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KAEL.“Rasmus. You said you caught her in bed with Rasmus.” Her lips uttered these words, and rage surged within me. I had no idea if I was furious because Desiree cheated on me or because Rasmus was my cousin, and I expected better from him. “So we fought over her.”She shook her head. “No. I was not aware of any confrontation. You tried to move on while he tried reaching out to you many times over the first few months of our marriage, and then he stopped. He began calling again when he heard about your accident, but Miranda didn’t want any other Alphas to know you were in a coma, so every time he called, like with other Alphas wanting to speak with you, Dexter or Landon would make up excuses. But before that accident, you would simply decline his call.” The fucker had the audacity to talk to me like nothing had happened. I grunted in my head.“Have you met him? Face-to-face?” I asked. She shook my head. “We were supposed to attend an event, but you backed out when you found out h
KAEL. She began eating without inviting me to join her, which should be expected as she was still mad at me. But I didn’t mind. I had no appetite to eat. So I stayed back, leaning against the wall and watching her eat in silence. “How did you find out I’m here?” She asked after a while.“Rasmus told me.”Her head snapped to look at me, and at the same time, I realized something. “Fuck! Are you done eating? We need to go.” I told her.She nodded her head and didn’t complain. She came to the same realization—that this must be a trap, and we were both in danger.Adessa drank the soft drink up to the last drop without using any straw before putting the fries and the burgers back inside the brown bag. “Can we take the food? I don’t want to throw it.”“Yes,” I responded while peering out the window.“You have a car, right?” “Yes, but it’s Rasmus’ car. We’ll take a cab.”“Okay, okay. I’m ready.” She stood, holding the paper bags in one hand and the backpack in the other. “No. No, not the
ADESSA.I tried not to breathe so as not to draw any attention, but my heart was thudding so loudly that I felt I would collapse soon. I knew there was nothing to worry about because Kael was by my side. But then the possibility of them hurting Kael also terrified me. My hand raised, and I was about to grip his arm, but before I could touch him, my head was turned to the side, and his lips crashed into mine. I had no idea what just happened, but the moment his lips moved and began sucking and kissing me, I just found myself turning my body to face him so I could kiss him back. Like always, whenever he kisses me, the rest of the world ceases to exist. A soft moan escaped my throat as my arms snaked around his neck, and I pulled him closer, letting his body provide me warmth on this cold night. I would not deny that I missed him and the kisses I would get from him, so I savored the familiar way he held and caressed not just my lips but my whole being. I was still lost in the moment
KAEL. I asked for one bed, with no couch and little space to move around. In my defense, I wanted to make sure she was within reach in case someone barged in on us in the middle of the night. But I also want to feel her warmth. Not that I wanted more than just sleep, but... damn it! I had to admit I wanted her close. “I got you,” I mumbled, focusing on her amused face. Her eyebrows hiked up as if she couldn’t believe whatever she saw in my face before she straightened her posture. “Thank you. I want to rest now.” She said. “Of course.” I motioned with my hand, showing her the bed that was just three steps away from us. But instead of going directly to it, she picked up her backpack and made a run to the bathroom.Or should I say she made two steps to the small bathroom?I remained seated in the chair while she was in the bathroom. I tried to concentrate on our next move for tomorrow. I reached for my phone in my pocket, only to realize that my battery was empty and I had left the
ADESSA.I wiped the drool from the corner of my lips and scooted my body closer to the warmth I was hugging. I was already being pulled back to sleep when I realized I was leaning on a hard torso. I didn’t mind it at first, as I was so used to this position until it dawned on me that I didn’t have the privilege to do this anymore. My eyes snapped open, and I tilted my head up only to meet Kael’s gaze. He was already looking at me. Did he see me wipe my drool? Or worse, did my saliva drip onto his chest?“Hi…” I mumbled, but my hand quickly covered my mouth. I didn’t want him to smell my morning breath, but he was not even bothered at all by the looks of it. He smiled broadly at me before he winked, making my forehead crease. What was the wink for?Kael didn’t move and remained looking at me, the wide smile still plastered on his face. Until it slowly sank into me why he was smiling too much. Half of my body was almost on top of him. My arms were wrapped around him, and one leg w
