Lyra yelled as she fell through the air before landing onto hard ground. Pain shot from her bottom to her back, causing her to wince. Shortly after she crashed to the ground, commotion rose around her, with the sound of scampering reaching her ears.Forgetting her pain, she quickly reached for her gun and looked around. She was in a chamber of some kind–an underground room. But, despite the commotion, there was no one inside the room.Frowning, she got to her feet and looked upwards. Above her head, there was a wooden trap door covering the hole she had fallen through. Swallowing, she stepped farther into the room. Even though she could see no one, there were many scents in the air, and many different sounds–whispering, breathing–reached her ears.“Who’s there?” she called out, holding her gun ready.There was no answer for a few moments. Slowly, Lyra made her way towards a passage leading away from the chamber. Finally, someone answered.“Who are you?” It was a masculine voice, and s
Lyra felt as if her body was on autopilot as she faced the wolves. They surrounded her, their fangs exposed and their growls rumbling through the air.All things considered, she looked like dead meat. There were four of them and then there was her, armed with a pair of daggers. A few months ago, she would not have survived this. Regardless, she would have fought with everything she had.Now, she had the advantage of having unlocked her abilities and receiving hours of training from the best instructors in the kingdom. She had never imagined that she would find herself in such a battle all alone without backup, but there was no turning back.Remembering how her mental powers had helped her in her fight against Beryl, she used them to try and control the wolves. To her relief, they worked fine. Using them, she manipulated the wolves’ movements, allowing her to evade most of their attacks. But, while this worked, she quickly got tired, which affected her ability to calculate her actions.
The day after the engagement ceremony, Julian held a meeting with Alphas from packs around the kingdom to discuss the issue of the corrupted wolves.He had kept the matter confidential until then while he tried to gauge the extent of the problem. While there had been no incident reported in any of the packs, his investigations showed that there was a huge presence of the corrupted wolves, and it would only be a matter of time before they became a menace to the kingdom.To make sure it did not get to that, he had to alert all Alphas of the looming danger and create strategies to flush out the corrupted wolves and deal with them before they became a public menace.“This is surprising news,” Alpha Black said after Julian was done with his briefing. “I don’t think any of us have had any sightings of tainted wolves in our territories. Your Majesty, is there a possibility you received the wrong information?”Julian pinned the other male with a steely gaze. “Are you suggesting that I would c
Voices filled with agony and pain filled Lyra’s mind. Even after all these years, she recognised them like she had heard them yesterday.The memories from when her pack was afflicted by the mysterious disease played in her brain like a reel, reminding her of the worst parts of the ordeal. Parents had been forced to watch their children suffer and vice versa, with no one being able to help the other.People had died in the arms of their loved ones, all hope gone after it became clear that there was nothing anyone could do to stop the ravenous disease from claiming lives. At some point, it had become apparent that the Blue Night Pack had been targeted by witches.The images in her mind moved on to Devon and Allison. She heard the insults he threw her way after finding out she was wolfless, and she felt the hits he landed on her every time he beat her. Images of the two in bed together mocking her flashed through her mind, reminding her of memories she had forcibly hidden in the dark rec
“A witch,” Julian replied. “She is behind all of this.”Lyra looked back at the girl. She looked young and harmless. Was she the owner of the laughter she had heard earlier? But she also realised that the witch had been there all along, watching the two of them make love. She looked away in embarrassment.Julian peered down at her face and held her by the chin. “Are you okay?”About just giving some stranger a free show? Yeah, totally. She nodded. There was no use feeling self-conscious. Witches always knew things they had no business knowing.“I’ll bring her back to the palace, and I’ll find out who is behind this,” Julian told her. “I’ll make her pay for putting you in danger.”Lyra wondered why the young witch wanted to harm her. Did this have anything to do with whoever gave her the false orders, or was it a coincidence?When they brought the witch back to the palace, she revealed that her name was Anna. She claimed to have been a werewolf who was captured by witches.“A werewolf?
