Twelve years after the death of her best friend and also future alpha of Eclipse pack, Tiana Aldridge finds herself mated to his twin brother, Jordan Walker, but he doesn’t want her. Her pack hates her and everyone blames her for the death that happened twelve years ago. She grows up an outcast and Jordan wastes no time rejecting her, all her hopes of ever finding happiness come crashing. Tiana only has one wish; an opportunity to leave Eclipse pack for good. The former Alpha King passes on, and her alpha gladly gives her out in tribute to the king. What he doesn’t know is karma is coming back in the deadliest way he least expects. ** As the first Alpha Prince and also next in line to be king, Ryder Cadwalder is used to getting what he wants. He is surly, overly possessive, and outrightly arrogant. Past experience with his ex-mate taught him to have little trust for the opposite sex and when he finds out he has a second chance mate, he takes no chances with her. His past still haunts him, but he must find a way to move on from it. Fate takes him to Eclipse pack, and as the Alpha prince tries to solve the riddle that has hunted the werewolf kingdom for years, secrets are being unraveled and truths unfolded. What happens when Eclipse pack is at the mercy of the alpha prince’s mate? Would Tiana forgive? Or would she have her revenge on those that caused her pain all her life?
ดูเพิ่มเติมI can hear everything from where I stand; the insults, the snide comments, the accusations, the backlash, the loathe in their voices, everyone hates me. In their minds, I’m a bad omen, the one they should avoid at all cost.
I blink back the tears that were already forming in my eyes. I should be used to this by now. It’s been twelve years of constant torture, twelve years since I’ve been reduced from the gamma’s daughter to the smelly pack maid that I am now, twelve years since the worse night of my life, but the memory is still freshly inscribed in my head, it still feels surreal to me.
“She’s so pathetic,” I hear a familiar female voice say.
“I wonder how she’s still able to live with herself,” another one added.
“That’s why she would never have a wolf. She doesn’t deserve one,” another voice.
I could either stand here and listen to all their gossips or just walk past and pretend like I didn’t hear them. I chose the latter, that’s what I do every time. I have to pretend like their words don’t get to me but it cuts through my skin each time.
As I walk past, the girls turn to stare at me, their eyes following my every step but I pretend not to see them and just go about my business. I picked up my books from my locker and turn to leave, all the while I could feel their eyes on my back.
“Looser, ” Bella says loud enough for me to hear. Bella is my biggest nightmare, she’s the beta’s daughter in my pack and also one of the hottest girls in my school. She’s tall, with blonde hair and the fairest skin. Her nails are always neatly done and she walks like she owns the whole school.
Again, I ignore her and just storm out, walking as fast as I can to avoid hearing any other thing they have to say. I have to be back at the pack to finish up with the work I started this morning. I’m going to be screwed if Miss Anna finds out I haven’t pressed all of the clothes she asked me to. Miss Anna is in charge of the daily cleaning of the pack, she’s also a pain in the ass.
“Hey Tee, ” I know that’s Layla, the only friend I have in the whole world but I ignore her and continue walking fast. I’m in a pretty bad mood. “Tiana!” she says loudly this time and I halt in my tracks. She catches up with me almost immediately.
“Are you alright?” she looks at me with concern in her eyes. I wonder why Layla is even friends with me. She’s the only one that sees me, she’s the only one that still treats me like a person, she’s one of the few that doesn’t blame me for what happened twelve years ago.
“I’m fine, Layla, ” I say dryly.
“No you’re not. You are letting them get to you again, ” She walks beside me. It’s almost an hour on foot from the school to my pack but I’m used to walking the distance and in fact, I enjoy it. It’s during this time that I get to be alone with my thoughts, except the days Layla chooses to walk with me, which is almost every day anyway.
“It’s hard not to, ” I murmured.
