Layla's POV I was enjoying every single moment of Ariah's tragedy.It would have been perfect if Ethan didn't stop interfering and saving her ass! That got on my nerves each time, just when everything was going fine, Ethan would morph out of nowhere and save the fucking day. Before the first attack that night, I had left the pack in the morning, and immediately Ethan was out of the pack house. It was a very brief meeting with a few efficient men I trusted in my pack. From the moment I overheard Ethan's meeting with the elders, I knew to do something. Something that would break through the shield of immunity Ethan had placed around Ariah and the plan was just perfect. I had staged the whole attack and it was no surprise it worked to…well, it was almost perfect if not for Ethan. These men were highly skilled and intelligent and of course, I had to pay a large sum of money for their services, even though I was still their princess. I had made it very clear that they couldn't fail, on
The next day, I headed down the stairs and I saw two guards standing alertly in front of a room. It was a sight to arouse one's curiosity and I thought it was Ethan in there. As I walked towards the guards, the door swung open and Ariah walked out with a gloomy look on her face. Well, that was a surprise, why was Ariah being guarded? It was either Ethan or Lowell who had stationed those guards to watch over her. I took my guess, it had to be Ethan. She bowed slightly to the guards who just nodded and grunted coldly, then she turned and saw me. I flashed a genteel smile at her and beckoned on her. I saw the reluctance and the look of disdain in her eyes, it was a mutual feeling. She bowed slightly to me and I said, "You look like a mess, Freathen up and meet me on the balcony of my bedroom in twenty minutes." She didn't object or say a word, I didn't even give her the chance, I just turned and walked away. I had Sally prepare a small table for the both of us, of tea and biscuits. I
Layla’s POVMy heart stopped for a moment, I was so scared that I went completely white.I had done a lot of evil deeds in the past, but never have I been caught in this manner. My mind was in a fucking turmoil, what would he do to me now? My short reign in Ethan's pack was over! How was I supposed to answer all the questions he was going to throw at me? Goodness, I was toast. Ethan looked at me with impassive eyes, I couldn't read his emotions and those eyes of his told me nothing. That made me more petrified. "Layla, there you are." He said, walking over to me as if nothing had happened. "I've been looking for you."My eyes flickered, why wasn't he saying anything about the drink? Or did he not see anything? I was in a feat of suspense, so I just played along in the meantime. "Uhm…me? Why?" I asked, my voice stammering slightly. He stared at the tray for the first time, his eyes were still the same and he just looked away. That made my heavy chest drop with relief, he hadn't see
Ethan’s POV "What? That's impossible!"I exclaimed and jumped to my feet, shock waves sizzling through my body as I turned the news over in my head. That was impossible! "What did you say?" I asked one more time, making sure I had ears correctly.The guards that had rushed into my office stared at each other nervously, then one said, "The…The moonstone of the pack, King Ethan…" He stammered. "It's gone."I looked at Ariah, who just had a confused frown on her face. She had come to me about thirty minutes ago and right in the middle of our conversation, the guards had barged in. "What about Lowell?" I asked, my heart racing with panic instantly. "Get Lowell here right-”The door flung open and Lowell rushed in, breathing heavily and his eyes were wide and wild. "What the fuck, Ethan! Have you heard of it? The fucking moonstone's gone!" He exclaimed, sweating on a cold night. Fuck! I thought to myself, this was bad news! No, this was the worst possible news! "Search everywhere, ev
Ariah’s POV I was still in Ethan's study when the door finally burst open suddenly and an elder and two guards walked in. "There she is! Seize her!" The old man yelled in a strained voice and the guards pranced towards me menacingly. I was terrified at the scene, what was going on? Why were they after me again?The guards took my arms roughly and jerked me off the seat. I was completely engulfed with fear by now and my heart couldn't stop beating like a Cherokee drum. "What did I do? What's going on?" I asked, my voice laden with fear and wonder as they dragged me out of the room. "Shut the fuck up, you little pest!" The elder snarled with an ugly look of distaste that sent shivers down my spine.Where was Ethan? I wondered with panic as they dragged me out of the pack house like a fucking criminal. I was completely helpless in the grips of the giant guards, I stopped struggling at a point, and my eyes darted around in fright. Outside, the chill of the night seethed through my
