Beryl’s wolf came to full alert, warning her of danger. Beryl turned to Lyra with a worried look on her face. “I think we should leave, it’s not safe out here.”“That is Victoria’s scent, right?” Lyra asked, recognising the werewolf’s scent in the air. “She might be injured.”Beryl was aware of that, but what she was more worried about was the other scent in the air. “She deserves whatever came to her,” she said, taking Lyra’s hand. “Let’s get out of here.”“We can’t just leave her,” Lyra said. Sure, Victoria was not her biggest fan, and Lyra was apprehensive at what kind of creature could have injured her, but they could not just leave her. What if her life was in danger?“Maybe we should go back and report,” Beryl said. Whatever creature was out there was giving her wolf a very bad feeling. It was nothing either of them could face. “They will send warriors to go check it out.”“But it might be too late by the time they found her,” Lyra said.“It’s not safe for us either,” Beryl argu
Lyra heard the sound of tearing flesh and waited for the pain to hit. But none came.“Are you alright?” a masculine voice…Julian! It was Julian’s voice!Her eyes split wide open and looked up at him. He was looking ahead, his face a mask of concentration as he ran through the forest at full speed.“Yes,” she muttered.“Hold on tight,” he instructed.She gulped and wrapped her arms around his neck. The forest around them turned into a blur as he ran at a speed she never thought was possible in the human form. But then again, he was the Lycan King, the Alpha of Alphas.The scent of blood followed them all along, and only after a few minutes did she realise that it was coming from him. Feeling below his neck, she touched tender, torn flesh. A claw mark. The monster wolf had gotten to him while he was grabbing her.“You are injured!” she exclaimed.“I’m fine,” he replied.Despite his injuries, he did not slow down until they came across Beryl and a few warriors at the edge of the forest.
Startled, Lyra looked at him. He was now awake and staring at her. Her lips parted soundlessly.He cocked his head. “Get in.”She blinked. “What?”Julian looked towards the door. The footsteps were getting closer. “Get in bed with me, unless you want to be discovered,” he told her. “You won’t make it out of here in time.”Lyra swallowed hard. He was right. She could leave, but whoever was out there would see her. But…to get into his bed?“He is almost here,” Julian said, arching an eyebrow.Oh well. It was not like she had not shared a bed with him before. And done much more obscene things. Acting quickly, she climbed on the bed and lay on his other side. She wiggled downwards so that when he pulled the blanket to his chest, she was completely covered.It was warm and smelled like him and medicine. She held as still as she could. A few seconds later, she heard the sound of the door opening. Heavy footsteps walked towards the bed.“You are up,” Asher’s voice reached her. Lyra exhaled i
Lyra was giddy and about a moment away from bursting into giggles as she walked out of the hospital. She pressed her palms to her blushing cheeks, feeling their warmth. Being on cloud nine, she did not notice Zero until he called her name.She dropped her hands instantly and fixed her expression. Zero walked up to her and came to a stop, watching her with an assessing gaze.“Lyra,” he said in greeting, “it’s been a while.”Indeed, it had been a while. The last time she had seen him was that day when he pretended to kiss her in class. She had since found out that he had been confined under the king’s orders, and she knew it was because of her.“Hi,” she replied. “I’m sorry about what happened the other day. The king shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”Zero shook his head, a slight frown forming on his brow. “I don’t care what he does to me, as long as he doesn’t make you suffer.” He stepped closer to her. “You know you can rely on me, right?”Lyra was grateful that Zero had stood up f
On seeing Julian, Beryl broke away from the crowd of students and approached him.“What’s going on there?” Julian asked, studying the group around Lyra. His first worry had been that they were ganging up against her, but the looks on their faces–and Lyra’s–suggested otherwise.“Lyra just beat my ass in one-on-one combat,” Beryl told him. “Everyone’s surprised.”Julian frowned. “Really? Did you let her win?”Beryl shook her head. “Hell no. I know how serious she is about this, and she would hate me if I did something like that. I’m kidding you not, she beat me fair and square. You can ask the teacher or everyone in here. I definitely wasn’t pulling my punches.”“That’s impossible,” Julian said. “She is just an Omega.”Beryl shrugged. “An Omega who has proven to be more than capable of keeping up with this bunch of elites from all over the kingdom. Don’t underestimate her.”“Your Majesty,” the teacher who was in charge of the class, Frank, approached the king. “It’s an honour to have yo
