HarlynWalking in, I see someone standing ahead of us; I watch as he turns, and I can’t stop smiling.“Harlyn?” Samuel stares at me. He looks so different.“Sam!” I cry. Running to him, I wrap my arms around him in a tight embrace. Emotions flood through me. It’s been too long. Eight years is a long time not to see your family.“You came,” he whispers.“I wouldn’t refuse Same, not when it’s likely the only chance I will get to see you again,” I remind him. I look at him and smile.“Come say hello to your uncle,” I look at the pups, and watch as Isaac and Lotta walk forward, Thorin however stands looking at him. I watch as Samuel kneels and speaks to Lotta and Isaac, after introducing himself he turns to Thorin.“You must be Thorin,” Samuel asks. Thorin cautiously steps forward, and I watch as Samuel goes to embrace him.“I am,” Thorin speaks. He offers his hand to Samuel to shake, rather than accepting the hug. Once he knows Samuel he will allow him to hug him, right now he is cautiou
HarlynI’m sitting with my brothers and mother. Isaac and Lotta are sitting and playing with my mother, who already looks far healthier than she did before.“So, why do you have guards, Harlyn?” Colton asks. My mother and Samuel also look at me like they want to know.“They are not guards like the palace has, they are beta’s,” I explain. “They aren’t mine, they are Alpha Wayne’s,” I say, and look between them, deciding now is the time to just say it. “I’m engaged to him,” I say while holding out my hands. I watch their eyes widen.“You’re engaged to an Alpha? Samuel asks in disbelief.“What does he look like, Harlyn?” Mother questions.“Is he your mate?” Colton asks, and they continue to ask questions while I laugh slightly at how quickly they are asking questions without giving me a chance to answer them.“Why isn’t he here? Surely he should have come as well?” Samuel looks at me with a confused expression.“Mummy said he wasn’t allowed to come with us,” Isaac speaks, and Samuels's ey
Harlyn“Harlyn,” I hear Samuel call out my name. I turn to look at him. He moves and sits next to me.“Are they okay?” I ask, my eyes glancing towards the manor.“Colton is entertaining them. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t tell me you were engaged?” He asks.My mind goes back to that call and I explain it to him.“Harlyn, please tell me that you have settled. I worry that you’re still alone.” Samuel’s voice quakes with worry. That will only increase if I tell him I have no fixed home and I’m still trying to find a pack to accept me.“Samuel, how is Mother doing?” I ask, wanting to know how she is dealing with the situation.“Would you want to know the answer if it hurts you, Harlyn?” He asks, and my heart shatters knowing I don’t.“Would you, Samuel?” I reply, and the call goes quiet. “We can’t do this, Samuel; updates cause more pain. They remind me of what I’m missing.” I fight back the tears.The last time we spoke, he told me he had taken over and become Prince Stefan’s first
HarlynI look at Lucy waiting to see what she has to say.“Shall we take a stroll? I have something to discuss with you,” she asks. I nod and she begins to walk around the palace with me.“I’ve missed you, Harlyn. Even before you left, you hardly visited me anymore,” Lucy said. Her gaze shows her sadness. She’s right; after Stefan rejected me, I avoided the palace more and more.She stops suddenly and sits in one of the palace halls. I move and sit beside her.“How have you been, your Highness?” I ask. I can’t help but smile at seeing her again, she looks so different, and so much more grown.“There’s something I must share with you, Harlyn,” Lucy begins. Her voice portrays her excitement.“Well, tell me, don’t leave me in suspense,” I respond. My own excitement bubbles to the surface. I want to hear her news, and I hope it will make me smile when I am gone and know that she is well. Lucy hesitates, and I get a sense she is uneasy about whatever she is going to say.I can’t help but w
StefanI watch as she embraces Lucy, my eyes taking her in. Is this really Harlyn? Something about her seems so different. She’s no longer the child I saw her as.If anything, she’s a woman, grown far more than anyone I know. My eyes look across her, and I feel I am missing something.I stand dumbfounded. Harlyn barely even looks like herself. She hasn’t even noticed we followed.Diandra steps towards Lucy and Harlyn and pulls me with her. “You returned?” Her words annoy me, and I watch as Harlyn looks towards Diandra.“Harlyn, this is Princess Diandra from Wicklore Pack.” Lucy introduced her, which was good, as I was still speechless.“Oh, I apologise, Your Highness, I didn’t know.” Harlyn does a small curtsy. Who is this woman?“Are you planning to stay?” Diandra asks, and I’m glad she did. I want to know if she will stay.“I am not staying, no,” Harlyn speaks, and I stare, shocked. She’s leaving? Surely not? Why would she leave?“Why? You just got back.” Lucy complains.“I’ve nothi
HarlynI stand confused as Stefan shakes his head at me. I led him to my mother's room; what more did he want right now? I wanted to find Samuel and ask about the wedding, I planned to ask Lucy, but she asked about why I left, and then Stefan interrupted us.I hadn’t noticed he followed after I was introduced to Diandra, or rather, Princess Diandra. They make a perfect couple. She looks just as bossy as he does.“Well, open it and guide us in,” Stefan orders. Every fibre of my being screams with the urge to lash out, to challenge his authority, but I know better than to provoke the king within his own kingdom.Internally, however, I burn with the desire to punch him square in the jaw. How satisfying it would be to wipe that smug expression off his face. But, I am bound by the constraints of hierarchy here. This kingdom isn’t like Wayne’s small city.It’s run by royalty, and they must be respected and followed.With a heavy sigh, I push the door open, ready to turn and walk away as soo
