VeraIt has been four days now and Alpha Joash hasn't shown up. It didn't really matter but I couldn't take my mind away from him. "I just wanted him to be safe," I told myself.My plan to escape during the ceremony didn't work out, but just like I wished, I wasn't marked. It was my greatest relief but not Viola's. She became quiet since the ceremony failed and I didn't seem to care. She was just a beast moved by the passion to be marked by her mate. Humanly speaking, there are a lot to consider before taking the plunge.All that transpired at the ceremony was still green in my memory. I still couldn't erase Jenny's cold stares from my head. I wondered why Alpha Joash brought her to witness the ceremony… and Pete? What the heck is she? Has she been behind all the attempts on her brother's life? What a dysfunctional family! Alpha Joash broke away from the royal family. He had a sister by his side who was seeking for his head. I shook my head in irritation… Whatever, it's a family thin
VeraIt was morning and I just had my breakfast, of course with my shackles still in place. I wasn't sure if Alpha Joash would ever show up again. I felt stuck, stale and lost. All that raged in my head was how to escape from here, atone for my father's misdoings and possibly die along the line. It was the only way I could find peace.Wondering how another day was going to be fruitless. I shut my eyes and banged my head slowly against the headboard of the bed. Suddenly I caught a whiff of Alpha Joash's scent. "He is here," I found myself muttering loudly as I sniffled again. My wolf skidded for joy, but not only my wolf. I was also elated to see him but on the contrary, I didn't want to see him. My elation felt like some kind of relief that he was finally here. It was a complex feeling."Long live, Your Highness! Long …. Your Highness!!" The guards and the maids saluted from the living room and I prepared myself to face him.The salutations stopped and he spoke in hushed voices wi
VeraIt was twilight already, the brilliant hues from the sunset had escaped into my room. I knelt on the bed and manoeuvred my shackles until I had a good view. The golden red hues down the horizon dispersed over the earth, spreading its wings as far as I could see. I wish I could also be free.I had shut off my thoughts about Alpha Joash and now, I had something to do- staring at the sunset.A familiar scent wafted into my nose and I tore my gaze away from the view."Is he here again?""Common! Vera… Get a grip on yourself! Even if he is here, he doesn't want to see you and it's not like he will set you free," I muttered to myself and sulking, I turned around and continued to watch the sunset.The door opened and I turned around, expecting to see one of the maids."I am sorry, I don't want dinner tonight…"The words died in my throat as I stared back at Alpha Joash. He was leaning against the door, looking grunted.Camouflage! I thought as I beheld his countenance. "Long live your
Joash"Your father was innocent, Vera… he wasn't a traitor!" My voice came out choked, and I looked passionately into her troubled eyes.Her face contoured and she looked pale. A confused smile spread over her face and she broke into a derisive laughter.She laughed, straining her chains and hurting herself again."Vera!" I called her name, trying to calm her down."Don't touch me! Back off!" She bared her fangs and my eyes widened. "Vera!" I tilted back, calling her name. She couldn't look at me. Her claws broke out and she howled.Breathing hard, she pulled the chains tightly, wrenching them against her body."Guards! Get me the key!" I yelled."Vera… Can you hear me?" I called and her head snapped up as she looked at me. Her eyes were dilated and her gaze was unstable."You are hurting yourself," I cooed. Like she didn't hear me, she spread her claws into her hair, pulling out a chunk of it. "Goodness! What have I done… I shouldn't have dropped the information on her carelessly…
VeraWhen I woke up, I was still in my shackles and on the bed in the room where I was confined. The room was empty! Alpha Joash was gone!I remembered his proclamation earlier and I chuckled. That bastard! How could he stoop so low? If he wanted to make me stay, he should have done it more sincerely. I shut my eyes and felt a pang in my stomach. I was exhausted and I felt hungry. When will the maids bring in dinner? Looking around, my eyes caught a pile of documents sitting at the edge of my bed.Curiously, I rolled over and picked them up. "Ouch!" My wrists and some parts of my body hurt badly. I must have hurt myself during my outburst earlier."You are hurting yourself!" I recalled Alpha Joash's concerned tone. Gradually, a series of derogatory words that I said earlier came back to me and I grimaced.Slowly my eyes settled in between the lines of the documents in my hands. They were written in my father's handwriting.I blinked hard and my eyes widened. What the heck is this?
