ADESSA.“Where will you find a couple of thousand to pay it back?” I let out a sigh, and my shoulders slumped. “I’ll think of something.”“We don’t take jewelry here. We have a pawnshop on the other side of the city.”“Do you think you can ask your boss to make an exception? I don’t have enough money to get to the end of the city. Please.”She looked at me, and we stared at each other for a while before she took a deep breath. “I’m the manager here. I can make an exception, but are you sure you’ll return for this? I also have to put an interest on the amount you will loan.”I nodded. “I will come back. I don’t want to lose that either.”“Fine. Let me check this first and label it. Sit there.”I nodded and went to the nearby couch to wait. I had no idea how long I waited. When she came back, she handed me two thousand, two hundred dollars. She informed me that the listed amount was two thousand. Her eyes told me not to question anymore, but I wanted to assume the extra two hundred came
MIRANDA.Even before I found out Dexter was my mate, I was already attracted to him. But he was just a Beta, and I dreamed of bigger things. I wanted to be a Luna.Dexter was smart enough not to tell anyone that I was his mate until we were able to find time to talk. Since Khalid and I were not fated mates, even if in the end he marked me, he was not able to feel my infidelity. The same way Dexter never felt anything whenever I had sex with Khalid. Only fated mates who marked each other could feel their mate’s infidelity. Without the bond sealed by marking, everyone was free to fuck around. So I fucked around behind my husband’s back. Sex with Dexter was explosive. From the get-go, I knew I wanted him, but I also wanted this pack. So there was no way I was leaving Khalid for him. I did my best to make him understand. I swayed him to continue with our pretension that we had nothing while formulating a plan together. Besides, Dexter didn’t want to step down from his position. Like
KAEL. I played the video I got from the jewelry shop on my TV and watched it repeatedly, trying to make sense of her actions. She received a small amount of money. I could tell by the number of bills she had received. Was she stupid enough to believe the ring had no value?I also noticed she was trembling when she entered the shop. It was not a clear video, but I could tell by the way she hugged herself and shook her hands. Her demeanor was too different from that of confident Adessa, who had signed our divorce papers. She looked lost in that video. As if she was afraid of something or someone. “Fuck!” My hands rose to my head, and I gripped my hair tightly. I shouldn’t worry about her and just focus on getting the ring back.Right. She was moving on. I must do the same. I shut off the TV and threw the remote control on the couch nearby before turning off the bedlamp.I forced myself to sleep, but sleep seemed to be impossible at the moment because of the many thoughts running th
KAEL. I woke up early today, ready to drive to Bayson Bay to meet up with the buyer of Adessa’s ring. I hope he wouldn’t make it hard for me, as I am willing to pay a hefty sum of money to get it back.After that, I also planned to drive around the area to check if she was there. Not for anything but to make sure she was safe and okay. The entire week, I made time to watch all the videos on my phone and read all the notes that I found inside my wallet. They were small pieces of paper that were tucked in between my cards. They all came from her, and I kept them. Nothing much was written there but just her wishing me a good day or telling me that she was excited and looking forward to our date nights.But there was no I love you, or I miss you—a clear indication that what we had was not born out of love. But I could feel her excitement.And we do have date nights. The Adessa I could picture while reading the notes and the Adessa that giggles in every video I took of her was too differ
ADESSA.I’d been staring at the clock the whole morning, and by lunchtime, I finally decided I couldn’t just sit still and wait for Corrine to come home. I wanted to see Kael, even if only for a moment and from a distance.I put on black jeans and a black hoodie before leaving the apartment and walking toward the commercial area. Corrine’s home was just three blocks away, so I didn’t need to take a bus or a cab to get there.It should be an easy walk, but I had to keep my guard up all the time. I didn’t want him or any of Alpha Draco’s men to see me if they were looking for me. I honestly have no idea if Kael knew I was sold to Alpha Draco. If I based it on what Corrine told me last night that Kael was looking for me, it seemed he didn’t know. But then a part of me thought that maybe he was just faking his statement so he could buy the ring back.I still remember the way he treated me after he woke up and how he dismissed my feelings by letting Desiree crawl all over him while I was
KAEL.When we arrived at the shop, the ring was still on display. I expected them to tell me to wait until the buyer showed himself, which I hated. I was never the one with the patience to wait, but I had no choice. But then, waiting never happened. The store manager was there; I was sure she was the female in the video with Adessa. “Alpha Kael…” she greeted me as she approached. The man I spoke with, Philip, just told me the buyer hadn’t shown up yet.“You know me,” I told her.“Of course,” she smiled as she bowed her head at me, and I returned her nod. “Everyone around here knows you.”I just shrugged my shoulders. We used to own the building in this block and the other side before Dad sold them because Miranda insisted it was too far to manage. “My name is Corrine. I’m the manager here. I was told that you’re interested in that ring, " she said, pointing to the display case on the other side. I nodded my head. “I am.” “Oh, it’s a good choice. It’s beautiful.” She smiled broadl
KAEL.“Do you want to see Adessa, Alpha Kael?” Corrine’s question made me stop walking forward.“Yes,” I answered a little too fast, and I could see Landon suppressing a chuckle to come out of his throat. I scowled at him, then turned around to face the woman at the counter. “Do you know where she is?”“I took her home with me because she didn’t have a place to stay. Give me thirty minutes, and I will just leave instructions to Philip, then we can go home. But, Alpha, only if you promise not to force her to come home with you if she doesn’t want to.”I raised my palms up and nodded my head. “You have my word. My Delta will stay outside the house, so you won’t feel like we’re overpowering you and Adessa. I just want to speak with her.”She smiled, and we agreed to go with it. Thirty minutes wasn’t that long, but it felt like it was. I was eager to see her again.Landon and I went outside the shop to wait for Corrine. My Delta pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and asked if I minded