ADESSA.“I just need to figure out who’s messing up our lives,” Kael said, and I tried to make sense of his words. Our lives? Or did he mean my life? Did I understand him correctly? I was sure someone was trying to sabotage mine, but him? I was still conversing with myself when he grabbed my hand and guided me out of the room. Everything after that became a blur.As much as I wanted to talk about what he said, I remained mummed, as I didn’t want any discussion in public. Hopefully, he could rent a car where we could talk privately.“Ready to go home?” Kael asked after he gave me the takeout bag from the drive-through. I nodded my head, and he began maneuvering the car to drive away.This was it. I needed to tell him about Miranda before we exited this city. But just when I was about to open my mouth, his phone rang. We bought a charger before renting a car, and he charged it right away as soon as we sat inside this vehicle. He turned it on just before we got our food. “Landon…” He
ADESSA.“Why Desiree?” Kael asked him right away.He didn’t even greet him.“Finally, you asked! Now, make sure you don’t fucking drop the phone on me while I’m trying to explain.” Rasmus was talking too fast.I understood him because whenever he called and attempted to speak Kael, Kael would hang up without hearing the rest of his speech.“Talk! I’m listening.” Kael said. “I don’t know any Desiree! That woman I fucked was named Savannah. That was the name she gave me, and it was too fucking far from Desiree!”“Why should I believe you?” Kael asked, and I tried to gauge his reaction if hearing Desiree fuck another man would elicit a foul reaction from him like he used to whenever this topic came between us at the early part of our marriage.But he was acting nonchalantly and “For fuck’s sake, Kael, you should know better that I would never take any woman that had gone to bed with. I would never take any leftovers—for my ego and for my sanity! If I knew she was the Desiree you were he
ADESSA.“I believe Miranda was the one who sold me to Alpha Draco,” I said in a soft voice, but enough for Kael to hear. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and my heart began to thud loudly. I sank deeper into my seat, thinking if this was the part where he would shout at me for trying to smudge his stepmother’s name. “Listen first. I was inside the van, and they forced me to sign something—a paper. I didn’t even get a glimpse of whatever it was. I just signed because they pointed a gun at me.” He didn’t say anything or didn’t even look at me, but I could see his expression darken. “The car drove by to her home, and one of the men inside went out and gave her the paper I signed. I knew it was her. It was her home, and I saw her face. She took the paper from him.” “Your farewell letter...”“What?”“Did you write a farewell letter for me?”“No. The only things I left on your desk were the credit cards and the wedding ring. But then they put the ring into my pocket when we wer
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
ADESSA.Draco was kneeling before my father and me, while Beta Roman was on his left. Their heads were bowing down as if they were honorable knights. I heard him and his Beta acknowledge us, but I refused to respond to them.“Adessa, bestow him the pin of honor,” Father said in a low voice. My gaze tilted down, but I refused to budge.“Do you want to stay here longer than you should?” Father’s voice was calm, but I could feel the storm within.With a face devoid of any emotion, I turned to my right and took the pin handed to me by a consort. I pinned it on his shoulder without making any noise.“The code of blessing, Princess Adessa.” The consort beside me murmured, reminding me of what I was instructed to do and say for the ceremony.“I will never bless you, Alpha Draco. May you never make it to the end of the game.” I said in a voice just enough for us to hear, and I could tell my father was struggling not to lash out at me. But before anyone could force me to do my role, he had a
