AUTHOR’S POV“You don't tell me what to do, Azalea. I already gave justice and I will not punish the innocent. Princess Odessa had no idea that the events of that night were her fault until she woke up days later.” Kaiden scowled. “But your Majesty, Caesar and Azalea are inno–” “They are not! And if you don't have the brains or the eyes to decipher between innocent and guilty, what are you doing in my fucking courtroom?” Azalea quickly bowed, her vulnerable spot shown to the King in submission, “I apologize, Your Majesty, I didn't mean to–”“No, I think you did. If this is about Elder Dane, then I'll be more than happy to send you into confinement along with him.” “No, no, your Majesty. I dare not ask that. Please, tamper judgment with mercy.” Azalea’s panicked voice echoed within the walls of the courtroom.“The day you realize just how grievous his offense was, you'll understand the reason why I did what I did.” Kaiden turned to the audience, “Court dismissed.” Everyone rose to
AUTHOR’S POVOdessa slapped his outstretched hand away, “Over my dead body.”Victor looked like he was about to yell but quickly changed his mind. He rubbed his palm over his face in frustration, “I came here to ask for your apology.”“I don't care, ‘cause you're not going to receive it! Now leave.” “Odessa–”“Get out!” Odessa thundered, her hands pointing at her door. Evelyn quickly rushed in, “Please, Your Highness, I think you should leave. The Princess isn't feeling well, please this will only make her condition worse.” Victor sighed, shoulders slouched before turning around and walking away. “I don't trust him.” Sunitra carelessly said as she threw a grapefruit into her mouth. Odessa turned to look at the Princess with raised eyebrows, “You think I trust him?” “Of course not. I'll be foolish to think so.” Odessa sighed, one hand on her waist and the other on her head, her finger massaging her forehead as a headache was starting to come on. “He is planning something, I kno
AUTHOR’S POV“The child can no longer be concealed. We have to act now.” Miriyam sighed as she stared at the other faces seated around the table. “We’ve made plans of our own. It's full proof.” Elixir added. “Really? And you didn't tell us?” Odessa rolled her eyes as she leaned against the chair. “We wanted to make sure there were no loopholes.” The Betas shrugged. “Let's hear it.” Caesar implored as he leaned on the table, his hands folded.“Sunitra will have to cancel this arrangement herself. She can't do it here either. We have to go to Salem-Zul, she'll talk to the King and cancel our engagement.” “It's won't be that easy. My father is a very…difficult man.” Sunitra chipped in. “Yes, but as his heir, you have a right to lay claim to his throne. He wouldn't want to back down easily but you'll have me. The only twitch to this is that you have to make this claim whilst being engaged to me. It's the only way I can interfere in your Kingdom affairs.” Kaiden explained. “After ca
AUTHOR’S POVWhoever it was was long gone by the time Odessa got there. She looked down at the broken vase pieces on the floor. The eavesdropper tried to pick it up but ended up getting pricked. Odessa ignored the blood on the ceramic and called a maid to clean up the pieces. “Do you think they heard much?” Sunitra asked, her eyes darting worriedly to the door. Odessa shrugged, “It doesn't matter. This charade has been going on for long enough.” Odessa might not show it, but she was worried as well. What exactly had the eavesdropper heard? The one about her being the King’s mate or of Sunitra carrying a baby? Whichever one it was, Odessa knew they had to tell the King so that a counterattack could be made, as each news was disastrous. “You stay here, I'll go speak to the King.” Sunitra nodded and watched her friend walk away. If everyone continues treating her like an egg, she won't be able to be Queen. She'll probably be stuck in her chambers daily, resting and doing as everyone
AUTHOR’S POVThe sound of clicking heels hitting the tiled marble floor echoed in the air, bouncing off the palace walls. The servants around stood to watch the two women walking towards them. Both were rushing, walking quickly but not without painting that perfect poise only a royal could do. It suddenly felt as if the world was created to accentuate their beauty and position. Their hair wasn't flying all around despite the breeze that flowed through them, instead they danced, bouncing off their back and flowing in the hair. Their beautiful gowns drifted against the floor; it was mesmerizing to watch them. On the other hand, Odessa and Sunitra had no idea what spell they'd casted on the people around them. The urgent matter they were taking to the King was the only thing on their mind. Sunitra tightly held the letter as they rushed towards the King’s office. He was beginning to spend a lot of his days there. The guards at the entrance watched the princesses approach them and quick
AUTHOR'S POV As the guard drove in, Odessa could see the contrasting difference between the Fae Kingdom and the Lycan Kingdom, and there were very few similarities between Sunitra’s Kingdom and hers. The Fae Kingdom was very…homely. It wasn't purely natural, and at the same time, it was. Everywhere looked like the definition of magic to Odessa. Light and warm, sparkly and shiny, pixie dust here and there. She gasped and pressed her face to the window when she saw tiny beings fly above them. “Sunitra! Look!! Are those tiny people?” Odessa pointed at the little being flying in the air. Sunitra chuckled at her best friend's amazement. “No, those are what the little kids call fairies.” The werewolf princess inhaled sharply, “They exist?” “Of course. From Fairies comes Fae. Fae’s control elements, Fairies, are beings of magic. They bring life to our castle.” Sunitra explained. “These fairies are not exactly people. Their real form is magic; they take this humanoid form for fun and t
AUTHOR’S POV“Zeenat, what are we doing here? The party is on the other side of the palace.” King Mazdaan sighed, staring at his youngest daughter. Zeenat knew her father wouldn't be able to say no to her; that's why she had volunteered to get him to come to the private hall with her when they saw Sunitra. “Don't worry, father. Just a little more time. I'm sure they’ll be–They’re here! Sister!!” Nadia rushed towards Sunitra, her arms spread wide, but Zeenat quickly stood before Sunitra, frowning at their little sister. “Slow down.” At the command of her elder sister, Nadia skidded to a halt just a few distances away from them and rushed towards them, Zeenat moving out of the way in time for Sunitra to catch her sister in her arms. “Sister! I've missed–Oh wow, you're so fat!” Sunitra scowled, “It's the dress.” While the three sisters bickered and teased each other, King Mazdaan stood there, all the color drained from his face. There was only one person Nadia called her sister, an
