Ryan I stepped onto the training field, my sword at the ready. Philip, my best friend and second in command, stood across from me, his own sword glinting in the sunlight. We had been sparring partners for years, and I knew that he was one of the best swordsmen in the kingdom. We circled each other warily, each of us waiting for the other to make a move. I watched as Philip shifted his weight, his eyes focused on my every move. I could tell that he was analyzing my stance, looking for any weaknesses he could exploit. I feinted to the left, then quickly swung my sword to the right. Philip parried the blow easily, then launched a counter-attack. I deflected his sword with mine, then swung low, aiming for his feet. He jumped over my blade, then came at me from above. We continued to dance around each other, our swords clashing in a blur of metal. Sweat dripped down my forehead, and my arms ached with the effort of holding my sword steady. But I refused to give up, determined to prove t
Ryan’s Pov After the training session, I was sweaty and exhausted. But the satisfaction of a good workout was quickly replaced with anxiety as a messenger arrived with a summons from my father, Alpha Joseph. I glanced over at Philip, and he mirrored my expression. It wasn't uncommon for my father to call us to the palace, but it was always nerve-wracking. We made our way back to the palace and were quickly escorted to my father's chambers. As we entered, my father was sitting behind his desk, his face serious and stern. "Ryan, Philip," he greeted us, motioning for us to sit. "I've received some troubling news from our neighboring pack. It seems that there has been an increase in rogue wolf activity, and they've requested our assistance." I felt a knot form in my stomach. Rogue wolves were dangerous, and it wasn't uncommon for them to attack neighboring packs. I knew that we couldn't ignore this request for help. "I'm sending a group of our warriors to assist them," my father cont
Ryan’s POV We charged into the dark forest, with me leading the pack of ten warriors behind me. The smell of the rogues was overwhelming, and I could feel the rage building up inside me. I knew what was at stake here, and I wasn't going to let anything stand in my way. As soon as we reached the outskirts of their camp, I gave a signal to the others to transform, and we all turned into our wolf forms. The feeling of the transformation was exhilarating, as my senses were heightened, and my body felt more powerful than ever. The rogues were caught off guard, as they were busy feasting on the remains of their latest kill. But when they saw us, they quickly stood up, growling and snarling, ready for battle. Without any hesitation, I lunged forward, my sharp claws slicing through the air as I aimed for the throat of the first rogue. The battle was intense, with growls and snarls echoing through the forest. We were outnumbered, but we fought with everything we had. I could feel the adren
Taylor's pov I had been stressed out for the better part of the day. All that I could think of and worry about was the ceremony. I did not have all the facts straight. Even though Ryan had given enough information, I could not stop the intrusive thoughts about what would go wrong in that ceremony. Ryan had spoken about it like something extremely important. Back when my mother and I lived in the pack, I had witnessed how important the mating ceremonies were for the alphas. There were no rituals however for normal Pack citizens. Only for the royals. I was afraid of messing it up. “Has that ritual ever been done differently?” I asked Nina. It was the only thing I was thinking about the previous night. While accepting the mate bond was something worth celebrating, I could not stand the idea of being intimate with Ryan in the presence of a whole lot of people watching. “I'm afraid not, my queen. But I believe that alpha Ryan may strike a bargain with the high priestess. He loves you s
Taylor “The first time I met you, it was because my masking spray had somehow worn off. I had gotten used to using it for all those years. No one ever detected that there was a werewolf among them. I lived among humans peacefully. I passed on as invisible and no one had ever suspected. That morning, my father and I had an argument and he ended up punishing me for something I had forgotten to do the previous night. With a lot of work in my hands in the morning, I somehow forgot to use the masking spray, which I thought I did use. And then I ended up falling asleep immediately I got to school.’’ “But you don't need to…” “I have to, Ryan. I feel that you have tried your best to show me that you want to take good care of me and love me endlessly, yet all I have done is judge when I compare you to the people in my life that have been so unkind towards me. You do not deserve that. You are my mate and I believe there is a reason why the moon goddess paired us together. That's why I wanted
Ryan “You should have heard her, Philip. I've never had someone make me so happy with just three words before, but Taylor told me she loves me.’’ I had not stopped talking about it through the entire practice and now during warrior training. The only thing I was telling my best friend was that my mate had confessed to loving me. Excitedly and actively. “You sound like a love-struck teenager right now, Ryan.’’ “Yeah, I so so feel like one already, man.’’ I felt rejuvenated. “I've had a lot of my friends in the past. I have had feelings for several women before, so many times. I even bought a nap sample stop yet nothing could ever compare to the feeling I had today when Taylor looked in my eyes and told me that she loves me. That feeling was so crazy, Philip! You needed to have seen me. It made me feel like a little child, and made me want to shout out to the world so well. I have so much planned out for her already, so many surprises and gifts to spoil her with, badly.’’ Philip co
