I got fed up listening to Ariah’s words as I stood at the foot of the stairs.She was so scared and timid and I hated to see her that way. I walked over to her, the thick carpets that clothed the floors absorbing the sound of my footsteps. I gripped her wrist and spun her around, staring down at her with a frown. “You talk a lot, Ariah,” I said. “Lowell and I will sort it all out, you have nothing to be worried about.That didn’t convince her because the worried look never left her eyes. “I wasn’t lying when I said neither you nor Lowell have answers to the questions they will throw at you.” She said in a low, sad voice. “I don’t want to be a burden and I don’t want to be a source that fuels your rebellion against anyone in your pack.”I stared down at her beautiful innocent face and I could tell that she was slowly losing faith in me. “Come with me,” I said to her, then left an order with Lowell. “Keep everyone off my study.”He nodded and took another sip of his wine, “You got it.”
Ethan’s POVI adjusted on my chair and stared at him at the mention of Ariah’s name.“Ariah, you say? What about her?” I asked calmly.I was cool and collected, unlike Lowell whose unsteady eyes kept darting around the room. He was always tense whenever we were amid the elder’s council and I didn’t know why. Maybe I had nothing to fear or to be intimidated about because I was the king and whatever they said didn’t matter because I had the final say. And that was the same case now. Before this meeting was called, I already knew that the Lycan community was starting to advance on Ariah, but then, she had me. This meeting was just a waste of time. I wasn’t letting Ariah go no matter what they said.The elder cleared his throat and looked at the table before carrying on. “There has been some controversy and disagreements concerning the girl, Ariah. She doesn’t have a place here and you haven’t publicly stated her purpose here or even who and what she is.” He said. “And who said she do
Layla's POV I didn't hear anything about everything though, just the important things. I would be very honest here, I was scared, absolutely terrified by that note in Ethan's voice. It carried so much emotion, so much menace, one wouldn't dare go against Ethan in this mood and it made me feel like all I had done to get her with him was truly worth it. Only if...only if the lady he fought so vehemently and ferociously for was me. It was at that moment I knew just how much he loved Ariah and it broke my heart into a million pieces. For a moment, I didn't see myself with him, I came to terms with the thought that there was truly no way of making Ethan mine. It seemed impossible for that brief moment, but then that determination within me, that doggedness sprung to life. I had to get him, I had to make this powerful man mine. I couldn't believe that I once thought Ethan didn't know how to exercise his powers, but look at him! A man like him would make me completely fulfilled, not j
Ariah’s POV Although I was resting on the promises of Ethan, I still got to discover the terrible side of the Lycans.Over the next few weeks, it went from one tragedy to another traumatic event and I found myself seriously struggling to cope. It was at this point that I discovered just how brutal the Lycan community could be, they were so determined to get me out of the way and it was scary. It all started with Layla on the day of the meeting Ethan had with the elders, she summoned me to the garden through her maid, Sally. There was a way Sally carried herself ever since she became Layla's mate that made me very surprised and curious. She seemed excited to be working so closely with Layla and for some reason, that raised a red, warning flag in my mind. Even when she escorted me to the garden, I knew I had to be conscious of Sally because anyone close to Layla was as harmful as Layla was to me. "Do you have any idea why she wants to see me?" I asked her as we walked out of the pa
Ariah’s POV The scariest thing since I moved into Ethan’s pack happened on the second night of my ultimatum given to me by Layla.The pack was attacked! It was crazy, I had never experienced such a thing and it came as a great shock and surprise to me the moment I heard the screams and alarmed voices. I was in my room and I sprang up from the comfort of my bed as a shrill cry rang into the atmosphere. I was breathing heavily as I listened intently, my heart was suddenly gripped by fear, and beads of perspiration started to form on my forehead on the cold night. “What was that, Leia?” I asked my wolf, my voice was shaky. That was when another shrill cry erupted and pierced through the calm atmosphere of the night that suddenly had a husky air of danger. “I have no idea, you can only find out if you go see for yourself,” Leia replied. “What? Are you crazy? I can’t go out there when I know there’s so much danger!” I exclaimed, shocked that Leia would even suggest such an absurd t
Ethan’s POV“It has to be her!” A voice yelled out of the crowd and I saw an accusing finger being pointed at Ariah.Ariah’s face went ashen instantly and her white skin went pale, she had a look of disbelief on that beautiful face of hers and so did I. I turned and stared at her accuser, it was one of the elders. “What do you mean by that?” I asked, suddenly filled with more fury. “It is established that there is no way anyone could invade this pack and cause such disruption without inside information. Look, King Ethan, they even set one of the bronze statues ablaze!” The elder exclaimed, pointing to the melted bronze statue of my great-grandfather that was situated at the center of the pack. I glared at the elder, “So what has brought you to the conclusion that it was Ariah who staged this? What makes her a fucking suspect?” I asked impatiently, I was ready to lurch at him and knock his teeth out with my fists. “She is the only one in this community that could be a trojan horse
Ariah's POV I was greatly shaken by that incident, not the attack, but the accusations. Everyone was against me, standing in front of them without Ethan by my side for that brief moment, I felt the pang of the bad energy emitting from everyone in the pack. And it was all directed at me. I went pale with fright at that moment, this had all been a plot against me. From their eyes, I imagined all of them conniving against me, it was a hellish thought. I didn't want Ethan to leave my side after he took me to the bedroom, I didn't want to be alone for even a second. I heard him assigning guards to guard the door of the room, but I didn't feel safe. What if the guards just walked in and took me away? What if the guards felt the same way about me as just the rest of the pack and Layla did? What if they just snuck in at any moment now and did damage to me? I kept staring at the door, my sweat was cold against the skin of my forehead and it trickled down my neck, my heart was hammering a
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