ADESSA. I had no idea what to feel once the result of my pregnancy came out. Negative. A part of me was grieving because Kael and I wanted to have a child, and another part was relieved that no other person I loved would be pushed into this messy life I had. But aside from that, nothing had changed.I threw all my doubts about Kael. Danielle was right. There are people worth taking risks for, and I would risk it all for Kael.If he turned out to be the bad man in the end, at least I had no one to blame but myself. Rather than turning my back on him and finding out they were all wrong about him.He might not be my husband anymore, but I remembered the vows I made to him in that car—for richer and for poorer, in sickness and health—I promised to honor and cherish him. I planned to keep the end of my vow, even if I didn’t have the ring anymore that we had that day, as I had taken it off and left it in the car when we attended the Moonlight Ball. I’d been longing to see Kael. The days
ADESSA. I whimpered softly before fluttering my lashes. The bright lights blinded me for a millisecond before I was able to open my eyes completely and found everyone staring at me—as if I were a subject on a petri dish. “Am I dead?” I asked. “Adessa!” The king hissed, and I closed my eyes immediately.“I’m sorry, Father. I just…”“Enough. We will talk about that in private. You need to be checked first.”I just nodded my head before opening my eyes. They assisted me into a sitting position before they checked my vitals. After a while, the physician said nothing was wrong, and it could only be pointed to exhaustion. He then asked the King if he wanted him to do sets of tests to check further.Even before he could answer, I had already blurted out my own question. “Can you check if I’m pregnant?”I knew I was being bold, but the earlier I could find out, the earlier I could plead to stop the Royal Games. “Do you think you are?” The King’s jaw tightened as he asked.“I’m already del
DANIELLE. Prince Esriel was approaching. As much as I wanted to walk away and pretend I didn’t see him, I couldn’t. I had my responsibilities as Princess Adessa’s handmaid and as a palace worker. So, I turned my body around and bowed my head in his direction. “What’s happening here?” he asked once he stopped before me and the guard outside the room. I tilted my head up and met his piercing gaze before replying. “The princess fainted your Royal Highness. I already requested for the family physician to come here.” He didn’t say anything and opened the door, stepping inside the princess’s suite, so I had no choice but to follow him.I walked faster than him, leading him to her bedroom. “She still hasn’t woken up.” I immediately checked her pulse and if she was breathing. “Do you mind helping me to position her correctly, sir? I can try carrying her, but I don’t want to hurt…”“Cut with the Sir crap, Dani.” He interrupted me, and then he chuckled. He walked toward the bed, and I cou
ADESSA.I made it back to my chamber and found Danielle there. She ushered me in and locked the main bedroom before guiding me to sit on the bed. “Are you okay, my lady?” She asked, and I could tell she was worrying about me, even if she knew she was in a greater mess than I was. “No,” I replied, letting out a big sigh. “I’m sorry that you don’t feel good, but I have to say this first because they can take me away from you any moment now.”“I won’t let that happen.”“Don’t worry about me, but listen, Princess Adessa. Under this mattress is my phone. It is safer here than in mine if they ever search my room for anything.”I nodded before I threw my arms to hug her. “I’m sorry I put you in trouble.”She rubbed my back and pulled away from my hug. “It’s okay. I want to help as much as I can.”“Did he message already?”“Not yet, when I placed it there a few minutes ago.” She replied. “He must not have the chance to do it yet.”“Do you think he loves me and not just because I’m a princes
ADESSA.“Did the accident really happen? Did he lose his memory, or was that an act to force divorce on you because he no longer wanted you?” Father asked all this in one breath. “But he changed his mind when he found out you could be of Royal blood.”“He had an accident! If you researched him, then it should be here!” My voice was higher, and my hand slammed on the folder as I fought my tears—everything he said kept piercing my heart. I could take anything. I could take the divorce talk. I could take looking at photos of him and Desiree embracing and laughing. But my heart couldn’t accept that he didn’t love me as he said. “It is here.” The King took out documents and pushed them in front of me. My eyes watered as I looked at the papers—some of them I was familiar with as they were handed to me while he was in a coma.All these documents were signed by Dr. Carlitos, the one who attended to him because Dr. Gideon was not around. “The doctor who saw and attended to him was not a leg