Ariah’s pov There was the awkward way the lady was looking at me, I couldn’t ignore it and I would have given Ethan the signal only if he was still holding my hand. My focus hadn’t even been on her, throughout the entire ride to this place, I had already made up my mind on what to do. The first thing I had to do was survey the entire hall and watch out for Alpha James, if I didn’t see him there, good. If I did, then I had to get away with any excuse I could cook up. I was a little relieved when Ethan held my hand as we walked in, I was looking around in a desperate search for Alpha James or anyone at all who looked like him when the girl and her father approached us. When she looked down at the way Ethan held my hand and I saw the look in her eyes, I recognized it instantly. A lady knew when another lady was jealous but this one’s eyes just flickered with a little jealousy and a lot of curiosity. When I shook the man’s hand, I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to relate with anyone
Layla’s POV Ethan was the man for me.That was my conclusion the moment I set my eyes on him again that night. He was everything I wanted, his presence alone emanated a strong aura and dominance over everyone else in the room that sent a warmth into my heart. This was the kind of man I needed by my side, one who had power and knew how to use it and carry himself. Before the feast, I told my father to take care of one thing for me and although he was reluctant and had asked so many questions, he still did it. Ares, my husband, was kept away from the feast, my dad sent him on a pointless errand. When it came to my father, Ares was like a dog to him, he respected my father and obeyed his every command. I had plans for Ares, one that would see me end up with Ethan without any controversy, my father had no idea about it. It was just my little, evil plan, let’s just say a tweak in the whole play. The first thing I noticed was the way Ethan held the hand of the beautiful lady by his s
Ariah’s POVI couldn't have gotten out more quickly. It was already so intoxicating and when Ethan held my hand, I clasped his firmly. I didn't want to let go until we got into the limousine and that was when he let go of my hand. I was finally happy to get away from all those people, most of all, I didn't see or bump into Alpha James, that was the biggest relief of the night. But I had a lot of questions about the lady that seemed to cling to Ethan all night. That wasn't all, it was as if everyone was working together to ensure that they were close to each other, especially her father. I knew that where they had directed Lowell and me to sit wasn't a coincidence, they had purposely kept us away from Ethan. And then her father's little speech, the way he had praised Ethan seemed so wrong to me and I knew something was going on. Something just felt off but I couldn't place a finger on it. I thought I would spend the whole night with Ehan but that wasn't the case at all, it was
Layla’ POV I was pretty pissed off. Even as I went up the stairs while the dance was going on to inspect the poison the maid had gotten, there was a glowered look on my face. The whole night I had been looking forward to dancing with Ethan, to feeling his arms around me when the music got slow and the lights got dimmer. But then, he left, he just left and the way he held Ariah again made it even worse. What kind of friend was that? She was probably the reason he had to leave so early, it had to be. He had mentioned that she didn't like being around so many people and truthfully, I even noticed how uncomfortable she was. But I didn't care about that! It was none of my fucking concern! Now with nothing to do for the night, I was going to perfect my plan and everything else, it had to go perfectly so that it wouldn't arouse any suspicions. I walked into my bedroom and the maid handed a little bag to me, inside it was a glowing, powdery purple substance. "Nice, you got it from the
Layla’s POVAll I wanted to talk about was Ethan.Lately, he was all that crowded my mind, all I thought of, and the only man I truly wanted. My dad loved and cherished me so much that if I wanted attention, he gave it to me instantly. Just like now, he closed the documents on his desk and took off his small reading glasses, and wiped them before putting them in their case. "So, what interests my darling?" He asked. There was a question I had been meaning to ask for a long time, "Why is it that very few people know of Ares and I? King Ethan doesn't even know I'm married. Do you know what he said?" I asked and my father shook his head as he gave me his undivided attention. "He said he heard it was a rumor! Just a rumor? Most people think I'm single and it gets me so agitated at times." I lied, my voice was almost sad. "Really?" My dad asked, his eyes wide with surprise. "Of course, Dad, if I'm married, I want the whole fucking world to know," I replied, it was a good act. "We
Ethan’s POVAs the days went by, my love for Ariah only grew and the bond between us started to blossom. That wasn’t all, the uncertainties increased and so did the threats about the war. The elders were starting to become agitated and I had met them four times in the past two weeks over this same issue. I didn't even know how to tell Ariah about the whole thing, I didn't want to hurt her, she was too dear to me now. But then I knew that if I didn't tell her and she got to find out after the whole issue had been sealed, that would break her more. Even Lowell said the same thing the day he was in my study and I could hardly focus on what he was saying. "What's bugging you, Ethan?" He asked suddenly. "What? What about the deal?" I asked absentmindedly. He sighed, "Fuck that, that's not what I'm talking about now." He said firmly. "What's up with you? You aren't even focused on what I'm saying. You have been like this for a while but it's worse today." He said, his face clouded
My love life with Ethan had been something marvelous, I could have never imagined that it would end up this way. Trust me, after the traumatic experience at my pack in the hands of Alpha James, I thought I would never find love again, but I guess I did have some good fortunes left in me. For about two weeks, we became closer and closer, but then I noticed something that bothered me each time Ethan left me. There were always deep lines on his forehead and a worried look on his face, instincts told me something was wrong. It was something he was trying to keep away from me and that made me curious and even worried. Whenever he was not with me, there was a grumpy frown on his face but when he saw me, he forced a smile. This particular day, I was going to receive the news that would shatter my dreams and smear the perfect life I had been living for the past two weeks. Ethan had just left the conference room where he had a meeting with the elders of the pack and as usual, he had that f
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
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