~RichardAs soon as we arrived at the Crimson Pack, I noticed how deserted and serene everywhere was. It was quite late already, so it was understandable that the pack members were already asleep. It wasn't until I got to Sebastian's mansion that I realized why everywhere was the way it was. Before me stood what seemed like the entirety of his pack.I wondered what was going on. Why had they all assembled here? They all looked very focused, observing something in front of them.Just then, gasps of shock and terror filled the air. It was almost as if the crowd was watching a horrific scene. Two of my guards got in front, trying to make a way through the crowd for me. The crowd immediately created a path in the middle all the way to the front revealing a horrific scene at the far front. I could see Sebastian under the brightly illuminated light, looming over something, someone. My eyes fell on the body that lay on the floor, one that seemed oddly familiar. That was when it struck me.T
~RichardAs soon as I called out his name, he turned abruptly in shock. He probably didn't think I would be standing right behind him this soon, considering the litter of distractions he had left on the way for me.He quickly glanced at the boat and then at me. I knew just what was going through his mind. He was making mental calculations of which would be quicker, me getting to him or him escaping."Don't you dare!" I warned.Ignoring my warning, he yanked the rope off instead of trying to untie it and immediately got into the boat.In a matter of seconds, I reached him and forcefully flung him out of the boat and onto the stony ground centimeters from the river. How silly of him to think he could ever escape me. How stupid he must be to let himself believe there was a place on the surface of the earth he could hide from me after what he had done!He whimpered on the floor, rubbing the area on his back that had made contact with the stony ground. I started making my way back to him,
~RichardI froze for a moment at his words, my heart rate increasing."Richard? Are you there?" James asked.I was silent for a while longer. When I recovered, I asked for their location, which he sent. Following the map, I headed straight for the place. On the way, my mind was occupied with so many conflicting thoughts. Athena cannot die; I won't allow it! She needed to live and make me understand why she didn't bother to tell me what happened and thought fleeing was the best option.Even though Sabrina had tricked her into thinking that I would kill her if she tried to explain what happened, how could she believe that, knowing what we have been through, knowing how much I loved her? Knowing how much I loathed rape cases and how i wouldn't condone it even though my brother was the one involved.Michael had been a victim of unforeseen circumstances; life had been so cruel to him even till the very end. He had lived a life of promiscuity as he had no mate. I remember calling him aside
~RichardThe look on the doctor's face spoke volumes; I knew what the result was before she even said it."I am so sorry, Your Majesty, but you are not a match either".She glanced at all three of us before focusing her gaze on me. "You are AB positive, whereas the young lady is AB negative. Her blood is a very rare type—so rare that no one in this pack has the same blood type as her," she sighed.I didn't need to ask her how she knew no one else was a match. They all must have been tested, and their results documented. That had to be how she knew."Does this mean we are doomed?" Athena's mother asked her, wiping the fresh tears falling down her cheeks."I am afraid so, unless we can find someone with her blood type who will be willing to do a blood transfusion. The chances of that happening are very slim."I ran my hand through my hair in frustration as I racked my brain, thinking of a possible solution. If this wasn't working medically, should we maybe try other means? Maybe go to a
~ RichardThe lady's gaze lingered on me as I tried to recollect where I had seen her before."Get her out," I ordered.Jessica took the key from the guard and tried to open the lock, only to find it already opened.She threw the guard a surprised look and asked, "Why didn't you lock the gate?"The guard was baffled; he looked at Jessica and then at me. "Your Majesty, I locked the gate, I... I don't know how…""If you locked it, then how come it is open now?" Jessica quizzed angrily."Spare the young man; he speaks the truth," the strange woman's voice came through, causing us all to turn our attention to her.Staring at me, she smirked, "It was my doing. I have been waiting a while for you, Your Majesty."I narrowed my eyes. "Have we met before?"She rolled her shoulders and walked towards the gate, placing a hand on it. She replied, "I don't think we have. I am here on a mission."James and I exchanged glances as the woman opened the gate and got out, sighing.She looked so brazen a
~RichardI was quite surprised by her revelation."Athena's mother is hiding something that can help save her daughter's life?" James asked, shocked.The lady nodded, "Yes, she is, although she is ignorant of the fact that it can help save Athena's life," she averted her gaze to me, "You must bring her here at once, Your Majesty."I nodded and rose to my feet. I knew I needed to go fetch her myself or send James as she would not listen if anyone else went. She was too concerned about her daughter to leave her side."James, can I have a word?"James abruptly approached me outside the dining hall where I stood, "Do you believe what she just said?" he whispered."Be careful, I think she can hear whatever we say. We don't want to get her angry with unnecessary doubts," I replied dryly."Besides, she has not given us any reasons not to. From looking like Naomi, to knowing about Athena without being told, to even hearing all we said at that table. Everything points to the fact that she is a
~RichardIt wasn't really possible that I heard her right. There was no way what she said was true, was there?"That is right," Nuella confirmed as she walked around Athena's mum. "And he is the only one who can help save her.""How so? H..how is that possible?" Athena's mum asked. I was yet to recover from the news that her father was still alive, and from the look on Jessica and James' faces, it was obvious they were in the same state as I was.Athena had told us her father died before she was born. That had been the story her mother had fed her. It was all a lie. Her mother had intentionally kept his identity from her. That, if you ask me, is a wicked thing to do.Regardless of who the parent is or how vile he or she is, every child at a certain stage of life has the right to know who their parents are. It should be their choice whether to associate with them or not, not that of one parent.Not being able to keep my thoughts to myself, I asked, "Why? What did you do that for? Why
~RichardI decided to set out on the journey with James and Athena's mother. Getting to Alpha Kendrick's pack from mine would take at least a whole day, and the earlier we embark on the journey, the better.Jessica stayed back as usual to hold the fort. Before I left, though, she told me Sabrina had been trying to seek an audience with me. It had only been days since she was locked up. I made sure to tell Jessica to inform her that she is only alive because I haven't had her time yet, as I was too busy with Athena's case. When I do eventually have her time, she might just have to prepare for her death.None of what was happening would have happened were it not for her. She is very evil, the devil's incarnate. I wonder how I was able to stay friends with her for years without really seeing how dark the heart she harbors is.Nuella asked to go see Athena before she leaves, so we all made a stop at the hospital, deciding to see her one last time before embarking on the journey that migh
~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.