ANNA'S POV I was dumbstruck at his comment.I froze, looking at him, not able to move my body.I gazed into his eyes hoping to catch a glimpse of what was running through his evil mind.Could he have perhaps beat me to the chase? Had he found out my real motive for being in his court?I watched as he chewed, his eyes also on mine."I have come to find that there is no meat as tender as that which hated thee," Alpha Lartes spoke through a mouth full of meat. His expression was stern and stoic, not allowing me to read his thoughts.I nearly gasped as I remembered the possibility of him reading minds.I immediately filled my mind with the images of the sufferings my people back at home were going through. If he could read my mind then I would want him to have a look at what he had caused.But on second thought, I changed that image. That was when I realised that such a devilish man like him would find joy in the images of the suffering he was causing my people rather than feel remorsef
ANNA'S POVI could feel a snarl building up in me and I felt my claws coming out.My lips parted ways to allow for my wolf teeth to appear.I was going to end this whole drama once and for all here and now.I started to turn ready to pounce on him and throw all caution to the wind but a guard briskly walked into the room, interrupting my moment of madness."Your Highness, The Alpha of the West is here," the guard said.I had one more opponent to face but I did not see it as that. I saw it as another opportunity to fully unleash my anger.I let out a low grunt as my wolf fought to take full control of my body.She felt I was wasting time and wanted me to attack so fast but unlike her, I was always well-prepared before a hunt. I never went on a hunt without first assessing my prey's strengths and weaknesses, especially at this time when my opponent was stronger than I was.Alpha Lartes did not say a word to the guard nor did he take his eyes off me. I could still feel them on me and I k
XAVIER'S POVI had been anticipating her entry ever since I had picked up her scent.It took all the strength in my body for me to focus on the book in my hand and not raise my head to look at her as she entered.I was already struggling to read the pile of reports in my hand and her presence only made it harder.Before her arrival, I wanted to get up to speed on all activities and I had gone to get the reports. Even though we were just a band of rebels, we always made sure we kept records of our dealings.I had gone to our meeting spot in the palace and had picked up the records there.This witch had successfully wrapped me in her wiles so much so that I did not understand why I caught whiffs of her scent in the passages leading to the hideout. It was as if she had been there.I knew it had to be my mind playing tricks on me because there was no way she had been able to find that place out. It had taken my uncle's army years to try to find it and they still had no success so it was
XAVIER'S POVI watched as a cloud of sadness passed over her face. It happened so fast that if I had not been carefully watching her, I would have missed it.She did not say anything immediately and I understood this was because she was trying to gain the composure my last words had caused her to lose."You say I am not part of you?" She asked with a strong voice devoid of the sadness I was expecting her voice to carry.I did not answer her question. I sat quietly watching her.A small smile started to play on her lips and I wondered what could be going on in that despicable mind of hers.She took two slow steps closer towards me making her stand over me. I braced up for a confrontation.Although I was still relatively bigger than she was even when sitting, her standing over me gave her an imposing stature.My wolf growled."You know if I am not a friend, then I have nothing else to be than a foe. Are you sure you want me as an enemy Xavier?" She said strongly, she then kept quiet all
ANNA'S POVHe wanted to know why I wanted to join forces with him and I told him the truth."I want to avenge the plight of my people. I want to watch your uncle go down," I confessed.I spoke with so much passion because I was telling the truth. "I crave to see the day all he has built will come tumbling down and he will have a taste of his own medicine," I added.It worked. I had convinced him. I saw it in his eyes. The slits opened up revealing icy blue eyes turned warm in their totality. I had said to him what he had wanted to hear."I thought as much," He said, proud of himself for having guessed what even a child would have."But there is more you have left out," He added and I froze.Could it be that he and not his uncle was the Lycan who could read minds? I thought as I wondered how he could have possibly known that there was more to the plan and the story I had just told him.I wanted to open my mouth and say a lie to debunk whatever thought he had of my plan of destroying h
XAVIER'S POVIt hurt me to tell her those words more than it had hurt her and I wondered why.She had finally joined the family.My suspicions about her being my Uncle's informant were still not out of the books. If she thought she had won me over then she was a bigger fool than I was."When am I going to be meeting them?" She asked me."When I take you there," I answered dismissively. I didn't want the conversation to continue.I needed to find a way to tell my fellow comrades that the woman whom my uncle had forced upon me had now joined us. I wondered what their reaction was going to be like. Were they going to think that I had finally lost my mind? I was sure a couple of them already suspected that. I dismissed the thoughts before I heard her voice again."I want to meet them this night," She said sternly."No," I replied sternly as well.I expected her to insist and we would have to do a back-and-forth argument but then she kept quiet and let my decision stand.I watched her ever
