Nora’s pov:With each stroke of water, I let myself sink deeper, trying to steady the racing beat of my heart. Swimming always helped me clear my mind, and today was no different.Alexander had left to meet Orion, and I could not help it when I felt several knots forming in my stomach. The idea of him meeting Orion was just too much for me to handle.All those childhood memories kept flooding back, making me feel overwhelmed.I lifted my head out of the water splashing a bit as I wiped my face. Brian was seated in the recliner, deep in his thoughts.The maid who was offering him some drink now walked to the edge of the pool and placed a small tray that had a lemonade glass in it.“Anything else, ma'am?” She asked me politely and I gave a gentle shake to my head.Leaning my arms on the edge of the pool, I took a few sips of my drink letting the tangy sweetness take over my body and mind.“You know? If something is bothering you, you can share it with me.” I heard Brian's offer and wave
Orion’s POV:When Alexander took Nora's name I was hit by the surprise. I could expect anything from his mouth maybe the demand of a precious diamond or a gemstone or some treasure that must be buried under a forest tree.Seven years back he took everything from me. My family, my crown, and my love.So, the fourth thing expected was some hidden treasure in the forest that belonged to me. I was planning to torture him for it.My initial plan was to laugh at him and then do the same as he did to me. To make fun of his misery and ask him to get lost, never to show his face again.But he wanted nothing. He wanted Rayna, the girl who I found in the worst condition, from the forest. She told me that she escaped from the palace because her palace man was already engaged to a girl.I never had this idea that she was talking about Alexander.She was not lying. She told everything but kept the name of the man to herself.All the puzzle pieces seemed to fall into place, and everything was clear
Orion’s POV:“Or… Orion…” He stumbled again over his words, “Orion… C… can I … I hu… hug you?”Swallowing all his pride, the king was asking for a hug. Without feeling a pang of guilt in me, I shook my head and sneered.Disappointment was written all over his face when he did not try to fight for it and left quietly. Green Palace was not the only thing sent to me, along with it came all the luxuries and servants.My father could not make me the king of the Aradia Kingdom, but he helped me in becoming a rogue king. That day if I knew that I was meeting my father for the last time I would have let him hug me. I would have run to him like a little Orion and jumped on him not caring that he was a king and I needed to follow particular protocol to show my love to him.It was just five days since that meeting when I got the news that he had a heart attack in his sleep and passed away peacefully.I wanted to go and attend his funeral but then the thought of seeing my family and my home made
Rayna’s POV:Lying on my bed, I was thinking about Alexander. I was shocked when Orion told me that he was an Ironheart. There was no resemblance between him and Alexander. There was a stark difference between their personalities. One was ruling on the Aradia kingdom’s hearts while the other was ruling their heads, feeding on their fears. Although Orion saved me from rogue werewolves, I used to feel an evil aura around him. However, the way he hugged me when he came to know that I treated the Queen's foot and Nora's headaches… Last night, he was not himself and I realized that the man was not that bad. Maybe his men were working inside the Royal palace, that's why he must have guessed that Alexander was the one. My mind drifted back to Alexander. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine his scent. I was missing him and didn’t know what he must be doing right now. Was he too busy in his meetings? Was he enjoying his time with Nora because after all they were engaged? Was he missing
Nora’s pov:We were in the garden, having girls' time. As always Stella and Ruby were discussing cute boys, giggling while Mom was rolling her eyes now and then.Yes, she was that friendly with us.She liked hearing about our crushes and sometimes used to share how she had a huge crush on Samuel Ironheart.Liam and Grace were running around. Though a maid was keeping an eye on them, still I liked being close to them.I made it a point to tell them stories every night before going to bed. They might be missing their mom, but we were trying our best to keep them busy.Obviously, none of us could question Alexander’s orders.“They are so cute, my heart goes out to them,” Mom said with a sad smile, shaking her head.As we were enjoying our time together, an announcement suddenly broke that King Alexander was about to enter the gardens.The announcement rippled the playful atmosphere of the garden causing a sudden stir.Stella and Ruby who were at some distance, made their way back to join
Alexander’s POV:I stood inside the palace gates, waiting for Orion to come inside. There was a heavy weight on my chest for the last seven years and it needed to be released.I didn’t know why he was here. I hoped it was something positive about Rayna. Because if she was not alive then I was not ready to live a life where she was not there.Last month had been in pain and uncertainty. Her absence made me realize what she meant to me. Keeping my fingers crossed, I ordered my men to open the heavy gates and welcome the long-gone son of the royal family.“I'm sorry, my king,” I heard Mother’s voice behind me, “But I'm not going to wait for my son, sitting on my ass inside the palace. I want to be here for him.”With a frown, I turned and eyed her in confusion. Then it dawned on me that she was talking about the mind link orders directly sent to everyone.I cupped her cheek gently, “The order was never for you, Mom.” I told her softly, “You were never under me. You are his mom and have t
