What was happening?I followed Evans. I looked at his face first and saw him so annoyed by something he saw at the end of the hallways and that’s when I recognized it was Irina and Alec screaming at the top of their lungs at this fr**king early in the morning.“No! That’s so unacceptable Alec! I hate you!” Irina screamed, hitting Alec’s chest with the side of her fist, “I hate you! I hate you!”“Hey! Listen, Irina! What you are thinking is nonsense! I never loved that woman, you hear me?! Is rejecting her not enough?!”I almost grimaced. I felt like a cold knife pierced my heart and I was bleeding badly. Only it wasn’t blood that drenched me but tears as I fought hard not to run away and stay hidden behind Alpha Evan’s broad body. Frozen. Hurt.It was embarrassing that the whole household heard that they were arguing about me, and I wondered what Alpha Evan was thinking.“I don’t care, Alec! The fact that you are mated with that—with that—”My eyes widened when Alpha Evan stepped forw
“I have to go back to my room.”There was a hard expression on Alpha Evander’s face and I could tell he was not happy with what was happening in the household of the Ambroses, “Irina went to Dad’s office and I can’t—- I don’t want Dad to see me like this!”“Just like you told me, Holly,” his voice was husky, his eyes were sultry as he stared at me, “You are not yourself and your sister put something in the wine she offered you last night. I never mind whatever happened. I am just worried your sister would hurt you again once you go back to your room, unguarded.”My chest was heavy. The Alpha had a point. I didn’t know why Irina did that to me. Maybe she wanted to get rid of me so Dad’s attention would be hers again? Or Maybe she was so desperate and scared that Alpha Evans would insist on taking her as his bride? Because she thought I was still wolfless and Alpha Evan would reject me? And when that happened, Dad would have no choice but to give Irina to Alpha Evan.Irina was head over
[Two Years Ago]“Hey, I told you you can’t go here, Alec. What if Dad sees us here?” I smiled at him. We were hiding in the stable where no one visits at this kind of hour. Everyone was busy having dinner and the stableman was done tending on the horses. His return would be tomorrow morning.“Then let him. I don’t care. All I want is to see you, Holly. I don’t care if your Dad will cut off my head if he sees us,” he smiled at me, panting. He must have run his way towards here so he wouldn’t get noticed by the Ambrose sentinels patrolling around the mansion.I looked at his handsome face. A face I always adored. There was no mistake that Alec was the most handsome guy in my Dad’s pack and his pack. He is the only son of the Alpha of the Agarwood Pack and the most charming guy in this city. I didn’t know why Alec wasted his time with me but I could see the happiness in his eyes whenever I got to sneak out of the mansion just to see him in the stables.I was nervous I didn’t know why it
[FLASHBACK]“Holly! Is that—”My focus was on the potatoes I needed to buy for tonight’s dinner when Melinda, one of the servants who was a close friend to me pulled me into a corner and hit us behind a tarpauline. It was already four in the afternoon and the market was a little busier than an ordinary day in the pack. Maybe because the winter season was coming and people had to ensure they had enough supplies before the cold season embraced this land with its frozen touch.“What are you doing, Linda? We don’t have much time to—”But I saw what I saw and it was Alec with his huge smile walking in the streets of the Ivory territory, drunk and with a beautiful woman at his side. The lady seemed a little older than him and it was disgusting to watch that Alec enjoyed being treated like a baby with that random woman.“Who do you think the lady is?” Melinda asked, her voice so low that it was almost hard to hear, “I can’t believe Alpha Alec could do such a thing in Master Randalf’s territo
Alec was petrified while his hand was on his jaw. He couldn’t look at Alpha Evan’s eyes. He couldn’t look at me.Tears fell on my face. My whole body was trembling. I didn’t know why he did such a thing to me. I couldn’t believe Alec would force himself on me like that. Like I was some kind of scum he didn’t mind hurting.“I don’t want to see your face again,” Alpha Evan glared at Alec through his nose, his face dark and deadly stoic. I was shaken when he pulled my blanket and covered my body with it, “Let’s go, Holly!”That’s when Alec stood abruptly, his eyes were wide as if scared, “Where are you taking her?”“Away from here and away from the people who treat her like a slave!” Alpha Evan snarled, his eyes lit red.Alpha Evan dragged me out of my room. His eyes were sharp and darting. I couldn’t look straight at the faces of the confused and surprised maids and servants who saw me being pulled by the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack. I hid my face with the blanket until we reached the r
Despite that cold look on his face, I knew there was a soft part in Alpha Evan’s heart.I gazed at his handsome face. What happened last night between us was now all blurry in my memory. But seeing him sitting on the other side of the car, my heart started to feel nervous as I made glimpses at those sexy, sharp jaws, and blonde disheveled hair.And his lips.“T-Thank you for saving me,” I murmured a little shy and intimidated to talk to him but I had to. I owe him a lot when he saved me from Alec. He made sure I was safe under his protection.He gave me a short glance. I didn’t know what was wrong with what I said but he suddenly became uncomfortable beside me and refused to look at my face again.“D-Did I say something—”“Don’t mistake everything I did, Holly. I am not a kind person,” his voice was steel hard and cold. He didn’t even bother himself to look at me as he spoke. His eyes were focused on the scenery of the forest outside, “I did it because you are mate. And I am a very pr
