I fight to keep the smell of my arousal hidden.Should've held the damned meeting in the Great Hall, but I was much too tired to make it over there without staggering. We're all settled around the narrow table and it gives her more than enough leverage to mess with me."It's a little unwise to evacuate them to the safehouses, don't you think?"
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 96. Kier's POV
"I saw the marks on her skin," Moira says, biting on her quivering lip. "Tell me you didn't mean to. Tell me it was a mistake. Tell me..." She sniffles, clutching my cheeks. "Tell me she forced herself on you. I'll let it go."Prying her hands off my face is an effort. Responding takes even more. "I'm sorry. I really don't want to hurt you."Her eyes are hateful, the weight of it tensing my muscles. "I won't allow it. I forbid you from seeing her, touching her, fucking her. How can you not see what she's doing? She's trying to ruin you. Us. I've worked hard to get here, Kier, and even harder to gain acceptance after the shit she pulled during the duel. You CANNOT replace me with her." I stiffen at the push in her voice. At the familiar tone. My brows furrow at the tap on my subconscious, the gentle prodding that turns vicious in the next second. I cock my head at Moira, studying her eyes that glow with a hint of gold. "Did my mother teach you to do that?" She blinks, her
My Alpha Mate Wants Me Back 97. Refuse Him, Again I
JessamineI'm unsure how Kier handled the issue with Moira, but she's laid off my back. Completely. It could also be because I've been avoiding the man in question. It's been days since the study incident and all I've done is flee from him. Hard not to, when he's acting strange as hell.It started the next day at breakfast when he abandoned the head of the table and picked a seat right beside me. I'd done my best to ignore him until he'd began dropping more meat into my plate with a stupid, corny smile as he said, "You should eat more, Jess." Then he had proceeded to lean his head against his fist to watch every bite of food I ate until I couldn't, for the life of me, get it down anymore.The next day, after training with Az and Mikkel, we had returned to my room to find it drowning in roses and lilies. I only needed to see Kier's red tipped nose and eyes watery from sneezing to know he handpicked the entire thing.I slept in Az's room that night, locking the male out. He'd been force
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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
