AUTHOR'S POVOdessa stared at the note with caution, her head tilting left and right as she read what was written in it again and again. A scoff escaped her lips as she crumbled the paper into a ball and setting it ablaze, watching it's ashes drifting into the air. “Why bother writing a secret note if you can't tell me what to look out for?” She sighed, resting her head against the strong pillar. “Do I start living in fear of the unknown?” Odessa heard the sound of approaching footsteps behind her, she looked behind the pillar and saw Victor walking towards her with a bunch of flowers in his hands. “I guess not.” She stood to her feet, her hand reaching for the small bag of cookies. A frown appeared on her face when she noticed it's weight, or lack of it. Odessa opened the bag and a guilty expression etched on her face when she saw half its content missing. “So much for a peace offering.” She muttered to herself. The shiny pointy edge of Victor's shoe came I to view and she looke
AUTHOR’S POVThe King’s voice echoed through the walls of the hallways and every guard within hearing distance rushed towards his location. Each of them froze for a second when they saw the Prince's smoking unconscious body, half his clothing was burnt, exposing red burnt skin that was still sizzling, before they jumped into action. Eira suddenly came running, her hand hiding onto her bump tightly. She slowly came to a halt when she saw her husband lying on the floor; some of his body parts had signs of burning. “Victor!” She yelled out with all her might, running towards her husband, pushing away the guard that was kneeling beside him, and taking his position. Her hands shook and quivered in the air as she was confused about where to touch him without hurting him. “What…what happened? How…how did this happen?” Eira asked as tears streamed down her face. Her husband was in such a pitiful state and she was clueless on what to do. “Princess–” “Where the hell were you?” She thundere
ODESSA’S POV“What the fuck are you doing?” Kaiden’s voice boomed angrily and the walls of the palace shook. I stood to the side looking down at him in sorrow as he sobbed, not caring for the people surrounding him. “We are sorry, Your Majesty, but there's nothing we can do. Her Majesty’s organs as been corroded with the poison. Nothing can save her now.” “Get! Out! Get the fuck out of my bedroom! All of you!” Kaiden hit the bedside table, splitting it in two. Everyone jumped in fear as they shared worried glances. My legs moved forward as I walked towards the bed. I didn't have to see it before knowing what it was that brought my mate down to his lowest. I walked around the crowd and stopped the minute I had a clear vision of who was on the other side. It was me, lying in the bed, unmoving. My chest rose and fell in a slow pace, I didn't need a healer to let me know that I was dying, or at least my body was dying. One by one, everyone in the room walked out, leaving Kaiden alon
ODESSA’S POVI sat on one of the swings, a cup of chilled orange juice in my hand as I stared into thin air. My mind replaying the memories of my reaction to Kaiden’s proposal. ***I stood frozen for heaven knows how long, staring at the ring in Kaiden’s hands. This has to be a dream…why…why would Kaiden suddenly propose to me out of the blue?As I stared at the ring, knowing what it symbolizes, my nightmare plays and replays all over again in my head. What do I do?...What…“Odessa, are you okay? You're shaking.” Kaiden shot to his feet, his palms cradling my face as he spoke. He tilted my head to look up at him and when he saw the tears glazing my eyes, he panicked. “What happened, Baby? Talk to me.”“I…I…” I couldn't speak out as there was a thick lump inside my throat, I shook my head vigorously, “Excuse me.” I moved away from him, running out of the bedroom and heading towards mine. I shut the door to my bedroom behind me as I noticed that I was getting agitated and unable to ca
ODESSA’S POVMy hands quivered as I stared at the nite, the maze box fell to the floor when my grip around it loosened. My head snapped up, looking around me as the feeling of being watched suddenly enveloped me. It felt like I had eyes on me from everywhere. I have to see Kaiden! “Evelyn, Hugo, I'll be back.” I whispered, making eye contact with them to know that they heard me. Thank goddess for super hearing. I bent down to pick the box and literally bolted through the pack towards the palace, which is a silly ass thing to do, as it would gain the attention of everyone in the surrounding area and open the door for dangerous rumors, but did I care? No. All I wanted at that moment was to see my mate and my father. It was very early in the afternoon and I had no idea where Kaiden would be at that moment. I mentally facepalmed myself as I realized that I should have headed to his office instead. Makes more sense that he would be there by this time of the day. ‘Kaiden…Kaiden…’ I sig
ODESSA’S POVWilla had no choice but to put Kaiden on the phone. The King was not very happy about the fact that I'd been told to wait after telling both his secretary and his receptionist that it was an urgent matter. He gave me his floor number and I didn't wait to hear the scolding Willa received for her bitchiness. The secretary on the other hand….It better not be what I'm thinking it is. When I got to the elevator, I noticed one more floor above the floor number Kaiden had given me and I paused. Isn't it common knowledge that the top boss has the highest floor? I shrugged and pressed the 5th floor. As soon as I arrived, the first thing I saw was the large cubicle which I assumed belonged to his secretary, although it was empty. My head snapped forward when something caught my attention, a lady dressed in a very revealing white V-neck top and a black skirt that I know has the capacity of going below her knees but by some miraculous effort, stopped a few inches away from the top
ODESSA’S POV“I knew I'd find you here.” I turned and saw my father walking up the stairs in his thick royal robe, his shoulder-length hair dancing in the wind as he walked with his hands linked behind his back. I quickly stood to my feet and walked around the swing. “Father,” I curtsied but his hands grabbed my shoulder, stopping my bow half-way. “Did you want to see me for something important?” “No, I just wanted to spend time with you but you weren't in your bedroom. I knew I'd find you here, gazing into nothingness. Are you sure you're okay, My Princess?” My father asked, his narrowed gaze staring at me with suspicion. I plastered on a fake smile, “Of course I am.” “I think it's best you stop smiling for now, it makes you look even more miserable.” My dad chuckled when I instantly schooled my face into a frown. I turned to watch him sit on the long bench positioned in front of the swing. “Come, sit.” I nodded and went to his side to take my seat. “I understand if you don't
ODESSA’S POV“King Mazdaan…killed my mother?” My voice broke at the end as I waited for my dad to explain. “No, he didn't kill her directly but he was the reason.” My dad sighed, his shoulders falling as he leaned against the bench. “Your mother was originally meant to be the ruler of Salem-Zul as the first born, but a lot of people disagreed with the King, urging him to crown Mazdaan as his heir instead. The King refused and went ahead to crown Malika because she was Marid, a jinn with the ability to control all elements, just like her father who was the King of Salem-Zul at the time.” “So a Marid is always chosen as the heir? What if none of them is a Marid?” I asked. “Then the King chooses or a test will be given to the heirs and whoever wins will be crowned King or Queen. Your mother on the hand has no competition but because the Marid was a female, a lot of people had an issue with it. To bring peace, your mother sacrificed her title and allowed Mazdaan to give her up as peace
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?