Lyra had just woken up when there was a soft knock on her door. She padded to the door and opened it. On the other side was a maid carrying a tray full of breakfast goodies.“Tracy?” Lyra asked, confused.“Good morning, Lyra,” Tracy replied enthusiastically. “Here’s your breakfast. Can I put it inside?”Lyra blinked and stepped aside. “Sure.”Tracy smiled and walked past her. Lyra shut the door and went after her. This had recently become the norm–the maids delivering her breakfast to her room. “You don’t have to do this,” Lyra told Tracy, as she had told many others countless times before.Ever since everybody knew she was the reason the king changed the laws concerning Omegas, she had been receiving such treatment. The servants around the palace treated her like their personal hero, serving her like royalty.“I don’t mind,” Tracy said, carefully arranging the breakfast on the table in Lyra’s room. “You have to go to school on time, so you can’t waste time going to the dining room. C
The final task before graduation that Lyra was taking part in alongside Beryl and Zero was a treasure hunt event to retrieve hidden flags. There were a few flags around the royal forest, and each would be contested by three groups.During the event, the students were forbidden from shifting into their wolf forms. The task was designed to test their resilience, teamwork, and stamina.Lyra was determined to get the flag and win first place with her teammates. She wanted to prove Julian–and anyone else who shared his way of thinking–wrong.She was not useless.She had proven that she could go against the elites of the kingdom and hold her own. He could go for the female with the bluest of blood to be his queen, but she would not let his treatment put her down. She was capable and strong and did not deserve to be in the shadows. She could shine just fine. She would show him.“What’s that look on your face?” Beryl asked, coming from the side. “Are you trying to scare our opponents before w
Lyra kept her eyes glued to the window, watching the outside through the tinted glass. She could feel Julian’s gaze on her face more than a few times, but she fought the urge to look at him.The air in the car was heavy with tension. Nobody said anything. And that was just fine with Lyra. There was nothing to say, after all. He had said all he wanted to say, and he was doing as he had said. She was not going to be pathetic and say anything.She was here as a member of the King’s Guard, not as his mate. She wished she felt like that. Instead, it felt like she was being forcibly dragged to hell.It was supposed to be the happiest day of her life for having landed such a job. A job that she never would have thought she could get even in her wildest dream. She wished she could push everything else away and bask in the feeling of a new beginning and a promising future. Instead, here she was, miserable because of a male who was not worth it.Lyra looked at her wristwatch, calculating how mu
After Nile’s death, the royal troops scoured the palace for rogues. They also searched the capital city and found many who had been waiting for orders from Nile.Much to Julian’s displeasure, as soon as order was restored in the palace, Lyra announced that she wanted to go back to the Red Moon Pack. Not only that, but she also wanted to bring the willing rogues to her pack.“Everybody accused you of working with the enemy when they found out you spared the rogues who attacked Red Moon,” he told her. “Why do you want to take in these ones too?”“If I don’t, where else will they go?” she asked him.“Nowhere,” he replied. “They’ll stay in the dungeons, where they belong. They infiltrated the capital and the palace. They must pay for their crimes.”“They were simply obeying their king’s orders,” Lyra argued. “When I interrogated them after Nile&r
“You have always been hotheaded,” Julian said, his tone disapproving. “Always rushing into situations without taking a chance to examine things and know what’s going on. I warned you about this tendency of yours last summer, didn’t I?”Alpha Lucian’s confident stance wavered as he blinked in confusion. “What?”“What are you going to do if another innocent life is lost because of your recklessness?” Julian asked him. “Or, do you think you are safe because your pack is close to the royal pack?”“What happened last summer?” someone asked curiously. Alpha Lucian remained quiet, the colour on his face draining.“Then there’s Alpha Van,” Julian said, turning to one of the guests. “A month ago, you came to me, begging for financial aid from the royal family. Your Beta, who you chose against the pack elders’ approval, embezzled funds and ran awa
Lyra left Nile’s side and went to stand beside Julian, which caused another stir among the guests.“Lyra, what are you doing?” Nile asked, pretending to be hurt and confused. “Who is he? What’s the meaning of this?”“It’s over, Nile,” Lyra said, calling him by his real name. “The real Lycan King is here.” Looking around, she addressed the guests. “That is the Rogue King who has been trying to take over the kingdom. He imprisoned His Majesty and forced me to work for him.”“How absurd!” Nile yelled. “Lyra, how could you do this to me? I trusted you despite what everyone said about you, and this is how you repay me? Have you been working for the rogues all this time?”“He could be right,” someone said. “Nobody knows anything about her background. Maybe she is a spy sent by the rogues.”“I knew something did not make sens