Taylor’s Pov Estrangement. It's the only feeling that could describe the emotions I have right now. I have created a friend. One whom I am growing attached to. I don't care whether she is a servant. Nina is kind-hearted and she is good. It would seem that the only person who doesn't feel that way is my father. I could feel my heart slowing down. For some reason, Anna is the only friend I have made so far. I cared so much about her. The idea of someone hurting her, scared me. Yet, the man who had a knife pointed to her throat didn't care. “And so we meet again, daughter.’’ There is sarcasm behind his voice. He seems so comfortable with what he is doing. Was I stupid to be surprised that my own father was capable of something so sinister? For some reason, the image in my head right now is that of my mother. My father killed my mother in an accident, something that he did not intend to. I didn't want to learn anything about the details of how it had happened, all that I knew is tha
Ryan I was in the middle of my morning training session with Philip when we heard a rustling in the bushes. I signaled to Philip to stay on guard as I cautiously approached the sound, claws out and ready to fight. But to my surprise, it was Alpha Joseph, my father, emerging from the shrubbery. "Mind if I join in?" he asked, already transforming into his wolf form. Philip and I exchanged a wary glance, but we both knew better than to refuse our Alpha's request. I stepped back, allowing my father to take Philip's place opposite me. We circled each other warily, both of us ready to attack at a moment's notice. As much as I hated to admit it, my father was still one of the most powerful wolves in the pack, despite his age. We clashed, our claws scraping and clashing against each other. I could sense the animosity between us, the bitter resentment that had been festering for years. But in that moment, we were united in our fight. The onlookers cheered and shouted as we battled, our fu
Taylor's PovWhile I stepped out of the dungeons, my heart still remained back there. Scared and wondering whether bad things will happen. Charity threatened the life of my unborn child, and it wouldn't be long till I brought them into the world. What happened now? How could I stop her if I did not know what I was stopping to begin with."That bad, huh?" Philip spoke as he greeted me at the entrances. He bowed his head, showing respect as I stood in front of him."She won't give anything up." I let out, feeling frustrated. '"Should we have a go at her?""Even though I would not want that, I'm beginning to think I have no option." I quipped."My Queen, there is something you need to see. " His tone is urgent, indicating that something really troubled him. I nodded my head, allowing him to lead the way."How has Nina been?" I asked as I walked with him."I have not yet gone to see her, Luna." His tone mild rises, showing a level of irritation for the name."She's your mate.""Who betra
Taylor's POVI stood there, feeling frozen in time. Uncertain yet, completely sure that this had to be one of the worst days of my life. “We’ve been friends since I came here,” I said, stepping forward as I stared at her. “Why?’’Charity stepped forward, her eyes mirroring a rage I’d never seen before. “I should have seen it. How fucking stupid…”“NO! You were not stupid. I just had to play stupid to make you believe you were winning.” My answer was clear, as precise as I would have hoped. “All this time we’ve spent talking. All the times I’ve given you advice on your bastard of a husband and that curse growing in your womb. Why would you think I care about you?’’ she let out, eyes meeting mine at a distance. Her words hurt me. The trust I had put in her was shuttered at this moment. Why does everyone I trust always end up hurting me?“Why did you do it Charity?’’ I repeated. “Why do you do the things you do?”“For the ones I love.’’ I affirmed. “For the ones I love.” She mirrore
Ryan's POV“We should do something,’’ I said as I paced around the office. “ We cannot let her go out there on her own. That woman is dangerous.’’ I run my fingers through my hair as I try to overcome my frustrations. The thought of my mate being hurt enraged me. it invoked the wolf inside me making me feel out of control. Taylor was everything that I had.“ You have to trust her, man. You've already told her that you believe in her now it's time to show it. let her do this. I believe she can.’’ Philip reassured me.“ You're awfully calm. Do you not understand the magnitude of the situation? This is fucking Charity. the conniving b**** that once tried to break up my parents marriage.’’ I spoke feeling anger rise inside me.“ You need to understand that sending Taylor out there was our best option.” “This is not about options here Philip, this is about my mate. who is carrying my child. this is about the reckless decision that we have made to send her out to a powerful and dangerous
Taylor's POV It was the first time ever since my ordeal that I was leaving the Pack House. A lot of the Pack members have been caring and had left gifts at the pack house entrances. The doctor had told me that I needed to take care of myself and be less stressed. The truth is just that during this pregnancy I have really neglected myself. I was stressed about everything and anything. please have a tough time and I felt guilty for not being able to take care of my child well. as I walked through the Pack I noticed Philip on the other side watching me at a distance. I nodded my head giving him the recognition. some of the other warriors had been positioned at designated areas of the Pack watching me. Ryan was in his office talking to Alpha Michael, Alpha Luke and Alpha Mark about what had happened. Once I gave the go-ahead, then the Pack would be called to an emergency meeting where it would be announced that the alpha had finally given their support to Ryan. Surprisingly a lot of cal
“But my love, you have to rest.’’ Ryan insisted, trying to push me back into the bed gently. I understood that he felt guilty for what had happened to me but 3 days of bed rest was already enough. Alpha Joseph was going to attack the pack in less than 4 days now and Ryan knew nothing.“ I just want you to be okay.’’ he said politely, sitting on the bed giving up. I stared back at him. Every time I look at him I remember what he said to me. and it breaks my heart all over again.“ What happened to us?’’ I asked in a low tone sitting on the opposite side of the bed. He remained quiet. The tension in the room was heavy.“ I don't know.’’ his voice was low barely above a whisper. There was so much guilt and shame in his voice that it almost made me feel horrible. I felt like I was making him this way. But he has made a lot of mistakes and I still have not seen the real Ryan trying to surface. “ but I want to make it up to you. and I've been trying my best to show you just how sorry I am.
