"Arrgh!" I pushed away the papers on my study table and sat back forcefully on the chair, covering my face with my palms.I felt hot all over my body. Why is all this happening to me? Despite all I have as the alpha of a very great pack, all is a waste when I cannot have a child to my name.I have always felt incompetent and unfulfilled only because of that, even though I held a bold face to it whenever I am with the elders, but it has not been easy on me.And that was the reason I preferred not to think about it, or have anyone talk to me about it until that stupid girl came to me and said she was pregnant.I was quite relieved, only because at least now I would have a child. But she had lied to me for her selfish desire and now I wished I had not listened to Dante and let her live.Perhaps, knowing that she had paid with her life for what what she had done would have been better for me."I should have killed that girl," I had said once to Dante."You don't have to worry about killin
-Aria-What does she mean by that? I frowned."I don't understand," I told her."Jasmine...," Maria placed a hand gently on mine. "I have always known that you have been mated to the alpha right from the very day I set my eyes on you. And I am certain that you have the solution to the curse."My head seemed to be spinning when she spoke. This isn't new to me, because I have felt the connection, but now that she said it, it made me feel hurt. I did not want to accept it. I don't want to be Adonai's mate. Never."You have gotten this all wrong Maria," I blurted. "If Jasmine was meant to be Adonai's mate then I am not the right person for this because I am not Jasmine."There was a brief silence for a while, Maria's face a cascade of confusion."What are you saying, child?" She chuckled in amusement. "Why did you say that you are not who you are? Is this because you don't love the alpha? I explained to you already, and I promised, Adonai is the way he is only because of what has happene
-Aria-My chest heaved heavily as I struggled to process everything that was happening to me all at once as I hurried out of Adonai's room and back to mine. Curse, pregnancy...Mate...It was all too much to take, but amid the turmoil going on in my head, all I could hold a fast grasp on was my revenge.Thankfully, when I got back to the room Prisca was not there. I quickly locked the door. I need to think and come up with something fast.I have no more time to waste in planning before something comes up again and disrupts it like the last time. I will go through with my revenge right away.If I am pregnant, Adonai would want to keep me because of the curse. I have to run away. Yes, I am going back to my pack. It would drive him to find me and I will take it from there.I wanted to leave immediately, but it was late already. I will have to wait till very early tomorrow. I could not sleep. My eyes remained open throughout the night, and immediately it was dawn; I gathered a few things
-Prisca- I stood before the alpha and the council of elders for the very first time in my life but I was not shaken. I did nothing wrong."Where is Jasmine," Adonai asked and I shrugged."I don't know," I said. He hit the chair with his hand."Don't lie to me," he raised his voice and I shook a little."I swear, I don't know where she is. If she is not in her room then I don't know," I said. Why is he asking me that and why is everyone looking at me like that? Where is Jasmine? What happened?"Do you know that she ran away?" Adonai asked and I looked confused. Ran away? What is he talking about?"I don't know anything about this alpha," I told him sincerely."You were the last person with the Princess and she is your friend. How do you expect us to believe you do not know anything about this?" One of the elders said."Please, the princess did not mention a word of this to me and she did not even look like she was up to something."There was a moment of silence until Adonai spoke agai
-Ariel-I rushed into my mother's room, forgetting to close the door behind me."Mother," I called hurriedly. "Mother, did you hear what is going around the palace?"She turned round to look at me, her face drawn sadly."I did," she nodded slowly."What arrant nonsense. Why would Jasmine say and do such a thing?" I ranted. "Mother I am so fed up with her. I am so done. Why would she wake up one day and claim she is not Jasmine but some... whatever fairy tale drama, what the hell?""Aria..." Mum called but I was not paying attention to her."And this is the same person you keep killing yourself over, insisting we stand her side. Now how are we going to face this thing she has done?""Aria!" Mother called again, her voice raised and I stopped talking to look at her. She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and opened them again. "It's true."I squeezed my face in confusion."What is true?" I asked."That lady might really not be my daughter and your sister, Jasmine," she said, and I s
