Ethan’s POV "Fuck!" I yelled and bolted to my feet. That didn't go as planned, at all! Now that I thought about it, I didn't have a plan and I hadn't expected her to react any other way. This was all messed up and it was only going to get worse, I could feel it already. I walked out of the room and the first person I met was Lowell, surprise jumped into his eyes and he asked, "You're done already? You fucked her so fast?" I grunted and shoved him out of the way, "Move." I snapped angrily and walked into the living room. The smell of the books in my study had become intoxicating and I needed a drink. I walked over to the portable bar and poured a whole glass of Whisky for myself. "Jeez, you look worse than you did earlier. Are you sure you can finish all that Whisky?" Lowell asked, his voice laced with concern. I didn't reply, I just downed the liquor until the burning sensation in my throat became unbearable, I hadn't even drank up to half of the glass. My eyes burned and
Layla’s POVNot even one suspicious or accusing finger was pointed at me. The whole plan had been executed to perfection and frankly, I had to thank the dead maid. If not for her, all this wouldn’t have worked out so well and maybe a few suspicious eyes might have been directed my way. Ethan was mine now, no obstacle whatsoever, even if one tended to come in along the way, I would clear it immediately. My father wasn’t happy about Ares’s death and a few times I caught him staring at me awkwardly, I knew I had to put up an act to convince him that I had nothing to do with it. “But why would she even want to kill him? Maybe she had an encounter with him in the past? A vendetta?” He kept lamenting. “Dad, you know it’s only her that could have answered that question,” I said. “He’s dead now, we have to look at the future.” “I can’t imagine how hurt my precious little one is.” He said sympathetically. Oh, you can not imagine how happy your precious little one is, Father, I thought t
Ethan’s POVHow could I even refuse such a thing?I wanted to though, the idea of a date with Layla didn’t appeal to me at all, but then I couldn’t refuse. My efforts to lie were in vain, silly of me to think I could even wriggle out of such a situation. Alpha Campbell, what a fucking crook! He had timed and cornered me, forcing me into a position where a yes would be the inevitable answer. They turned and left, Layla had a smile plastered on her face but I knew if I were to break this news to Ariah, she would have the opposite of the look on Layla’s face on hers. This whole situation had me feeling like a polygamist and I just stood and watched Layla and Alpha Campbell walk away. “You’ve got a lot on your laps, I see.” A voice behind me said over my shoulders and I almost jumped. “For fuck’s sake, Lowell, don’t creep up on me like that again!” I exclaimed. “Creep? I was here the whole time.” He said and I looked at him in surprise. “I guess I should tell the maids to get your be
Ariah’s POV This was what I had to do, or else, I’d run crazy very soon. It took me a long time to finally accept that I couldn’t be with Ethan despite the mate bond between us. It wasn’t just meant to be at all, we belonged to two very distant classes. Over the past two weeks, I had gotten a different view of him, he wasn’t just a king I once feared, he became my lover. But now, everything changed right before my eyes, when I looked at him, I didn’t see Ethan, I saw King Ethan. I knew Ethan’s feelings for me were genuine, but then I would be crazy to even try and make him place me first. He was a king, a ruler, and no matter the circumstances, his subjects came first. I would be foolish to get angry at him for putting his primary duty ahead of me, but at least I was justified for being jealous of the werewolf princess. She was going to have it all, Luna’s crown and Ethan, what more could she wish for?It's not like I wanted the position of the Luna of the pack, no, I didn’t, I di
Ethan’s POVThis is what it is. Anytime I held Ariah in my arms, a ravaging fire burned in me, I already knew where it was leading that night. I kissed her neck as my hands pulled down the zipper of the gown she wore. I picked her up with ease and we headed down the basement, I dropped her carefully on the bed and stared at her. Despite the lust in me I needed to ask her if she was also ready for it. "Are you sure about this?" I asked. She nodded and bit her lower lip, although I didn't think she did it on purpose, that drove me crazy and I slowly took off my shirt and unbuckled my trousers. At first, I was gentle with her, she seemed like a novice so I had to go slowly with her. It was the best and the most satisfying sex ever and we slept in each other's arms that night. The next morning, I heard a sound, like someone was calling my name from a distance but I couldn't quite catch whose voice it was. "Ethan!" The voice called again and my eyes opened immediately. There was a sh
Ethan’s POVThe drive to Layla's pack was a lonely, apathetic one, I found no vibe in it at all. This dinner date, I didn't care about it, it was just a procedure I had to undergo, for the sake of hundreds of lives. We arrived at the pack gates and the guards immediately parted the huge gates open when they saw that it was me. The chauffeur brought the car to a stop in front of the pack house and I got out and took in some of the cool, fresh night air. I walked to the front door and the guards there parted the way for me without any questions, just one of those various things that came with power. I walked in and two maids were already waiting for me. "Please follow us, we'll lead you to Alpha Campbell." One of them said, I frowned, Alpha Campbell? "I'm not here for Alpha Campbell, I'm here to pick up his daughter," I said flatly. They both exchanged surprised glances and the speaker said, "The Alpha insists that you meet with him first over a drink on the patio." "Fuck this."
Ariah’s POV The day seemed to be drawing closer and so did the end of the road for Ethan and me.I couldn't just be convinced that Ethan would find time for me when he was with Layla, she didn't even like me to start with. I imagined a scenario where the three of us would clash and she would discover the relationship between Ethan and me. I wasn't ready for the drama that would follow and although I told myself that I would try to abstain from Ethan, I knew it would be very difficult. It might even prove to be impossible with the way my feelings kept developing each fucking day. When Ethan left me with Lowell, the first thing Lowell did was look at me strangely. I caught his stare from the corner of my eyes and slowly turned to look at him, thinking he would avert his eyes but he didn't. "Is anything the matter, Beta Lowell?" I asked shyly. "Kind of, I've been meaning to ask how you felt about the whole thing?" He replied bluntly. "You know, Ethan and Layla coming together when h
Ethan’s POVI felt so uncomfortable with her steady gaze on the side of my face.I wanted to turn various times and address her, but I just let her be. "So, where do you want to go?" I asked after we left the pack and had been driving for almost thirty minutes. I didn't let my chauffeur drive this time, I drove the car and Layla sat next to me with a constant smile plastered on her face. "I have a place in mind, it's a fancy restaurant." She replied. "I think you would know it too." I shook my head, "I doubt I will, I eat at home, I do not go out that often so I do not know a lot of places." I replied flatly. "That's a shame, you only go for business meetings and all that right?" She asked, her voice and eyes filled with admiration. "Well, you can say that I do not have much to do outside my pack except on occasions like this," I replied and saw her face drop from the corner of my eyes. "What is it?" I asked. "Disappointed already?" She suddenly laughed, driving me into confu
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