*Leroy POV*Everyone gasps in horror when dad drops to the ground. His wolf goes into violent spasms, his mouth froths before he lays there, lifeless. They are all shocked but I am not. I saw it on the wolf that bit Cali at the lake. I should feel a loss, grieve for my father, but I am too worried about Cali. There must be a reason she and her wolf are so mad. Dad and our old warriors know it. Whatever it is, is big enough for them to attack her without even checking with the Lycan kings. Talking about Lycans, they are just standing there as if being entertained. Diana charges forward and the rest of our old warriors follow behind her. They simultaneously close in on Cali from all directions. They are getting on my nerves now. I am the only Alpha of Ruber pack now yet they are following Diana’s instructions. Sky growls before leaping with the aim of landing in front of the gold wolf. He is mid air when our epsilon jumps in front of him with his coat completely covering him. I shi
*Leroy POV*I turn my eyes to the Epsilon who has not responded to my question. “Is she my mate?” I repeat my question. He sighs and momentarily closes his eyes. “I need to know,” I insist even though my breathing is becoming laboured. “Down the line mate.”I glance at him, my frustration building up. Mate, second chance mate and rejected mate are all familiar terms, not this. “What the fuck does that even mean?”I don’t mean to shout at him but this is all so messed up. “You cannot handle her right now, Your Highness. There is too much animosity between her pack and ours. And her upbringing under us has been terror at most.”“I had nothing to do with that.”He sighs again and shakes his head. “It does not matter. The Alpha bares the sins of his pack.”I know that arguing with him will not change anything. I focus on getting the facts instead. “When will I be able to handle her?”“When the time is right. When the sins of your father have been righted. When the suffering has bee
*Leroy POV*Even her authoritative voice sounds golden. Oh how I missed talking and even fighting with her. I catch a glimpse of my warriors shifting into their wolves. They are getting themselves ready to fight. More like to die because this woman is ferocious. “Stand down and let all her people go.”They shift back, bow and disperse. I sigh when I see her eyes burning with fury. I had no idea that all the nameless slaves from our pack were the children from her pack. Our pack killed their parents and made them nameless slaves. No wonder even the Lycan king shuddered at the discovery. Marcus, Linda and I rescued several nameless slaves and moved them far from here but majority are still here. They were abused and assaulted on a daily basis. No wonder she’s so mad. “I will give you the list and locations of the ones we rescued.”I see her eyes warm up momentarily before her rage returns. I walk closer to her. The Epsilon said I will transverse hatred and love. My heart hurts just
*Cali POV*I leave the Ruber pack palace emotionally exhausted. I walk into Marcus’ study with my head spinning. A part of me refuses to believe it, but I doubt that Phoebe would lie about something like this. “Leroy tells you everything. Is it true that I am his mate?” I ask the moment my eyes meet Marcus’. He sighs before getting up and embracing me. His actions are a confirmation of what Phoebe told me, but it can’t be. I frantically shake my head. “No. It just can’t be.”“I told you before that you two have a connection I cannot understand. It was like that way before Phoebe and before your wolf. I know that it’s hard for both of you, but it now makes complete sense,” Marcus says and I can’t refute his statement. I hate Leroy, yet something changes when our eyes meet. It is out my control, always has been. “He has a mate and will have others. He does not feel anything towards whoever will be his mate after Phoebe. Why the hell am I feeling this?” Marcus shakes his head. “I d
*Cali POV*“Good morning, My Queen,” Betty greets while opening the curtains, letting the sun in. I rub my eyes and sit up on the bed. It’s been three months since I found out who I am. My pack and I currently all live in the Fallow pack house. “Morning Betty. What time is it?” I ask with a yawn. “It’s five o’clock and our guests are here,” she tells me. I quickly get off the bed and head to the bathroom to take a shower. My guests can be irritating, but the alternative is worse. The alternative being their mates. I walk out of the bathroom to find my bed made and a golden gown laid out on the bed. I am loosing track of how many gold gowns I have. I go to the shops intentionally looking for anything not the colour, but I somehow always return with the same colour. My Lycan loves everything gold. I mean everything. I slip on the gown and Betty helps me with my hair. She leaves a few curls in front and clips the rest of my hair up. “Beautiful!” she exclaims, her eyes sparkling. S
*Cali POV*I sit up in bed and look at the shirtless man beside me. Something is wrong because my heart starts pounding like it used to when we were bedmates. “What?”“What did you do to my lycan?” I ask, looking suspiciously at him. My pack would have missed him coming to my chambers because we have the same scent, but there is no way my lycan missed him. Gold hates Leroy and Sky, yet we are in bed together. How the hell did this happen?He laughs and plays with my hair lock. “You may hate me, but it’s not real. What is real is our connection. It’s getting stronger each day,” he says while I frantically shake my head. “No, it’s not!” I snap with a hushed tone, careful not to wake up Phoebe. “I don’t think you can wish this away, Cali,”“Gold,” I correct him and he grins at me. “You will always be Cali to me. We have a history, a foundation. All these idiots can try, but ultimately, you are mine. I told your lycan to kill me and she curled up in my arms instead.”I shake my head