-Aria- It was a long journey but surprisingly, I made it without passing out. Whenever I got so tired, it felt like there was an energy renewed from within that I had no idea where it was coming from.A familiar wave of wind hit me immediately I stepped foot in the land I had lived almost all my life. The same place where I had been despised and killed. I sucked in my breath; my eyes closed, and by the time I opened them, about four vicious eyes and snarling werewolves surrounded me.I stiffened in fear; any funny move from me would get them lurching at me, so I remained still, afraid to even breathe.One of them walked towards me and sniffed me."This one is oddly different," he said. "Who are you and what are you doing here?""My name is Jasmine," with all the effort I put in trying to hold my composure, my voice shook when I spoke. "I would like to see the alpha."The werewolf turned to look at the others and they crackled a laugh. I wondered what was funny."You want to see the a
-Asher-"Help the lady," I said, stretching my hands towards her as the guards hurried to her. I looked down at her pale face and turned to Derek. "Who's she?'"Said her name is Jasmine from a certain pack..." He scrunched his face in thought. "From the Nightwalker pack and she requested to be brought to you."I looked at her again. Even as sick and exhausted as she looked, she was still very pretty."Well, why do you have her bounded? Take her in and revive her. Make sure she is strong before you bring her to me," I ordered.Later in the evening, I had almost forgotten about her when Derek walked to me in the gallery to remind me of the strange lady."Oh," I said in remembrance. "How is she doing now?""Much better, alpha," He said. "She is ready to see you now.""Already? Why don't you let her get stronger first?""Well, she insists she's fine and wants to see you," Derek said, and I shrugged.I followed him to the courtroom where the lady was and she fell on her knees and bowed bef
-Aria- The room that was allocated to me was very spacious and comfortable. I had not imagined that I would get it easy with Asher when I got here, but I did. It seemed as if something was working for me.I decided not to dwell on that. It was good for me anyway, I would make good use of the privileges I got to work on my revenge and get it rolling into action.It was a wonder how I was able to stand before Asher with all that act. In my head, I was already ripping him off with my bare hands for all the things he had done to me. It was not easy too, because whenever I looked at his face, it was as if everything was replaying on it.I hoped I would be able to hold on until I got what I wanted because of the burning pain I felt in my chest for all that I had to go through.Asher came to my room, not long after I had settled down."Greetings, alpha," I greeted him respectfully with a slight bow, and he smiled at me."How are you....," his words trailed off, trying to recall my name."Ja
- Adonai - Damon took his time before answering that, and I knew his every move was intentional and to get me upset as well. "It means that she would have been my wife," he finally said and I charged at him. His men were immediately alert and stood before him to counter my attack. My men also stood ready, but Dante and Zafa held me back. "You watch your mouth you demon," I warned angrily. "Don't you dare sit to my face and tell me shit! You don't speak about my wife in that manner while I am here." Damon did not even move a limb, and his eyes remained on me steadily. "I'm not going to forcefully take your wife," he said, raising his hands in mid-air and throwing them back. But she is going to have to choose between me or you. And the prophecy speaks of us ruling together. I don't see how that is going to be possible if she doesn't get married to me." I was fuming with anger but had to remain calm. I sat back on my chair. I was pissed more at Aria, who just sat there and li
Aria -I sucked in a deep breath after Damon was done talking."I cannot leave my husband for you," I told him."And you cannot bear to have him dead. Look, either way, I would still have you. That is the only reason I am killing Adonai, to be with you. You will be a widow after his death and you cannot be alone. You see, I'm a very open person. I would have harboured this in mind and done it, but I am telling you now so you can have a choice of saving him or not."He waited for an answer, which I did not have."I think your husband is coming," he said, his voice low. "You have the whole of this night to decide that. Goodnight pretty."He walked away and Adonai appeared behind my back. He held my waist."What was he telling you?" He spoke into my ears gently."He wants to convince me to willingly give in to him so he doesn't have to fight and kill you. He intends to kill you if we insist you fight with him.""And what did you tell him?""I did not give him a reply...yet," I told him.
