Note: The following chapter contains explicit adult content.* * * * *Veronica’s POVMy husband is a proud man. He holds power and strength that rivals no one. He holds his chin up high.Yet the king that everyone reveres kneels before me.“Someone might come in,” I said with a gasp as I pulled his hair in my grip. Sebastian’s head was in between my thighs as he was on his knees in front of me, one of my legs hoisted on his shoulder as he worked below. His lips and tongue worshiped my womanhood like it would be a sin not to, a blasphemy to stop. I hit my head on the post behind me, finding my balance with my weakened limbs.My mind was foggy but I still managed to utter what’s bugging me, “I-Isolde and Analynn could come back here any moment,” my voice was breathy and shaking, but he didn’t listen. I continued, “Eamon too—”Those words were what made him halt in his endeavors.Sebastian quickly stood up, towering over me as he bowed a little to inch closer to my face. Then he utters
Veronica’s POV“Well, aren’t you happy?” I teased Sebastian who couldn't put away the wide grin on his face.Our little ‘show’ in the tent was quite… successful, if there's one way to put it. When we got out after fixing ourselves and to join the second part of the convention, we came across Colton at the same time.His lingering glares, beet red face, and sour expression with the way he stomped away from our direction was pretty telling that he heard it. He wasn’t even able to mask his hatred like usual where he pretends to be formal and nonchalant about it, shoving people out of his way much to their shock.My crazy husband laughed out loud, even in Colton’s presence, like a child celebrating making another kid cry home. He was definitely a bully, still is, actually.“His face was fucking priceless,” Sebastian continued to laugh at the memory, “I should’ve taken a photo and framed it.”“Okay, calm down,” I told him and faked a serious expression, “Don’t go leaving me for him now.”H
Veronica’s POVThe Preliminary Hunt exclusive for newly converted rogues is much like other hunting competitions— except that the beasts and creatures hunted must be kept alive. The participants were given magic chokers personalized with assigned colors to each clan as their marking tools for their hunt.The winner will be decided by the highest points accumulated during the given time. Each beast has an assigned point in them depending on their species so it really doesn't depend on quantity. The hunts will be offered to the pack they represent and the pack can decide whether to take in the offerings or not.The hunt had already started hours ago. We had interacted with other packs earlier to pass some time as waiting for the event to end is also an opportunity to socialize. Sebastia
Veronica’s POVMetropolis became livelier than it ever was. Everyone was celebrating the capture of the culprit.Apparently it was an uninvited rogue who disguised himself as one of the participants and sneaked in. The parliament was criticized for such a mistake but everyone moved on quite easily too.“Do you want a fury?” Sebastian asked from behind me as I was feeding and cooing the small creature in its cage, “We can buy that one.”I turned to him with a look of disbelief in my face as I crossed my arms over my chest, “What am I gonna do with a fury?”He shrugged, “It can be a pet.”“You do know that it can grow up to 70 feet, right?” I squinted my eyes at him.He laughed and said, “You can handle it.”I rolled my eyes at him and decided to leave feeding the youngling.Today is the highlight of the Culling Tournament. The main hunting competition will take place today— the Royal Hunt.In the morning, there will be a showcase for the beasts and creatures that were not taken in from
Warning: Graphic depictions of violence*****Veronica’s POV“Mother wants to marry our house into the family of the Alpha,” I remember a younger Ruby, back when we were little girls, telling me about it in the past.“Do you want to get married, Nica?” she asked me after with the pure innocence of a child. To the mind of a ten year old me, the concept of marriage is not something I fully understand, “Maybe,” I simply replied with a shrug as we stared at the fire of the fireplace, sharing a blanket draped around us, “Everyone gets married, I think.”“I wanna marry the best man ever,” she exclaimed with a toothy grin, “And he will love me!” Ruby turned to me and asked once again, “How about you?”I may have lightly contemplated it during that moment. The words that came out of me were, “I want to marry someone who will always be with me,” a desire I had from a young age after losing someone in my life as I added, like a wish and a plea, “Forever.”“But isn’t that already given if you m
Sebastian’s POVI stabbed the flag bearing the Helios crest to the flesh of the dead troll I just killed. Once I had it jabbed on the skin, a glowing light circled on it, counting its points for the tally.I stood straight from where I was crouching and sensed my surroundings. There was adrenaline seeping through my veins as I geared up for my next victim. It's been a while since I last hunted so I have so much energy to burn.My senses told me of the nearest prey, miles from where I am. I instantly lunged through the woods, dashing and dodging the trees. All I could think about is another kill I am about to have— as if it’s an itch that won’t go away no matter how much I scratch it. The feeling was both exhilarating and frustrating.I s
