My heart would not stop beating wildly. My sense of hearing was getting ultra sensitive. Adrenaline rushed in and forced both of my feet to run faster. I halted when I reached the spot. True to Inez's words, Candice was in the pond, fishing. She sure was enjoying her life while here I was, tired and almost giving up on finding her. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and inhaled deeply, controlling the fast beating of my heart. Any sign of noise and she would know I was here. Then, she would disappear again. I would be back to square one. Must not happen. Her back was turned against me and did not notice my presence. Good. Please go on with your fishing. I walked lightly as the wind. Candice was still oblivious that I was behind her and using the opportunity while her back was turned against mine, I jumped and tackled her on the ground. She gasped and was about to throw me on the ground, but I was faster than her and grabbed her hands. She wiggled, but I crashed my weight
Dead.Sabrina was dead. My beautiful and sweet sister Sabrina. I closed my eyes, as I struggled to accept the truth. How could someone stomach killing an innocent woman? My poor Sabrina. What would happen to Father if he found out my sister was dead? Oh, God. He would be heartbroken. "H-how? Who…k-killed her?""I wish I knew the culprit because if I did, I would be the one to kill him myself. Sabrina and I were childhood friends. She was my packmate. Unfortunately, she was the first victim among the murdered servants."My eyes swam with tears. A lump formed in my throat. "Why did it have to be her? Do you know someone who hated her?"Candice shook her head. "There were others who envied her, but I cannot pinpoint someone who loathed her to the point of having the guts to kill her. The murder was clean and the killer made it look as if Sabrina killed herself."Sabrina would never kill herself. She valued her life as well as the others. That was also the reason why she wanted to fo
Mine? Now Elio was claiming me as his? This good for nothing king? After what? I did not appreciate this. The Lycan King snarled at his beta. His eyes were full of menace as if he would not hesitate to kill Darius. I was not scared of what he might do to me. Instead, I was more scared of what he might do to the beta. The innocent beta who only wanted to make me feel better. "Leave the beta out of this," I declared while trying to pull my hand away. He would not budge. "If you run towards him, I will kill him in front of you."I stilled. I would not doubt he would do that. "You will kill your people?""I can. I will.""To show you are the king? To make me fear you? You do not scare me at all, Your Majesty. Do not harm the beta. It was I who approached him.""Y-your Majesty," the beta started. "Let's not do that. No one should be harmed this evening.""Listen to your beta. He wiser than you," I declared and tried to break free.His Majesty let out a guttural growl, sending shivers
I had a lot of things to ask about the beta. Questions he only knows the answer to. But his priority will always be the Lycan King. No matter how many times I called him, he would never glance at me. He chose the Lycan King. He would always choose the bastard. My strength slowly disappeared and leaned on the wall for support. How could he leave me alone? It is me who wanted his presence very much. I wanted someone to console me. To tell me that everything will be alright. That I can overcome this tremendous pain. The beta was the only one I trusted so much in the palace, but he broke my trust. I felt so alone. I wanted to cry, but my tears became stubborn and refused to fall. My hands went to my chest. So painful. My chest felt like it was being chopped into a million pieces. Crashed. I tilted my head when something fell in the background. It was none other than Inez. She always had great timing. She paled and looked around as if she was going to flee. "I'm sorry!" s
LYCAN KING ELIOThe woman’s words kept on ringing in my mind.Good for nothing king. Coward. Irresponsible.A smile made its way to my lips. I wondered where she got the guts to spit those words without even flinching. Without fearing me or the punishment I might give her for saying those words straight in my face.I should be angry and go berserk, but no. Someone finally had the guts to tell me straight what they think about me."Your Majesty. Isn't it better if we tell her the truth?" Darius finally said as we walked side by side. I tilted my head and watched him,Good for nothing, huh? I must say that this man has been an asset. Plus, he had already proven over and over his worth that he deserved the chance I gave him in the past—saving him from the Angel of Death. Did I heavily rely on my beta? Maybe the woman was right.Cowardly? In which aspect?“Your Majesty,” the beta called me again.I stopped walking and faced Darius while narrowing my eyes at him. "What fucking truth are
I did not know how long I stayed in Sabrina's resting place. All I realized was that I was looking at her painting the entire day. Not eating anything. Just staring at her portrait while contemplating how I could carry her and put her remains back into Howling Pack. My grieving was done and I had to move forward. My next plan would be to return her remains to the Howling Pack. I put one hand on my forehead, falling into deep thought. The first issue was the tight security around the palace. I was not allowed to go back without the Lycan King's permission. I was also bound with our contract. It stated there that I was only allowed to go until I was able to give him a child.A child. I wish we will never have a child. For now. Having a child while I hated him would be unfair to my child. I did not want to experience that I will be transferring my anger to the innocent child. However, as days passed by, I could not help but be nervous about it. I was still waiting for my menstrual p
