StefanMy mind has been fixed on my mother’s words. I hadn’t noticed a resemblance between the pups and me except for the eyes, but then again, I hadn’t gotten close enough to pay attention.When I was close to Thorin, I was focused more on helping him handle his anger. I didn’t take notice of his features, just his eyes.I stand watching my mother and consider this. She can’t know that I slept with Harlyn, which means she saw me in the pups. How long will it be before others notice?While I want to tell her everything, I can’t. The last thing I want to do is tell her it was me, and it wasn’t. Even though it’s doubtful, there’s the slightest chance someone else was with her that night.Then what? I hurt for her nothing. I’m unsure how to confirm it to the point there is no doubt. I know now that I will need to tell my mother everything. I didn’t want her to know and hurt over what had happened.She stayed behind that night to help my father with the rogues. I know she would have felt
StefanI stay watching them, feeling uneasy about how close they are to him, even though I know it’s wrong. However, I still don’t like it.Ghost doesn’t help with the constant chanting of ‘Mate’ when he sees Harlyn wrapped around a guy, so I push him back, as the last thing I need is Ghost reacting.I waited, but she seemed too in her world to realise I was here and speaking to her. That she just left me and didn’t even say goodbye.Maybe this is a good thing. Harlyn won’t leave now, right? I mean, surely, if he’s here, she will agree to stay a few more days. Then, I can figure out how to fix this and tell her everything.I watch as Harlyn steps back, tears rolling down her cheeks as the pups stay in his arms. This just reminds me of how much I fucked everything up.Sighing, I wait and watch as he places down the pups. My body runs cold. I hear Ghost growl, and I step back. No. My head shakes. She can’t leave, not yet.“Harlyn.” My words are loud and almost a growl. She turns now and
HarlynI can’t help but smile at Wayne’s presence. He lightened up all the darkness as soon as I saw him. I’ve missed him too much, and I can see he missed me. I just don’t understand why he showed up when I’m leaving tomorrow.“You haven’t explained your wounds, my love.” Wayne’s words have me nodding.“It is sorted now,” I say, knowing that Wayne will cause a fuss.“How can you say that?” he asks, looking around the room. “Your training didn’t help, did it?”“Wayne, I knew my training wouldn’t help against anyone with a wolf. I can fight and block, but my strength is nothing compared to werewolves.” I honestly thought he had realised that. I would do great if it were someone without a wolf. I hit hard for a wolfless girl, but nothing compared to a wolf.“So, who attacked you?” Wayne asks again.“The Princess,” Thorin states, glaring across to Diandra.“I thought you two were friends?” Wayne looks at me, shocked. He knows Lucy is my friend. I didn’t mention Stefan and him rejecting m
StefanI hate this. Everyone is welcoming Wayne like he’s a fantastic guy and the best thing that happened to Harlyn. Still, he isn’t. Sure, he may have taken her in after she was exiled, but it took years for us to learn that.The Earl said Harlyn chose to leave for years; it was only after I heard Samuel arguing with him that we learned the truth and that he exiled her.I still don’t understand how he could do that to his daughter, and he honestly looked so unaffected by it. The Countess hid away for months after, and it was clear when she finally began to attend events again that she had lost part of her soul.Just like Samuel and Colton, all three of them seemed to be ripped apart by the loss of Harlyn, but not the Earl. Why? There must be something or a reason why he hates her so much. Whatever it is, he won’t speak of it, so I’m not sure if we will ever get the full story behind his hatred for her.I’ve managed to stay hidden within the crowd, close enough to hear the conversati
StefanThe room stays silent, and she watches me.“Why are you trying to hide everything?” she asks, and my head shakes.“I’m not hiding anything, Mother.” Nothing at all.“So you’re not in love with her?” she asks, and her words shock me.Laughing, I shake my head. “Don’t be so foolish, mother. Why would you even suggest such a thing? It’s ludicrous.” My heart quickens, and I fight back the fear.“I’ve watched you, Stefan, the way you look at her, the way you always looked at her when you thought no one would see or notice.”Her words made my body run cold.“What?” What does she mean by that?Laughing, she turns to face me more. “Even before she left, when you were young, you may have been harsh to her in person, but from a distance, when you assumed no one would see. Your look towards her spoke volumes,” she explains, and I panicked, my eyes looking around the room.“What look, Mother?” She could be wrong.“The look you only had when you looked at Harlyn and were convinced no one wo
HarlynThe celebration has been going amazing; I watch Wayne standing with the pups and Samuel walking towards my mother. I sit.“Darling.” She moves and hugs me. “He seems like such an amazing man.” Her words make me smile.“He is; I’m grateful to have him.” That I am.“He and the pups have changed you. The girl you were has basically disappeared. You walk with your head up, no longer at your feet,” she says while smiling.“Mother, you know we all love you, right?” I ask, and she nods. “Then don’t do this again; imagine how I would have felt if Father refused to let me return and you had died.” I hate how close that reality came.“Samuel needed you. Lucy needed you.”“So much that you were willing to die?” Is she crazy? I stare at her, fighting back the tears.“He missed you. We all did.” Sighing, she looks around the room. “Maybe it was foolish, but I knew Samuel needed you there for his wedding. I knew you would forever regret not being there. So if I died in my quest, it would hav
HarlynWe sit talking, and I watch the moon move across the sky. Wayne’s arms are wrapped around my body, comforting me. Something about this feels familiar; I’m unsure of why, however.“Do you still want to marry me?” he asks, looking down at me. I smile and nod.“Of course, we can start planning when we return,” I reply. “How long do you think we’ll stay?” I ask, unsure of his plan.“A few days, my love, and then it will give you some more time with your family.” He smiles and kisses my neck. “What do you think about doing it here, my love?”I listen to his words and glance at him, confused. “Doing what here?” I wonder what he wants to do.“Get married. Your family is here. You know mine could take years to find and bring back for a wedding,” he explains, and I sit quietly, unsure of what to say.“Why here?” I don’t get why he would want to.“Well, as I just said, your family is here. This is where you were brought up. I also know it will be hard for your family to come to the weddi
StefanShe stares at me. She didn’t expect me to confirm it; I would have said it years ago had I known for sure Harlyn was safe.“You love Harlyn?” She looks at me, waiting, almost like she didn’t hear the words right. Part of me still feels like this is a trap, and if I confirm it again, something bad will happen.“Yes.” I watch her and wait; she glances around the room and then back to me. I wait, unsure of what to say now, so I wait for her to speak instead.“Stefan...” She stops and looks at me again, her head shaking. Why is she struggling to talk to me? I wait, and I can see she is considering what to say.“Tell me about the Earl Mother.” I want to know about him. I know he hated that Harlyn didn’t have a wolf, but I didn’t know just how bad it was.“I don’t understand why he hates her so much. Samuel has spoken to your Father for years, trying to figure out a way to protect Harlyn from the Earl. He never physically hurt her, but his words were very expressive.”“Why, though?”
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