KAEL.I didn’t have the energy to object anymore. So I just let my Delta drive us to the Knight’s Stone Pack while my mind flew to whatever I could remember of Adessa. She was beautiful, no doubt about that, so it didn’t surprise me that Draco took a fancy to her. Plus, Draco and I had been rivals since our youth.Our packs were in the same county, with only three human cities separating us. In short, our werewolf communities were closest to each other, but we never got along well. The rivalry had begun with our forefathers and had carried on to the generations after them. But in all honesty, I was not bothered by them. My pack had been thriving well without any help or disturbance from them. Draco was another case. He would show superiority whenever he could, and I would usually ignore him. Adessa was not the first female he tried to take away from me. There were some while we were studying at Alpha University. I thought he had grown out of that habit, as he had not made any attem
KAEL.I moved on to the green drink—the one for Adessa. Like the first two, I just let my hands move on their own while praying to Selene that I would not lose my concentration and momentum. I didn’t care anymore if someone was watching me. I hoped the first two drinks would be enough to confuse them if I actually knew what Adessa’s favorite drink was. Gratefully, my hands kept moving as if they knew what they were doing. My mind was telling me different measurements, but it seemed my hands knew and had their own calculations on how I should prepare and handle this drink. Also, I initially thought I would use a martini glass for it, but I subconsciously picked up the coupe one. I strained the mixed drink from the shaker and poured it into the glass. There were three cocktail drinks in front of me, and Landon was beaming as if we had already won. I was leaning on the counter, my fingers tapping on the marbled top, as I stared at what I had prepared before my eyes caught sight of a
KAEL.“A simple game of chance…” I murmured, repeating the words of the host.I listened as the task was given, and even after we were asked to begin, I remained in my place, staring at the counter in front of me. The challenge was to fix a cocktail drink for the princess, and whoever owned the drink she chose would get a chance to have breakfast with her. Simple as fuck, right? Well, it wasn’t. Because I had no fucking idea which drinks she liked. “How the fuck will we win this when her ex-husband is here? He obviously knows what she wants!” Alpha Randolf blurted it out, and I could hear the others agreeing. “Instead of complaining about something you cannot change, why don’t you move forward and do the task given and give it your best shot?” Prince Vaidas spoke with a calm demeanor before he walked over to the main bar, followed by his second in command.“At least there’s one person in here who still has the right frame of mind,” Landon said in a hushed tone.I had no idea if I
KAEL. I thought Adessa’s brothers would corner me, but it didn’t happen. In fact, I was ignored the whole time. Their attention was drawn to Prince Vaidas, so I could already tell they wanted him for her.But I didn’t give a fuck, because that whole time they were rubbing elbows with him, Adessa’s attention was only on me. I couldn’t count the number of times we smiled at each other and shared a toast of our drinks despite the distance. I felt like a teenager flirting with a girl behind her parent’s back. I knew my reality was more serious and too far from the simple life I was imagining. But instead of sulking, I reveled on this night, taking one step at a time and creating memories with her since I still couldn’t remember if we ever had moments of flirting like this. “Landon,” I called his attention as he was talking with some women. Yes, aside from the unlimited drinks and the loud music, there were also women who came and started taking our attention. I didn’t entertain anyone
ADESSA.After dinner, I was given time to rest before I was informed there was a cocktail party in one of the pavilions—a welcome celebration for the participants of the Royal Games and I would be attending. While they were dressing me up, I voiced some complaints about the lack of advance notice. Of course, I was excited. Anything that would let me see and talk to Kael was always something I looked forward to. So I was glad this was a cocktail party setting and not some formal dinner or such.I was presented with many dresses, and I finally chose the color red. This was the first time I would be wearing one as I always thought this color was too bold, and I always felt unworthy to wear it. But not anymore.Aside from wanting to look good in front of my husband, I want the others to see me as a strong female, and if they think they could use me for the title I hold, then they need to think twice. I was so excited for tonight, but then someone came to my room and briefed me on the eve
ADESSA.I never wanted to stop talking about my mother because I had so many questions, but I didn’t have a choice. The King refused to answer more questions. He said he was tired and we could talk about her some other time, but he made me swear not to repeat our conversation with anyone. During dinner, I tried to sway Esegar and Esaias, my two youngest brothers, who were seated on my sides, if they had an idea of what the task might be. They didn’t want to say anything, but in the end, Esaias told me there was a part where there would be a duel, and the loser’s head would be cut off in the end. He also added that even if the challenge was not a duel, there was still a chance of a head being cut off for every stage.My mouth hung open, and I felt my face burn as I listened to him. A part of me wanted to believe it was a joke, but he looked so serious when he said that, and he talked in a loud voice so everyone at the table heard him. I was dumbfounded as tears pooled in my eyes.
