~ Alpha Sabastian It has been three days since Athena went missing. My wolf has gone haywire. It yearns for her. It wants no one at night but her!I walked down to the dungeon where I kept her parents. I had taken them hostage the morning after Athena escaped. They had to know her whereabouts. I would force it out of them.I got to the dungeon, and one of the guards opened the gate.I beheld Robert and his wife lying down weakly on the floor. I have kept them starved for two days, pending when they decide to say the truth.Upon seeing me, Robert tried to stand up, but his feet were too feeble."A…Alpha Sabastian, please spare our lives. We are being honest; our daughter never contacted us; she doesn't even have a cellphone," he stuttered. I could see the fear in his eyes; I could feel it radiate from his body. He was a weak man; I hate weak men!His eyes widened as he attempted to prefer a solution, "now that she has escaped, please give me some time to raise the money I owe you, Alp
~ Athena"Athena! Athena!" Princess Claudia called out.I averted my gaze to her, as did several others at the dining table, all waiting for the drama that was about to unfold. The 30 qualified ladies selected by Jessica for "the Hunt" were seated at a long dining table, having breakfast, while I and some other maids served them.I took quick steps towards her. "Yes, Princess Claudia," I replied."What is this?!" she shrieked, motioning to the plate of scrambled eggs in front of her.I was confused. I glanced at the plate and then at her, not uttering a word as I didn't even know what to say."When I ask you a question, you are bound to speak!" she commanded angrily.I didn't want any trouble, although I could clearly see one brewing. "It is scrambled eggs, Princess," I replied."Was that what I requested? I clearly asked for mashed potatoes, bread, tea, and chicken breast, not this!" she sneered angrily, upturning the contents of the food, causing them to splatter on the floor.My ey
~ RichardI was at the garden, waiting for James to fetch Athena. We received information from our contact that her father had been murdered. I had known for two days but didn't know how to break the news to her. I knew it would devastate her. Losing a parent is one of the worst things that can happen to anyone. It would make them feel abandoned and alone in this world marked by cruelty and evil. Unfortunately, I had to tell her; she had every right to know.I heard footsteps approaching from behind and turned to see her. She was absolutely breathtaking even while clothed in the garments of a maid. How does she do that? How does she manage to be effortlessly beautiful all the time?I could feel through our bond that she was excited, but I didn't know what that was about. She greeted me, and I responded.I needed to tell her now. I felt sad and angry at Sebastian. It was his fault, the fact that I was about to kill Athena's joy. When our contact told us that he had held Athena's paren
~AthenaThere was just one day left until the big day. The mansion was bustling with several activities in preparation. His Majesty and some elders were having a meeting in the great hall.I was in the kitchen helping out with some chores when Ms. Sandra walked in."Athena," she called out."Yes, Ms. Sandra," I dropped the rag I had been cleaning with, turned around, and ran to her. She held a bowl of white substance in her hand. As soon as I approached her, she smiled and handed the bowl to me uttering hastily,"Run along, dear, His Majesty is in need of this right now."My heart sank!Before I could try to protest, she patted my back and walked past me, giving instructions to the other maids.I swallowed hard. Ever since that incident occurred between myself and the king in the garden, I have been avoiding him as one avoids a plague. I was still a little bit angry on the inside. He wasn't really who I thought he was. He had taunted me and emotionally abused me. He didn't care about
~AthenaThe maids and I have been busy all morning, running errands for the 30 maidens, "The Qualified." Today was their big day, the day one of them gets to be selected by His Majesty during "the Hunt."Princess Claudia had me on her beck and call. I had just returned from the laundry, which was about 5 minutes away on foot from her quarters. She had stained her beautiful white silk gown and had given it to me to take to the laundry and back.I suspected it was intentional; she had done that to frustrate me. It now felt as though her sole reason for living and breathing was to make my life miserable. My suspicions were confirmed when I brought back the dry-cleaned cloth from the laundry and saw her in her room with Ms. Jessica, the Chief of Staff, wearing a white beautiful gown that suited her pale skin perfectly, making her look pretty. I wore a confused expression on my face. I looked at the cloth I held in my hand, the same one I had wasted 45 vain minutes for, and looked at th
~ Athena"Your Majesty! What are you doing? That is not me!" Princess Claudia's shrill voice rang out.For the very first time, I agreed with her. "Please put me down, Your Majesty. You have the wrong person," I begged after recovering from my initial shock.His Majesty did not utter a word; instead, he carried me through the bush. The sound of rustling leaves and chirping birds was all that filled the air. He eventually dropped me beside a tree branch and changed back to his human form.Now that he was back in his human form, which I was more comfortable and familiar with, I inquired in confusion, "What is going on, Your Majesty?"His eyes were on me. Despite being in the woods, the area we were in was lit. Light from the solar panels not too far away made that possible, that also made me realize we were not so far away from the garden. I could hear the faint sound of drums and whistles."You are my mate, Athena," he said in a deep, soothing voice.My eyes widened in shock, confusion