Layla sighs loudly “It wasn’t your fault, ” she reminds me for the thousandth time. I don’t need any reminder though, I’ve taken the blame already, and I’m learning to live with the guilt, but it’s too much. It’s all too much for me and I miss him.
Oh, sweet Jayce, he would have defended me if he were here. We were just kids, but we had been inseparable. He was two years older than me but you would think he was at least ten years older. At that young age, he would get into little fights because of me, even with his twin brother Jordan. Jayce would have been the alpha if what happened didn’t happen, if only we had not wandered that far, if only…
“Tee!” Layla shook me again, bringing me back to the present “You’re drifting off again. This isn’t good for you, ” she says.
I blinked severally, then looked away “We should never have gone that far, and I could have saved him..”
“You were barely six years old. What could you have done? Stop blaming yourself, ” Layla gives me her usual speech but I’ve been blamed for the past twelve years that I now consider myself a killer.
Myself, Jayce, and Jordan had gone too far into the woods that day. It wouldn’t be the first time we would be playing in the woods but on this particular day, It had rained heavily and the grounds were slippery. My dad usually leaves me with the luna when he goes on his duties. I never knew my mom, she left a few months after birthing me and it had just been me and my dad.
Jordan was very reluctant to go, which is unlike him, he’s always the first to suggest we go out to play. We knew our parents would frown against it so we made it our secret playground. We were running about, chasing little birds and just having our little fun when thunder struck and the rains threatened to fall.
Jordan all but ran and left us there. I wanted so badly to play in the rain, I was having so much fun, so I didn’t listen when Jordan says we should go, and Jayce decides to stay with me but we were going too far in the woods, and out of nowhere, we were attacked. It wasn’t the first time we would be venturing into the woods alone, but I started to feel some kind of way.
“Jayce we need to go back,” I told him severally but he wouldn’t listen.
“Common Tee, Don’t spoil the fun,” he laughed. That sound still echoes in my head sometimes. That was when I saw the rogues, two of them, standing just behind him. I screamed, but the heaven’s opened up in that instant.
I watched in horror as the rogues devoured him, too dazed to move. I just kept crying, and screaming. I couldn’t do anything to save him, and I still remember his last words.
“Run Tiana, Run,”
But I didn’t run. They finished up with him but didn’t come for me. They went about, howling and running around the woods as if they were looking for something or someone maybe? But they didn’t harm me.
“Tiana!” Layla snapped her fingers in my face and I cleaned the lone tear that had dropped from my eyelids. It was that event that turned me into the outcast that I am now. My dad left too, and Jordan despises me. My life has been a mess ever since. I’m treated like dirt.
“I’m sorry, ” I quickly apologize. Layla is always trying to cheer me up but I make it hard for her “It’s just one of those days, ” I shrug and try to change the topic “How is Logan? I haven’t seen him around of late,”
Logan is Layla’s boyfriend. They have been having lots of disagreements lately and personally, I don’t like him much. He’s the beta’s son from a neighboring pack and he’s a proud arrogant bastard. He also tried to hit on me once, but Layla is not aware of this. I can’t tell her because she’s so smitten by him.
“He has refused to speak to me for three days straight, ” she frowns.
I raise an eyebrow at her “What? Why?”
She shrugged “You know how he is. He’s so damn proud. He wouldn’t apologize for something he said and I don’t want to be the first to reach out to him. I miss him so much though, ” she sighs and I resist the urge to shake my head.
“You know I don’t like that boy one bit. You deserve better, ” I drawled.
“I’m just so used to him, and you never tell me what it is about him that irks you so much, ” she raised a brow.
“He just doesn’t deserve you, and hopefully when you find your mate, you would realize how much of an asshole he is, ” I try to keep the scorn out of my voice.
“Aha! Talk of mates. You are turning eighteen tomorrow. I’m sure things would change when you find your mate at least, ” she says with a giggle.
I scowl at her. “I hate birthdays, ” I say distastefully. And I’m not looking forward to finding a mate either, the thought scares me.
