Ella’s POVThe goddess was surely smiling down at me that night. After managing to convince Aunt Emily to stay with me, Willow angrily left the cabin and when the nurse did arrive, she didn’t come alone.She came with Esther.My eyes lit up from my position on the makeshift bed, Aunt Emily had created for me to lie down on so she could begin cleaning the blood that was starting to clot on my back.“What exactly happened?” the nurse said as she came to kneel by the bundle of bedsheets I was lying on. She dropped a very large back beside her and then started pulling out her instruments.“I don’t even know how to explain but… it was an accident with her dress. The bleeding has mostly stopped…” Aunt Emily was saying but I was no longer paying attention to the conversation.I was busy staring at Esther and wishing I could speak to her in my mind. She was also looking in my direction but to prevent any suspicion, she tried her best to appear as if she was focused on the ongoing conversation
Michael’s POV“Man, you are crazy… how did you manage to convince the old fool to move the mating date?” Jason —my best friend, asked bursting into laughter.We were sprawled on my bed over a couple of bottles of wine to celebrate my reign. His question birthed a smirk on my face and I snouted.“Have you forgotten how I became the captain and not his stupid brother?” I asked him with a bottle already heading to my lips.Jason turned to look at me and as our eyes met, we burst into laughter together. This was our night to enjoy the major milestone I was about to cross over. The Crystal Pack royal family had taken everything from me, with their rose-coated scents and proudly held shoulders, I was going to destroy all of it.“By the time I am done dealing with them, the entire realm is going to know that nobody messes with Michael and gets away with it…” I growled.Jason raised his brows and his eyes narrowed as he stared at me. “Remind me never to cross you… geez, man… you sound like th
Michael’s POVFor the first time in a long time, I woke up with a smile on my face. It wasn’t because of the hot and satisfying sex I had with Selena but because of what the new day meant for me.I was going to get mated with Ella, the one whom Andrew was drawn to, the most. This also meant that if I played my cards right, I could get the throne handed over to me on a platter of gold.…and if I was impatient, I could easily get them all killed, and the throne would still be mine since I would be the only male relative left alive…“Why are you smiling?” Selena cooed by my side.My brain had canceled her presence from my head, and it was only when she spoke that I remembered that she had spent the night in my room. I turned to look at her and grinned, already enjoying the look of shock on her face when she realized that she had been playing with the devil.“You couldn’t get enough of me physically, and you resulted in dreaming of me, didn’t you?” she whispered tracing her manicured figu
Michael’s POVDavid was not in the room, so it was clear that he had gone to bring his daughter… my key to winning this battle.Selena and Willow had obviously decided to opt out of the ceremony. There was no sign of them in the hall, which was better because, if they were here, I was going to be constantly watchful to be sure, they weren’t going to start something crazy that could jeopardize my plan.I let out a sigh of relief and focused on the event unfolding. This was my moment and I decided to soak it all in. No one was going to be able to reverse this when it was over, and Andrew would curse the day he had approved of this union without thinking back to what he had done to my father.I adjusted my suit one more time as my shoulders rose with anticipation. My shoes tapped impatiently on the tiled floor as we all waited for Ella to arrive. She was starting to take a lot of time and anxiety grew within me.What if she changed her mind once again? I thought but quickly shook my head
Ella’s POVMy heart was beating so fast I feared it would jump out of my chest. My hands were shaking as I got to the bathroom. David had been o cranky I was almost certain that he would make Aunt Emily go into the bathroom with me.But thankfully, that didn’t happen.I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, taking a few seconds to remember Esther’s instructions. The easy part was getting to the bathroom and now I had to find a way to get through the window.My eyes flashed open, and they fixed on the window up ahead. It was a little higher than a height I would have comfortably preferred, but my life and my baby’s life were on the line, comfort wasn’t something I should be searching for.Quickly, I went over the marble top where the sink was and I stretched over to the window, it was already opened from the outside. All I had to do was to detach it from the frame.Ever so slowly, to prevent noise, I held the already detached frame and gently placed it on the sink. Then I finished the
Ella’s POVThe old vehicle continued shaking as it moved along the path, and I could no longer tell if it was just the vehicle or maybe the road was bad too. The constant rough movements increased my nerves and I had to constantly touch my chest to be sure my heart was still in place.Esther was impossibly calm still. I couldn’t see her face in the dimmed light of the booth, but I could make out her still frame and I was almost certain that she was sleeping. I tried closing my eyes too hoping to take my mind off the dangerous journey were undertaking but it only increased the panic within me.It only made matters worse as my senses started picking up on the condition of the space, we were in. It was so small that it was barely enough for me to stretch and then I had to share it with Esther. There was barely any light except on occasions when the vehicle jumped on a rocky path, then the booth flip would open slightly before closing back with a loud groan.Where I sat was moist and I di
