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
Kill! Kill! Sink that dagger right into His Majesty's chest. You won't be held accountable at all. He wanted this. He asked for this. Stab him, Lora. 'Do it and you and I will become an enemy,' Iris exclaimed. 'You won't be killing our mate, okay? You are not allowed to.' 'It's not for you to decide, Iris.' I cut off our conversation, making sure I won't be influenced by her emotions. 'Stop him from hurting himself!' 'No.' 'His Majesty does not have a fault. Why won't you believe he did not kill Sabrina?' 'Simple. Because my heart was looking for someone to blame. And it won't stop hating the Lycan King until he brings me the killer.' ‘He will bring you the killer. The beta and His Majesty are doing their best to catch the killer.’ ‘Are you sure? Because why did that bastard continue roaming free until now?’ Silence. ‘See? Even you cannot find the exact reason? Stop defending your mate because from the beginning, he never acknowledged us.See your worth, Iris. I won’t be beg
The Lycan King's eyes narrowed. "It was because of what I did, right? You purposely want to make my life a living hell because of everything. However, I will forever insist that I did not kill your sister. You must open your heart and know the truth and not continue hating."He was making me laugh. Now he was suggesting it to me?“Fuck you! Stop giving me goosebumps as if you cared about me!”I swung my fist in his direction and caught his jaw. I thought he would be evading my punch, but His Majesty did not. His Majesty staggered.I lifted my chin and was proud of my fist.Even if my jaw was hurting like hell, the mere fact that I just punched His Majesty was giving me an intense sense of satisfaction. His Majesty inhaled deeply. “Fuck,” he cursed to himself. He met my gaze, then his eyes were back to the usual expression. “Whoa. That was a powerful punch,” he stated, blinking a couple of stars. It looked like he was seeing a lot of stars after what I did. His Majesty clenched hi
Inez's excitement seemed genuine. As if she was really happy knowing the Lycan King and I would get wed. As if. That would only happen in a dream.I did not know how those rumors spread like wildfire, but one thing was for sure, I did not like any of that. I loathed it. I wished I could punish the person behind it. How dare she spread those irritating lies?Me marrying His Majesty? Not a chance. Even in my nightmares. I am not yet mad like him."Don't get your hopes high. The rumors are not true," I muttered. Why would His Majesty ask me to marry him when he knew for a fact that I hated him, even his shadow? "Never."Inez's face fell. Her mouth opened and closed. "If that's the only thing you suddenly approach me, you can go back and tell them the truth."Her beautiful brows formed a straight line. "But...but they said His Majesty had already proposed to you. They even saw you kissing in the hallway. His Majesty rarely kisses anyone. Only to his beloved mate." That might be true.
“If you badly want the crown that badly, stop involving anyone,” I muttered. “Do it yourself.”“The Council wanted me to bring a wife and a child. It’s also what my people clamor for,” His Majesty informed directly.Wife.That was the origin of the rumors I heard from Inez. But where did they hear that? Elio was not the type to talk to someone or share his opinions with anyone. At all. Except for his trusted beta.Maybe Beta Darius accidentally told someone about it?But then again, why would I be bothering myself on things like that? It was no longer my problem. His Majesty needed a wife and the only one that the Council would accept was his mate and that was me. Even if I became pregnant and I would give him a child, if I did not marry him, Elio’s efforts would be in vain. The throne will be seized away from him.A smile made its way to my lips.Interesting.Now, the table had been turned."Accept that you will be kissing your crown goodbye, Your Majesty.""You don't have to be tha
FLORA “LORA” HERNANDEZI did not know what I was doing. I did not understand why I was doing this. He was my enemy, right? It was not proper to console an enemy.His Majesty’s shoulder shook. He drew me closer to his body and I let him. Oh, boy, I let him while patting his back.I did not hear him sniff. Nor sobbed. The only thing that told me that he was crying was the trembling of his broad shoulders.My wolf howled inside and wept with His Majesty.Why did he suddenly show his weakness to me? Was this a trap? If it was, I stepped right into it. I opened and closed my mouth, not knowing what I would say. I never know how I would console anyone. Especially men. Will I tell him consoling words? Then, what will I tell him?Damn.I should have never walked with him. Was he scared that if I heard him cry, I would mock him? Will I?I had no idea.After a couple of minutes of hugging, His Majesty stepped aside, unable to meet my eyes. But I was able to catch his puffy and red eyes. He
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