~RichardI was teasing her, trying to make her feel at ease as I could sense how nervous she was. In fact, she was an absolute wreck, and I couldn't blame her. All night, she had a million chaotic thoughts spiraling through her mind, trying to make sense of why I had chosen her, but even I myself didn't have a clue as to why I did what I did except for the fact that she was my mate."I… I… will shower alone," she stuttered breathlessly as she craned her head to the side to refrain from looking at my groin. I could feel the effect I have on her. I could smell her desire; she wanted me, but not as bad as my wolf wanted her."Alright, I will shower first," I sighed.While in the shower, I couldn't get the thoughts of what had happened that night out of my head. The horrified look on Jessica's face and the surprised look on my brother's. A lot of people are going to try to kick against my decision by tomorrow, tell me how my decision would invariably weaken the royal bloodline and how ma
~AthenaAfter showering and putting on His Majesty's, or should I say Richard's, shirt, I went to bed. The sight of him in his sleeping state was breathtaking.His lovely set lips, thick eyebrows, beautiful long eyelashes, very pointed nose, and set jaws were a beauty to behold. I felt my hand itch so bad from wanting to touch them. After a few seconds of struggle, I couldn't resist anymore. I ran my hand through his perfect facial features, admiring the beautiful creature in front of me.Even that felt so surreal. I couldn't believe that was actually happening.I was in bed with the King!He is my mate!I blinked. It still felt like a pinch-me moment. In fact, I believed it was all a dream that I would eventually wake up from, but before I do, I planned to make the most of it.My wolf wanted this so badly, and so did I. After tracing my finger on his lips, the feel was so soft I wanted to kiss and nibble on them, and before I knew it, I was acting on my thoughts.I kissed him, an act
~AthenaA feast was being held at the mansion with the whole pack in attendance. The gardens were filled with people from the resettlement area while the king, his dignitaries, and elders were in the great hall dining. There was plenty of food and drinks for everyone.It has been one month since I gave birth to my three little warriors. On the day i gave birth to them, my life changed completely. I felt a kind of inner peace that I had never felt before as they were laid beside me on the bed. All the pain I experienced while birthing them suddenly disappeared and was replaced with an unspeakable kind of joy.I had thought I was going to have just one kid. Throughout my pregnancy, I never went for an antenatal checkup even though Richard had suggested it a few times. I was very healthy and strong, so I didn't feel the need to go…maybe if I had, the doctor would have found out I was going to have triplets.My father and stepmother arrived a day after hearing the news, and my stepmother
~RichardSitting at the head of the dining table, I looked to my right and left at the two most important people to me in the world... One was heavily pregnant, looking like she was about to pop any minute, and the other was infectiously cheerful tonight because he had made a bold move, disregarding his fears, and it paid off big time.A few months ago, per my advice, James had told Nuella about his strong feelings for her. To his utter shock, she had revealed she fell head over heels for him from the first moment she set eyes on him in that dungeon. Their relationship blossomed quickly. I saw my best friend become the best version of himself. Nuella completely changed him and made him so much happier than I had seen him in years. I was eternally grateful to her. Fast forward months down the line, James told me he was finally ready to make that big move. I was so happy for him, and here we are now.He asked her to marry him, and she accepted his proposal. Two young bloods specially
~AthenaIt was a Monday morning. Richard drove me to the hospital after I complained about being sick. He left me in the care of the doctor as he had an important errand to run with James."I will be back in two hours, love," he said as he kissed my forehead.After he left, the doctor asked me what exactly was wrong with me, and I told him the symptoms I had been having for the past few days. I had kept them to myself as I didn't want to trouble Richard or anyone else. Today was quite different, unfortunately. I felt very lightheaded and weak and was unable to get out of bed until Richard came to my rescue and insisted on taking me to the hospital himself.The doctor took a sample of my blood and left.After a few minutes, he came back, a bubbly smile stretching his lips.I sat upright on the bed where I was resting, wondering why he was looking happy."Queen Athena, I bring you good news," he said cheerfully. I narrowed my eyes at him in surprise, as I thought of what good news he c
