Darius pov "What?" she asked. What was she thinking? That I like her, or what? I am an Alpha, not just any wolf. "But... you marked me," she said, coming closer to me. I shouldn't have. Why did I rescue her? I should have just let her be taken by those guys and not marked her. What was I thinking? "That was all a mistake," I replied coldly. She is getting ideas, which she shouldn't.I could see the shock in her eyes. She was shocked and terrified at the same time. Well, she should. "But this is sacred." It isn't a mistake. You indeed marked me. "You are my mate." I laughed out sardonically. "I did mark you, but it's not because I want you or anything." I don't at all. "You are not the kind of woman I want." "I am really unfortunate to have you as a mate." "What... what do you mean by that?" She asked with disbelief in her eyes. "You can only mark me if you are mated to me, and that means I am the kind of woman..." I raised a finger, stopping her from speaking any further. "Yo
Chapter nineteen Riley's Pov A lie? No, it can't be. He is telling a lie now, rather. He told me I was his mate. He accepted that, and when I asked about us getting married, he agreed to it. What did he lie about? "What are you talking about?" "What did you lie about?" I asked, trying to get what he said completely into my head. Maybe he was talking about something else and not the part about me being his mate. He laughed, shaking his head. "I lied about everything." I mean, you just found out that I am an Alpha, and you should know better that I deserve a worthy Luna and not some servant who hasn't seen or gotten a pinch of brilliance to rule with me. "This whole thing between us is just a mistake and nothing more," he replied, staring at me. The way he stared at me with those cold eyes Those eyes I admired a few moments ago now look so scary that they've sent a shiver through my body. I felt chills all over me as those words he said resounded in my ears. I went dumb for a whil
Chapter twenty Matilda's Pov I walked closer to them and noticed the shock on their faces. There was talk about a mate, of whom I am sure she is my son. Some servants were talking about a girl he brought in, and I am expecting him to bring in his mate. He promised me. "Where is your mate?" "Since you are back early, that means your mission to find your mate is complete, right?" "Hey mother," he said, standing and walking up to me. "How have you been?" he asked, hugging me. "I am fine." I am in the palace, remember? I have a lot of people taking care of me. So now, where is your mate? I want to see her." "Mother, I just got back." "You should ask about my journey first." What is he trying to do? Or didn't he bring in his mate? He should bring her to me immediately, but he is trying to divert my attention. "You can tell me that when I see my daughter-in-law." The smile on his face was slowly replaced with a frown. He looked down and sighed. "I got a mate." The smile on my fac
Chapter twenty-one Darius's Pov Lita in my mother’s room? I frowned and left the room. "What is going on here?" Lita stood up and smiled at me. "Hey." Is she this shameless? I had always thought she was the best at everything, but not so intelligent, I see. Meeting my mother to talk about what? a way to get me back even though I told her I was going to search for my mate, and obviously, I am back with my mate. "I asked what you were doing here." I asked again, this time with a raised voice. "Son, calm down. She just came to see me. You don't have to get all worked up." "Mother, I told you I would be bringing in my mate soon, and you still let her in?”"Ouch, that hurts." "I am not your enemy, you know." Lita replied, feigning anger. The more I see her and her motives, the more irritated I am with her true self. What is she trying to do? get my mother’s attention all to herself so that it would be hard for me to forget about her? That is one of her strategies. "You are not we
Chapter twenty-twoRiley's Pov It was getting dark. The sun was setting. I have been in the room for hours, and I don’t even know the time. My stomach grumbled, reminding me of how hungry I am. I haven’t eaten since this morning. I tried standing up but fell back because I was darn weak. Does he hate me this much that he wouldn’t give me something to eat? At least I get to eat in Madam’s room. He should have just let me be, but he brought me to his palace to make me suffer.The door opened, and a woman walked in with a tray of food. Seeing that, I swallowed hard, my eyes fixed on the plate of food. She locked the door behind her and brought the food to me.“Eat this; you have a lot of work to do.” She said. Work? I am in no position for any work right now.The aroma of roasted chicken hit my nose, making me forget about work—like I just thought about it a few minutes ago. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, filling my nose with the sweet aroma.I opened my eyes when I heard the do
Darius's PovI sat on my throne, resting my cheek on my knuckles, listening to what the elders had to tell me. It's six o'clock already, and I am getting tired after a long journey. I really need enough rest, but I decided to stay for this meeting. This meeting is more important than my rest. I will get that rest only when I am done.“My lord, I think we should expand our territory this time." "It's the raining season, and we need to build the fallen fence, but if we go ahead and build it at that same spot, there is still a possibility the fence will get destroyed again, and according to the sorcerer, the rain this year will be so unfavorable because it's going to cause devastations and disasters.” One of the elders, Peter, suggested “My lord, expanding the territory will only affect the farmers farming out there." Most of those kinds are owned by their ancestors, and giving them up would be impossible. "If you take it by force, they might revolt against you, my lord.” the second eld
