Layla’s POV I stared out of the window of the bedroom, watching Ethan leave.The farther he was away from me, the more a sickening feeling engulfed me and made my insides curl. There was always a voice ringing in my head and saying, “You’re losing him, Layla, you’re losing him fast.”Losing him? I couldn’t lose Ethan, how could I lose something I didn’t even have? It was frustrating knowing he loved someone else and there was a chance that person might just be in the same house with us. By now, my shrewd brain was already plotting different ways to kill Ariah, but none of them provided me with a concrete alibi. If I wanted to kill Ariah here, there was no way I could succeed without having a few accusing and suspicious fingers pointing at me. “Oh, my fucking goodness! This is so annoying! I wish I could just strangle her with my bare hands!” I exclaimed aloud as I dropped on the bed. Oh, how I would have loved to wring that little neck of her and just snap it! I felt a heat risin
Ariah’s POV The door of the vast, luxurious bedroom Lowell had placed me in swung open and Ethan walked in alongside him. “There you go, your bedroom,” Lowell said and quickly closed the door behind him. “At least this should keep out those peasants from trying to get close to you. Next time wear a fucking mask, Ethan.”Ethan grinned as he surveyed the room, “I don’t have a mask, Lowell, you know that.” “Then I’d fucking get one for you!” Lowell exclaimed and walked over to the little bar in the corner of the room. “Want some Vodka? You must be exhausted from your trip.”Ethan nodded as his eyes fell on me and his smile broadened, I returned his smile. My whole body had been aching to see him again, throughout the night, all I thought about was Ethan and he was finally here. Lowell handed a glass of Vodka to him and me, he handed me a glass of orange juice and I stared at him questioningly. “Orange juice?” I asked and he nodded. “Yes, you do not need to be drinking Vodka at yo
Ethan’s POV I dreaded the meeting we were supposed to attend in less than two hours. As I ran the shower over my body, my thoughts wandered off, it was becoming a frequent occurrence for me to be lost in my thoughts. Layla had to be my Luna for as long as there were threats of war, but what if everything completely died down? Then this union between us wouldn’t have to exist, right?But then, there was something about Layla that made me unsure of myself sometimes and I didn’t like it. She had this confidence accustomed to someone who knew what she wanted and how to get it. But this time it wasn’t just any materialistic thing or something money could buy, it was me and yet she still carried that confidence. That made me wonder what she was up to, but then, could you ever know what a woman was thinking? Even as I walked into the bedroom again with a towel around my waist and another on my neck, she was staring out of the huge windows that gave a magnificent view of the city below.
Ariah’s POVWhen I woke up again, he was gone, there was no sign of Ethan and I had been locked in as he said I would be.Honestly, I don’t know why I switched on him like that, it was like the root of sadness had just been planted in my heart and all I wanted to hear were the good things I wanted. But then those good things were things I couldn’t get and Ethan wasn’t one that’d lie to me. I really didn’t want to go back to the pack, not yet, Layla was still there. Oh how I wished she could just disappear, how I wished everyone else who always gave me an awkward stare in the pack could just disappear. If it was just Ethan and I left, I wouldn’t mind, in fact, that was my definition of a perfect world. Two long, tiring and boring hours dragged by and I was thankful when I heard the sound of the key being slotted into the keyhole and the door handle turning, finally he was back. Although I really wanted to run into his arms at that moment, I kept my cool and just watched him walk in
Layla’s POVI had to have a moment with Ariah, that was the only way I could break her down emotionally. The more I thought about it, the more it became clearer that I had met her in the past. Ariah belonged to a werewolf pack, Ariah was a werewolf, there was no doubt about that in my mind again. It was a classic tale, a werewolf living as a commoner in a Lycan pack, that was bound to stir up a controversy and that was exactly what I wanted to do. If I exposed her true identity, the chances of her surviving another day here were very slim and I regaled in that thought. But then, I couldn’t just tell Ethan so bluntly, he would never believe me. I needed her away from Ethan and the only way I could do that was by getting into her head. Ethan came back the next day, but after Ariah and Lowell did. She walked into the house with him by her side and bowed to me as I sat in the living room with a glass of champagne. As she was about to walk away, I stopped her. “Hold on, Ariah,” I sa
Ariah’s POVThe next few days after our return to the pack went pretty smoothly, Ethan spent a lot of time with me but I felt like the more time we spent together, the more danger I was in.I became very cautious of Layla, from Lowell I had a little background information about her, and from the way she treated everyone who wasn’t Ethan or Lowell here, I also got to know more about her cruel attitude. I became a little scared of her when Ethan wasn’t around, the whole pack was in danger, and Layla was like a tyrant, she was brutal and merciless in the way she exercised her power. I couldn’t avoid her for long though, she was on to me and what I didn’t realize was how close she was. The night after we had returned from that business trip, I was in the garden, alone. Ethan was supposed to meet me when he was done with what he was doing, but then I had another unwanted visitor. I saw a figure approaching and my eyes started to gleam with excitement but instead of seeing Ethan, my eyes f
Ariah’s POVI could have fainted on the spot.I was so shocked, so dumbfounded, and stunned, my face went pale and my skin color became sallow. Somehow, I found my voice and my voice sounded normal! “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Queen Layla,” I said. She gasped in false surprise, “You don’t? That’s a great shame, Allow me to switch on the bulb in your thick head then, Ariah. You are a member of the Blue Moon pack, you’re a subject of Alpha James.” The directness of her words and the mention of Alpha James’s name was like someone had plunged a sword through my chest! How could she know that? How was I to weasel out of this situation? I would look so stupid if I tried to brew a lie when it was clear that she had the whole truth figured out. “Alpha James was a man of feasts and he always made sure they were big and for some reason, images of that stupid face of yours kept flashing in my head whenever I thought of those feasts. That was when it finally came to me, an omega o
Ethan’s POVIt was going to be a long night, that was for sure.One thing I didn’t have the intention of doing was showing Layla the quiet place, I still had plans to take Ariah there one of these days so I couldn’t let Layla know that it even existed. Layla was the type that loved to talk, before we were even thirty minutes into our walk, she had already started bombarding me with various questions. “So, Ethan, how come you never talk about your parents?” That was the first question. I frowned into the night as I stared ahead, “My parents? There’s no point talking about them when they’re already dead. I prefer to let the dead and all the stories about them be buried along with their bodies.” I replied flatly. “My dad told me otherwise, just for the sake of passing these stories down, but I’ve never really had anyone to tell about my late mother, you see.” She said calmly. “It seems like your father taught you everything you know today, huh?’ I asked and she laughed softly.“Not
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