Saul’s POV It can’t be. This must be a mistake. This can’t be happening. Not here, not now. There is no way this woman—this goddess in human form—is actually my mate. After all these years, I came to the conclusion that I was mateless. I always believed that the moon goddess despised me and cursed me to spend an eternity without a mate. A lifetime without someone by my side. That was why I created the harem. That is why I took women from every corner of our kingdom to fill the hole in my chest that my mate was supposed to. But then I saw Meredith. I knew Meredith, and I fell in love with her. It felt like my whole world had crumbled before my eyes when I found out that she was Roman’s mate, and then the pieces were set ablaze when he marked her. It did something to me; it ruined me from the inside out. I wouldn’t say that it made me grow a hatred for Romans, but it was something terrifyingly similar. I spiraled, I rebelled, and I did everything possible to let out my rage, b
Saul’s POVFinding your mate is supposed to be one of the most exciting experiences in the world. It is supposed to be a feeling that automatically lifts the weight off your shoulders and fills you with relief. But it just had to be the exact opposite for me. Of course, mine had to be different.After running away from everyone like a damn pussycat, the weight on my shoulders returned, and it was ten times heavier than it was before. It was weird because I could feel my mate’s hurt, her sadness, and her heart breaking the further I got away from her.I never even got to know her name.I suppose I was just too scared to ask.Scared huh? I never thought I was capable of feeling such an emotion. This has to be the hardest point in my life. I should have just marked her there, and then I thought that once you have found a mate, nothing else in the world matters.Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that my heart already belonged to another. That moment at the park, every fibre in
Meredith’s POV“You have to eat something, Meredith,” Roman tells me. We are both in my room, or should I say Jamie’s visitor room? It is where I have been staying for the past thirty hours since we arrived in Nuvia. The kings stayed in his living room because there was only one room Jamie had to lend out. There was space for one more of them beside me on the bed, but neither of them wanted to share a bed with me, especially at a moment like this. Actually, let me rephrase that: they all wanted to share a bed with me but didn’t want to upset the other two.None of us are in the right state of mind for conflict. Especially with this whole Saul finding his mate issue. Since he left my room last night, I haven’t caught sight of him. He most likely went to find that mate of his. I do not know why, but that angered me so much, but there was nothing I could do about it. It is not fair to keep him for myself when Roman still has full access to me.I shouldn’t even be harboring these feelin
Saul's POV She was a leader.I could tell from how she spoke to her colleagues and gave commands. She did so with assertiveness and a cool, dominating authority. She never shouted.She kept her voice low, but even I could feel the weight of her order. You wouldn't dare defy her. Even though I feared to defy her, I guess that is why I haven't moved an inch from behind this tree. But there is something else she is missing. There is something in her that I am looking for but can't seem to find. That warmth and compassion weren't there.I suppose one of the reasons I am having trouble moving from this spot is coming to terms with the fact that this woman wasn't Meredith. She never will.Just look at me, the great Alpha Saul Kaval, hiding behind a tree because he is too scared to speak to a woman. I am so glad the others weren't here to witness this, especially after they watched me run away like some coward. I know that I will have to move at some point. I can't stay hidden behind t
Meredith’s POVThe air is quite heavy; everywhere I turned, the thick scent of smoke, sweat, and blood was there. It followed me everywhere like a damn plague. Just breathing felt like such great labor.As I walked through the bungalows, shops, and kiosks, I could feel eyes drilling into every part of my body. Some belonged to my people; others belonged to members of the moon vultures. They were all watching me with disgust and resentment.I couldn’t care less about the moon vultures, but having to witness my people look at me like that... it saddened my heart greatly. The women worked in the local markets, and I could not help but notice that most of them had a member of the vulture by their side. They were all being watched while they worked. That is when I realized that the women had beads of sweat trickling down their foreheads, even though it was nearly sixteen degrees out here.Why the hell are these damn vultures everywhere?My jaw clenches. I wish I could just round them up a
Caelen’s POVGood Lord, the air is suffocating in here.The tension in the room was maddening. The silence was deafening, and I don’t think I have been in a room filled with so much awkwardness before. I just stepped out to buy a few ingredients to make rice and sauce for dinner tonight. When I came home, there was no one around.They all just couldn’t stay put for two damn minutes.I decided to let everyone be and start cooking. It has been a while since I realized my talents in the kitchen. Ever since I became an alpha with so many responsibilities and so many servants to do my bidding, I never thought of it.But now, seeing as we are far from home with little to no servants, I think it would be the best way to keep myself busy. And besides, cooking was once a stress reliever for me. I am glad that it still is.I was just adding the last few ingredients to the sauce when Roman returned. He didn’t have to take a look around to know that Meredith wasn’t home. “Where is she?” he asked