Warning: Graphic depictions of violence*****Sebastian’s POV“Sebastian, it’s already dead,” I heard Eamon saying, he sounded so far away even if I know that he is just behind me. My dilated eyes were zeroing in thrusting my long claws deep through the scales and body of the serpent I was holding in chokehold to the ground.I have lost count on how many beasts I have slaughtered as a way of quenching some of this swirling madness that I feel under my skin. It didn’t help calm me down but it at least stopped it from escalating more.My wolf was lashing out inside me but I refused to shift. I know that I will lose myself in this state if I shift into my lyc
Veronica’s POVI am most afraid of loneliness— I don’t know if it was rooted from a tragic loss during my childhood or being neglected at a young age. I fear being left behind.And it was the exact horrible and sinking feeling that enveloped me when I was imprisoned after my dethronement.I remember the overwhelming emotions when it happened. I wasn’t sure if I was thrown into a living nightmare. Imagine living your entire life for the very people who turned their back to you. My eyes were dry from sobbing it out, the chains and the wolfsbane that they injected me were nothing to the pain that weighs my heart.I was captured the same night when they found me with the virren moonstone and directly sent me to the prison of Eviera. It was weird that a Luna like me wasn’t given an initial prosecution before they locked me up because that's how things should be processed. I tried reasoning that to the men who were dragging me, screaming and yelling but they didn’t bother to listen. Colton
Veronica’s POV“Hail, Supreme,” the entire committee of the Holy Parliament greeted in chorus, bowing to the newly arrived man.I watched how even Sebastian and Gareth followed. It took me and Colton a late second to follow.Having been from two powerful packs that always participates in the Culling Tournament and has connections throughout the upper society of the lycan continent, I assume they know the obviously high-ranking person.Sebastian wouldn't have bowed to someone lower than his status. To think that he's not almost on par with the Holy Parliament with how he interacts with them on the same footing, this means that this stranger surpasses, and probably sits on top of the chain.I tried peeking to see him as he trudged inside the courtroom, past the middle circle where Sebastian was positioned and towards the elevated platform in front, where the committee was.He walked with regality and authority. But I can't sense his second gender, which is normal sometimes especially wh
Veronica’s POVToday is the trial for the final verdict about Sebastian's murder and we have to bail time.“Luna Veronica,” the mocking voice of my boorish, brainless, ex-husband Colton disturbed the peaceful silence I have at where I was by the stands, “Majestic as ever with the way you managed to claw your way up towards another reign despite everything.”I turned to him with a cold, emotionless face.“Colton of Eviera,” I began, refusing to call him by his title as an Alpha, because I despised the time that I was beneath him when I know we're not even in the same league and he was never better than me.I looked directly into his eyes, “I see you're still the same too. Always barking up the wrong tree without a bite, thinking so full of himself but just overcompensating for the many things that you lack.”His fake politeness and confidence easily crumbled. Colton snarled at me, taking a step closer with glowing eyes in anger.“Funny you say that and look down on me. Then I guess you
Veronica’s POVWhen lycans lose their sense of self, they become feral werewolves.It happens in instances that the wolf side of a lycan fully overtakes the consciousness of the individual. If left unchecked and not cured in the right time, the werewolf will just become a mindless wolf, entirely animal; with no humanity left in them.So imagine my shock when I see Eamon in this state.“What happened to him?!” I exclaimed and stepped forward to get a closer look at where he was kneeling on the floor, canines bared, elongated and drooling.His eyes don't recognize anyone. They were wild and dilated, when I moved, he tried lunging at me with a bite and a growl but Declan held his chains, rattling as he was pulled while Sebastian was quick to grab my arm and held me back. I looked at him in panic. He had a blank stoic expression.“Don’t come near him, he’s not himself,” he warns and glances at the writhing Eamon, “It’s almost the same state whenever I lose myself to the curse.”It was har
Sebastian's POVI remember my very first kill vividly.Back then, the entire Northern continent was facing a rise of beasts and monsters.There was a breach at Helios, the entire pack was in chaos as a swarm of giant golems entered the territory.I was seven and told to stay in the palace. I haven't been into real hunts yet, especially unsupervised because they caught me back when I lied about going to a hunt to keep the rabbit I got.Then again, even as a kid, I was stubborn. I do what I like. I hated that all my siblings get to participate but me.That's how I found myself in the middle of Helios, with what seems to be the leader of the golems headed to me, pouncing.It happened way too fast.“Sebastian!” I heard Rowan yell from afar. It was loud even amongst the commotion of everyone fighting and the warriors trying to control the situation. My instincts took over. I fully shifted for the first time.I remember just dashing towards the danger of the giant golem, the feeling of ad