StefanI found myself in a moment of confusion. My hand instinctively reached out to clasp hers, an impulsive act I couldn’t rationalise at the moment. Yet, as our hands connected, a surge of familiarity washed over me, reminiscent of that unforgettable encounter with the mysterious woman.How could this be? The logical part of my mind rebelled against the notion, but the sensation lingered, stubbornly refusing to be ignored.Even after she withdrew her hand, the ghost of her touch lingered on my skin, a palpable reminder of everything.I glanced at her, silently questioning the absurdity of the situation. Could it truly have been her that night? Common sense argued otherwise. After all, why would Jacub, my trusted guard at the time, ever orchestrate such a reckless manoeuvre, jeopardising the friendship between the royal family and Earl?But despite the rational arguments against it, she felt undeniably similar to the woman I had been relentlessly searching for. Determined to unravel
StefanWe continue to spar, and I need to ask him about Harlyn, but I can't just ask straight out without him questioning why.“How are things with you and Lucy?” I ask, unwilling to get into my issues yet. We continue to move against each other and take the hits while blocking others. I know now he can’t attack me with his questions about my eyes, as when I mention Lucy, his mind focuses solely on her, as if no one else exists.I need that. How can I tell him I was so angry because his sister had a ring on? The same sister I threw vile words at and rejected. The one I now realise I hurt, and somehow, that reality hurts me?“All is going well, Stefan,” he smiles at me before swinging; I dodge the hit and swing back.“And the wedding, have you two decided when this will happen?” I know they kept planning it, but they kept putting it off for some reason. “You don’t want to wait too long. You never know when someone might get the courage to sweep her away from you,” I say teasingly. He h
StefanI look at Samuel, and he seems cheery, so things must have gone well on his trip. I can hope, anyway.“Come on, Earl Samuel, this is taking forever,” I complain, and he laughs.“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. The people are completely cleared of magic, and his sister is none the wiser. Magic was used and she didn’t know a thing, so she isn’t a risk,” he explains.“Their father?” I ask.“His body is there, so he was certainly dead, and it was all Wayne. The pack has a new alpha, one who isn’t connected to Wayne’s family and such. So it’s sorted,” he explains, and I relax more.We had thought we had sorted everything, but only two months someone attacked, and it turned out Wayne had yet another brother we didn’t know of. So now we know everything and are sure no one else is coming for Harlyn. I can relax.“How has Lucy been?” He looks at me.“Fine, she and Harlyn have spent most of their time together. Go see her. We can get a full breakdown in a few days,” I say and watch as he nods a
HarlynStefan currently has everyone’s attention. The pups are behind me, but the place is packed. People have moved closer to him to listen to what he is saying.He’s currently thanking everyone for coming, and the speculation over what this is about surrounds me.Some men think that he’s planned a date to marry Diandra, and others think that he is stepping down as king. Some of the women are speculating as well. Their speculation is around me, because people know that Stefan left to deal with an issue about me.“Maybe he has exiled her entirely, and this is him letting us know?” I hear the woman and ignore her.“The royal family took long enough. She barely had the right to be classed as a werewolf,” another laughs. Thorin glares towards them. Kneeling down, I smile at him.“Forget their words, this is about you,” I say and kiss his cheek. I listen as Stefan announces he recently found out he was a father. I watch as he calls up the pups, Princess Lotta, Prince Thorin and Prince Isa
HarlynMy last few hours were spent with Lucy and Lotta getting ready for this ball, where Stefan will announce the pups. Lotta is in her element. She has on a dress. One that has taken hours for her pick.I blamed Lucy for that. The ideal thing to do was bring a few dresses, no more than six, for Lotta to pick from. Instead, she had almost an entire room, and that meant she wanted to wear them all.In the end, she gave up on the giant princess dresses and went for a more simple one. It didn’t have the big petticoat skirt under it, either.Lucy helped me pick a dress, and it matched Lotta’s in a way; I didn’t see why I needed a dress. As I told her, no one noticed me yesterday; they pushed in front of me to get to Stefan.Apparently, however, once it’s announced the pups are Stefan’s, people might approach them while they are with me. I still think my dress is a bit too much, but I won’t argue with Lucy.I’m glad the boys have Stefan and Samuel to help them. While Thorin would be dres
