Ariah's POV The first time I shifted into my wolf felt like I had opened a completely new world.I felt so alive like I had never done before, I felt so fulfilled, and I finally felt like I was a werewolf. For the first time, Leia was unveiled in her natural form and I loved what I saw when I stared at my reflection on a broken glass that lay around. I stared up at the moon again, it was still gleaming down at me and that was when my senses came back to me. I couldn’t believe what had almost happened, I had been inches away from walking right into Layla’s trap. I had been so desperate then not to see that she had only meant harm to me in that proposal of hers. “So fucking stupid.” I berated myself.The moon was slowly covered up by some clouds and from then on, I felt like I had control over my body again. The powerful influence of the moon had dimmed a bit and I felt myself becoming smaller and weaker. In a moment, I crumbled to the ground, gasping and breathing heavily, I was c
Layla's POV It wasn’t the picture I had expected to see, standing outside the shack and just watching both of them from a window. Ariah certainly had some guts and that made my blood boil with so much anger that my claws sprung out again and I almost barged in. The bitch! Ariah had probably taken all my threats lightly, she was going to get it now. I was so furious at that point, I just turned and stormed off, my brain working quickly. I knew something was off right from the moment the moon revealed itself and there was no sign of Ariah. I had waited for over thirty minutes before I was compelled to shift into my wolf, but even after this, Ariah was still nowhere to be found. I wondered where she had taken refuge, her absence had completely ruined the plan I had to expose her in front of Ethan when he came. What then aroused my suspicion was when Ethan didn’t show up either as he had promised he would. Sally had brought a wrap for me instead when I had shifted back into my hum
Ariah's POV I couldn’t remember the last time I slept so well, but there was no better feeling than this.I headed back to my room in the pack house at midday the next day and I realized that the pack was in a state of complete chaos. What the hell was happening? Why hadn’t I noticed this? Oh shit! Of course, I couldn’t when I was busy crashing in the quiet place, it was called that for a reason. Everyone was running around, some were even wailing and there was a clamoring air as everyone seemed to be talking and pacing about with panic. There was only one person that could tell me what was going on so I decided to rush directly to Ethan’s study. I knocked on the door but there was no response for the first twenty seconds or so. I knocked again and there was still no response until I heard the shattering of a glass against a wall. I gasped, wondering how the pack had transformed from being a very calm place to a haven of absolute havoc. “Ethan, it’s me!” I yelled finally.Silence
Ethan's POV I was angry and nervous at the same time. I couldn’t believe that such important documents could have been stolen so easily. “Where are the fucking guards?” I asked as I left the study. “They’ve got to be somewhere around the pack house, maybe you should calm down a bit, Ethan, so you’ll find it easier to think,” Lowell said calmly but his face was clouded with worry and urgency. “Gather all the fucking guards that were on duty the previous night and bring them to the fucking courtyard. I’m going to be sending some asses off to that fucking dungeon!” I ordered and walked away. I was so panicky that I ignored everyone who stopped to bow to me as I made my way to the courtyard. In about twenty minutes, Lowell returned with a dozen guards whose faces had gone ashen at the sight of me. “Who and who were on duty inside the fucking house?” I asked and nine hands went up in the air. “Who and who were stationed to guard the ground floor?” Five hands went up this time and t
Ariah's POV I knew that working together with Ethan would only bring us closer and for a very weird reason, there was no issue with that. My encounter with Layla had shaken my nerves greatly when she first asked that question, how the hell did she find out? It was a truly nerve-breaking situation but everything changed when she suddenly flashed an awkward smile at me. “But then, it’s not entirely your fault, is it?” She asked, making me stare at her in confusion. “You’ve kept your part of the deal, the whole abstinence from Ethan and all that, and trust me, you’ve done well, but just not well enough. But then, Ethan is also at fault, he doesn’t get over things. I’ve tried but he still chases after you, of course, I find it very pathetic for a king to be chasing after a complete nobody, but then, what can I do?” She raised her shoulders and dropped them helplessly with a deep sigh. “Do whatever you want Ariah, I guess the whole mate bond shit doesn’t fade, does it?” She smirked
Ethan's POV Everything about Lowell’s approach compelled me to follow him and it stirred up my curiosity immediately. I slowed down as I noticed that where we were headed was Ariah’s bedroom, what the hell were we doing here? I held Lowell’s arm and stopped him, “What the hell are we doing here?” I asked him sharply. He had a disappointed look in his eyes that made me even more impatient, “Why don’t you come and take a look for yourself, Ethan?” He said, was that a scornful note I detected in his voice? I turned and looked at Ariah, her face was just as confused as mine, only that hers carried a tinge of fear. I looked away from her and followed Lowell into the room, the guards there bowed with a triumphant look on their faces. I didn’t like any of this, an ominous air suddenly hung over the room. “There,” Lowell said, pointing to the bed. I refused to believe what I had just seen. Everything froze at that moment, the earth stopped rotating and the air hung above us huskily.
Ariah's POV I was as confused as anyone else in the fucking pack. How? When? What the fuck was those documents doing in my room? And it wasn’t even hidden anywhere, it was just under my pillow as if it was begging to be found. Lowell was like a man possessed with rage and I think I could understand him to an extent, but I was so scared. He thought I had fooled him and Ethan because they had been on my side from the onset. “Lowell, you have to listen to me, I was not a part of this, I swear! Please believe me!” I cried as they led me down a creepy hall. “Lowell, please!” “Part of what? You were the only one involved in this!” He snarled and turned to the guards, “I’ll take it from here.” He said to them, The second they let go of me, he gripped my arm viciously, “It beats me how you managed to deceive Ethan and me for so long, Ariah. He should have condemned you the first time you escaped the guards.” He said spitefully to my face. “Lowell, please hear me out. How could I ha
Ethan’s POV “Unacceptable! I always knew she was bad news! But you, King Ethan, were too blinded by whatever charm she carried!” The elders screamed at me. I had never felt so helpless, so betrayed, and heartbroken before. It was the worst night of my life, the person I loved so much had hurt me in the worst possible way. “I’ll handle it,” I said as I addressed the elders, I gritted my mind and got to my feet, making a decision that had taken a lot of effort. “The crime she has committed is a hefty one, punishable in the most brutal way. She did not only steal the most important and valuable papers in the whole pack, she deceived…she deceived me, the king.” “Death!” One yelled. “Death!” I turned to Lowell with a grim look on my face, “Do you have anything to say before I pass my final judgment?” I asked. Layla, for the first time, was present at this meeting and from the look on her face, she seemed…happy. I wasn’t fooled by the sympathetic mask on her face, I knew that deep