*Cali POV*Three months later, I pace up and down my chambers, contemplating if I should answer my phone or not. Phoebe has been calling me several times every single day. I know what she wants. I turn her down everyday. I would do anything for her, except this. I should ignore her, but my stupid heart won’t let me. I let out a sigh and answer. “Phoebe!” I exclaim excitedly. “You are ignoring my calls,” she accuses with that tone that pulls on all my heart strings. Not even Leroy can do that and he is apparently my mate. “I wasn’t, I promise. I left my phone behind when I went for a walk,” I lie through my teeth. Phoebe is by far the only person I can never be mean to. She has this strange impact on me. We have this bond that even the Epsilon cannot explain. “You are a bad liar, Gold.”I can’t help but laugh. “Fine, I know why you are calling and I hate turning you down. I promise you that I will come when my godson is born,” I come out clean. I have accepted that her and Leroy
*Leroy POV*Cali’s pack is surprised to see me in their pack house. The ones Linda, Marcus and I rescued, bow before me and are thrilled to see me, but I can feel the hatred from the rest. I don’t blame them, considering everything we did to them. There is also the matter of their burial ground I can’t return to them. It is a quiet ride back to Ruber city. We are both sitting at the back of the SUV. The shield separating us from the driver is down. We have privacy, but Cali keeps her eyes focused outside the window.“Don’t overthink it. You love me and I love you too.”“I love Phoebe, not you!”She does not even look at me as she snaps. I can’t help but laugh. How I have missed this cute ball of stubbornness. Sky is in heaven at the prospect of having her and Phoebe under the same roof again. “You’ve always been really hot and stubborn. Funny how I love even that.”She finally looks at me, those gold alluring eyes making my heart flutter. “Stop talking,” she instructs with the sam
*Cali POV*“She is lying and trying to get between us!” Rose snaps, her eyes blazing at me. I don’t know when Leroy snatched Rose from Alloy, but in a split moment she is on the floor lifeless.“No one talks to my mate like that!” it’s Sky who roars. My hero. I strangely don’t feel any pain for Rose. I hope Leroy doesn’t regret this afterwards. “We are outnumbered,” Marcus reports as if Leroy did not just kill Rose. “Cali and the pups are priority,” Leroy says before running his hand over by tummy. Marcus and Alloy nod while I shake my head. Can’t they see that I am not the one in danger?“No. They are here for you,” I tell Leroy who shrugs. “It does not matter. You and our pups take priority,” he insists. “It matters to me, Leroy. Let me go speak to them. They will not touch me,” I present an alternative as the hauling gets closer. That means the gate guards and the ones outside are already outnumbered. “No!” they all respond in unison. “Stop being cavemen. They won’t touch me
*Cali POV*I insisted that we come to see the Ruber pack because I know my brother. He is trying to water everything down, but he would not be insisting that I convince Leroy to come if there truly was nothing to worry about. The elders are thrilled to see us, but I can sense something they are not saying. “Rogues are becoming a problem, Sire,” one elder says but Leroy is more focused on me than what is not being said. “We have always had rogues, we have competent warriors to deal with them,” he tells them dismissively. They bow their heads respectfully. I guess they can sense his irritation that we had to come. Many are also very scared of the do-called Sable king. I can’t contradict him here, but I need to have a word with Marcus and get to the bottom of what is really happening here. “Okay, speak,” I command him the moment the elders are gone. He lets out a sigh and avoids Leroy, who is giving him unimpressed looks. “We know how to handle rogues who trespass into our territory
*Leroy POV*I can safely say that I am the happiest man alive. My queen is now six months pregnant. The past few months have been complete bliss. I watch her sleep with my heart full. “Our mate is gorgeous,” Sky links and I chuckle right when she opens her alluring golden eyes and gaze at me. Lord, this woman is my life.“Morning, Beautiful,” I greet her and plant a kiss on her lips. “I look like a balloon ready to pop,” she refutes my words and sits up. “You are the most beautiful pregnant woman I have ever seen,” I declare and she rolls her eyes at me and pokes my chest. She really is gorgeous, but she does not believe me. “You are biased.”“Alloy thinks so too,” I tell her and she rolls her eyes again. “That smitten puppy does not count.”I can’t help but laugh. Alloy is amongst the most powerful hybrids around, but he becomes worse than a smitten puppy around my wife. I suspect that it’s the connection with the girls but my wife refuses to hear it. “Are you sure you are good