Meredith’s POVA graveyard.Caelen brought me to a freaking graveyard.Was he trying to make me feel worse than I already do? My feet come to a halt at the gate of the home of the dead. Caelen notices that I am no longer following him and stops as well. He spins on his heel and lifts a single brow.“What is all this? Where are you taking me?” I demand, and he offers me a soft smile. It feels strange seeing him look at me with so much gentleness and kindness. Usually, he always looked at me like a predator would their prey. He always looked at me like I was a meal ready to be devoured by a man starved for days.But this time there was an unfamiliar emotion in his honey brown eyes. Compassion.He outstretches his hand for me to take and asks, “Do you trust me?”What a question that was. If this were to be Roman or Saul, I would have said yes in a heartbeat. The bond I shared with those men was like none before. I wasn’t exactly close to Caelen, especially since our time back at the pa
Meredith’s POVAs soon as my eyelids peeled apart this morning. I hopped out of bed. I grabbed the closest and easiest to wear clothing and headed out of Jamie’s place.Now I had no idea where it was that I was going, but all I knew was that I couldn’t just lay in bed all day waiting for my people to magically love me again. I had to do something, and I had to do something now.My footsteps were as silent as possible as I made my way down the stairs. In the living room, my eyes fell on all three Kings sleeping peacefully on the sofas. The first person my eyes fell on was Roman.He had a crease between his brows, and the corners of his lips were tilted downward. Whatever dream he was having, it didn’t seem like a pleasant one. My heart felt strange seeing him lay so uncomfortably on the sofa. He was my mate and had every right to share the bed with me, but things just had to be complicated, didn’t they?My eyes shifted to Saul. He was neither frowning nor smiling; he just slept peacef
“Our kingdom has gone through trialing times this past year. We have lost so many of our people, family members, friends, and loved ones. This year will go down in history, and it shall be the last of its kind. A time like this will never step foot into the borders of Nuvia. Enemies tried to rule us; they tried to tear us down, but they couldn’t. Because we are strong. We are not like any other pack; we each have a fighting spirit so unique that has been placed within us. As Queen and Luna of the Nuvia kingdom, I swear to never turn my back on my kingdom ever again, even if it is for just a second. We, not just I, will learn from the mistakes made this year so they never happen again. We will rise from the ashes; we will become stronger, and if anyone tries to destroy this kingdom ever again, even after my reign, we will destroy them from the inside out instead.”Cheers, whistles, and praise filled the air as I concluded my speech. I stared at each and every Nuvian present; it was al
MEREDITH’S POVA gasp leaves my lips as I fill my lungs with oxygen. My eyelids come flying open, and my eyes lock with a pair of familiar sea blue eyes and honey brown eyes.“Welcome back to the living princess,” Saul says, and tears of joy well up in my eyes.“That’s queen to you,” I correct, and the both of them share a glance before chuckling at me. I jump to my feet to wrap both of them in a hug, but my feet wobble, and I lose my footing. Luckily, I land in Caelen’s arms, and he helps to steady me. “Easy now, queen. You just had quite an accident there. You might suffer from a concussion soon,” he says, pointing to my damaged car that is now lying in a ditch. What the hell? How did I even survive that?My eyes travel downwards to inspect my body for injuries. And surprisingly, there was none. But why did I have this burning pain all over? Like I was being beaten over and over again?When the realization dawns on me, my heart plummets to the pit of my stomach.My grip on Caelen’s
ROMAN’S POVI really am an asshole.This isn’t turning out the way I wanted. I thought that now that Meredith’s memories have been wiped out, I can finally have a brand-new chance to make things right. I thought I could fill her with stories that would benefit me.What a fool I was.The girl didn’t even trust me. She knew when I was lying and when I was telling the truth. She was my mate; she knew when I was telling the truth and when I was lying. It didn’t matter if she had lost her memories or not.That damn bond between us was always going to give me away. And my God, was she persistent. Since she didn’t believe me, she was doing everything within her power to uncover the truth. And at this rate, she was going to find out sooner than I would like. A sigh leaves my lips as I run my hand through my hair. Why did she have to be so damn persistent and go wondering around? But then again, I should have known better than to keep Lucia’s body in the same building as Meredith.I should h