ADESSA.“And you did nothing to help her?” My voice was accusatory.The King’s eyes remained closed with his head leaning back against his seat. If I hadn’t seen his hand coiled into a tight fist, I would have thought he drifted off to sleep because he hadn’t replied for a long time. “So that was it. She got pregnant, and she had to solve that on her own.” I said in a bitter tone. “She was just as hard-headed as you are. She told me she didn’t need me, and before I could discuss things with her, she was gone.”“Please tell me you looked for her.”“My hands were tied…”“You are the King of this Kingdom! Your word is everyone’s command, and you got terrified?” Ironic that I was pointing out how powerful and respected he was, and yet I was raising my voice at him. “The other Guardians asked me if we had an affair. I denied it. I denied I was the father of her child.”My hand clamped over my mouth as I shook my head.“I thought I was protecting her. No one could command me to tell the t
ADESSA.My feet felt like they were gliding in the air as we walked out of the arena and were ushered into a coach that would drive us back to the palace. My brothers were in different cars, and I was the only one sharing this vehicle with the King. Despite my father’s dark expression, I couldn’t help but smile.“If you think I will allow Kael to finish the game…” he began. “Of course you will, Father!” I exclaimed sweetly, not letting my anger for him surface. I had to play smart if I wanted to make sure Kael stayed in the game. I slightly turned to face him, both hands clamped over his forearm. His gaze lingered on my hands before he tilted his head to meet my eyes. “He earned the right to be included, like all the other eleven dashing men out there. And if, in the end, he wins, then it means he is the rightful husband for your only daughter.” He scoffed before turning his gaze back to the front while my hands remained holding him. “A King will never resort to cheating and will
KAEL. “Kingdom of Absalom, welcome! Let the Royal Games begin!” The King’s voice roared around the arena, and the crowd applauded while goosebumps rose from my skin. This was it. There was no turning back.Never did I imagine I would be part of something I only read about while I was studying at the Alpha University. The other Alphas and I used to joke about this game. We wondered what the men had faced in the challenges and if they made it out alive. No one knew. As to what we’ve learned, they were not allowed to discuss it outside after the game was over.So, we joked about dragons and orcs and laughed about how we would decapitate their heads if we were there.But they didn’t look funny anymore. This was real life, and I had no idea what awaited me inside.All I knew was that we were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement stating that none of the things that would transpire inside should be made public and a waiver that we entered of our own accord, knowing the possibilities of
ADESSA.“His second in command, Beta Landon Crawford of the IronCrest Pack.” The speaker continued, and I was left stunned.I was not able to stop my eyes from growing bigger this time, and Kael had seen that. A smirk tugged on his mouth as he stopped on the spot where he was to wait for his Beta. As soon as Landon was just a few feet from him, he began walking again while I was still trying to make sense of everything. Did Kael realize Dexter hated me? That taking him meant he would jeopardize him from winning? How was he able to fix everything in just a few days? Did he fly home to fix this and fly back here? How did he complete the registration for the games if he had been traveling? But how was he able to make Landon his Beta if he wasn’t home?There were too many questions in my head, and I knew I would never get an answer. But it certainly didn’t matter anymore. He was here, and Landon was acknowledged as his Beta. If there was anyone I could trust besides Kael, it was this m