[EVANDER’s Point-of-View]I watched Kian lead Holly into the front hall.She glanced back at me, scared and anxious about what to expect in my place. I already thought that she would be worried about staying in here but just like I told her, there was no way I would leave her in Randalf’s house after I found out how they treated her like a rat.I stood beside the car and gazed at her face until she and Kian disappeared from my sight. That’s when one of my Zetas approached me and made a report about various problems they expected me to fix this week and some paperwork I needed to sign.Staying in the Ambrose territory cost me a lot of my time but it was worth it. What was important at that moment was I succeeded in convincing my mate to stay with me in the mansion, which was part of the plan.After checking all the schedules on my phone, I went straight into the office and saw how much paperwork I needed to finish. I groaned and slumped on the swivel chair, hanging my head back, feelin
[HOLLY’s Point-of-View]Was it bad that I hoped Alpha Evan would show me the room I would use himself?I understood that Beta Kian and my Mate had tons to do after they spent a night at my Dad’s place. But would he see me today after his duties? Was he going to do what he promised me? That he would train me to become a strong Luna for his Pack?I was in the hallway with the maid Beta Kian ordered to show me to my room, I noticed there was something wrong with the girl. She was just my age though, and she was pretty—only if she smiled. I didn’t know why she looked so pissed after Beta Kian left. Did Sir Kian do something to the girl? I wondered if she had a bad day before the Beta ordered her to attend to my needs.The hallways were two times larger than the hallways in Ambrose Manor. Glamorous paintings hung on the walls and at the side of every column, were tall vases decorated with white roses which made the whole place so pleasant to the eyes. Red curtains hung on every arch with t
[HOLLY’s Point of View]Evander held my hand and squeezed it tight as we watched Alec jump his way down the mountain with Misha, who was still unconscious, on his back.“Are you ready?” Evander asked. There was sadness and fear in his green eyes, but he was smiling at me. He was smiling with a promise that he would do everything to keep me safe and alive no matter what.And that scared me.When it was just me and him and the war that was waiting for us both, that’s when I felt the terror and I knew he saw it in my eyes. But instead of telling me that things were going to be alright, instead of telling me that we would survive this, he kissed my forehead and pulled me to him in a tight embrace. We stayed like that for a minute as we listened to the rustling of the leaves in the forest. The sound of the birds in the sky and the water of the stream as it splashes softly against the small rocks. We felt each other’s warmth and the gentle brush of the cold breeze on our bare skin. His lips
[HOLLY’s Point of View]I stood and gave my dad a determined look. I would never hide again. I would never just watch and wait. “I can fight, and I will fight for my friends and family.”Dad’s exhausted face beamed with pride and love as he patted me on the shoulder and smiled at me. “Let’s go kick someone’s *ss.”I laughed softly at the unusual words Dad used, and then we nodded at each other, preparing to lunge midair to shift into our wolves. My eyes were on Alec and my husband. Evadner was still on top of Randalf’s reaching for the old man’s head, but Randalf, despite his age, was still physically strong for his human form.On Dad’s cue, we jumped high from the ground, so high that all the eyes in the camp got distracted from us. Two glittering silver wolves, so ancient and beautiful, everyone stopped from what they were doing. Even Evander’s eyes widened with both awe and shock as he saw us, and Randalf took advantage of it and immediately ran away from my husband like a terrifie
[HOLLY’s Point of View]There was no way I would let him go again. No way I would let him dive back into Randalf’s camp now that the old man knew he wasn’t on their side.I heard Dad’s scream even when I got out of the main hall and straight to the courtyard, where I shifted back to my wolf form and fought three more rogues before I had to hide behind the tall walls of the garden labyrinth to breathe. My strength was slowly depleting and the wounds on my back hadn’t completely healed yet. I had to go after my husband and make sure he could go out there alive with or without the witch who helped him.Randalf will kill him on sight once they see him.[Evander!] I screamed, trying to reach out to him through our bond. [Evander! Where are you!?]But it seemed he was too far away or something interfered with the mind-link connection, so I decided to stand on my four paws again and used my ability to sneak around without being detected. The mountainside wasn’t too far from the Snakewood Pal