MEREDITH’S POVRoman was still sound asleep. He looked so peaceful while he slept, I could stare at him sleep all day. He was even more beautiful while asleep, his features were a lot more relaxed and prominent. And who would have thought he had such incredibly long eyelashes. Lucky.Focus Meredith!It takes a lot of strength, but I manage to tear my eyes away from him. careful not to wake him; I get out of bed as quietly as possible. I do a mini-victory dance once I am out of bed, then tip toe out of the room. My teeth clamp down on my bottom lip as I open the door slowly.My heart nearly flies out of my mouth when the door makes a creak. I shoot Roman a glimpse over my shoulder and say a silent prayer when I see that he is still sound asleep. Finally, I get the door open wide enough to slip out.I make sure to shut the door gently before pumping my fist in the air. Ah, yes, freedom at last. I do another victory dance once again but freeze when I see some maids down the hall starin
MEREDITH’S POVA chill runs up my spine, and I let out a breath through my lips. A mist forms and quickly disappears before my eyes. Every breath I let out, I would see it in the form of a mist. There wasn’t a form of light in this cold, dark room. The only light came from the moon’s gaze slipping through the cracks of a barely opened window. I could tell that I was still in the palace; I do not know how, but I just did. I dared to peek out the window, and my thoughts were confirmed once my eyes locked with the palace gates.But this room... Roman had taken me on a tour around the palace, but this room... I never saw this room. I spun around in a circle, noting the dust, cobwebs, and spiders that filled the room. But what caught my attention was the coffin placed at the center of the room. Surprisingly, it was the only thing in the room that wasn’t covered in dust. It was still clean and shiny, like it had just been recently placed there.I knew I should run; I wanted to. Because wh
MEREDITH’S POV“It is a pleasure to have you back with us, Luna.”Remember your lines! Remember your lines!Presently, I am in a meeting with the newly elected council member of my pack. Roman was seated by my right hand while I was seated at the head of the table. Where I ought to be. The council consisted of seven members, each seated according to their ranks and roles. After waking up yesterday and having Roman fill me in on the things he felt were important for me to remember, I instantly passed out again. I suppose I was having a storage overload and needed time to actually process everything. When I woke up, an entire night had already passed, and I was already getting ready to attend a meeting I knew nothing about. I stared at myself in the mirror for the longest time, trying to recognize the woman that stood before me in this fancy gown and heavy jewelry. Roman came in shortly after dressed in an all-black suit with a gold cross around his neck and a gold watch on his wris
MEREDITH’S POVMy goodness, I felt quite sore all over.My lips part to release a tired yawn. Goodness, I was so tired. And I was quite hungry too. It feels like I haven’t eaten in days, but I know I ate just yesterday. But what did I eat?” I do not remember. Come to think of it, where did I eat, and what is my favorite food? What was yesterday? There was nothing but questions that filled my head. Questions that didn’t have an answer. How strange.Slowly my eyelids peel open, and I am met with a pretty chandelier. I stare at it for some time before finally sitting up. A groan leaves my lips as I stretch my legs. This bed was quite comfy, was it mine? I do not even know. My eyes dart in every direction, and I am filled with more questions. Like, where am I? And whose room is this? Was it mine or was it someone else’s?So many questions...Throwing my legs off the edge of the bed, I rise to my feet but stumble a bit. “Woah,” I mutter as I try to find my balance. Once I do, I twirl ar
ROMAN’S POVI stare at Meredith’s unconscious body with a blank face. That is one thing I was blessed with. I could be dying of pain, and my face would still be this way. Hard as stone and cold as ice. Tears still spilled out of her shut eyes, and the sight of them did something to me.I can’t believe that this was actually happening. I just hope that she will find it in her heart to forgive me someday. But this... all of this was just for her. I hope she will get to see it.A loud cackle snaps me out of my thoughts, and my head tilts to Lucia, who had her head tilted back as she laughed wholly. “Oh, what a glorious day! This has to be one of the best days of my life. I remember meeting you for the first time, and you swore to defeat me. You had so much hatred and determination set in your heart, but where has that gotten you now? Absolutely nowhere!” She laughs in Meredith’s sleeping face, and my eyelid twitches. She was way too close to Meredith for comfort. Her lips were barely a
MEREDITH’S POVFight! Get up! Move! Do something!These were the words that constantly sang repeatedly in my mind. But my body wouldn’t respond. I can’t believe that the moment Lucia told me to sleep, my body just did so without wasting a second. How was that even possible?I was awake, but my eyes wouldn't open. I was well aware of what was happening around me, but from a distance. Once again, my soul had left my body and watched the entire scene play out before me with a broken heart.I can’t believe that Roman has been helping Lucia all along. I thought that he had been with her the other night just to spite me. But going as far as stabbing his own brothers and helping her take over my kingdom was something I never would have imagined, not even in my wildest dreams. This... this was absolutely unforgiveable. Roman clothed my naked body before any of the vultures could come in before doing the same for himself. Once he was fully dressed, he asked Lucia, “What do you mean she will