AUTHOR’S POVKaiden glanced at Mazdaan, and what he saw there made him understand that the latter knew his secret was out. However, he could only hope Sunitra was too blinded by love to realise it. Not that Kaiden was planning on staying quiet anyway. His eyes met Odessa’s, and his Queen looked just as confused as everyone else except Sunitra’s sisters. Those two seemed to gaze upon their sister with the saddest of eyes. Hakeem slowly stopped twirling Sunitra, gently placing her on his feet. They gazed into each other’s eyes, the love one felt for the other was reflected in the latter’s gaze. Their eyes shone with desire and affection, and Sunitra's eyes shimmered with tears. “Naia,” His deep voice that she'd loved over the years, now deeper than she remembered, whispered, his hot breath fanning her face as her cheeks turned red. His sweet nickname for her always made her blush no matter what, and it seemed to have the same effect. Hakeem 's eyes drifted down to her small lips coa
AUTHOR’S POVOdessa couldn't control the gloomy cloud floating over her head and the racing of her heart. She couldn't help but still feel anxious and scared even though she was safely hidden in the cocoon of her kingdom. She had opened up to her father about her vision, and King Odesseus had increased his security, putting four guards on the princess and a shadow that followed her about in secret.“I don't think you'll feel safe until your mate is by your side.” King Odesseus said as he stared at his daughter. She was extra fidgety and always looking around. “Well, he's on the other side of the world, probably fighting a war right now.” Odessa sighed as she nibbled on a soft cookie absentmindedly. Thoughts of her mate’s well-being always managed to keep her preoccupied.“If he can help it, I'm sure he’ll be back before you know it. Just focus on yourself and your baby right now. You don't have to be worried about your security; I've deployed all my able men to every corner of the p
AUTHOR’S POVKaiden walked into the palace the next day, at midnight. He’d spent so much time today at the pack, erecting more buildings, visiting the new site for the second pack house construction, and checking the conditions of the industries and factories. It had taken most of his time, but it was worth it. When he went back into his office, his guard had delivered a message from Dokrado. On reading it, King Xarson told him about the rogue spotting close to the border. Just last night, the rogues attacked, but thankfully, they managed to hold out fine. Although Xarson expressed his concern about the rogues and his suspicion that they'd decided to stay at the border, he implored Kaiden to ride down to Dokrado and check out the situation. King Kaiden was a bit skeptical about the whole incident. Why would the rogues go as far as attacking the Dragon realm? Kaiden was sure that the letter wasn't a fake; it had Dokrado’s seal and Xarson’s blood print. The King sighed and placed his
AUTHOR’S POVMe?... Odessa thought to herself. “That doesn't make any sense. Why would the king stop you from telling me?” Odessa asked; her confusion was very evident in her voice, and Hansel was quick to clear it up. “He didn't mention your name, per se. There's no way he would have known about you then, or that the prince would go to your realm some years later. He just told everyone not to mention the Queen in front of any stranger coming into the realm, or the future Queen of the realm, which implies you.” “Oh, okay…” Odessa nodded. Now the questions she wanted answers to would never be answered. Her mate would continue burying his emotions until they spiral out of control again. She sighed, realizing that there was truly no way to help the King. She couldn't ask the Beta General for help because he’s also in on it. “Does any of you have any idea why he would not allow the future queen of the realm to know about Queen Kyra?” She asked. “N-No one knows. But there are some spe
ODESSA’S POVI frowned slightly when I felt the feeling of something cold dripping over my legs. I tried to pull it away, but something or someone held it down. The coldness disappeared and I sighed, settling to go back to sleep when I suddenly felt the chillness again along with a sharp pain. I sat up immediately, my blurry eyes pinned at the foot of the bed to see my mate crouched down cradling my foot in his hands. My toes curled and wiggled as he blew cool breath against my foot. “What are you doing?” I asked, as I stared at him with confused sleepy eyes that were quickly coming to focus. He didn't answer me and just continued blowing my feet with his cold breath. Minutes later, he gently set my feet back on the bed and walked away with a bowl and towel in his hands. I watched as he walked into the bathroom. I pulled my foot closer and stared at it, only to notice the bruises and reddened skin. “Did you walk here barefoot from the palace?” I looked up at the sound of Kaiden
ODESSA’S POVMy legs slowly unwrapped from his waist, one foot touching the floor before the other. My hands fell to my side as my head fell forward, burying my face in disappointment. I turned around and walked to the door, my hand on the doorknob, before my arm was suddenly grabbed from behind and I was spun around to face my mate. “What happened to you all of a sudden? Did I hurt you?” Even though I didn't look up at him, I could still hear the worry in his voice. “How could you…” “How could I what?” He asked confusedly, and I finally looked at him, my eyes getting blurry with tears. “How could you still be so worried about me when you're bottling so much inside? When you're battling with such guilt and self-hatred?...” My voice broke at the end as the lump in my throat grew bigger as more tears dripped down my cheeks. “Odessa—”“I caused that, didn't I? I made you feel like this; it was because of what I said, wasn't it?” I asked, even though I didn't need any confirmation.
