Finally, the schedule at school came to an end and everyone rushed to their homes quickly, with promises of meeting their friends as soon as they were ready. The evening of the ball had arrived, and shortly after, so did Paul. He had come to my house to pick me up and take me to the venue; he was waiting for me outside of my house, as I started to walk out slowly while trying to manage myself. I was wearing the turquoise ball gown that I had bought from the mall with Paul the previous afternoon. Kate had helped me tie my hair into a high bun, intentionally leaving out some strands of my hair on the right side of my cheek, balancing out the other side that was decorated by the scar. As I had stared into the mirror at myself, Paul's comforting words had echoed in my ears, assuring me that I had made the right decision. "SometimesâĶ the things we think are making us the ugliest person in the world, are actually the things that mark us as the most beautiful person instead. So in your c
I was just as shocked as everyone else, or maybe even more than them. Not even in the wildest throes of my imagination, had I ever expected that he would announce me as his mate at the ball, like this.The state of my shock and disbelief was such that I was not able to react in any manner; I was just standing at my place completely frozen, without even moving at all while the scattered applause in the hall turned into a full chaos, replete with clapping, cheering and jeering, shouts, hoots and whistles.This was when he invited me for the opening dance, saying, "Lexie! My mate , may I ask your hand to open the dance for the evening?"I was not in a state to refuse, I was not in a state to accept, I was just suspended in my utter shock; and because of that, I just managed to bob my head up and down to resemble a nod. Paul came forward and firmly took my hand in his, and took me to the dance floor with all eyes focused on us like laser beams; but it was only his hand that I could bear
The day after the ball, I finally moved into Paul's house after a teary eyed but happy goodbye from my found family.He had arranged a separate room for me like I had demanded, as he assured me that he also did not want to make me uncomfortable in the slightest. I was happy to see that he had meant what he had said, about him being willing to give me as much time as I wanted; but because of my safety reasons he just couldn't let me live there.Since I moved to his house, he was always very kind to me, and always took care of my needs besides paying attention to my likes and dislikes. Among all these lovely aspects, the funniest part was that he was trying to stay as close as he could to me while making sure that he didn't cross any boundaries like last time, and also that he didn't seem too eager for my attention. But sometimes, the circumstances became such that his possessive or desperate side came out in a cute way, and I couldn't help but laugh.The first day I moved into his hou
Lost in the panic of being extremely close to him as well as in his eyes, I was barely managing to breathe with difficulty... when he caught my attention with new instructions."Now Lexie, listen to me very carefully. Grab my collar and twist it towards my left side, while lifting your legs to my stomach and hitting me lightly there, but as strong as you can ever hit someone when anyone apart from me comes this near to you-""But Paul, what if I mistakenly hit you more strongly then-""Shh! Don't think too much, just practice! Nothing will happen to me."He interrupted me and showed me the demo, while repeating the steps as slowly and gently as he could. He then folded his arms across his chest and started waiting for me to repeat all of them.I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before grabbing his collar! but when it came to raising my leg to his stomach, I mistakenly tangled my foot on his left shin, causing him to lose his balance. As a result, both of us fell to the ground; bu
After I went back to the palace with Paul, I saw my parents standing in the living roomâĶalong with Nate. At first I became so excited at the sight of them that I almost could not believe my eyes; but within seconds, guilt started building inside my stomach. And as the castle of the guilt was completed, all of the excitement almost entirely transformed into guilt, and I stayed at my place without moving my feet any further. Although I could see the same excitement mirrored in the eyes of my parents, there was some anger there too; after all, I was at fault and had left the pack and house both, without saying anything to anyone. Finally, I put aside my hesitation and fears and tried to lift my feet and move towards my parents, when I saw my parents themselves had started walking towards me. My mother wordlessly pulled me into a warm hug after reaching near me, followed by my father, and I sighed deeply as the familiar combination of their natural odours of lavender and vanilla ove
Paul and his father had arranged a grand banquet for Nate in the night. The entire palace was decorated with lights and bunches of flowers were placed every few feet. The banquet was being held in the open area amidst the palace gardens instead of a hall, as the weather outside was quite pleasant. A light breeze was blowing, bringing in the fragrance of flowers and spreading the delicious smell of the different types of dishes prepared in the honour of the guests. Everyone was looking forward to Nate's arrival at the banquet, and Paul's parents were eagerly waiting to greet him. As soon as he stepped inside the dining area, Paul's father stepped forward and pulled him into a hug and spoke, patting his back. "Oh Nate! My boy, how are you? It has been ages since I last met you. I am really sorry for your father's demise, what a tragic day it was." Nate didn't say anything, while Paul's father continued by himself; "I am sorry for your loss, kid. Your father and I used to be great f