Veronica's POV“So Eamon is the traitor,” Nolan slumped down on the couch after he got back from the courtroom, “I don't believe it,” he mumbled to himself.“Me neither,” I uttered as I glanced at him from where I was standing in the middle of the room, “I don't know Eamon as much as you two do but I never considered him as a man who can do that.”“He seemed responsible and dutiful, a man of principles,” I said.Nolan sighed and looked at me, “It's because he is.”I have noticed that because he is Sebastian's closest aid, Eamon has a tight relationship with the Rozeiros siblings too. Being the pack Beta, this also has tremendous repercussions to the Helios hierarchy.We fell silent for a while, probably sharing the same worried thoughts. Until Sebastian spoke.“It can mean something different,” his serious voice echoed within the chambers.He had his back on us, hands clasped together behind him, standing in front of the ceiling to floor windows, staring at the dark outside.Nolan per
Veronica's POV“We all know the tales about the demon wolf. The kind of stories told to children at bedtime to warn them about the big bad wolf, a nightmare even amongst our kind.”I felt Sebastian’s hand flinch from Colton's words but he remained stoic. It's the most reaction I got from him since earlier. Nolan himself fell silent too.I glared at the bastard Colton but all three of us cannot contradict his words despite wanting to cut his tongue right then and there. It's vexing that he's aware of this fact and exploiting it to provoke us.“The brutal descriptions of the death brings the rumors to life. Always the torn limbs, the body in pieces, and the head is ripped away,” Colton’s eyes glinted with satisfaction as he looked at us, “Same pattern means same killer, yeah?”I bit the insides of my cheek.After witnessing that dark side of Sebastian, I started to see the same pattern Colton was pertaining to. Sebastian has this habit in killing, quite instinctive, that I don't think h
Veronica's POV The mystery pieces of how the murder of the Culling Tournament started coming together after seeing Colton and Gareth. They are definitely behind this. “Why are we joined with pests here tonight?” Sebastian gritted out the moment we stepped inside and saw them, “I wasn't informed that we are having bad company.” “I don't think we're the bad guys here, Sebastian,” Gareth answered with a smirk as he stared at him goadingly, “We came here to help.” “Help me and go fuck yourself then,” Sebastian took a step to lunge, almost instinctively but I pulled him to a halt. This is bad. Horrible, even. We can't have Sebastian lose his temper and trigger the curse in the middle of this trial. If that happens, we'd never recover for it. As much as Helios is powerful, the pack is still bounded by lycan oaths and principles. This could turn as an ammunition and an excuse for every enemy that the kingdom has to aid in taking down Helios. With everyone possibly working together t
Veronica's POVThere are three things we need to sort out.First, the trial for the murder of the Culling Tournament: it's impossible to disprove something Sebastian did commit. However, we cannot let this be used against Helios and let them corner us. Either we sway the direction into a more favorable judgment or manage to finalize a settlement.Second: find our Beta. Eamon is still missing out there. It could mean a lot of things but mostly two worst possibilities— a sign of betrayal or a hint of danger. Declan has set out to chase after his tracks and hopefully, come back positive results. Third: get points one and two done within a short amount of remaining time before the upcoming eclipse.Because unfortunately, this isn't the strongest storm that is about to hit us. That, I am sure of.“You know, when we talked about coming back to Metropolis, I didn't think it would be this soon,” I broke the silence in the carriage as we started to cross the familiar large arc at the end of t
Veronica's POV“I'm not dying Veronica.”I’m not sure when my anger turned from being betrayed through a broken trust into the stubborn vulnerability I want to avoid that comes with the possibility of losing him.His words echoed in my head.Sebastian was so sure that the curse will not kill him. He doesn't even seem to take it seriously. Perhaps it's only natural. He's never been weak in his entire life. Being in the brink of death is an unfamiliar territory for him.But not for me.“You don't know that,” I held his baffled gaze.I toed with near-death for a couple more times than I can count my entire life.I was never a gifted hunter by birth— it was all hardwork. The desperation to be acknowledged that fueled me to excel. I had no choice but to make myself excel, indespensible. Yet never a prodigy like him.So I have brushed with death a lot of times. Then, my life turned into worst. There was a time when it almost ended. Twice. One during my first imprisonment and second was duri