LORA: "You want an answer? What answer do you want?" “You know what I wanted to hear, Lora. If you want to end this conversation, give me what I want.”A vein popped on my neck. "This is what I want."My movement was so fast that the Lycan King did not expect any of it. As fast as I could, I pulled the dagger beside me which I grabbed from the two soldiers, and stabbed the Lycan King's leg.Betrayal flashed in his eyes until it finally sunk in on him. I freaking stabbed the Lycan King!That feeling when his skin swallowed the dagger gave me the most satisfaction while disregarding Iris growling and snapping at me.I drove the hilt into his skin, but before I could succeed, His Majesty slapped my hands away. He did not control his strength and nearly sent me flying, if not for my fast reflexes. He uttered a curse and howled in pain. His hands were on the planted dagger. "Fuck!" His Majesty cursed. I prepared myself for any retributions but found none. But to my confusion, did no
LORA: Beta Darius’s face was full of conflict.Something was telling me that seeing me here, waiting for me when I went back to my own room was beyond the Lycan King’s knowledge. Especially his proposal to me.“If you will only hesitate, mind as well go back to your beloved Lycan King,” I taunted. “Before you come here, has it already occured in your thick skull that he will throw a fit if he knows you are here?”“No one will tell him.”“The servants are the best source of rumors. You want to know everything that happened on the four walls of the palace? Give the maid something and they will surpass your expectations. They will give you a lot of information.”“Leave them to me. I promise nothing will be known about our secret rendezvous. Let’s not talk about the servants. Let’s talk about me coming here.”Tiredness resumed. My shoulders feel heavy all of a sudden. Sore.“Continue making the Lycan King fall for you and I will help you exhume your sister’s remains.”I suddenly swung on
One year later…Something was wrong with me.I had been noticing the changes in my behavior and I did not like it all. I was suddenly grumpy and sick at the same time. Something which made me panic. Elio was attending some business and I could not call him and tell him to come to me.“Your Grace. The sun is already out. You need to move your butt.”I glared at the woman in front of my bed. Candice. One year ago, the Lycan King had assigned Candice as my personal attendant. At first, I rejected the idea, but Elio kept on forcing me to have one. He was always saying that he did not want anything to happen to me again.If that would happen, he was afraid he could not control himself from killing anyone. Another bloodbath will take place, something I did not want to happen.“I’m not feeling well, okay?”“You haven’t eaten your breakfasts.”“Oh, please. I will eat anything if I am feeling well, but I am not.”“Did you eat something yesterday?”“That’s the problem, Candice. I haven’t eaten
Howling PackEli and I finally visited my pack. They prepared a lot and were excited to see us. It was Dad who welcomed us and the alpha beside him.They prepared signs welcoming us.I cannot help but feel giddy at their warm welcome.“We are grateful for your presence, Your Majesty,” the alpha exclaimed while his gaze darted in my direction. We shared a look, and his eyes were back to the Lycan King. I would never go back to the path I had chosen a couple of years ago. That was already a closed chapter of my life. I was no longer an assassin and a killer used by someone else.Later, I will ask for a private talk to the alpha. I want to tell him that I will be the one to tell the Lycan King about my past. I wanted it to tell him directly.“The pleasure is all mine.”Eli’s eyes scanned the surroundings and his eyes darted at the remnants of his fury. Burned buildings. Statues. Withered black trees. The alpha could tear down the burned buildings and replace them with something new, bu
One week had passed after that incident. I could say that I was healed already. Iris was making the best of her ability to heal my wounds and broken bones. After a week of bed rest, my body was brand new. “Stay still, Lora,” Eli ordered. He was reading some documents while guarding me. I tried to sneak and go outside, but he caught me and gave me a proper scolding telling me that I nearly died. This was my second life. I should have taken care of this one. No matter how many times I told him that I was already healed from my injuries, he wouldn't believe me. He refused to believe me. Eli filled me out with the details of what happened to Ayla. She was imprisoned behind bars. Rooting in the cold prison. Day and night, she was requesting His Majesty’s presence, asking for his kindness. I felt sorry for Ayla. Sometimes. But when I remembered my sister. Of how she was killed, my hatred changed my pity. Ayla already confessed to all the crimes she had committed and that his accom