Ariah’s POV That night, I cried myself to sleep for so many reasons. I was a loser, I accepted that I couldn't stand up for what I wanted. It hurt me badly but it was the truth. I just couldn't fight back because it would all be in vain. I would keep getting tortured and accused of things I didn't do, all because they didn't know who I was. It didn't matter how long I held on, each event would keep shattering me deeply. At first, I wasn't scared, Ethan was there the whole time, but this night, when he wasn't there…it terrified me. Worse than any horror movie would ever be, Ethan's absence was the worst thing that could happen to me if I decided to hang on to him. It could even mean my fucking death! "Ariah-” Leia started to say but I cut in quickly. "Don't do it!" I sniffled. "Please, Leia…I beg of you, don't do it. Whatever you want to say, don't say it. Yes, I'm a fucking loser, a bloody weakling, but please don't tell me I was wrong for choosing what I chose." I said, weeping l
Layla’s POV It was just the perfect end to this.Ariah gave up weakly, with tears pouring from her eyes and declaring that she would have nothing to do with Ethan from now on. The sizzling feeling of triumph was regaling. I looked down at her with a smirk on my face, "That took you long enough, didn't it? I was wondering how long you were going to hold up for." I said and shook my head. "What's that crazy phrase again? Love conquers all?" I asked and scoffed. "Little Ariah, that was an insane fallacy you ended up believing, but the truth is that power conquers all." She looked down, dropping to her knees, her palm was pressed on the floor of sorrowful tears dripped from her eyes. My voice hardened as I said, "You may have surrendered, but that doesn't mean I'm through with you, Ariah."She looked up at me, her eyes red and confused, "But…but…" She stammered. "You said it was all done when I agreed to distance myself from Ethan. So what do you mean?" She asked. "Well, do I need
Ethan’s POVSomething was wrong and I desperately had to get to the bottom of it.When Layla left the patio and I tried to reach Ariah and find out what the real problem was, she wouldn't talk to me. Of course, I knew that Layla had been lying about what she said earlier, what beats me is why Ariah had concurred with her obvious lie. "What's the matter, Ariah? Talk to me." I said as I crouched next to her. Tears came pouring down from her eyes and I took her in my arms, trying to provide some sort of comfort to her. I hated to see her cry. She sobbed and vibrated in my arms for a while, then she sniffled and the sound of her crying reduced slowly into a silent sob. "Ariah, talk to me, I told you that I can handle any damn situation," I said gently into her ears. Suddenly, she struggled out of my grip and softly pushed me away, wiping the tears off her face. "I'm...I'm fine, King Ethan." She said, her tone muffled with sadness as she to her feet. I was stunned and I also got to
Ariah’s POV Two weeks later, we still had not heard anything about Layla or how she managed to escape, but then it wasn't about her anymore. The Blue Moon pack had been conquered and merged into Ethan's pack, but then that wasn't even all. The Lycans were dominating over the werewolves and Ethan was at the forefront of it all. There was going to be a rule implemented soon that would see a supreme ruler ruling over both the Lycan City and the Werewolf City. One faithful day when I was in the master bedroom of the pack house, Ethan walked in with a bright smile on his face. It was the normal time he came back from the pack office in the evening, but this time just seemed different. "Guess what?" He asked."Hmm…" I looked at the ceiling as I pretended to be in deep thought. "You're still on cloud nine after the sex we had last night?" I asked. He smirked, "Very close, but no." He laughed softly. "It's something way bigger than that. The elders want to meet with you and me in th
Ariah’s POV "Make up your mind, Ariah. We don't have the time for you to ponder." He urged quickly. I stared at Lowell, I could bet that James was going to kill him if I didn't act quickly. "One…two…it's a three count." He smirked. I set myself and kicked him between the legs with all the strength I could muster and his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. He let out a loud, sharp cry and the next moment, he was on the ground, groaning in pain. His forehead bulged with veins and his face turned red completely. "You fucking bitch!" He yelled.I kicked him hard in the stomach and rushed towards Lowell. He was bleeding from his nose and the edges of his lips. "Lowell! Lowell! Are you okay?" I asked hysterically as I helped him into a more comfortable and less awkward position. He groaned slightly, "I'm…I'm okay…Come on, help me up." He said in a low, breaking voice. I grabbed his arm and heaved him up with surprising strength. He staggered and then dropped to one knee.