“I know, but tomorrow is special because you’re turning eighteen and finally going to find your mate, ” she sticks her tongue out and I scowl at her again. It only makes her laugh even more “Come on, it’s not such a bad thing. That’s one more person to love you, and make you see just how precious and valuable you are,”
I don’t think any man would ever love me or want me, but I didn’t voice my fears to Layla, instead, I force a fake smile.
We had just given the closing remarks when I finally caught a glimpse of Layla. She waved at me from behind the crowd, a wide smile on her face. I’d have been mad if I wasn’t surprised at how broadly she smiled and waved at me. It was hard pulling away from Ryder to go to her when my hands were trapped between his.When he finally let go, Layla was walking up to me same time as I was walking to her. A closer view revealed her flushed cheeks and bright eyes.“Someone looks overly excited. Where have you been?” I smiled as she pulled me into a tight embrace.“First, I’m sorry I haven’t been beside you,” She says with a little giggle, I doubted if she was really sorry.“And you are supposed to be my best friend,” I pouted childishly which made her laugh more.“I know, but I couldn’t help it,” she giggled “You look absolutely amazing by the way. I’ve never seen a
We recited our oaths before going into the ritual proper, and then the mating process had to come before the crowning ceremony. It was a rigorous exercise with Ryder taking his oath first, and then I followed suit.The king slits his left palm with a royal dagger, and Ryder does the same. Then they shook hands and the crowd bared their necks while the exchange of power was ongoing, with the kinsmen reading out the vows for Ryder to repeat.Once that was done, he had to go on his knees to receive the crown from his father. I knelt with him as his father proceeded to crown me with his mother’s crown once he was done with Ryder. I repeated my vows too and swore my loyalty to my people and to Ryder, to rule alongside him and put the welfare of my subjects first.Then it was time for the mating proper. My wolf was giddy with excitement, she had waited for this a long time. To be joined with her mate forever as one. It was midnight already and the moon was at hi
I smiled at the girl in the mirror and she smiled back. Tears glistened my eyes, but I had to hold it in, or else Elsie would go ballistic on me. ‘Don’t you dare ruin your make up’ she’d warned countless times. I laughed childishly as her eyes pried into mine through the mirror, the warning very evident in them. I can’t believe this is happening. I am just a few minutes away from being crowned the werewolf queen. Clad in the royal attire, and adorned with the most expensive jewelries, I looked nothing short of a Queen. Nora, Sadie, Rose and Layla had just exited the room to join the crowd outside. “You look absolutely stunning,” Elsie wiped her own tear before it dropped. “You know how much this means to Ryder,” she sniffed. “It means everything to him,” I nodded my head. I didn’t doubt Ryder wanted this as much as I did, or even more. “My mother’s crown has been laying around for years since her demise. It was her dying wish
The following days passed in a blur. There seemed to be too much to do under very little time, and I would not have been able to hold it off, if not for Elsie’s help. I didn’t know the first thing about organizing anything, and I wanted this to be perfect. I can’t afford any lapses.Ryder was enveloped in a pile of work himself, and we had little time with each other. Many nights, he didn’t return to bed and had to work through the night. He wouldn’t allow me to assist knowing I was pretty exhausted myself, but I fell asleep very frequently in his office and woke up in his room.The royal suite had been cleared out in the main castle for us while his father moved to the building behind that had been created for the purpose of his retirement. Our things had been cleared out and arranged in the royal suite and it would be our last night here. Louis will be moving in here once we moved out, and I knew I would miss this place so much.T
Right now, I’m super exhausted and I just want to crawl into bed and sleep, even though the evening is still young. I and Elsie have been on a shopping spree all day, trying to put a few things in place in preparation for the mating ceremony. There is a whole lot to be done before that day and I only just realized we have little time. Elsie had too much energy for one person, and if I hadn’t insisted that we continue tomorrow, we would have still been out by now.The regained my strength the minute I stepped into Ryder’s house and noticed he was home. He’d called earlier, but we hadn’t talked much. I climbed up the stair to the room with speed. Our bodies and minds were connected. I knew he could feel my presence the minute I walked into the building, just like I felt his.He was just stepping out of the shower when I walked in, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, and I drooled over his body. Tearing my eyes from his chest and biceps