Nora’s POV:I was looking out of my window, witnessing everything happening there. Orion had gotten a lot taller and a lot more muscular.The gentleness that was a part of his personality was gone and, in its place, stood a rugged man.Hugging the queen, he stayed like this squeezing his eyes. I could see Mom’s shaking shoulders and couldn’t imagine what she must be feeling. After a few moments they at last pulled back with Orion saying something in her ear and she giggled like a girl.I was sure her eyes must be glittering with pride for her son. Everyone must be happy today except me. I thought while feeling this bitterness making its way into my heart.For some reason, I wanted to gag when I saw Alexander getting out of the carriage carrying Rayna in his arms. He was looking at her head with so much love and affection.The face that used to stay rigid for some reason was glowing today. I could see him tightening his grip around her as if … as if he couldn’t afford to lose her again
Rayna’s POV:He was the same man, I left one month back. Nothing had changed except his gaze which had raw desire now. The room was the same where he brought me once, the quarters were the same where he invited me for dinner.He gently placed me on the mattress and started taking off his shirt.“What do you think you are doing Alexander?” I asked moving against the headboard.“Guess yourself,” he didn’t offer much explanation.“I don't know why you want me back when I made it clear that I'm not interested in any relationship with you,” I said gulping my saliva. The words coming out of my mouth didn’t match the ripples of desires I was feeling in the pit of my stomach.I wasn’t able to tear my gaze away from his naked torso.“And why is that?” He asked me, unbuckling his belt, and getting rid of his pants.“Alexander! Please stop. Either do the talking or...” No, I wasn’t interested in talking. My body was screaming silently to let him touch me.“Or what?” I could see mischief dancing
(Two years later)“Your Highness. There is a woman who wants to meet you,” I closed the book, I was reading in my library, and looked at the little bundle of joy sleeping peacefully in my arms.I mind linked the governess to come and get the baby and wait for me here. “Keep her here. No need to come out,” I instructed her after kissing the small forehead and went to the guest area. I knew who my visitor was.That was the reason I passed some special instructions to my servants.When I reached there, I found a red-colored, huge, georgette cloth hanging in the middle. The woman was sitting on the other side of the cloth wrapped in a black shawl hiding more than half of her face.The shawl belonged to only one woman.No servants or maids were accompanying her. She was not wearing any fancy gown but a simple cotton skirt with a mismatched blouse.I took my seat on this side and waited for her to speak. I had somewhat guessed that she would come to meet me one day.“Alexander… I… I’m here
(NOTE:It’s a free chapter for my dearest readers as it was too short to post. Love you all!)Lola’s POV:Sigh! I was back in the cell and was trying to decide if this time I should seduce the guards or the strong man who usually brought meals for me.This time I was chained but there was almost no physical abuse. Orion passed the order of my arrest because someone told him that I attempted to kill Alexander.And why would I do that? I love him!I kept screaming at the top of my lungs that I was innocent and then…Then someone told me that Liam heard me talking to the witch.My own flesh and blood were the ones who spoke against me. When I kept doing all those evil things, nobody could even harm a hair on my body.But this time when I was really innocent, I was thrown into the dungeons. I didn’t say a word after that. Trust me.The person who loves you most can give you the worst pain. In my case, it was Liam. Every bad thing I was doing to others was because of him.I wanted the thro
Zara’s POV:(Trigger warning for physical abuse and rape, but not too graphic)There wasn’t a moment I didn’t miss my friend. As Omegas, all of us always had great respect for her. None of us could tell her that. She was always so strong-headed and knew how to stand and speak up for her rights. Nothing about her was odd. Do you know, why?Because she was the firstborn of the beta of the pack. As powerful and as strong-willed as a beta should be. Her father, her stepmom, his mates, Violet… all of them tried to take away something she deserved.And then didn’t like it when she took a stand for herself and protested. Eric must have realized what a gem he lost.But the shitty-headed man didn’t want to accept it with an open heart. Apparently, a man is someone who knows how to suppress a woman and finds it insulting to apologize for his mistakes.His ego is bigger than his di*ck.That day when Rayna went to take a shower because she was too excited about her upcoming date with King Alexan