As we exited Philip's office, I could feel the eyes of pack members on us. Everyone had heard her screams and they had come to check up on her. somehow I suspected that both of them believed they had hurt her. The package was feeding me. They saw me as a monster. They saw me as a direct representation of my father. Even though I hated them for seeing me like this, I couldn't help but feel content that they would be ready to protect my maid even against me. “What happened to the queen?’’ one woman asked in a high-pitched voice. “Luna Taylor, are you okay?’’ a little kid about 5 or 6 years old as good as she tried to touch her amol I carried her through the people. the crowd of people only began to grow. each one of them murmuring and praying to the moon goddess that Taylor would be all right. Among the voices was a sample even asking whether I had hurt her. Another one said that the moon goddess was punishing me for the way I treated her. I wanted to silence my brain. I wanted to sil
While we all turned to look who it was, I couldn't help but clutch my stomach feeling overwhelmed by fear. I felt anxious. and I wondered whether alpha Joseph had decided to finally attack. We were unprepared. we were unguarded and no one would expect it. the traumatizing moments of when he and my father had kidnapped me into my mind. I felt the tears flowing from my eyes as I fell to my knees. “Alpha Ryan! What is the meaning of this!’’ Philip reprimanded Ryan as he stepped into the room with an ax in his hand. there was a sharp pain in my abdomen causing me to scream out in pain. all attention was turned to me. I felt as if my stomach was churning. I could feel the tears flowing from my eyes. it was as if everything else had quieted down. it was as if I was the only one in the world.“AAAHH!’’ I let out another scream feeling yet again the same search of pain in my abdomen. What the hell was going on? “Taylor.’’ Will someone call my name screaming my name? but I couldn't Place Wh
Over the past few days everything has been remarkably better. Ryan and I had not gotten the opportunity to talk about what happened. I avoided him while he tried apologizing. I was done with it. he had apologized enough times and none of the two seemed sincere. I had spent a lot of time among the people. providing food and upkeep while learning recipes from the older women in the pack. This was also my opportunity to try and learn as much as possible about the witches without asking people directly. I had gathered quite a reasonable amount of information. Everyone seems to have seen dust. There was a dark brown dust that had risen in the air the day before the battle and it came from the north side of the Pack territory. At first I had dismissed that information until I figured that more than enough people saw it. a bunch of people could not have hallucinated the same thing. they had to be credible to that story. I couldn't help but wonder whether the smoke was an indication that tha
Earlier today, Ryan's grandmother had summoned me into a room. She wanted us to talk about something. I knew what she wanted us to talk about, i didn’t want to talk about it but I still availed myself. and I wasn't wrong. “ Taylor my dear, I'm glad you could make it.’’ she said with a smile on her face as she stretched her arms welcoming me into an embrace. I did not hesitate, hugging her immediately as she held on to me much tighter than usual. Mrs Monroe had never called me into her room. I have only ever gone to her whenever I was troubled but after the meal I had shared with the pack members my heart had been feeling lighter and I was no longer so worried about everything.Ryan’s grandmother was sitting by the window and looking out at the pack grounds. Her expression was a mix of sadness and contemplation, as if she held the weight of the world on her shoulders. Sometimes I felt like she was lonely. sad. That is why I always took it upon myself to try and spend more time with h