AUTUMN:Beta Maddox.When we were children, he and the alpha were already fond of asking questions. If they were curious about something, they will make sure to know why it happened or why it worked like that. Until now, he was carrying that attitude. Lifting my chin, I asked back, "Why are you curious?" Which reminded me that I had not asked him about the dress. Who gave the dress if it was not the alpha?He gave me a half-shrug. "The people were whispering. They believed you would be his next whore given the past that the three of us had." Whore. "Why would I whore myself to him?""What do you think, Autumn? What else? So that you will start brand new. If you becomes the alpha's woman, you will never be branded as the cursed one of the pack. Everything would be to your advantage.""I would rather die than fuck the alpha." I would rather die than give myself to a man who did not even see my worth as a woman. I would rather give myself to someone who sees me as a woman. He looke
AUTUMN:If looks could kill, Sabrina would kill us right now. She was glaring at us and it looked like she would pounce any minute. The worst thing that this woman could do was create a scandal and pull my hair in front of the public.It was because of the beta. Him approaching me would only attract a lot of chaos from this woman. “It’s time for you to run away, Beta Maddox. Your mate will kill me. See how her nostrils flared?” Sabrina clenched her fist as if she was promising herself that she would punish me if she ever reached us.I was not scared of her. At all. What I was worried about was Trisha— my wolf and what she would do. “She’s not my mate,” he corrected, as if there was a need to do so. Which he did not have to. “What's going on between us is complicated,” he continued. There's no need for you to explain! You really did not have to! Don't you dare confuse me as if you’re going to accept me if Sabrina is out of the equation. “She is your mate,” I corrected. “You had cho
AUTUMN:Beta Maddox personally chose the dress for me. Those words had been ringing non stop in my mind for a couple of minutes until I was able to give him a reply. Yes. It took me longer than that. “But you did not give it to me? I mean…you did not buy it for me? You did not spend your money on this dress?”It was only a dress, Autumn. Why can’t you let it go?It might only be a dress, but it meant a lot if that person had given it out of good will. That he had given it because he wanted to. And that no one was forcing him, too. After my family's death, I had been living alone, trying to survive even if I did not deserve to live. And this dress…I was already getting emotional. Damn it. Beta Maddox averted his gaze for a couple of minutes, before he said, “The owner said that I could not divulge the identity of him. He wanted it to remain that way.”Cannot? Or he did not want to?“Whatever. Save it to yourself. I don't care about it, anyway. I only wanted to know if it was real
AUTUMN:Like a child, Sabrina stomped her foot and held her ground, refusing to listen to the beta. “She’s the one who started it! She wants to take you away from me! This bitch. I don't know how she remained alive after what she did to her family. She does not deserve to live!”My inside shook upon hearing my family on his lips. I clenched my fist and tried to stop myself from slapping her. How dare she mention my family with her mouth. Although she was also right. I did not deserve to live after everything. “Sabrina. That's not something that you would say in public,” the beta warned.The woman slapped his hands away. Now, we finally grabbed almost everyone’s attention. I just wanted to disappear. A slave fighting with a free she-wolf, especially the woman of the second most powerful person in the pack, was not something that would be taken lightly. I could be punished for this or may attract a lot of enemies.Damn it. Talking about my family was not something I took lightly.
AUTUMN:“It was the beta who wanted this party,” Alpha Hugh insisted. A lie.There was no way he was telling the truth. Why would he when he was facing an omega? An omega who was his mate?Men were full of lies and I hated how I was seeing one. They lie just to get what they want. And right now, even if I could not explain it, I could feel that the alpha was lying straight at my face.“Oh, please, Alpha Hugh. You don’t have to tell me that shit. I also don’t care if you were the one behind this party or not. That’s not what I wanted from you. I want your rejection. I wanted to be free from you and from any man that ever existed.” “I’m not lying to you, Autumn. It was the beta.”“Oh, please. What a load of crap. You enjoyed your time with that woman. You went out with her.”“I did, but I….” He stopped, and after realizing something, shook his head. “Never mind. Your face tells me you will not believe anything I said. Jealousy is written all over your face, Autumn.” He smirked.“I’m
AUTUMN:The difference between the beta and the alpha? They were both clear on what they wanted. The alpha was clear that he wanted me for whatever purposes he had. The beta made sure that I was not the one he needed since he was already betrothed to someone else. What if I told them that both of them were my mates and that the Moon Goddess played a sick prank on the three of us?But one thing was for sure. In the end, Alpha Hugh would only keep me in the pack. Never rejecting me. At least not for now. He would only hide the fact that we were mates to his pack.The beta and both the alpha did not want everyone to know about me. “Are we clear, Autumn?” he growled, when all I did was stare at him. “If I saw you with any man, I would kill you both. I don’t share what’s mine.”His breath fanned against my cheeks, inhaling the smell of the cigarettes on his mouth. His voice seemed like he meant it.“And why would you do that, Alpha Hugh? Why would you kill someone? You did not even lov