~RichardThe effects of the war have taken their toll on my kingdom these past few weeks. It will really take a long time to get over all that has happened, all because one silly man thought it was wise to avenge the death of his wicked, soulless brother.All the men who surrendered during the war have been put to good use rebuilding my pack, which they helped destroy. They have been allotted different duties in the pack. Some were sent to farms to become laborers and help the people in rural areas till the lands, plant crops, and harvest them. Others were sent to labor in building infrastructures, some of which were destroyed during their attacks with explosives, and so on.As for Alpha Gerald, after keeping him locked up for a week, I set him free, along with his men. He cried in appreciation, and we signed a peace treaty to seal the fact that we had now become allies.Today was the day of the scheduled meeting with the elders, and I still had no clue what they wanted to discuss, a
~AthenaToday, my father and his Luna will come to Black Knight Pack for my mother's burial, which is tomorrow. When he called and told me he would be coming with his Luna because she wanted to see me, I didn't know how to react to the news.All I said was, "Oh… Great.""She is a good woman, Athena. You will love her," my father had said.She was supposed to be my stepmother, but I was feeling quite nervous about seeing her.It has already been two weeks since the war was fought. Nothing is the same anymore. There is great grief all over the pack, in the resettlement area, and even in the mansion. Scores of people had lost their lives. I heard Richard and James discussing the other day, and they mentioned that the death toll had risen to 600 as bodies were still being found in different places. The only good thing about this fight was the fact that more people from the enemy pack had died. For every one lycan that was killed, four werewolves were killed too. So the ratio was 1:4, wh
~AthenaI was so tired but also excited about the fact that I had finally been saved by the two most important men in my life. If only my mother were alive to witness this moment, then my joy would be complete.It seemed as though the war had come to an end. Everywhere was a bit too serene. I didn't ask any questions on our way home as I was too tired to do so.When we got to the mansion, I was surprised to see a whole lot of people in front of it. They were scattered everywhere, sitting on grass and from the way they were being loomed over by some men wielding guns, I just knew they had to be from our enemy pack. We were about to make our way inside when three men from the crowd spoke one after the other.They were begging Richard to set them free. When the first had spoken, I felt a familiar dread curl up at the pit of my stomach. I brushed it off. No way! It just can't be.The second person spoke, and I still brushed it off. However, when the third person spoke, I felt that famil
~RichardI rose to my feet and ran a hand through my hair in frustration. Where has Athena gone? Why wasn't she in the cave as she was supposed to be?"No! She has to be there! I told her to stay there until I come," Alpha Kendrick bellowed in denial as he got to his knees, peering into the cave."Athena!" he screamed, his voice laced with pain. I could imagine how he felt as a father, and that was because I felt even worse. I didn't want to give in to my fears, though."Athena is safe, wherever she is," I internalized, trying to be positive.I checked the ground for fresh footprints that might belong to her, footprints I could trail to her new location, but I didn't find any."Athena!" Alpha Kendrick called out in shock. I immediately spun around."Come to me, my child," he added, extending his hands.With my heart in my mouth, I rushed towards him and went on my knees, peering into the small cave.There she was!She looked so frail as she staggered. I immediately rushed into the cav
~RichardHearing that Rebecca was dead was a very hard pill to swallow. Her death was especially painful because she had just made peace with her daughter, and they both needed time to create long-lasting, happy bonds. The moon goddess should have allowed her some more time, for Athena's sake! I sighed.I was looking out the window as we drove through the woods when my eyes suddenly latched onto something…someone…No! It can't be!I ordered the driver to stop the car, which he immediately did."Richard, what's the problem?" James asked, and I ignored him, rushing out of the car and towards the body lying on the ground, my heart racing rapidly.It was her! It was Jessica!"Fuck!!!" I screamed into the air, raking my hand through my hair in frustration as I sank to my knees, clamping my hand over my mouth as my body surged with emotion and pain, finding expression through the hot tears streaming down my face.I hardly ever cried, but for some reason, I couldn't help but do so at the go
~KendrickI was almost at the territory of the Black Knight pack when I got a call from Alpha Scott. My heart had been very heavy since receiving the second call from Athena informing me of her mother's death.All through the night, I had relived the years we shared, recalling pleasant memories from our past that I haven't seemed to let go of after several years. She was the first woman I ever truly loved, and I have never loved any woman as much as I loved her. Now she was gone. She didn't deserve to die.I answered the call from Alpha Scott and found out that King Richard was there with him. From his questions, I realized that he didn't know anything about Athena's whereabouts nor what had happened there.I told him I had some bad news, and his first inquiry, as expected, was about his wife. He wanted to know if she was okay.I paused, trying to find the best way possible to break the news about Rebecca's death to him."Alpha Frederick! Are you there?" he called out at my silence.