Ella’s POVMy legs froze as I recognized the driver of the vehicle that could either be my saving grace or my doom.Patrick was Ryker’s right-hand man; going into the car with him would only mean one thing -he was going to take me back to the very place I had originally run from.“There is no time to think this through Ella, let's go!” Esther called, pulling me along with her.In the next seconds that followed, we were seated in the car and Patrick was driving us as far away from the forest as possible.“Let’s see how fast you can run, fool!” Esther called behind us. The guards that had been after us were left at such a distance that even coming after us was already a failure on their part.We had escaped Michael and the Crystal Pack problems, but where would Patrick lead us, if not more problems?The ride was quiet as we all focused on the road ahead. Patrick had his full attention on the steering wheel of the vehicle while Esther occasionally checked behind us to be certain that we
Ella’s POVAfter giving me the condition, Patrick left the room, leaving me with Esther.I was quiet and my silence was due to a lot of things. First what Patrick had said left me clueless. If I decided to leave, it would mean that I would depend a hundred percent on Esther. Because she would have to take me somewhere that she knew a place where I could take care of my baby without fear of being found, by Willow, Selena, Ryker, or even Michael. But how could I put such responsibility on her when I didn’t even trust her enough? “So,” Esther spoke up, breaking the silence between us. I raised my head and looked at her. “What are we going to do now?” she asked, and my heart cracked with shame.After what I had said to her, she still wanted to stay by my side. My heart felt bitter, and I couldn’t look her in the eye anymore.“Esther, before we go into that… there is something I want to say…” I whispered.From the corner of my eyes, I saw her get up from the couch she had been occupyin
Ella’s POVThe long wait was finally over. Esther was out of danger.“Words cannot express how grateful I am that you fought so hard for me,” she whispered with my hands held tightly in hers.Her sister, Freya, was sitting by her side while Anna and Selena stood behind us. We were all excited about the outcome of her treatment and more than anything, it assured me that my father’s treatment was also going to be successful. After all, it all followed the same pattern, all that was left was for me to convince Selena so that I could hand everything to her. Then they could use my blood.“I couldn’t have been alive today,” she added, pulling me out of my thoughts.“You are welcome, Esther. You know I love you and I will do anything to keep you safe,” I whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead. Then I started walking away, I aimed to reach Selena and pull her away for a quick conversation on the matter. The earlier she accepted to take the crown, the better it was going to be.But Esther’
Ella’s POVDavid didn’t make it.His death wasn’t something that directly affected me but the pain in Selena’s eyes made me sad. She had truly been reformed. She saw the world in a different light, and her biggest wish, had been for her father to see this light too but now it was too late for him.After the burial ceremony was completed, I sat by her side, hoping to comfort her as much as possible. Aside from my father, who was still on the sick bed, she was the only family I had left. I couldn’t leave her.We stayed this way, letting Ryker and Anna take care of the rest of the affairs.I didn’t even want to begin thinking about Esther. Aunt Emily had refused to give out the antidote till her death, but Esther was still fighting. I told Myles to find any of her family members, maybe if we could drain her blood too, she might stand a chance.And as for my father, I was planning something, but it wasn’t the right time to speak of it yet.“You should go save him,” Selena mumbled, and my
Ryker’s POV“I will come back for you! You think this is the end, you are wrong!” Emily yelled as they dragged her out of the throne room to the chamber where she would be killed.Her voice continued to resonate, even while they exited the room, but my attention had returned to Ella. I was so proud of her and how much she had grown.When she called for this meeting, I thought she was going to let her emotions mess with her again, but she didn’t. She acted like a true leader and made the right choices.My eyes remained on her as she held on to a crying Selena while Michael was escorted out of the palace. The plan was to go after the men who must have been done prepping Emily for her final sentencing. Dealing with a criminal like her, one could never be so sure that she could find a way to survive.But as we all made our way to the door, David started coughing painfully loud. Selena broke away from Ella’s hold and ran to his side in panic.“Someone, get the healers and doctors,” Ella al