AUTUMN:It seemed like the devil was after my life.The incessant knocking on the door was enough to awaken the whole neighborhood. Groaning, I turned to my side while grabbing a pillow and used it to cover my ears. But my sensitive healing was not helping at all. The loud banging continued. It did not help to make my headache disappear. It felt like my head was going to split open.Images of what happened last night resurfaced. The alpha. “You looked gorgeous tonight and the dress fits you well.”Did he think he could sway me with those words? He could not. I wished he would just reject me. At least the beta did. “Open up!”Someone was shouting outside the door, telling me to open it.Forcing my eyes to open once again, the dirty ceiling of my room glared at me. Which reminded me that my room needed some cleaning too. “Open up!” he shouted for the nth time. “You will be punished for not responding!”Punish. Ah, right. They did not know that I was their future Luna. If they did
AUTUMN:Beta Maddox glared at me and if looks could kill, I would be dead by now. It seemed like he was not used to this kind of treatment coming from his subordinates. Too bad. After rejecting me, all my respect towards him was all thrown out the window. Respect begets respect. Lifting my hands, I said, “Okay, okay. I’m just teasing you. You will never feel any envy. You don’t have any feelings for me, that’s why you rejected me right away, Beta Maddox. No hard feelings. Of course you will always choose someone who would benefit you and that’s Sabrina. I got that.”I did not. He was an asshole. “You never tease an alpha or a beta,” he responded with a cold voice. “Know your place, slave.”Slave. What a nice endearment. “Geez. Fine. I was only trying to lighten the mood after what you did to the poor guard. You scared me right there. Imagine if you happened to kill him right in front of my room. Then his soul would keep on lingering here scaring the heck out of me.”I pretended
AUTUMN:I did it again. Forgetting that I should be saying that it was my "friend" who was asking. That it was for a friend.Dang it. I should be careful with my words, especially around Mika. This woman was sharp and I could not hide anything from her. "Y-yes. I'm asking for my friend."Her eyes narrowed, suspicion evident in her eyes. “You sure?” she asked as if she was only waiting for me to come clean and confess that there was no friend and it was nothing but me. I bit the inside of my cheeks. Right now, I should be telling her the truth. And nothing but the truth, but…wasn't it too embarrassing already?“N-No.”Mika heaved a sigh. "I know it's you, Miss Autumn," she said, out loud. "I don't get why you have to deny it. I can sense if you're lying or not.""It's not me," I lied once again, wanting to hold on to the lies. "I'm not buying it," Mika said. "Alright, whatever. It's your life. You're my client.”“It wasn't really me.”Trisha rolled her eyes at me. ‘What’s the harm
AUTUMN: The beta’s shout of pain continued to explode like wildfire shattering the silence of the hallway. As much as I did not want to feel any worry for him, I could not help it. His shouts seemed like he was being skinned alive. No wonder Beta Maddox does not want to get treated by Mika. It was because of this. “Hey. Tell me the success rate of healing the beta?” I asked. “You’re worried for him,’ he said matter-of-factly. “Alright. Fine. Yes, I am worried even if I should not be feeling it right now. I hated him. I hated how he rejected me, but dammit. I am not that heartless. I still feel sorry for him right now.” “Maddox had the same reaction when it came to this. But we can be rest assured that he is fine in Mika’s hands.” “Are you sure?” “I am sure.” “You seemed to trust that woman a lot. Is there something going on between you and her in the past?” He glanced at me while his eyes narrowed. “Is that jealousy I hinted at in your voice?” “Of course not! I w
AUTUMN:Maddox’s changing his mind about me? That was the most ridiculous thing that I ever heard right now. Why would he change his mind? What happened that I did not know at all? Using the shoes of my heels, I pointed it on the floor. “Tell me. Did he bump his head or something?”“No.”“So that’s the answer, Hugh. Beta Maddox did not change his mind. Maybe…I did not know.”“Then how would you explain how he changed his mind? He did not want to sever his bond. Which might only meant one thing. He changed his mind. Maybe his feelings when we were children returned.”I threw back my head and laughed. “What the fuck, Hugh?” I asked if I was done laughing. “If you’re going to say something, at least you should anchor it to reality. Maddox never changed his mind.” Making my expression serious, I said, “Let’s forget about this and focus on his healing. Let's waste our energy on that. You needed Maddox on the pack while I don't want to continue visiting him anymore.”It would only give