Joash I stood rigid, too shocked to speak. I couldn't believe her words. Did she just say that she knew that I was her fated mate since our first meeting? I must have been an undiscerning jerk to her.As I stared at her. The cold gaze in her eyes told me all that I needed to know… she wouldn't stay with me. After all that I had put her through, I would be selfish if I asked her to stay against her will. But I wanted her. I needed her. This was too precious to lose. I had considered letting her go, but right now, it was the hardest thing to do.I held her head against my chest, thinking carefully about how to phrase the words in my head.Swallowing hard, I tilted up her chin. Her eyes sparkled with questions and dread and I stared at them, soaking myself in her appeal.She looked tender, intentional, sincere and fragile… a rare combination. The fire that made me spare her from the onset was still there burning like magma. She turned my heart in a unique way… I should have noticed that
VeraI remained in the bathroom with water droplets coursing down my naked body. I watched Alpha Joash's massive back disappear and I flushed. I felt embarrassed and hated myself right now.I ought to loathe him! But I couldn't control myself around him. My body was a traitor! it yielded up to him and betrayed me. It melted like a jelly before him and I bore myself to him. I remembered how I twirled beneath him. How my legs were wrapped around him and how my hips undulated at each rhythm, meeting his scorching length and catering for his wants.More images of our intimacy flooded my head and I yelled. As if that wasn't enough, my moans resounded in my ears. Goodness me! I covered my face with my palms and shut my eyes in embarrassment."Are you ok?" His concerned voice sounded in my ears. I thought it was another memory until he called again, "Vera? Are you…" His cold hands touched my wet skin and my eyes burst open.Gosh! Why is he doing this to me? Why is he acting too sweet to re
VeraWe had just left the outermost boundary of the Moonlight Pack when I realised that we were being followed. The feeling grew with every passing minute and when I couldn't hold it again I jabbed Dale by the side.I flinched immediately as my elbow contacted some of the darts that were stashed within his body. He looked at me curiously and bowed in apology. Well, I had learnt my lesson."Did you sense that?" Dale looked blank and expressionless and didn't respond."Dale?" I called again but he didn't answer. His gaze settled on me and he reared his head towards me, questioningly."Wait. Are you mute or something?" I burst, trying to coax him to speak, but he didn't. Then, I noticed his ears twitched and I realised that he was fishing for sounds and my questions were distractions.I parted the swords hanging down my waists, wondering who our assailants could be. Rouge wolves? Pete? Whoever?!Isn't it too early? I just got out of Alpha Joash's safe wings.Dale and I remained alert unt
JoashAt first, when I perceived Vera's scent in my subconscious, I was happy. I had been hanging on, wondering why she hadn't shown up since I ended up in thus state. I thought she had left me again. But all my fears melted away when she suddenly showed up, crying her eyes out.Her regrets, confessions and profession of love were sweet. They transcended into my subconscious mind and kept me going. All I wanted was to return to her, hold her in my arms, tell her that I had forgiven her naughtiness, clean up her tears and make her know that all that matters was that she wanted me now.In my unconscious state, I couldn't keep a record of time and my subconscious floated in space.At some point something changed, affecting my subconscious existence. I began to fade away. All that I thought that I was holding onto, thinned out and I was all alone in a dark abyss. At that point, I had given up. I couldn't hold on anymore and I knew death was around the corner. I couldn't see nor feel my
It was a long day and the sun was almost setting. I hadn't gone to check on Alpha Joash since I left his room in the morning.After speaking with Fred, a glimpse of my past flicked through my eyes and I was taken down memory lane. I was just a maid until the mating ceremony between I and His Highness. I guess that was why I was treated like a Queen when I returned. What if the mating ceremony didn't take place? I would have returned to continue my life as a maid.Power and luxury is intoxicating. Despite the aftermath of the ruins, I enjoyed the privileges of a queen. Everyone treated me with respect, my words had effects and they were prioritized.My emotions were high and I just kept a low profile all day. Now that it was evening, I was planning to go see His Highness when I heard a soft knock."Your Highness! Targon seeks to be in your presence," a guard announced."Oh! Targon, let him come in," I responded and signalled to the maids to leave.The door opened and Targon walked in
Vera"Where the heck is this place? Am I a prisoner here?" I charged at the guard who now stood rigidly against Blake's door. The guard remained unfazed and ignored me. Seeing that my ranting wouldn't yield any result, I let him be and retired to my bed. I should conserve my strength."Think, Vera," I muttered to myself. I needed to escape from this hell hole, but how? I didn't even know where we were and how to navigate.I remembered the dangerous steep wall and the tunnel. How do I get to safety? I tried to mind-link my mate but all I felt was blankness. I must be far away from him.Blake then came to my mind again. Hatred surged up within me immediately. But I had to convince myself, I needed him now. If we escaped together, he might know how to navigate…But as sweet as the idea was it was still dangerous! Escaping with Blake with his level of injury was almost impossible. Moreover, who knows where he would lead me after getting him out of here?"Argh! Where are those bastards w