*Leroy POV*“Leroy!” “Come on mate. Leroy!” I can hear Marcus and Alloy’s distressed voices before Betty and others join them. I am not quite in a coma because I can hear everyone, but I feel so weak and limp. My eyes feel so heavy, I eventually keep them closed. “His Majesty!” Betty cries out with a shaky voice. I can even hear her galloping heart. She is truly fond of me. “Your Highness!”“What happened?”My Epsilon, then Rufus. They both sound anxious. “I don’t know. We were talking and he just collapsed,” Marcus explains while Alloy volunteers to go and find Cali. I turn to the wolf I have not spoken to since he became the Sable king.“Sky.”Silence. “Sable king?” I call and my idiotic wolf actually laughs.“I am still Sky. Bigger, stronger and better, but it’s still me,” he brags. He is still Sky alright. The cockiness, sound of his voice and our connection is the same. “What’s going on?” I get to the point. “Oh, that.”“What!” I snap. His nonchalant response immediately
Leroy POVEveryone is congratulating me on becoming the ultimate king, but I my mind is miles away. I can’t concentrate. I have to act now before another mate shows up. I just can’t lose Cali. Alloy raises his eyebrows when I pull him to the outside, away from eavesdroppers. “You should be ecstatic, but you are not. What’s up?” he asks.“I need you to kill me.”His eyes almost pop out of his skull. “Excuse me?”“I can’t have this wolf, Alloy. I need you to destroy my wolf,” I clarify my statement and he frantically shakes his head. “My king, I…”“I cannot lose Cali. I would rather die than betray her,” I interject before he tries to convince me otherwise. “I don’t get it. Did you two fight?”“I still have other mates,” I let him in on my curse disguised as a blessing and curses nonstop. “Shit! Damn it! Oh, man. This is bad. Bloody hell!“Now, what?” he asks after a good ten minutes of him cursing. “Gold could separate me from Sky. Maybe she can still do it with the Sable king,”
*Leroy POV*“Are you mad at me?” Gold asks with a squeaky voice the moment Cali drifts off to sleep. “Can I ever be mad at you?” I respond with a question. She is crazy and all, but I absolutely adore her, and I don’t think even Sky can be mad at her.“Good, because we have princesses on the way.”“We do, huh?” I ask, amused. Sky already told me about this when we were in coma. “Yes, we need to deal with that Alloy,” she says, and I can’t help but laugh. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about. Alloy is the most ethical man I know. We do need him to keep everyone in check and the pups safe,” I tell her, but she is not convinced. “Remember how crazy the Lycans got around you and Cali? Someone more powerful than me has got to be around here,” I add. I don’t know how I feel about Alloy being my daughter’s mate one day, but I need him here because he is capable, and I trust him. “What if he tries stupid stuff with our pups?” Gold asks, raising Sky’s protective side. “I will k
*Cali POV* I am relieved when the Palmville pack leaves with Zenith. That girl is crazy. It turns out that she is carrying Duncan’s pup. That did not stop her from trying to pass the pup on to Leroy. Now that the plan did not work, she has declared herself Duncan’s Luna, even though she is not his mate. It’s only now that Luna Sarah informs me that Leroy is lucky to have managed to reject her. Apparently, she goes for the Beta’s when she and Duncan fight. That has placed a strain between the Betas and their future Alpha. I can’t believe that they lied and sang her praises when they arrived here because they wanted to get her away from their son. I remember her even saying Leroy was all Zenith spoke about since they rescued her. It’s an hour later when Alloy and Neptune’s parents arrive with Rufus, their famous Epsilon. “Rufus wanted to tag along. I hope Her Highness does not mind,” Terrence says and bows his head. I make eye contact with our Epsilon. I know that Rufus
*Cali POV*Zenith has just stormed out when I feel a piercing pain followed by a burning sensation on my neck. “Your marks have resurfaced!” Betty exclaims. “Love always prevails,” she declares excitedly. My hand instinctively move to touch the two overlapping marks on my neck. My heart hammers against my chest. I don’t know what this means, but I think it’s a victory of some sort. “Two marks, this is incredible!” Alloy beams, quickly takes out his phone and takes my photograph. This man is really weird. I give him the look and he gives me a sheepish grin. “You are the only She-lycan. This is vital information for our species, My Queen,” he explains his weirdness. I only shake my head. I don’t have to the energy to deal with him right now. “Let’s give our queen privacy,” Betty instructs, takes a fast asleep Cale from me and ushers everyone out of my chambers, leaving me with the unconscious Leroy and the Epsilon. I am really grateful for her quick reaction and thoughtfulness.
*Cali POV*I am starting to think that being a nameless slave was preparing me for this. I am the most powerful queen with no dignity when it comes to my mate. I watch Leroy run out to his mate with a ripping pain inside. I feel like my heart is being torn apart. I guess he has made his choice. I can feel Gold breaking before shutting down. Unlike me, all she knows is being royalty. This hurts her more than it does me. I head to the shower and wash Leroy off before putting on a flowery summer dress. Maybe it will light up my gloomy mood. There is a lot of commotion around the second floor. Betty puts me up to speed about Zenith sleeping with Duncan. I am not surprised when someone calls for help to stop Leroy from killing Duncan. I know how possessive Sky can get. This is something that would drive him crazy. I don’t bother going to investigate, but head to my favorite spot in the garden instead. I hum a tune in my head and focus on planning my future without a mate. “It is not hi