HarlynWe spoke for a while and discussed the way forward. I don’t want to wait months before we move forward. Stefan agreed. Our first task is announcing that the pups are his.No one other than those close to us knows about it, but everyone in the kingdom will be made aware of the pups and who they are. Then, we can focus on moving forward. I’ll be moving into his room, but Lotta will have a room close to us for the days Lucy stays at the manor.I don’t want her on a wing all on her own. The boys have each other, but Lotta wouldn’t have anyone once I move into Stefan’s room if Lucy isn’t there.We arrived back at the palace in time for Lunch. The pups are laughing and talking, and even Thorin is relaxed and having fun—something I rarely see. I wonder if it was the magic that suppressed everything.“Okay, pups, lets go!” Lucy skips over, and I turn, confused.“Court, and they shouldn’t be there,” Stefan explains, and I watch as they walk off with Lucy. “Are you sure you want to be th
HarlynI wake up in bed, yet I can’t remember coming to bed last night. I was with Stefan outside, and that is my last memory, so I must have fallen asleep there.I’m still fully dressed. As I get up, I get cleaned and dressed. The knock has me opening the door, and I smile, seeing Lucy.“The pups are with my mother. Stefan and Samuel are ensuring everything is safe again at the walls, so I’m spending the morning with you,” she says as she walks in with a tray and food.“Did Wayne die then?” I ask, unsure of what actually happened.“From what Samuel said, all the brothers were there and are dead. Forget about that. Tell me about you and Stefan.” She smiles at me, but I don’t know what to say.I’m not sure there is a me and Stefan. “There’s not really much that I can say,” I explain.“I know, he’s stubborn,” she says while laughing, and I look at her confused. “Sorry, he’s got his weird little plan,” she laughs more.“Weird little plan?” What the hell does that even me? She laughs more
HarlynThe celebration has gone well. I spoke to Lucy for a bit, Colton, Samuel, and the queen.Now, the pups have gone to their rooms, much to Thorin’s disappointment, who wanted to stay with me and watch over me.The queen reassured him that the guards would be with me and keep me safe, so he and Isaac were given a room within the prince’s chamber—the same place Stefan used to stay.Lotta has been given a room in the princess’ chamber, so she is sharing the entire wing with Lucy. I have a room on the same wing as Lotta.I’ve not seen Stefan for a while. Grabbing a jacket, I walk outside and spot the maids, soldiers, and guards at their usual spot. Walking past them, I find Stefan sitting in the same spot we used to.Moving, I sit beside him, and he glances at me briefly before looking back down at his hands. We don’t speak for a while and just sit in silence. He is off, and I feel like he needs a break from everything.“I’m sorry,” he whispers.“You don’t need to apologise, Stefan;
HarlynI walk into the room and sit next to Stefan. I know I panicked too much with Thorin; it’s hard to remember that he is strong and a lycan. To me, I see him as the baby from when he was born, and he’s still a child.“How are you feeling?” Stefan glances at me. He seems off—not like before, but like he’s avoiding me.“I’m fine, honestly. Shouldn’t we go out there and celebrate, Your Majesty?” I ask.“I’d rather sit here with you and the pups,” he says while smiling.I know he would rather that, but he’s the king. Him avoiding a celebration after a battle isn’t right. “We will join you,” I say.“Your father will be there, Harlyn,” his words are barely a whisper. I know I didn’t want to see or speak to him, but it’s going to be impossible. I know they would have used my father to help with the battle, and it would be wrong to remove him from the celebration.I also don’t like that me insisting I avoid him will make it harder for everyone.“I’m fine with it, Your Majesty. At some poi
StefanI’m not sure how long we have been fighting, but the longer it lasts, the more strength he gains, and I realise his wolf wasn’t fully bound.Some of his men have run off in the direction of the distraction, so I know that they will have their wolves back soon. Not that it helps me now, I don’t have the strength against Wayne and his wolf.I fall to my knees and he laughs, but right now, my body hurts.“Hold him down,” Wayne speaks and I feel my arms get gripped and them holding me down to keep me kneeling. “You see, all I wanted to do was show everyone how it felt without a wolf.” His face leans into mine.“After all, Harlyn had no wolf, and many of the people here mocked her for it. They will now realise just how she felt.” His fist swings and hits me, and I groan. “Don’t worry. I will claim her again and use magic, so she stays.” He leans into my ear. “And well, your pups, I guess they become like the Cinderellas of the fairytale, just without the happy ending.”I see the kni
StefanMy eyes open, and I see my mother peering down at me. What happened? I feel someone next to me and turn to see Harlyn lying next to me. I’m in my room.“How did I get here?” I was on the ship.“You were drugged and didn’t wake, don’t worry. Focus on regaining your energy,” my mother smiles at me.“I’m fine. Just explain what happened,” I say, still unsure of what happened.“We believe Wayne injected you with Dragufic during your altercation,” she explains, and I look at Harlyn.“He did the same to Harlyn?” Why would he do that?“No, Harlyn used her wolf and the bond to connect with you and make you realise. What was your torment?” she asks, looking at me and waiting.“Me rejecting Harlyn. Now, thinking back, I can remember it was on replay. At the time, though, it felt so real, and I couldn’t remember it happening again and again.” I doubt I would have realised if Harlyn wasn’t there; I know for sure I wouldn’t have realised.“How long has she been asleep?” I ask.“We’ve been h