Ella’s POVAs the words left my mouth, I turned around and began heading out. I finally understood everything and there was no time to waste anymore.“Stupid girl! I will still get you!” Aunt Emily screamed in her cell, but I didn’t bother sparing her even a single glance as I walked out.It was clear that she had been the mastermind all along and for the first time, I saw what Ryker was trying to say. They weren’t all killers. Some of them were accomplices at some point, but mostly they were all being manipulated all along. Now I understood why she had truly tolerated Selena’s bad attitude those times, it was because she wanted everyone to hate Selena, so that when the time came for her to be exposed, no one would stand by her, and Aunt Emily would ultimately get the throne. But I came and she had to come up with another plan.But all of that was over now. I was going to put everyone in their respective places.My hands fisted as I continued to march in the direction of the throne r
Michael’s POV“Mother, why did you try such a silly move? and much more in front of everyone! What were you thinking?” I growled in my cell.We were all bundled into the dungeon like common criminals. My cell was joined to the right side with my mother’s while Selena and David were in a single cell at my left. But I wasn’t interested in them but my mother. She sat calmly in her cell, hugging herself while I was losing my mind.She had just ruined every chance we had.“I mean, even if there was any chance that we could get back that throne, you just destroyed it by showing everyone that you are a murderer! Why would you attempt to kill her in front of everyone?”“Shut up!” she yelled, turning her reddened eyes to me for the first time since we had been thrown in here. “I have heard enough of your rants! If you weren’t so useless, we would be in this situation in the first place. You fool!”My heart thinned as if life was being sucked out of me. “Mother!” Her tone was not something I th
Ella’s POVMy eyes moved to my hands and then back to the healer. “I have more than enough blood. What is the problem now?”The man turned pale and dropped his head to the ground. My eyes narrowed, as confusion and irritation merged into me creating an emotion I couldn’t even define.Seconds passed and the man still couldn’t give me an explanation as the silence went on I started losing my mind. My father was dying in there and he was here unable to even make up his mind.Suddenly, I moved past him and went into the room. The healers and doctors still working, paused as they saw me walking up to them. When I reached them, I pulled the sleeves of my dress and stretched my arm to them.“Here, take the blood and heal him,” I hissed.The men exchanged confused looks before Ryker and the healer rushed in after me. “Ella, they can’t use your blood to change the whole of his blood. The process could kill you and—”“Then I’d prefer it kills me, rather than staying alive without both of my par
Ella’s POVRyker’s words were heavy on my chest as I moved out of the office with Myles following behind me. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was becoming like the monsters I wanted to rid the world of, maybe I was becoming something worse, I couldn’t tell.But what I could tell, was the fact that they had brought it upon me and themselves.Rather than return to my seat, I walked to the front of the table and spread my arms, gaining the attention of the audience and the soldiers holding them in place.“The defense was nulled. We shall proceed with the punishment for their crimes.” The room fell silent as everyone held their breaths, waiting for me to relay what was to befall the royal family —my supposed family.My eyes moved to them. Emily fiercely glared at me like it was going to change anything. Then there was Michael, who looked more lost than before. David was lifeless as usual, and Selena was crying. Her face was red as she held onto her father’s wheelchair. My heart cracked when it
Ryker’s POV“Willow is right. There is something wrong with her…” Anna whispered beside me. “This isn’t our Ella…”My heart tightened. Anna was right. The pain had consumed Ella. This wasn’t her.“What are we going to do now? She will kill an innocent man who has done nothing but love his daughter.”My thoughts moved around in my head for a few seconds before it came crashing back. I never liked women. I didn’t even think they could be sensible ones out there aside from Willow who I thought was above mistakes. But Ella and her friends had shown me that there was more to being a woman and there were smart ones out there. I realized that the one I thought was perfect, wasn’t at all. Willow was a pretender.But in all of that, I learned one thing.“No one is beyond redemption,” I said with conviction. “We will get our Ella back. She is in there somewhere. We will find her.” “But how?” Anna asked her hands pointing in the direction had gone to. “How do you convince someone who is already
Ryker’s POV“Why would she want to stay back? Why? Has she lost her mind?” Anna screeched when I told them the news. “Michael is crazy. Don’t even get me started on David. That man is sick, and he would do anything. Even with the Alpha’s ability activated in her wolf, they can still hurt her!”I sat on the edge of my seat with my hands joined together. I also didn’t feel good about leaving her behind, but I didn’t want it to seem like I was being clingy. Ella wanted to take care of her people, and she had every right. All I could do was support her as much as I could.“Calm yourself, Anna. I am sure that she will call if she needs anything,” I assured her.Anna’s eyes flared wide and she shook her head, coming closer to me. “You don’t know Ella. She has become very stubborn. She will never call for help because she doesn’t want anyone else to die. She would rather do it all on her own.”I shrugged. The solution to that was very simple. “Well, Esther can tell us. She will call. I am ce