As the guests slowly began to leave and it was clear that the party was about to be over, my mother approached me. Silently pleading with her eyes, she had taken me to the room they were staying in. To be honest, I had also been hoping for her to come and meet me and I was thankful that she did; I was not sure what her reaction would be if I visited her directly in her room. And also, I was not yet confident enough to face her, nor was I completely ready to face my father.But she had made every doubt of mine seem futile as she came towards me in a slightly hesitant way but with an affectionate look in her eyes and said, "Lexie, dear, can you please come with me? I think we need to talk, sweetie.""Of course mother." I nodded to her before I excused myself and started to follow her to her room, and entered behind her.She made me sit on the chair placed in her room by a small dining table in one corner of the room, and finally asked;"Lexie, dear! Can I ask you something?" "Ye-yes
"Oh no, not at all dear! On the contrary, I know he has been looking for you for so many years." My mother's voice, filled with pride, broke the bubble of fear. There was a distinct glow on her face as she spoke; "Your brother is considered to be a once-in-a-lifetime warrior, at the age of fourteen only! At first, he enrolled into the training program at school just because of his friends, but his instructor says that he has great potential. In fact, he has been selected by Alpha to train with the upper tier of wolves and once he becomes even stronger, he might be considered for the royal guard. He really wanted to see you, but Jonas was tied-up with training that takes up most of his day recently, because it seems like a war is coming." "A- a war?!" I repeated, a little surprised at the way my mother had mentioned it. "Yes, sweetie. Although the werewolf community has not seen a major war since your grandfather's time, neglecting minor skirmishes between packs and rogues, I th
Paul's POV: The servant's hurried footsteps could be heard echoing inside the throne room moments before he burst in, eyes wide with panic. "Alpha! Alpha, the Luna has sent us for you. Her healthâĶ itâs worsening again! SheââThat was all I was able to hear. The fear of something happening to her was enough to clench my heart tightly in its claws and hearing the full sentence about her not being well was something that I wasn't capable of doing in any circumstances.No matter how strong and brave I was, she has started to become my weakness the day I first saw her and now when she has full control of my heart completely wrapped around her fingers, then how can someone still assume that I still have left with the courage to hear about something happening to her, when she isn't even standing in front of me.But I can't blame anyone for it, because it was all my fault, when I was already feeling a little uneasy I should have listened to my heart and not left her alone.The fear was mak
Paul's POV:Jayson words sends a shiver down their ribs and the fear started to become more evident on their faces, blood started to rush off from their body, leaving them completely pale.The three wolves were still kneeling before me, quaking like leaves caught in a storm. Panic etched deep lines into their faces, eyes filled with tears and glistening with fear. These new words and the fear that now no matter what they are going to do, they won't be able to save themselves from the punishment that I have just given to them.And this was exactly what I wanted, as everything was going perfectly according to my plan and there was nothing that could stop me from achieving what I wanted.With satisfaction, I placed my gaze on the three of them.Their mouths fumbled over each otherâs words, desperate to avoid their punishment anyhow.And one of them finally gathered the courage to plea;âAlpha! Please, Alpha! .We were wrongâĶ we were foolish! We deserve punishment, but show us some mercy,
Paul's POV:I paced back and forth in the throne roomâ the spacious room was silent and cold, without the presence of a single soul apart from me. The room was completely silent, that was perfectly contradicting the voices inside my headEverything was looking so calm, but I knew the chaos this calm was hiding underneath.And I know this chaos wasn't going to stop till it cracked every bone of every single person who was behind this plotting that has hurt my LexieâĶ and my child.In fact I would have done that moment I came to know, if Lexie hadn't stopped me. And she wasn't completely wrong too, but the anger wasn't ready to take the decisions logically, but her love has somehow managed to bound me with that.I had ordered the courtiers to stay home for this because this was not a matter for spectators and didn't want any politically correct interference in my decision or the process by which I was planning to get my hands on the culprit.I had deliberately cleared out the presence