Ariah’s POV Ethan also stopped by my side abruptly as he stared ahead. We were in the middle of the bloodiest battle I've seen in a while and we were just standing there like statues. "Either I'm blind or that's Layla standing by James's side," I said in a shaky voice.I was somewhat shocked, she still wasn't remorseful, even after what had happened, Layla still wanted to get at me. "That's her alright," Ethan said. "Now I wonder why I'm even surprised."Of course, I should have known that she was the one who told James my whereabouts from the moment Lowell walked in with that letter. What a fucking snake! James walked towards us with a wicked snarl on his face and said, "Well, well, well. I'm sure you got my letter, instead of waiting for me to come at you, you struck first. Brilliant!" He exclaimed in a loud voice. "I'd have attacked either way," Ethan said calmly.Having Ethan and James in the same place and at the same time was quite unsettling. Not for once did I envisi
Ariah's POV I was really tense by the time the next morning came. The previous night, before Lowell's interruption, I was pretty sure that Ethan and I were going to have sex. The moment was there, everything was perfect, but then, things weren't just the same anymore. I became restless after that letter, I started to see real danger for Ethan. Even though he was a Lycan and Lycans were much more dangerous than werewolves, I was still very anxious. James was cunning, I wanted him to pay for all he did to me, but I didn't want anything to happen to Ethan in the process. I heard a noise outside the window and with a thumping heart, I quickly rushed to it and peered out into the dark. My eyes took some time to adapt, but finally, I started to see and make out the figures below. I gasped.I couldn't even count them! All of a sudden, I felt an overpowering presence behind me. One that gave me comfort, one that made me feel safe. I didn't have to turn to see who it was, Ethan towered b
Ethan's POV Lowell was excited as he stormed into my study the next day with a huge smile on his face. "The war's over! The bloody war's over, Ethan! You fucking genius! You did it!" He exclaimed with excitement, he was beyond himself with joy. The edges of my lips curled into a narrow smile, then my face went serious again. "How?" "Layla's father called a meeting yesterday evening with all the Alphas of the werewolf packs and guess what? They have called off any hint of a war. Sheesh! I can finally breathe and so can you!" He replied and laughed. "Hmm."He frowned at me, "Hmm? Hmm? That's all you have to say about this? Hmm?" He asked. "What else do you expect me to say? I saw it coming." I replied imperiously and he smirked. "I have something to take care of, Lowell and I don't know if you'll come with me or not," I said and his face went serious. "Someone has been messing with Ariah in all the wrong ways and I intend to take care of that." "But I thought you had alread
Layla’s POV "You blew it."That was all my father said when we got back to our pack. The look of disappointment and visible exhaustion on his face genuinely made me feel bad for him. "You're my only daughter, Layla." He said as we walked into the living room.I trailed behind him recently, hoping he wouldn't turn to look at me as he glared up but he eventually did and I had nowhere else to turn but to look straight at him. "You had everything you needed right from when you were young. So what the hell went wrong, Layla? What? How did you turn into this?" He asked so many questions at once that I wasn't sure he wanted me to reply. "Father-” I called but he cut me off harshly. "Not a fucking word, Layla!" He roared, stunning me to silence immediately. "Why do you have that look on your face? Why do you have that look in your eyes? Where's the bloody remorse? Don't you feel bad for the people who died along the way just for you to fulfill your goals?" I swallowed my words, but I
Ariah’s POV I welcomed the idea, I needed to clear my head because everything that had happened there happened so damn fast! We got into the car and didn't say a word until the chauffeur got the engine rolling. He looked at me and suddenly his arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me to him. Our faces were almost touching and the full weight of my breasts pressed against his heavy chest.I wondered if he could hear the loud thumping of my quick-beating heart. "Why didn't you tell me that was going to happen?" I asked finally. "You left me so dumbfounded!" He grinned, "I think the only person who wasn't left dumbfounded in that room was Lowell." He remarked. "I wanted it to be a surprise." "Well, heck yeah it was!" I exclaimed, still not able to come to terms with the fact that there was a future in store for me and Ethan. "I still can't believe it," I said slowly. He arched an eyebrow at me, "Believe what?" He asked, pulling me closer so that my forehead rested on his and our
Ariah’s POVI was so surprised to see him that I didn't know when I lost grip of the towel around my body. I gasped and was about to pick up the towel when his eyes stopped me. The way he looked at me set my body on fire and I wasn't sure if I wanted to cover up my nakedness anymore. His eyes traced over my body, taking their time on each of my features until they finally looked into my eyes again. That was when I snapped out of it and quickly picked up the towel and covered myself. My cheeks blotched red with embarrassment, but there was a little tickle of delight in my tummy. He blinked severally and looked away. "Uhm…try something called knocking next time?" I said mockingly as I walked to the wardrobe. "You should handle your towel better, you can't keep dropping things." He replied, his voice teasing me rather than scolding me.I hid a smile as I dressed up, although I didn't look at him, I knew his eyes were glued to me the whole time. When I slipped on a sky-blue gown that
Ethan’s POV Her entire body was trembling as she stood at the door, staring at us. This wasn't the Layla I knew, she looked hideous, and this was the first time I had ever seen her shed tears. "Ethan…" She called softly and shut her eyes tightly as the tears poured out. "Can we talk for a short while, just me and you, before you do anything else?"I exchanged glances with her father, and although I didn't want to talk to her, I still granted her this last wish. "Alright," I said huskily and her father rose slowly to his feet. He hugged and kissed her forehead on his way out and closed the door gently behind him. "There isn't much to say, Layla," I said as she walked to the chair slowly. "I know." She said, "You don't have much to say to me but you have a lot to hear, Ethan. There's no use saying I'm sorry," She sniffled. "It was all for you…and I would keep saying that the biggest regret of my life was that you didn't end up falling in love with me, even when I had gotten