[Holly’s Point of View]“Dad!!!”I was about to lunge myself towards them, but strong arms pulled me back. I was baffled when I saw Alec pulling me away from Irina, who was still holding the short sword to my father’s neck.Every part of me ached, but nothing could compare to how my heart felt as I saw the despair in my father’s eyes. He mouthed the word “No.” but I shook my head as tears rolled down my face. There was no way I would leave him in the hands of the man who wanted him dead! There was no way I would let him die!“Tell me what you want, Randalf! Just don’t—” I swallowed hard as a sob emerged from my swelling throat. “Just don’t kill my father!”“We already have what we want, Holly! We don’t need you! Now that we have the Alpha King, the whole palace and the realm will kneel to my father, and nothing can stop us now!” Irina yelled at me with detest in her voice. “Kill both of them!”“Stay behind me, Holly!” Alec yelled as he shifted back to his wolf form and kicked and cla
[HOLLY’s Point of View]“Evander disappeared from the frontline.”My focus on my baby Evlon was distracted by Kian’s murmur as he noticed Evander’s disappearance from Randalf’s side. It suddenly made me nervous. What happened to him? Where did he go?Mel took baby Evlon from me when I pushed myself to sit on the sofa. The room was still filled with the scent of my blood, but my family didn’t mind. They were more concerned with my healing and Evander’s situation, while all our eyes were now focused on the news.“I have to go there,” I said, still wincing from the pain, but I had to do something. For my father and for my husband. “I have to be there for my dad and Evander.”“You just gave birth, Holly! Your body is still healing, and your wounds are still fresh! There is no way I will let you go there in this condition! My brother will kill me!” Sheiyan hysterically uttered, knowing that when I said things, I would do anything to do it.But this time, Shei was right. I assessed my body,
[ALPHA EVANDER’s Point of View]My whole body tensed as I stood slowly with both my hands on the level of my head.Charlie’s eyes told me that I would be dead once I made a wrong move, and I had to be careful. He was already thinking that I sided with Randalf, and without him knowing the truth—about what really happened in the mountains—Holly’s father would never understand why I had to do all of this.“Listen to me, Charlie—”Charlie sighed, and the dark look on his face turned into disappointment. I felt my whole being finally relaxed as he stepped away from me and onto the chair of his desk. He clasped his hands, and I finally saw that exhaustion that deepened his set of honey-brown eyes.“Holly told me everything, Evander. I was really furious that you put your family’s life in danger, but I understand when Holly told me that all of you were after that pearl. And she told me everything about that pearl. About how Randalf stole parts of her memories and stored them in that thing. U
[ALPHA EVANDER’s Point of View]“What is wrong with you, Evander? You look like you had seen a ghost.”I barely heard Randalf’s voice as I kept my breathing in control while having this excruciating pain I felt in every inch of my body. My head felt like being pierced by thousand spears, and it took me a lot of strength not to fall down on my knees and scream from the pain.Misha looked at me as she put her fingers on my pulse and felt my forehead with the back of my hand. My jaw tightened as she gave me a warning look not to make the pain look too obvious. “I think he is having a fever. It must be the infection he got from the pit.”Randalf scowled at Misha. “Go and give him something, Misha! We can’t display any weakness while we are being broadcast all over the continent. Go and do something about that infection or whatever the hell is that!”“Yes, Alpha Randalf.” She bowed her head to the old man. I gave Randalf one piercing look from the corner of my eyes and then averted immedia
[HOLLY’s Point of View]“What is the commotion about, Kian?”Everyone was in the sitting area with all their eyes focused on the sixty-inch-wide television screen. Shei increased the volume, and I saw so many rogues standing on the northern borders of the Snakewood Territory. I didn’t feel good this whole morning, and all I had were eggs. Other than those, I threw them up, and that’s why I had been dizzy the whole day.All the Snakewood soldiers lined up in defense positions outside and inside the gates and the wall; all were armed with razor-sharp metal claws, all strapped around their legs and paws. Some were armed with crossbows with silver arrows for it was forbidden to use guns inside the continent and within the realm.“Randalf isn’t bluffing at all. He really has thousands of Rogues with him,” Alec murmured in horror. His mouth was slightly open and his face was pale as paper when the excruciating memories of their stay in the rogue camp returned to him.Everything was shot liv
[HOLLY’s Point of View]The banging on the door suddenly sounded unreal. Then for once, I thought the noise was just from the thumping of my own heartbeat reverberating through my deafened ears. The violent winds from the mountains threw the windows of my room open. The hinges creaked threateningly as the white sheer curtains whipped against the glass panes.Mel’s small hands were painfully tight against my wrists and she was incredibly strong; it terrified me. Something was happening to her. It was as if the darkness stored inside that pearl necklace had influenced her mind when it should be her who was supposed to command the ‘thing’ to obey her bidding.The power that was stored in the pearl was too much for Melinda to control and I saw it on her face. She was asking me for help.“Mel! Just tell me what’s happening!” I asked through gritted teeth. I tried my hardest not to panic as the black completely covered her eyeball and my neck and shoulders started to feel so heavy it felt