Zafa -I lurked around the guest's building, hiding in the dark corners and looking for someone I would like to have a conversation with.Luckily, not long after, I saw him and approached him just before he made a turn into the open."We meet again," I said and his eyes widened."Zafa," he called my name."Madin," I called back with an unsmiling face. "Beats me what you are doing here.""The same goes for you," he threw back and I scoffed."You cannot say that because you are the traitor," I told him. "So this is where you have been all this while. You ran away to be with them.""No I did not run away," he corrected with some traits of pride in his voice. "They came for me.""So you knew about them all these while and did not say anything to anyone," I was boiling with anger."Now why would I tell you when you kept associating yourself with the other packs and not sticking to your assignment? You know more than everyone else what the other werewolves did to us. Their bitter hearts di
- Adonai -"And then what would happen to me?" I asked as I walked in on the conversation and they all turned to look at me. I knew there was more to this visit than what they had spoken out there in the courtroom and this just confirmed it. "So you knew more than you were saying in the courtroom?""Alpha please don't get this wrong," Zafa said pleadingly. "We never planned for all of this to happen. "Just like I told the Luna, this came as a surprise to me.""Adonai, we'll handle it," Aria said."So what do you expect me to do? We are still in the dark about everything that's to happen. I need you all to come out clean about these people and what they are doing here," I said impatiently."Please be calm," Aria placed her hand on my shoulders. There was always a way her touches had effects on me. "We'll find out everything but we need to take things slow to be able to do that.""Now you tell me what we are to do," I demanded, but my voice was softer than it was before."They are our v
- Aria -I had just put the baby to sleep with the help of Diane when Loveth walked in with a long face. I sighed wearily because I thought this was a usual bicker with Diane. Ever since I had my baby, the two had been acting like cat and rat."Something's wrong," she said before I asked."What may it be this time around?" I asked."You have visitors," she told me and I stopped what I was doing."What visitors," I wondered aloud."Visitors from Moonfill," she said and I raised my brow questioningly."Never heard that name before," I said with a frown, but Loveth did not look like she was going to give me more information, so I assumed that was all she knew about them."So where are they now?" I wanted to know."Adonai was attending to them, I came here to tell you," she said. "But they are here specifically for you.""Oh," I mouthed and turned to Diane. "Please watch over the baby. I will be right back.""Sure Luna," she said hurriedly. She was listening to the conversation between me
- Adonai -I was in a state of extreme happiness for days after Aria had my baby until one sunny afternoon, Zafa came to announce to me that we had visitors. I immediately knew something was wrong from the look on his face, but I did not ask him yet what it was.I followed him to the courtroom, and a train of men and women with gifts were waiting there. This shouldn't make him have that long face if it was a friendly visit, I wondered. I was on alert already."Greetings alpha," One of the men, who appeared to be a noble one, stood up and spoke."Greetings to you too," I replied guardedly while my eyes searched for any signs of danger."I am Elder Drew, and I bring you good tidings from Moonfill pack," He said with a big smile on his face. I turned to look at my men in the room and they gave me the same look. We have never heard of such a name before. The elder, who happened to be the spokesman, continued. "And also greetings from our great alpha here, alpha Damon."He pointed to the a
- Adonai -I paced around outside the door Aria was in and tried to remain calm even though my pulse raced. I was excited and anxious. I would be having a baby for the first time and it was not easy putting it together.Dante came to stay with me after a while."How's it going?" He asked with concern on his face."I don't really know, but there's not been complications so far, so I guess..." I left it there and he nodded with understanding."And Zafa? He's not here yet?" He asked again."Yeah, he has to stay with Sheila, trying to revive her. I don't expect he'd be here," I explained to him.Loveth stepped out at a point and I rushed to her."What is the progress? I hope nothing is wrong?"She hesitated for a while before replying."It's going well, alpha," She said and walked away without looking at Dante. I sensed a tension between them and turned to look at Dante who looked away.It's been hours, yet Aria was still in there and had not delivered, and I was getting worried. I tried
- Sheila -"You have always thought yourself a better person than we are, making us do your bidding and looking like your puppets," Miley said, her hands crossed over her chest."We are sick and tired of you," Ashley took on. "And we have decided to get rid of you.""Guys, what are you saying?" I chuckled nervously. "We have been good friends for so long and never have we had any issues with each other. You have never told me I did anything wrong so why this?""That is because we are waiting for the perfect moment to teach you a lesson," Miley retorted. "You are so full of pride that even if we had told you, you wouldn't listen."They closed in on me, and I couldn't believe what was happening."This has to be a joke..." I said as backed away. "And if it is, you have to stop now. It's an expensive one.""Funny of you to think we'd have time for jokes. You think we came all the way here to make jokes with you?"I realised, to my horror, that this might be real."Come on, guys, even if t
- Loveth -I have to get it together. I'm confused as fuck and it's leading to making moves I might regret. I was on the edge of throwing myself at Dante.I kept convincing myself that he was not bad after all and I wouldn't mind being with him. But the truth was I wanted to pay Zafa for what he did to me by showing him I could love someone else, and I did move on.But I realised the more I kept at it that way, the more I kept getting hurt. I was lost in my thoughts while I walked but caught sight of someone familiar walking directly towards me.Sheila intentionally bumped into me even though I had moved away for her. I had seen her from afar as she approached me and made enough room for her yet she walked into me and yelped."What the hell, why don't you watch where you are going?" She scowled at me. I took in a deep breath."Sorry," I said shortly."I know you are unapologetic because you plan to kill me and my baby since you cannot have Zafa but you know what? You will never succee