“Where have you been?” Nile asked when Lyra appeared at his side a while later. After separating with Julian, Lyra had gone to her room to freshen up to get rid of any scent that would give away the fact that she had been with Julian.“I went on a walk with some of the guests and we wandered around the palace,” she told him. “Was I gone for long?”“Yes,” he said, his voice tinged with displeasure. “Stay by my side from now on.”“Of course,” she agreed, giving him a smile.“There are some important guests you haven’t met,” he said, steering her towards a group of guests. “They are from the Northern Packs Alliance. You know what to do.”Lyra knew of the Northern Packs Alliance. It was a group of three packs–Sky, Northern, and Ferun. The northern part of the kingdom had once been overrun by rogues, but the three packs came together and defeated
“It worked,” Julian said in awe, lifting his hands in front of his face. He could feel his wolf’s power surging through him, potent and unrestricted.“Really?” Lyra asked, rising on her elbow. They were lying side by side on the examination table after a frantic lovemaking session that left their bodies slick with sweat and out of breath.“Yes,” Julian confirmed. “He is fully restored.”“Great!” Lyra exclaimed, feeling thrilled. Leaning towards him, she gave him a kiss. He sunk his hand into her hair and held her in place, deepening the kiss. When they pulled apart, there was an amused smile on Julian’s face.“What is it?” she asked him, curious.“Yuri is impatient to tear that bastard into pieces,” he revealed.Lyra nodded. “That makes four of us.”Rae was also excited and already urging Lyra to get out there and ruin Nile’s grand plan. With Yuri by her side, she felt invincible. Lyra felt the same way about having Julian with her, but she knew it was crucial to have a good plan befo
“Julian?” Lyra whispered, an overwhelming relief washing over her.Julian jumped down from the examination table and met her halfway. Their arms went around each other. When they pulled back, her eyes were shining with tears.She raised her hands to his face and cupped his cheeks, examining his face. It felt like it had been forever since she had last seen him. This was the same face that Nile was parading around, and yet, there was such a huge difference.This was Julian. Her Julian.“Are you okay?” she asked him, lowering her hand to his chest and moving his robe aside. There was a dark mark where he was stabbed, but the wound had healed up.“I’m fine,” he told her, taking her hand. “Almost.”Feeling relieved, Lyra embraced him again, resting her face on his chest.“What about you?” Julian asked, palming her hair.“I’m alright,” she told him. “Don’t worry abut me.”He pulled her back and looked at her with a concerned frown. “Are you eating well? Where are you staying?”“I’m staying
After confining Lyra in her room for a few days, Nile arrived with news of a royal banquet.“This is your chance to show me whose side you are on,” he told her after presenting her with the gown she was to wear for the occasion. “I have invited Alphas, Lunas, and Elders from all around the kingdom. The banquet is in your honour as the future queen, so I expect you to act the part. Will you have a problem with that?”“No,” she said, eyeing the gown. It was a red gown, embellished with glimmering gems. Alongside it was a beautiful diamond tiara which Lyra recognised as being one of the royal family’s heirlooms.“Good,” he said, holding her chin and lifting her face. “If you help me get through this banquet, you'll have done your job well, and I'll make sure Julian continues getting the best medical care. But if you make a mistake…” He trailed off, moving his hand to her throat and resting it there. “...you'll pay.”“I understand,” she told him. Such a gathering could go very wrong for h
“Approximately five hundred years ago, there was a tyrant Lycan King,” Nile started his narration when Lyra agreed to hear his version of the story. “He oppressed all other packs for the benefit of the royal pack, which amassed wealth and unmatched power at the expense of others. While the royal pack lived in luxury, the rest of the kingdom was barely getting by. The king forced them to send slaves and tributes, stripping the packs of their best talents and driving many werewolves to poverty and near starvation. Nobody was brave enough to stand up to the king, but one day, the Scarlet Alpha said enough was enough.”Lyras frowned, because she had never heard of a Scarlet Alpha or a Scarlet Pack for that matter. “The Scarlet Alpha? From which pack?”“The Scarlet Pack,” Nile replied. “You wouldn't know it. It has long gone extinct, and the royal family saw to it that it was wiped from history. After long enough, most werewolves forgot anything like it ever existed.”“Did the Scarlet Alph
“What's the meaning of this?” Crystal demanded as soon as the shop attendant left the room. “Why would you pay that much for her but refuse to pay mine?”“I invited her to go shopping,” Nile replied coolly, “but I don't remember inviting you. I also did not promise to pay for your stuff at any time.”“What?” Crystal screeched. “I am your partner! How can you treat me like this, especially in front of her? You did not even punish her for attacking me that day and locking me in the secret chamber. Aren't you supposed to be on my side?”“What does that have to do with this?” Nile asked, losing his cool. “I don't have to explain what I do to you.”Crystal scoffed. “So then, you are just going to humiliate me?”“Just because we work together does not mean you are in control of me,” Nile told her. “It's not in your place to tell m