ANNA'S POVMy entire body trembled as I felt the current course through my body. The aftermath made me jerk a bit.I was sure he had felt me shiver and I became so embarrassed. He now knew how much his touch affected me if I could shiver from just a graze of his elbow. I felt the urge to move a bit but that would only put me out, so I pretended like nothing happened and I continued to face my ledger.But I wanted more of his touch. What I had felt from just the slight contact of our skin had intensified the hunger that I had been feeling for a while now.My wolf was restless inside of me and it was at that moment that I felt his eyes hot on my skin, burning through me with their eyes.My wolf ears could pick up the hitch in his voice as he breathed harder and faster than he was breathing earlier.This was familiar to me and I knew what it meant. This had been the same way his body had reacted when I had seduced him the other day.He wanted me.I slowly squeezed my legs as warm juices
ANNA'S POV"Come in!" I said to whosoever was knocking as I needed the distraction it would bring.A maid walked in. When she saw Xavier and I sitting next to each other, she quickly dropped her eyes and I could see the look of shame on her face as she must have figured that she had interrupted something."His Highness has requested that you join him for dinner tonight, Your Highness," The maid spoke quickly."Thank you. Tell him we will honour his invitation," I answered without a thought.She bowed her head at my words and then practically ran out leaving us both in silence. I could only imagine what the gossip around the palace would be now.I waited for Xavier to say something as I was still, looking straight ahead of me like I was when the maid had come in.Then I felt his body move, then felt his body rise from beside me. I did not turn to look at him even after he walked away.I still sat there, trying to pull myself together.I had messed everything up. I had messed up the opp
XAVIER’S POVAs the vessels landed on the shores of the island, a war cry was let out and everyone took position.At first, everything seemed perfect. The people in the town were packed away from the scenes. They were led to a safe location. Our aim wasn’t to kill them but to liberate them from the monster who was growing under their noses.As the people got cleared, we proceeded straight to the palace entrance with full attack, but it wasn’t met with force as the few guards present in the town were not even expecting what awaited them nor were they prepared for war.They were easily whisked away, leaving the gates bare. But as soon as we got to this point, that was when I realized that Kelvin knew we were coming. This wasn’t a surprise attack; it was a well-precedented attack.His men appeared from all sides of town as if they had been waiting for us to finish clearing the people away so that they would attack. They were more than we had anticipated and to top that up, their arrival
XAVIER’S POVLeaving Anna behind made me stronger. The further I got from the room, the more determined I became to end this war and curse once and for all.“Xavier, the men are ready,” Edna said as she joined me on the corridor as we headed out of the palace through the warehouse, which led us straight to the vessels.“The men are yet to be addressed and they are all waiting at the beach,” Charles said, and I nodded at him.“But there is one problem,” Nico’s voice filled the space and all three of us stopped to stare at him.There was a frown on his face as he joined us. “What is the problem?” I asked as he got closer.“We will have to do your coronation before you leave. It needs to be official before the realm’s flag can be raised.” Nico explained and I could already feel Edna’s hesitation beside me, but I had the perfect solution to this.“Call the elders, they shall be going with us,” I said and started walking away but Nico ran after me, stopping right in front of me.“But Xavi
ANNA’S POVAs I got to Xavier’s chambers, I went straight to the bed, hoping I could get some rest but as I lay on it, there was nothing relaxing about it.Every scenario and circumstance kept playing into my head. My father’s kidnapping. The change of the details of the curse. The probability of Edna being Xavier’s half-sister and then Xena wanting to place her life on the edge of danger…How could I rest?Xavier’s plan was a full-on attack but what if… that one question held the key to the outcome of so many lives. It was true that with a perfectly planned attack with everyone’s support, we could win it, but would Nico change his mind?Unable to calm my head as the thoughts came moving in and out of me, I got up and walked to the window. Watching as the men outside, sat gathered in groups.It was Nico’s men and Xavier’s men too. They were sitting together in groups as if they had not just been enemies a few hours ago.A small smile danced on my lips. It was a good development and ma
