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 POVMy heart was shattered completely by that encounter with Ethan.What made me lose every iota of self-control was the look in his eyes when he asked me those questions. I felt beleaguered, but not by Ethan, neither by his words, but by my feelings. They were screaming at me to let everything out, to express myself to him, but I couldn’t. I had to bottle it all up, it was my only chance at survival here. “I messed up, didn’t I, Leia?” I asked when I was back in my room and on my bed lying face down, my head buried in between two pillows. “I lied to him, I told him I didn’t love him anymore when I truly did. I still love Ethan, Leia, with all of my heart!” I cried. “There, there, little one. Do not shed tears over this issue, it’s just a phase and as it’s supposed to, it will pass away.” Leia said soothingly but I wasn’t buying her words of comfort this time. “Leia, don’t lie to me, please. My life has been a mess from the very beginning and you know it. This is not a ph
Layla's POV Ariah’s absence in Ethan’s life left a huge hole in his heart. I didn’t have to be told, a lot of things about him changed when she started to distance herself from him. I watched from afar initially with keen interest, like a predator in the wild waiting to catch its prey at the right time. I was patient, I wasn’t in a hurry to step into Ethan’s life, it had to be timed to perfection otherwise, all my efforts would go down the drain. For some time, Ethan was able to bottle up his feelings and hide his pain like he was okay, but gradually, that self-control started to fade. He began to express his frustrations and I loved every moment of it because each of these moments brought me a step closer to him. On a certain night, he sat on the king-sized bed in the master bedroom we shared with a grim expression on his face. When I walked in, he stood up and walked out. I followed him at a safe distance and watched him through the glass door of the patio. Suddenly he hurled
Layla's POV It was easy enough to figure out what to do. The plan was clear, Ariah had to go away. I had a plan to find out what pack she was from and I had an idea that there was a chance I could get to find out if I took her to the upcoming feast of the eve before the next blood moon. Surely all the alphas would be gathered at that event and then I would be certain that either she was a member of the Blue Moon pack which I had seen her in, or another. "The blue moon pack...who's its alpha again?" I wondered, straining my mind to recall and finally, it came to me. "Ah! Yes! Alpha James..." The last time I saw him was at my coronation, he hadn't been present at the feast after because of some issue he had to take care of. How come Ariah didn't bump into him then? I mean he was right here in Ethan's pack, how did she miss him and vice versa? I wondered. Then my eyes widened and I sat up from the couch I was slugged on. The only way they could have missed each other was if Ari
Ethan's POV "Hey." She said as she walked into the bedroom that night with an awkward look in her eyes.I sat at my desk, going through some of the files that Lowell had submitted to me. I stared at Layla as I felt a strange energy emanating from her. "Hey," I replied. She smiled and walked over to me, "So, what have you been up to?" She asked, staring down at the papers scattered all over my desk with very little interest. "I haven't seen much of you lately." She said, She was wrapped up in one of my robes that made her look little in it and from the incentive look in her eyes, I suspected that she was up to something. "Well, I have been busy with work as you know," I replied, forcing my attention back to the paper in my hands. "Always so hard working and busy, you never really have time for yourself, it's crazy." She said slowly and walked around the table. She took the paper from my hand and kept it aside. "What are you doing?" I asked. "Helping you relax, I must take ca