When Julian got back to check on Lyra, he found her sleeping. She looked peaceful, but when Beryl told him about her condition, he was filled with rage.“It will be hard on her at times, but she’ll recover,” Beryl told him reassuringly. “I’ll make sure that she won’t be in danger.”Julian nodded. “I know you will. Thank you.” Blowing air through his mouth, he paced the room. “Whoever is behind this will pay.”“I don’t understand why anyone would go to such a length to harm her,” Beryl said, looking at Lyra with a soft look. “She is the kindest person I’ve met in this place.”“Whoever they are, this will be the last time they try it,” Julian said. “Let me see who tries to touch her after this.”When he left, he asked for the captain of the king’s guard to find out who had passed on the false information to Lyra. It did not take long before the servant responsible was on his knees in front of Juian.“Why did you give false information to her?” Julian questioned.The servant looked at hi
While Lyra recovered, Beryl remained at the palace to take care of her. Like she had predicted, the tainted wolves’ DNA caused a lot of havoc in Lyra’s system.The first few days were hard for Lyra as she battled everything from a high fever to bodily aches and shivers. She also slept restlessly the first few nights, muttering in her sleep and having constant night terrors.Julian came to see Lyra every day, sometimes twice in a day, without fail. Beryl had never seen her cousin so concerned about anyone before.When he left after one of his visits after Lyra’s condition had improved a bit, Beryl finally decided to ask Lyra about their relationship. She thought there was something between them, but there was something in the way they interacted that suggested everything was not all rosy.Also, there was the fact that Julian was now engaged to Crystal, so Beryl wondered whether she had misread everything from the beginning. Julian was showing that he had a gentlemanly side to him, so w
When he stepped into view, they saw that it was Asher. His eyes met Beryl’s across the distance. Beryl’s pulse skyrocketed, her heart beating so hard she was afraid it might break through her ribcage.She was no longer aware of anything else around her as her eyes remained glued to the male on the other side of the garden.Her mate.On the other side, Asher stood glued to the spot, his eyes glued to the female on the other side. He had never thought that he would meet his mate this way–right here in the palace! While he was frozen in place, his wolf was restless, wanting to go to her.“Wow,” Lyra said, looking at Beryl. “Is Asher really your mate?”Beryl nodded, feeling her mouth go dry.“I can’t believe you have never met him before,” Lyra said. “He is Julian’s Beta!”“I know,” Beryl muttered breathlessly.Taking in her expression, Lyra couldn’t help but chuckle. “Is any of you going to do or say anything, or will you both be standing here just looking at each other until the sun set
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
Lyra sighed for the umpteenth time as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She reached for the hem of her skirt and tugged, but it had reached its full length, somewhere several inches above the middle of her thighs.She huffed in annoyance at the ridiculousness of the situation. Nile had come out of nowhere and announced that they were going shopping and took the liberty of choosing Lyra's outfit.He had chosen an extremely short skirt paired with a soft cashmere sweater. The outfit might have been perfect for a night out, but why on earth would she wear like this to go shopping? Forget a night out, the skirt was way too short for her liking, she felt like she would be flashing her bottom with every step she took.He had refused her attempts to choose a different outfit, so she was stuck with this. Slipping her feet into a pair of stilettos–yet another poor choice for the occasion–she left her room and went downstairs.She found Nile a
When Julian woke up, he found himself in a sterile room with white walls. It was filled with the stench of disinfectant and medicine.When he tried moving his body, he realised that his limbs were strapped to the bed, restricting his movements. He turned his head to look around, but the room was empty. He lifted his head to check his wound. His torso was wrapped with bandages, so he could not see anything.He lay back and tried to recall what had happened. The last thing he remembered was being in the dungeon with Nile and Lyra. When he recalled the deal Lyra had made with Nile, he shut his eyes in regret.A sudden sound made him open his eyes just in time to see someone walk into the room. Julian was surprised to see that it was the royal healer, Spencer.“You are finally awake,” Spencer said, moving to the bedside table and placing a metallic tray carrying various medical items there. “How are you feeling?”“Spencer?” Julian called his name in disbelief. “Do you know who you are wor