Rayna’s POV:“What is my wife thinking!” I gasped and then smiled when his arms wrapped around my waist kissing the nape of my neck.“I was missing my husband,” I leaned back my head to his chest, forgetting all my worries knowing full well he was there to take care of everything.I trusted him and was sure he would be a great father to our child.“How is our son doing?” his hand slid under my top and I laughed hard when it settled on my bo*ob. “The baby doesn’t reside here, mister,” I gestured using my eyes towards his hand that was under my clothes. “Umm hmm. I know. His food is. I was just checking if there is enough to fill his tummy,” I felt his nose getting in my hair. “Ahan! His food or your food?”“Both!” he chuckled when felt my shoulders shaking with mirth.“You keep saying his, him, he… what if it’s a daughter?”“Lycans of royal lineage usually have sons as their firstborn,” he informed me huskily, “And we don’t prefer ultrasounds too unless it’s an emergency.”In werew
Rayna’s POV:My eyes fluttered and I felt like I was waking up from a deep sleep. With a frown, I opened my eyes and found Alexander’s face leaning on me.“Welcome back!” I felt his lips on my forehead. “Alexander!” I raised my hand to trail my fingers on his face, “Y…you … you are alive!” He turned his face to kiss my palm, “Very much. Just get well soon, so that I can punish you for what you did,” He murmured and kissed my cheek.“Punish?” my hand quickly flew to my belly when saw tears in his eyes.“He is safe, sunshine. Don’t worry. He is my son and he made it.”His image blurred when my eyes well up with tears, and he started wiping my face, “Whatever you did was quite risky, Rayna.”“I was fighting the Moon Goddess, Alex. What’s the use of these hands and the healing power when I can’t bring you back.”He leaned his cheek against my face, and I felt his tears falling on my face, “If I tell you,” He spoke, “that I’m done with taking care of this kingdom and no more want this th
Orion’s POV:“The baby is safe,” the moment the doctor announced it, a loud cheer erupted in the hospital corridor. Till a few minutes back, everyone was concerned for Rayna and the baby’s health but now all of us were beaming with joy.“Orion,” I heard Nora behind me, “Why is Mom not coming to visit Alexander? Don’t you think she is behaving a lot weirdly, lately?”The same question kept disturbing me for the past few days. Why was Mom not paying him any visit? She always took him as her son to the point that I felt jealous. And now when I had made peace with it, she had started acting strange.My security department had arrested several people from the palace, but our investigation faced a dead end.According to the guards who were on duty, only Mom was the one who visited Alexander so that meant only one thing.Whoever this murderer was, didn’t use the main entrance.Nobody forced Mom to see Alexander in the hospital because with age she wasn’t handling a few things quite well.We
Rayna’s POV:Right after the surgery, I was taken inside where his lifeless body was lying on the bed. His chest was wrapped in bandages, and he was kept alive by all those beeping machines.I raised my hands and there was no itching or any hue there.“What’s the matter?” I whispered to myself.“Ma’am,” a nurse spoke to me, “if you need anything then please press this button,” when she left the room, I sat on the edge of his bed instead of taking the nearby seat.“I don’t need any switches. I want nothing but you,” I said to him, without knowing if he could hear me or not.“I don’t have anyone in this world. My mother died. Father never thought of me as his own. My best friend broke up with me yesterday…” I held his hand gently, “Lola was a nutcase. Liam and Grace do love me, but they are too little to understand me. All I have got is you… and this little life growing inside me.”I slowly laid his hand on my belly, “Here. Your child, Alexander. Our child. Just when it was time to spoi
Orion's POV:We all were gathered in the grand hall of the palace that was reserved strictly for Royal ceremonies. While standing on the stage, the incidents that happened seven years ago, kept playing in my mind like a movie.Just like that day, my family was seated in the front row, their eyes devoid of any happiness. Nora, Stella, and Ruby were observing the ceremony solemnly but there was no excitement in those eyes that was there seven years back.Yet, my mom was the same. She had pride when she saw me all ready to take the oath to become the king of the Aradia Kingdom. She was wiping her tears, and I was aware of her mental state.She must be disturbed by Alexander’s condition but had to put up the face for people’s sake because apparently a queen is supposed to stay composed in public.The most senior cleric brought the Holy book and raised it on both hands, with his head bowed in respect.I placed my right hand on the book and repeated the words said by the him,“I, Orion Iron
Rayna’s POV:Most of my packing was done, however my basic stuff was yet to be placed in the bag. Beta Brian must be crazy to wake me up at this ungodly hour. The poor guy seemed to have multiple personality disorder.After brushing my teeth, and washing my face, I placed my leftover stuff in the bag and knocked my door loudly from inside.It was a sign to the one waiting outside that I was done. It was a way for royals to tell their servants that they were needed inside.When Brian came inside, I was busy suppressing the loud yawn. I had to squeeze my eyes several times to get rid of my sleepy head.“Can we get coffee? I’m too sleepy to walk…” This time I couldn’t control the yawn and quickly covered my mouth with my hand.“You can sleep in the car,” He muttered and then didn’t wait for my answer and left the room with my bag.“What’s the rush by the way?” I tried to catch up with his long strides, “No breakfast. No coffee. Alexander might not like it.” I said with a pout causing hi