85FLORA “LORA” HERNANDEZ Ayla? The fucking bitch was the culprit. Was she the one who also killed the others? Especially my beloved sister?She perfectly blended herself with the other servants. And the innocent she-wolves had no idea that a snake was with them.She smirked when I realized it was none other than her.Ayla clapped her hands like a kid. “Yes. You finally recognized me. I thought we would kill you without you recognizing your killer. Something I don’t want to happen, darling.”Damn.My hair hurts so much. She was pulling it forcefully.“Why are you doing this?” My voice sounded weak. My body felt like it was burning so much.“Simple. I don’t want His Majesty to be happy. He doesn’t deserve to be the king. I realized he valued his servants so much. But I did not understand why. Especially that Sabrina. Oh. I forgot. She was your sister.”I spat in her face.Her angelic smile was replaced with something demonic. “Shit!” She slapped my cheeks continuously until I could
Damn.That statement made sense. I had not made sure that Eli wanted to go there. What if he was indeed forcing himself? To my excitement, I never considered that thing. I was focused on bringing him to the pack without even thinking if he was okay with his decision or not.Still.I should gave Eli the benefit of the doubt. “I-I’m sure…it’s not the case. Eli had already forgiven the pack, wholeheartedly and wanted to give us a chance to show him how much we were sorry for what happened to Eva. He no longer hated us.”Because who in their right mind would visit a place in which he did not want to step foot?‘You better ask Eli about that. To make it clear, Lora.’‘You think I did not think about that? Will you stop bossing me around? It’s irritating, okay?’Besides, it was not only him who was hurting. We also had our own fair share of wounds. But the most important thing of all, we were starting to heal from the past. Noticing the hesitance on my face, Miss Dacianna smiled and decl
“You two are leaving?” I jumped, surprised to see Prince Albert suddenly popping out of nowhere. I was about to see Miss Dacianna to do an errand courtesy of His Majesty. Eli wanted me to talk to Dacianna about our plans of going back to Howling Pack so that the woman will be the one to inform the King.I just hoped he would give us his blessings. If not, I did not know anymore. I like that king and it would be better if he gave us his approval.Without thinking about the damage he did to my heart, Prince Albert continued, “Your Grace. I came here right away when I found out about it.”Indeed? But why did Beta Darius tell us that the one who informed him of us stepping down was the Council and this man? Who among them was telling the truth?‘Does it matter?’ Iris asked in my mind. ‘The mere fact that you and His Majesty will be returning to our pack mattered the most.’She was busy licking her paws while watching me.‘Do you think he still remembers?’‘Lora. When will you use your
Eli and I spent the next few hours preparing our things for our departure.Sighing, I gave our chamber a final look. This place had so many memories and I could not help but feel lonely at the thought of me and him leaving.“Wife. Are you done?”I blinked a couple of times and faced him.Grumbling, I muttered, “I don’t understand why we have to pack ourselves. We have servants, Eli.”It was not like I was lazy. It was only because I had no strength to do anything after the thought that we would be leaving the palace had finally sunk into my mind.“They will know I am leaving. It should be a surprise. Finally, I would be leaving them. They will rejoice, you will see.”Pouting I answered, “You sounded sure about it.”“I am certain. They are waiting for another king.” I taste the bitterness in his words. “Why? That bad? Perhaps you are wrong, Eli. Not all of them wanted to leave you. Take Candice for example. That woman is loyal to you.”“Except for her. I am talking about the others.”
My heart forgot how to breathe.This was what I was scared about. That Prince Albert will finally realize that we two had met before. What to do?I’m afraid I will be the reason why Eli would be ousted from his position as the king.Be calm. You can find a way to get out of the situation, okay?This fool had not realized anything. I must continue pretending that I did not know him.I chuckled. “Why would I be familiar to you? As far as I remember, we never had the chance to have a proper conversation before. Perhaps you are already mistaken, Prince Albert. We did not meet before.”His brows formed a straight line.“Indeed? But I cannot shake off the feeling that you are truly familiar.”I paled. Dammit. His eyes continued to question my statement. "I don't think—"“Nonsense. My wolf had an excellent memory. She will tell me if we meet or not. But right now, all she was saying is that we never encountered each other before.”“Oh, I see.” He bowed at me. “My apologies, Your Grace. I
It finally dawned on me that Inez died in my arms. However, I could no longer grieve about it since nothing could be done. My mind was already tired. Going back to our chamber, with the warriors on my back, my mind wandered to what had happened. I failed her. A couple of times. I closed my eyes as memories of her eyes continued to haunt me. No matter where I look, I always see the expression in her eyes. Her fear. Her shock. "Lora."I froze on the spot and sniffed the Lycan King's scent as it hit me hard. The warriors disperse upon seeing him. Maybe he ordered them to leave me. After one year, he finally showed up. After someone had already died? What a great timing. If he was not the king, I would think that he was the killer. I'm too tired to get angry at him. It was not worth it. I went past Elio and stepped inside our chamber, with him hot on my tail. "What happened?" he asked. I smelt no alcohol. He did not drink. Was true to his promise. But the mere fact that he did