Riley’s PovI laid back on the cold floor, finding it hard to sleep. Even though my mattress is all old and tattered, but, it’s better than. Sleeping on a cold floor.I couldn’t sleep as I kept tossing on the bare floor. This is really unbearable now. I sat up and looked at his face. He was asleep.A thought came to my mind. What if I just run away from him. Runaway from all this and go start my life elsewhere? I don’t care if I have been marked or not, I just want to live my life away from him. Away from everyone.Maybe, go over to the human world. It would be hard to find me there. No wolf crosses the border and so is every human. I still had my torn gown with me. I will get a new gown when I am able to get away from there.I stood up as gently as I could, not to wake him up. Before I leave, I need to take some money from him or it would be hard to survive it all alone out there. I tiptoed to his side, praying silently that he wouldn’t open his eyes and catch me in the process of s
Chapter twenty fiveRiley’s PovI fell to the ground, and groaned in pain.It was the second floor so it wasn’t that high. Lucky me. If I had fallen from a very high distance, that would have been even more terrible.I stood up and limped into the forest. I have to run as fast I can. I have to get back my freedom.I kept limping fast into the forest, going deeper, without knowing where I was going to.I stopped when I got close to a stream. That was the place I needed to be. The river leading to the human nations is in a far distance. I don’t know where I was, hut all I wanted was to find a way to the river.“Calm down Riley, you made this decision and you will have to go by it.” I told myself.I heard about many women, who always get scared at night alone and being in her situation, would make them really frightened, but, she was used to staying outside the comfort of a roof at midnight so she wasn’t cared at all.She looked around, thinking of a way to follow. She would have carried
“What am I going to do?” she silently mumbled to herself as she frantically tried to come up with a plan to avoid facing her own wrath. All of a sudden, she felt a firm grasp upon her arm, pulling her back behind the safety of a pillar near a nearby window, away from prying eyes. She felt relieved and surprised – until she realized who exactly had grabbed her and whom she recognized.. Her heart sank slightly. Of course. Why wouldn’t it? It was Rachel. She had heard rumors that there was a consummated marriage between Darius and Rachel after her mating ritual to Darius. Apparently she’d had no intention of marrying either of them, much less Darius, but Rachel had always loved Darius anyway. Now, it seemed like they were having problems reconciling their differences over Darius. That didn’t matter anymore though, she supposed. Rachel hadn’t shown herself to be happy or supportive during Darius’ mating ritual, which was why she’d refused to speak to him when she’d returned
For the longest time, she hadn’t even thought about whether or not her feelings were reciprocated. To hear such heartfelt reassurances was definitely overwhelming…but what was she supposed to tell him? That she wasn’t interested in anyone right now, even though he was the one person she most desired to spend time with? How could she possibly confess something like that without sounding like she was lying to him? And yet…how could she convince him otherwise? Couldn’t he tell she was just playing along? Hadn’t she been doing the exact same thing? Before she could respond, a knock came to her door, effectively cutting short their discussion. Both of them turned to find a servant standing outside her chamber door. “Excuse me Your Highness, but your chambers are ready,” the servant informed her politely. “Please follow me.” Darius glanced in her direction briefly before nodding his consent. Once the servant had withdrawn, he released Riley’s hand and made his way inside his room w
Darius’s expression hardened once again, and he motioned towards the door. “Go to your chambers,” he instructed, his voice distant. “We’ll talk more later. But for now, I suggest you start by apologizing to the guard at the door for your behavior.” Feeling a mixture of relief and apprehension, Riley nodded and stood up, her legs feeling weak beneath her. She made her way towards the door, aware of the lingering gazes from the pack members around her. Whispers filled the air as she passed by, and she couldn’t help but feel the weight of their judgment. As Riley approached the guard at the door, she noticed the hesitance in his eyes. He seemed wary, as if unsure of how to react to her presence. She mustered up a small smile and spoke softly, trying to convey her sincerity. “I’m sorry for my actions,” she said, her voice filled with remorse. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.” The guard’s gaze softened slightly, but there was still a hint of caution. “Just don’t let it happen