XAVIER’S POVThe room fell into perfect silence as they stared at me with shock in their eyes. My eyes narrowed especially on Nico who was trying to play me here like I was a fool.“So, according to you, it isn’t a crime for me to mate with my half-sister and also, it is perfectly fine if we go against what the elders said?” I said shaking my head and watching their reactions.While Nico had a defiant frown and I could guess that he was already scheming for the next words he was going to say to frame me up into his selfish wishes, Edna could no longer look at me in the eye.It was funny because the idea of her being my half-sister was still very strange to my head but nevertheless, as I said it and they were reacting like this, then it could only be true. The problem now was how they birth to her.“Xavier, listen to me,” Nico started up and I raised my brows ready to listen to his trash for a second time. “I know all this information is a little overwhelming but none of these stories
XAVIER’S POV“What?” We all echoed out in the room in shock.Our voice was of different intensity. Where Charles had the gentlest of them, I couldn’t control mine.“This is unbelievable. How can it be possible?” I cried out. I couldn’t believe this. “Edna can’t be an Octavian, from who? We all know that Uncle Lartes was never even into women to begin with! The man preferred men!”My eyes were narrowed, and my temples were squeezed into a tight knot as I tried to unravel the truth or even basic idea about the information that Xena had given me.“She is not from Uncle Lartes,” she whispered and the cloud of confusion in my head got even thicker.“How then?” I growled. “If she isn’t from Uncle Lartes, who then birthed her?”My father had just one brother and that was Lartes. If he didn’t have then whose child was Edna— as soon as the thoughts crossed my mind, I froze. This meant one thing, if she was an Octavian, then she was…“She is our half-sister?” I whispered, unable to say the word
XAVIER’S POVHer question left a ringing in my ears and the way she collapsed to the ground, caused a panic to start within me. I knew what her argument was based on was the right thing but why did loving her also feel right? Why did fighting for us, feel right?Haven’t we been through enough already?I left my position and went to her with a troubled mind of my own, but I was certain we could figure it out together. I reached out my hands to her and as they came into contact the flame spreading between us was the assurance I needed. This couldn’t be wrong.“Anna…” I whispered with a blank head but at least it was a starting point.She raised her sad tears filled eyes to me and I was about to start cooking up the first plan that came into my head when the door opened and Charles, the vessel captain, stepped in.He bowed before us and held the position. “My king, I have news from your sister, the queen of the island,” he said, and my brows rose instantly to my hairlines.“What about my
ANNA’S POVThe hours on the journey back were ridiculously cold and silent. Every man was to himself, and I couldn’t help but begin to wonder if there was something I missed while we were all there.As the water danced around its waves, I seemed to be the only one rational enough to notice. It got to a point that I became worried for the men as they could fall or worse could happen to them.But the goddess stayed with us. We got to the shores of Black Moon safely without any casualties. Yet the mysteries surrounding the men didn’t stop. Rather it seemed to spread even to the others as we got down.Even the men in Black Moon all seemed to carry around them a strange dark aura that felt wrong.“Let’s go see the King,” Charles said and we picked a representative from the two teams of soldiers we carried along with us.We were going to the head to the throne room but we were redirected to the conference room where we found Xavier, Edna and Nico all seated with long faces.My wolf was itch
ANNA’S POVI tried to think of an explanation to what I heard, but there was none.Everything around me started feeling off, and my heart was no longer beating in the normal way.I pulled out my walkie-talkie, and I wanted to dial Charles, but with no idea where he was or how it was in there, I decided against it.I returned my device to my pocket and moved the one I got from my father and his diary into my backpack, then I did a double back to the vessel.There was nothing I could do but wait, hoping that he would have more information when he returned.“Princess Anna, we got an interception from Black Moon but the connection was not stable enough for us to pick up anything,” the man we had left as a scout on the vessel said.“Oh, we will try again later in the night, connection is always better then,” I said, based on what Xavier had told me when he handed the devices to me.It was what Lartes had used to pass information from Black Moon to the island. It worked, we just had to fin
XAVIER’S POVI wasn’t even the one to reject it. Edna herself slapped her palms to the table and jumped to her feet.“No, uncle Nico. I am not going to be mated to him!” She cried out like I was some sort of plague but surprisingly I felt no hate towards her because it was a mutual feeling. I didn’t want to be mated with her either. I already had Anna.“Sit down Edna and listen to me,” Nico growled and for the first time since I have come to know him, I saw agitation in his eyes.But Edna had gone wild.She stepped away from the table and shook her head like she had suddenly become possessed.“Why should I listen to you?” She spat out and Nico narrowed his eyes and he searched for the right words to say but before he could even come up with them, edna continued.“No way! I have listened to you all my life. I have done everything you have wanted.” She beat her chest and pointed in my direction. “But you see this particular one, I am not going to do it. I am not even going to sit here a