ODESSA’S POVSo I ended up parading the entire palace barefoot, and by the entire palace I meant going to Kiaden's bedroom and home office. Of course, he wasn't there. I got to the palace entrance and looked down at my bare feet. I could have gone back to get my shoe but I was too lazy to go back to my bedroom even though I should have done that before making this entire trip. Was I expecting my maid to pop out like a devil and hand me my shoes? Yes. Did she pop out like the devil she was to hand me my shoes? A big fat Yes! But I refused because I loved the feeling of the tiled marble floor against my feet, and now, my legs were sore and I was starting to regret my decision. Evelyn already left the palace to see Hugo, such an incompetent and love-sick maid, so I couldn't ask her to help me either. “Is everything alright, Your Highness?” One of the guards stationed at the door asked as they both looked at me looking at my feet for the past twenty minutes. I contemplated sending th
ODESSA’S POV“He’s so stubborn!” I yelled. “Well, he's right in a way.” My maid sighed as she brushed my hair. I turned to glare at her, her hand holding the brush suspended in the air as she looked at me, “So am I.”“Actually, you are wrong. You hit him with a low blow.” Evelyn pointed the brush at me, giving me a very judgy look. I scoffed, “You're only defending him because he's the King. You know I'm right.” “Maybe, but your way of handling it was very wrong. Two wrongs don't make a right. He might have gone on a mass murder after his first Queen died, but our facts about that event are only based on here-says and nothing concrete.” “What are you talking about? Both He and Victor did the same thing. They got lost in their grief and did something horrendous, the only difference was that Victor was stopped before he could do anything.” “You're talking as if you wanted Victor to have killed you and your baby.” Evenlyn frowned. “Of course not. I'm just saying–” “That the King
AUTHOR’S POVA thunderous roar shook the grounds of the realm, the floor vibrated beneath their feet. With a motion as fast and swift as lightning, a huge figure slammed the Prince against the wall, cracks spread out like branches around his pinned body. Everyone watched in horror as the King stood in his half beast form, three times his normal height, towering over the Prince that struggled for breath in his hold. “Kaiden!” “Your Majesty!” “Victor!” Everyone echoed at once as soon as the first initial wave of shock wore off. “He treated what's MINE!” Another might roar echoed in the air. “Your Majesty, please let him go! You’ll kill him! He's your only heir!” Eira yelled as she watched the King and her husband with caution. “HE’S NOT MY HEIR!” Kieran yelled with all his might, tightening his grip on Victor’s neck. Odessa could clearly see the Prince's face turning blue. He’s going to kill him! He's going to kill him. Odessa moved without thinking, causing an uproar from the
AUTHOR'S POVA gut-wrenching scream resonated from the Prince’s bedroom. Lycans, with their very sensitive hearing, heard it from far and near; those outside the palace could only hear snippets of it. Odessa and Kaiden were just having their breakfast when the gut-wrenching scream echoed in the dining hall. They looked at each other before standing to their feet immediately and heading towards the third floor. They met Elixir and Miriyam on the way, and the confused looks on their faces showed that no one knew what was going on. As soon as they arrived, they saw some of the midwives bustling in and out. Now because they had to respect the Prince’s wishes, four of them stood outside the bedroom, watching the panic and chaos happen. Odessa could hear someone sobbing inside, the person came out and it turned out to be the midwife who had delivered Astraea and carried her in her arms for the first time. Miriyam quickly went to Gia and grabbed her arm, “What is it? Is the princess okay?