AUTUMN:With all eyes on Hugh, it seemed that his tongue had retreated. Then, a couple of minutes passed, and he answered, "Yes. I will be shouldering the expenses. Charge everything to me."Mika narrowed her eyes. "Why? Are you her second chance mate?"I coughed and said to change the conversation, "Now, now. It's not about me, but Beta Maddox. Why don't we return to our previous conversation and start healing the beta? So that he could return to the pack house? A lot of warriors might be missing him."Mika clapped her hands. "Alright. I agree. We lost so much time. Beta Maddox, can you handle the severing of your bond?"Secretly, I sighed in relief. "How will you do it?" I asked, plainly curious. Mika smiled. "It's not that simple. I will cast a spell. Others use a potion, but the chances of success are slim. If you want your money not to be wasted, let's go work on casting a spell. But I want to make it clear that there would always be a risk.""What kind of risk?" I asked, sudde
AUTUMN:I felt weird all over because Mika shed tears for me. She did not know me. She did not know my past, so why was she overreacting?No female had ever hugged me like this. Back in my pack, all they did was either bully me or inflict pain on me. They hit me or kicked me whenever they wanted. Including Sabrina, Beta Maddox’s fiancee. But never like this.Now, as Mika continued crying, I couldn't help but feel…comforted. That someone knew my pain? That someone was able to empathize with me. This witch, hugging me was like giving me some kind of comfort, giving me butterflies on my stomach.I shook my head when I realized something. I should never get accustomed to this. This woman…she was a stranger. "There's no need to hug me," I said and pushed her away. There were tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry for the waterworks. I'm an empath. I could also feel what you are feeling right now. You're heartbroken. I wonder why. Have you perhaps broken up with your lover? Or your mate?"My
AUTUMN:Maddox's reaction was far better than watching the newcomer. From the looks of it, it seemed that the beta did not like the woman at all. Good for him. I wanted him to squirm. I wanted him to be uncomfortable. Just because we had a truce did not mean I was all good to him. On the other hand, the interaction between the two was...how did I say it...interesting? I wondered what was the story between the two?"Autumn."My brows furrowed, realizing there was the alpha standing beside that woman. How come I didn't even notice him?Hugh’s expression darkened as if he was…mad? Again? For staying in the same room with the beta?‘Maddox and I did not do anything wrong,’ I said. ‘You think he has the time to fool around given his condition right now?’ I asked through our mind link, not hiding my annoyance. ‘Why am I even explaining to you? I do not owe you anything, Hugh. Please stop acting jealous because you're not being cute,’ I stated inside his head. ‘Could you blame me? My mate
AUTUMN:I forced a smile even if my heart was breaking apart for some unknown reason.It must be the bond that we shared. This should be cut as soon as possible, to avoid things like this. To avoid getting hurt like this. Again. “Good. So…when will your wedding be?”“Next month,” he said and coughed. Next month. Next month would also be six months of working in this house. Six months of taking care of the alpha's son. “Alright. I will be there at your service, Beta Maddox. I will be happy to be there as long as the price is right,” I declared, forcing my voice to sound cheery as much as possible. The corner of his lips lifted. “Everything should have a price, huh?”I gave him a half-shrug. “It should be. After all, it’s not easy to face Sabrina. I know why she wanted me. She wanted to rub on my face that she’s one lucky woman when you marry her.” I scoffed. “I will never forget what she did to me. Never.”“It’s your right,” he said. I turned around and watched the door when I fe
AUTUMN:Hugh loved me. He loved me? He loved me!The confession shocked me to the core and all I could do was watch him with wide eyes. When I did not say anything at all, he continued, "I loved you, Autumn and I am willing to risk everything to have you. I want to spend the rest of my days with you. I'm so sorry for taking this too long to say, but now, I am one hundred percent sure of my feelings for you."A confession coming from him was definitely not what I expected. "What about your mother? What about your family? What about your pack? What about Beta Maddox? What about the people around you?” I asked. His brows formed a straight line. "Just because I loved her does not mean I'm going to listen to her when it comes to relationships. You're my mate, Autumn and I will do my best to keep you in my life."A lump suddenly formed in my throat, and what happened earlier was temporarily forgotten.Hugh loved me. My mate loved me. Finally. "You're only confused, Hugh," I said after a
AUTUMN:That woman was definitely Eric's mate. But my question was, would his decision still be the same after claiming that he would still choose me even if he found his mate?"W-what's your next move?" I asked, clenching my fist. If he wanted to save her, I did not have any choice at all.We finally arrived at Hugh's house and pulled into the garage. "What else?" he asked. "I don't know any more about Autumn."He was confused and torn between me and that woman. "Hey. If you....if you're confused, don't choose me, okay?"He glanced at me using the rearview mirror. "What do you mean, Autumn?"I forced a smile. "You know what I mean, Eric. You know what I mean.”Before he could answer, I stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut. I heard the driver's seat door open until I heard him call me my name.Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Eric wearing a conflicted look on his face. I pitied him."I'm sorry, Autumn.""You don't have to say that. Like I said, you should think about cho