Paul's POV: Lexie's body trembled violently against mine, her fingers clutching at my shirt like she was drowning. I could feel her tears soaking through the fabric, each ragged sob tearing at my soul. And with every breath of mine, my determination of giving the punishment that Abby deserved was growing more and more.But right now, consoling Lexie was my first priority, Abby can still enjoy a few moments left in her life, before I actually send her to hell, where she really belongs."It's not your fault," I murmured into her hair, my voice rough with barely restrained fury. "None of this is your fault, darling." Her nails dug into my chest as she shook her head. "But the-they all thinkâ" "I don't care what they think," I growled, cradling her closer. The scent of her pain - salt and sorrow and fear - made my wolf snarl beneath my skin. âI swear to you LexieâĶ I swear, Abby will regret ever putting her hands on you.âShe pulled back slightly, her red-rimmed eyes searching min
1 month ago, Katrine's POV:I felt my rage boil in my veins, as if Jonasâs words had set me on fire. He couldnât just declare I was his mate and expect me to accept it, as well as the condition for captivity that came with itâĶ and then walk away like it meant nothing apart from a usual day's work. MateâĶI had never given it much thought before, but the word "mate" was sacred. For us, the single word was spoken with the most amount of happiness, hope, reverence and tons of emotions attached with itâĶ For those who had already found their mates, it was a title they would cherish for a lifetimeâ a bond tied by fate. And for those who were yet to find their destined mateâĶ it was the symbol of their future People pinned their dreams, desires, and futures on that single word, believing it would complete their existence and bring purpose to their life. And IâĶ I was no exception, no matter how much I wanted to deny it. Even when I had used it as my shield, I hadn't imagined for a single
Lexieâs POV:Paul's mouth pressed into a thin line as I agreed to the responsibility. âMaybe, I made the wrong decisionâĶâThe thought echoed in my mind, hollow and aching, as the first of the well-wishers filed into the room. Their smiles were too bright, their voices too loudâĶ the first few congratulations came from the overly enthusiastic courtiers who saw this gathering as an opportunity to curry favor with the Alpha. Their bright smiles and gleaming eyes only deepened the ache inside me. How cruel that I was getting congratulated when my baby was already goneâĶ taken from me before I even had the chance to know the flutter of life inside me. âI didnât even get to feel youâĶâI felt robbed. Robbed of the joy, of the experience, of the pride of having my first child. I couldn't even mourn its loss properlyâĶI couldn't even analyse the level of my grief properly when I had to take a new decision, new decision as the future Luna of the pack, not as a mother âĶand the happy faces of th
1 month ago, Jonasâ POV:The girl was looking at me with wide eyes, trying to anticipate my reaction. She was curious and a little nervous, but not scaredâĶ her heartbeat was mostly steady, and there was no flicker of recognition in her storm-gray eyes. âActually, I told them I was your mate because I wanted to meet you. You are the only one who can tell me about Lexieââ"Smart move.âI shrugged, my voice colder than the steel of my dagger that I was tossing in my palm. âBut a dangerous one." She lifted her chin. "Why? Because I dared to lie to the great leader of this rogue camp?" I stepped closer, my shadow swallowing her frame. The scent of herâĶ like wildflowers, filled my lungs. âBecause till now, I was treating you like any other trespasser. But nowâĶ" I murmured, "you have made it personal." Her breath hitched, just slightly. Good. I reached out, fingers brushing her jaw: not quite a caress, not quite a threat. âYou want to play games, little wolf?" My thumb traced t
1 month ago, Katrine's POV:As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt a pin- drop silence spread out around myself. I risked a glance at the face of this guy Jonas, hoping to find the tiniest bit of shock etched on his smug features. His sharp features were as unreadable as ever, but I still wanted to notice at least a flicker of shock, as proof that I had cracked his mask too. 'Ha! He had dismissed me so easily, without heeding my words! Now I'll show him, if he believes me to be the leader's mate, then he might just tell me Lexie's whereabouts and I'll figure out a way to escape on my own-'Before I could take the time to observe his reaction, though, I heard the sharp cackle of one of the guards who was holding me back. I sensed his disgusting gaze linger upon my body, as if he was assessing whether or not I was telling the truth, and as if that was not enough to bring my blood to a boil, I heard his mocking laughter, at whose target was me! So he thinks whichever rascal runs th
Paul's POV:Lexie was still crying, her eyes were swollen because of the tears. I was trying to calm her down, but the pain was so huge that I know none of my words were able to calm her now.Still I was trying my best to give her the feeling of being protected, feeling that she wasn't alone, feeling that no matter what happened I am going to be there with her in every thick and thin.This was when I heard a knock on the door and Andy rushed towards Lexie.Lexie! Don't cry âĶlook I have bought mummy- daddy here, don't cryâĶdon't cry or else I will cry too! Lexie finally lifted her eyes, and spread her arms for Andy to crawl up in her arms, the boy didn't waste a single second to jump right there and clung to her like a Koala.When Dad finally spoke;We are so sorry Lexie, that we were unable to give you the protection you deserved, I should have been more cautious about the security and safetyâĶbut you should also have been a little careful -But before he could have completed his sent