Finding Clyde.Jason:Clarissa’s resilience was the strongest I had ever come across, to apologize for an offense she had it committed, to hold back her anger and pain as though she too did not need to be taken care of. She was in so much by the conversation concerning Clyde’s pack, It worse obvious that we were digging up old wounds that had clearly not healed. Maybe that was why she was distant from me, and ask why she channeled her pain into trying to build a family for the lost ones like her. She inspired me so much, and I felt her pains so much that I wanted to pull her into my arms and ease all the pain away with my warm embrace, but I knew I could not do that, so I just watched.Apart from the stories they told, I was also very concerned about the whereabouts of Clyde. There’s no how he would have survived the dungeon for that long alone, without food, water. We had brought back all the war prisoners with us and we were slowly planning to begin a plan for a bigger and better p
Darius blushed furiously, averting his gaze. “Uh, yeah. Well, um,” he stumbled and cleared his throat nervously. “You see, I just…uh,” he struggled to find words as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “What I mean to say is…um…” he muttered, glancing back up at her. His pale cheeks flushed even deeper red as his eyes met hers. “Well, um, I’m just…hmm…I guess I like talking to you.” His face grew impossibly more crimson as he spoke, his blush becoming nearly unbearable as he attempted to justify himself. Riley giggled, enjoying the way he floundered. “Well, Dai, how come you never spend time with me?” I asked. “ I’m busy” he abruptly replied her. “Besides, why do you care anyway?” Riley’s eyes narrowed as she gazed sternly at him. “I know what kind of life you lead,” she told him bluntly. “We’re not really friends, are we? You never ask for my advice or my help. In fact, your attitude towards me has always been completely hostile.” A frown m
She was no stranger to the hurt she felt after each rejection. Her heart ached as she realized that Darius didn’t feel the same. She smiled as she gazed at Darius’s beautiful blue eyes, a smile so tender that Darius felt his heart tighten. ‘No, it isn’t you.’ She thought with a bitter laugh. ‘How could he possibly return my love if he cannot bear the burden of keeping secrets?’ She glanced away. ‘Perhaps I should just leave him and live out the rest of my life alone.’ Her voice cracked slightly, as though her resolve was crumbling. As tears brimmed in her eyes, she fought the urge to cry out, ‘I’ve lost everything! Why should he care? What does he see in me? A sudden, sharp pain erupted in her chest, as if a dagger had pierced it. She gasped sharply as she doubled over in agony, clutching her injured heart. It felt as though someone had stabbed her repeatedly, rendering her unable to breathe or move. Pain shot through her entire torso, threatening to ri
“Darius, I have received some distressing news,” the elder began, his voice laced with concern. “Your father’s sudden withdrawal has put our community in a precarious position. We have made commitments to Rachel’s family, and we cannot afford to break them.” Darius’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean, commitments? I thought my marriage to Rachel was already arranged.” The elder sighed, his gaze fixed on Darius. “Yes, it was. But your father’s decision has created a complicated situation. We need to salvage the agreements and ensure the stability of our community. There is an alternative plan we have devised.” Darius leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. “What is this alternative plan?” The elder’s voice dropped to a hushed tone. “We can arrange a consummated marriage for you with Rachel, in secret. This way, we fulfill our obligations to her family while maintaining the appearance of your marriage with Riley, as was originally planned.”
She needed someone who would guide her. Someone who would help her. Her head snapped upright suddenly as a loud, deafening sound filled the air. The noise pierced her ears, making her wince. The sound continued to grow louder and louder, shaking her whole being, until it became impossible for her to hear anything else except for the terrible shrieking noise that was echoing around her and reverberating inside of her skull. Suddenly it stopped, leaving a painful emptiness in its wake, as she lay on her side, panting heavily. She opened her eyes wide and stared blankly into space, her hands covering her ears. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she struggled to breathe. She looked up, searching blindly for the source of the sounds; the sudden silence made her panic and she screamed for help. She waited for several minutes, trying to make sense of the events surrounding her, trying to grasp what was happening. Suddenly she realised that a door had creaked open somewh
She pressed a soft kiss against his lips. “Me too.” She whispered. He turned his body so they were lying on their sides facing each other, mirroring each other’s position. He gazed down at her with pure adoration in his deep brown eyes. “I love you,” he whispered. She raised herself up on her elbow, reaching out and stroking his stubbly chin with her finger. “I love you, too.” Their gaze locked into each other, feeling the same overwhelming emotion. They both leaned forward until their lips were only millimetres apart. Rachel’ eyes widened as he began to lean towards her, pressing their bodies together. Their lips met in slow motion as their tongues mingled together in an intense, sensual embrace. As their lips parted they remained connected as they savoured the moment, breathing heavily. He moved his arms underneath her bottom and picked her up, carrying her over to the bed and laying her down gently. She s