We returned back to the royal palace that same day and by the following day, things were being put in place to shut down Eclipse pack. I didn’t stay back to see it though, my job there was done, and I was back to the royal palace. Many members of Eclipse pack will not like me, because they wouldn’t understand this was in their best interest, but I was used to them not liking me, I lived with that all my life, only difference now is that I have upper hand. I hurried to meet Elsie who had been waiting for me downstairs for a while. As usual, I had woken up to find Ryder’s side of the bed empty, and the disappointment that followed was totally beyond my control. I had to remind myself that the fact that he had marked me now didn’t mean that he would have lesser responsibilities, and he only just informed me about his father’s decision to retire in less than two weeks, so there is a lot that needed to be done before the handover ceremony. To my surprise, Louis was beside
It’s a long ride from the royal palace to Eclipse pack and I would have dreaded the journey if not for the presence of my mate besides me. The last time I had to travel this long was when I left the royal palace to hide from Ryder, a very foolish decision as I have now noticed. I could never do without him, and I don’t even want to try.We pulled into the pack gates and looking round, a lot has changed from when I was here. The warriors on guard saluted and stood in position as we entered. From behind the tinted side glasses of the vehicle, I can see mothers carrying their young pups and hurriedly running to shelter, for fear of the Alpha Prince.The pack has been under the governance of the royals for the last few days, and a lot of things have changed since I remember. The atmosphere around the pack was unusually gloomy, and even the warriors wore sad faces. The walls of the packhouse look duller than I can remember and the trees and plants that decorated
Dungeons are really scary. We had a small dungeon in Eclipse pack where I spent a couple of nights in the past. I remember Alpha Simeon had me locked there for two weeks straight one time he said I had disrespected his Luna. It was the longest time I stayed in a dungeon at a stretch and it was a horrific experience. I think I was about thirteen then.I swallowed as one of the guards led us to the cell where Jordan was. Ryder’s hands were positioned at the small of my back, and apparently, he didn’t like the idea. I could feel his emotions and I know he can feel how uncomfortable I am here.I have never seen a dungeon so large before. It rested many feet underground with several cells lined up opposite each other. I couldn’t walk the lengths of the cell, because it was separated into several sections. Some cells were smaller than some and the crime committed would determine the cell one gets. I know this all too well from my own experience.I co
TIANA’S POVFor obvious reasons, I felt relieved when I heard about the news of Simeon’s death. I know my mate would have wanted a more severe punishment for him, but I could care less. I was more than happy that the case would finally be closed and that my mate can have a little rest and move on to other things.My father had to go back to get himself ready to move here fully, and he said he would be here in a couple of days. I am glad that he would be around me from now on and that we would finally be able to be part of each other’s life. Meeting Ryder was the best thing that happened to me, and I don’t want to envision a life without him.I want to be more involved in the work going on around here, and most importantly I want to go back to training, although Ryder is not hearing any of it. It is late in the night already and we were laying on the field by the lake side, gazing at the star
Royally Desired is a werewolf novel by Cassandra K. with a rating score of 9.7 about a werewolf and his second chance mate. After the death of the Eclipse pack's future alpha, Tiana is mated to Jordan, his twin brother, who doesn't want her. But after a former Alpha King's death, her alpha gives Tiana out in tribute to the king. She becomes the second chance mate of Ryder Cadwalder, the current Alpha Prince, and the future king. But what happens when the Eclipse pack finds itself at Tiana's mercy? Read the novel to find out.
ความคิดเห็น