JoashSwords clanked, arrows danced and gunshots rocked the air as the combat peaked. The few soldiers who escaped the explosion battled hard with my men, but they couldn't beat us.Either way, they were going to die. They either die at my hands or die at my father's hands for losing me. Their fate was decided since they were assigned to this battle.Derrick and I pounced out of our hiding places alongside our subordinates. We charged along the open space making us visible to the enemies.Seeing me, they went mad! Yes, I was their target and it was their chance. Their strength doubled and they attacked without mercy.While they battled with my men to get through to me, I dodged every shot, dart, dagger, and arrow that came my way. Simultaneously, I fired my muskets, taking some of them down while Derrick and the two men who were with us covered me on every side. Speed was an essential tool, our enemies were well-trained but we outshone them with our incredible speed.In a brief moment
SilasMy heart bled as I peeked at the ex-lovers. Having them together was more intense and heated than I had thought. I felt sorry for them, they were caught in a web of conspiracies and were victims of circumstances.What if the adults did their job? What if they weren't greedy? Those two might have been together and their love would have blossomed.When Vera accepted Blake's rejection, I saw him quake and my heart bled. The tiny bit of humanity that bound them together was shed off. In that instance, the anger in Vera's eyes turned murderous. Blake became nothing but one of the bastards that she wanted to kill to avenge her parents' death. But with a brave restraint, she stopped herself and walked out on him."Vera!!!" He yelled her name but she was done.Love has always been complicated. As for me, I had seared my emotions and love was out of the picture. No love, no fated mate, just the throne!Heaving a sigh, I lifted the lid to the dungeon to return to my bedroom. I wanted to d
JoashMy assertion was right. My father's men hadn't shown up and it was almost sunset.It was our gain and his loss this time. It afforded my men and me enough time to bond. Apart from the bond, Derrick and I discovered each man's expertise.We paired them into groups. We also formed our rules and different combat strategies and hacks that we needed to win the battle.Normally, I would have expected that my father would send just a few of his men since he knew that I was a small fry and had lost everything. But I didn't want to take chances. Since it was about me, Father wouldn't hesitate to empty his entire army to come after me.One of our strategies was to maintain different positions. We also had potent leaves stuck to our bodies as camouflage and also to conceal our scents. By Twilight, we were already set. We had assumed strategic locations. Each man with the weapons he knew how to use best.I and Derrick were stationed at the entrance, but he wasn't with me. We were stationed
SilasI knew when Vera and my men arrived. I was well informed about the journey from the beginning till they entered my underground chambers through the tunnel. The path through the tunnel was an alternative route known to me and a few of my men.After I left the palace in the morning, I tried the link up with Joash all through the day but he wasn't responsive. The bastard was ignoring me whilst I wanted to know what the hell was going on in his head.I was up till past midnight and I heard Vera when she entered the room where Blake was locked up. I had not seen him since I visited him and broke his nose.I was sentimental at first and I wanted to stop my plan of making the ex-lovers meet but I changed my mind. Their meeting could be pivotal to my backup plan.I wanted to watch what was about to go down to pick my cues. So softly and gently, without alarming anyone I climbed down through the stairs and stood at the vantage position from where I watched.As I looked at Vera, all I saw
SilasI sat on the ground in father's yard with Kepler all night until the rising of the sun. It was about time that my father resumed his office. I thought Kepler would go in to fix his duty but he didn't leave. He stayed with me until I heard my father walking out and fully ready to resume the day's assignment."Long live, oh King! Long live,Your Highness!" The palace workers greeted and I turned around. Father was fully dressed in his kingly regalia and was strolling out of his chambers. The first set of assignment everyday was his morning patrol."Your Highness," I greeted with my forehead kissing the floor."Take him to the courtroom," he ordered without looking my way.Kepler left with my father while two other guards carried out my father's instructions. They dragged me down to the court room like I were a criminal.They threw me in but I landed on my feet. Father's seat was empty as he hadn't returned from his patrol. Why is father doing this to me? What has he found out abou
VeraI was led into a clean room where an array of maids were waiting for me. My guards had disappeared and there were a new set of guards waiting for me.I threw myself towards the bed, but before I hit the bed two maids rushed towards me. Skillfully, they dragged me away from the bed and began to unclad me.My clothes were full of filth and grime, they were stinking. I wondered why I didn't notice this earlier, but now that I noticed, I was too tired to clean up. "Get your hands off me!" I yelled at them and threw one of them on the floor."Enough!" One of the guards commanded as the other maids rushed at me. He walked towards me, lifted me up and helped me back to the bed. "She is tired. Let her get a first round of sleep before working on her," the guard commanded.Some of the maids were dispersed and I flung my tired body on the bed.I shut my eyes and sleep carried me into the dream land.When I woke up I felt a little disappointed, the sleep didn't last as long as I had expe