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.“You were on the phone with me, and you didn’t tell me you were coming here?” Rasmus’ voice rang in the air after he barged into the living room of Aunt Aria’s home. “Maybe because I don’t trust you.” Kael rose from his seat next to me and turned to face him.“And yet you’re in my territory.” Rasmus scoffed.“I’m not here for you, but Aunt Aria.”“Enough, you two. We have a more pressing thing to discuss.” Aunt Aria stood up before walking toward her son, placing her hand on his chest and rubbing it softly. “What’s going on?” He asked his mother. “Have you watched the news lately?”“I don’t watch TV, you know that.” He replied. Aunt Aria moved away from him and picked up the remote control. She scanned the channels until she found one with a breaking news advisory.Kael’s hand grabbed mine and pulled me up from the couch before letting me stand in front of him. He gripped the corners of my shoulders, keeping me close to him.My face flashed on the TV, making me flinch, but
KAEL.“You need to be careful,” Adessa said. Her eyes softened, and even if she was trying to smile, I could see the worry in her expression. I raised my hand and let my knuckles run over her soft cheek. “You’ll be safe here. I will come back as soon as I can. Keep the phone I gave you close, and never call me unless they’re here. I will call you when I can.”She nodded. “I have to go.”“The last time you said goodbye to me, you came back unconscious, badly beaten, and on the brink of death.” Her eyes watered before she continued. “Can you make sure to come back alive?” I smiled and nodded before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into a tight embrace. “I will come back alive. I have many things to make up for, and I need to get you out of this mess first.”She didn’t say anything, but I felt her squeeze my body as she hugged me tightly, as if she didn’t want to let go. I turned my head to the side and kissed the side of her cheek, but I let my lips linger there, wanting t
KAEL.I saw Dexter’s hand coiled on his sides. I met his gaze and told him what to do next. “Go to the bank first thing tomorrow morning and freeze all her accounts. I also want records of her transactions in the last two years, three if possible.”“I can do that,” Dexter said, nodding his head in respect. “Where is Luna Adessa?”“I don’t know,” I answered, leaning forward on my desk again. “I’ll be out for a week or two starting tomorrow.”“What?” They asked in unison. “Where are you going?” Dexter asked.“I have some business to attend to. All I need is a guarantee this pack will be handled efficiently.”“I don’t think you’ll have a problem with that. I’ve been managing this pack in your absence while you were in a coma, but I need to know your whereabouts and what else to expect.”“But you have Luna Adessa giving the final decisions for everything.” Landon butted him, debunking his words. Dexter’s forehead creased before he responded to that. “She has the last say, but we both kno
KAEL.I looked at the photos in my hands, and I still couldn’t believe everything that was revealed to me. The man who gave me this information had been gone for some time, and yet the conversation between us kept playing in my head. “I have the information about your girlfriend, Alpha Kael.” He said after I acknowledged his greetings. “Ex-girlfriend.” I corrected him before I pointed to the chair in front of my desk, motioning for him to sit down. “Let’s get to the point, as I don’t have the luxury of time today.”He nodded his head, then placed a brown envelope on the table and pushed it toward me before taking his seat. “That’s what I collected in the forty-eight hours that I followed her. She didn’t go anywhere besides that apartment. They went out three times—to a drive-through and bought groceries .”My forehead creased. “They?”“You will understand more once you see the photos inside.” Without saying anything more, I grabbed my letter opener and proceeded to open the envelope
KAEL.I left the territory after lunch. But before that, I met my staff at the Central Hall. I informed them I would be out of the territory for the next two weeks, and Alpha Rasmus would take charge of the pack in my absence.I could see they had questions about why Rasmus was needed, so before anyone could ask, I told them there was serious going on in the pack that needed a decision from an Alpha. They didn’t argue anymore or question that.But then someone asked about Adessa and what I knew about what happened to her. I was itching to tell them I would stand by their former Luna and support her, but I kept my opinion to myself. I reminded them that I would not entertain any more questions about her as her case was ongoing. It looked like I was turning my back on her. But it didn’t matter to me. It was enough that Adessa knew I was on her side.The last thing I wanted was for news to spread that I was defending her. The person handling her case might assume I was hiding her and inc
ADESSA.Danielle helped take my clothes off, but I told her I wanted to shower alone. I wished I didn’t. I wished I had let her help me with my bath because she was gone the moment I stepped out of my bathroom. Another handmaid was waiting for me. Aileen informed me that she would be assisting me moving forward. I knew right then and there that Danielle was in trouble. I might get away from the King’s anger, but not her, and it was all my fault. I maintained my composure while Aileen assisted me in putting on a new gown, even if I was worried. She offered to braid my hair, but I refused and let it down. And even if she wasn’t in agreement, I left the run in a hurry. I wanted to find Danielle to make sure she was okay. My feet led me to one of the Palace Salons, where I was told the King was. Either he left the banquet early, or the breakfast had been concluded. But it didn’t matter anymore, as Kael was no longer there, and I had to make sure Danielle would not be punished.Aile
ADESSA.“We need to go, my lady,” Danielle said the moment she was done rubbing off the oil on me.“Okay,” I replied, but my eyes were on Kael, who was biting his bottom lip but not saying anything. “I will just turn around if you want to say goodbye to each other.” Like she said, Danielle moved toward the door and turned to face it. Kael went to me and cupped my face, kissing me briefly before talking. “I won’t come back to the breakfast hall.” My eyes watered as I nodded my head.“In case the King noticed we were both gone. I also have to leave the palace vicinity soon.” He added as his knuckles brushed my cheeks. “Be careful.” I was struggling not to cry, but I wasn’t successful. Just the thought of him being away from me was crushing my heart.“I will. Please don’t cry. You have to be strong without me. And use your heat to protect yourself.” He whispered the last part in my ear before he kissed my cheek. “I will come back for you.”“Sir…” Danielle spoke, and our heads turned
ADESSA.As much as I wanted to stay in Kael’s arms longer, we didn’t have the luxury of time. I wanted to run away with him, but what kind of life would we have after that? Although the stupid Royal Game is in the way of us being together, being a royal was also my only chance of being free from the crime I committed. I was holding on to the hope that somehow I could convince the King to change his mind and let me choose who I wanted to be with. Maybe if I told him Kael and I had no plans of being the King and Queen of Absalom, he would just let the idea go. Besides, with five princes, what are the chances of us being crowned as ruler of Absalom? So, this Royal Game was obviously a waste of resources and time. I looked at Kael, wiping the wetness between my legs and making sure none of his cum was running down my thighs while I continued to hold the hem of my gown’s skirt. “I don’t think I can remove my smell on you.” He stood up and threw the toilet paper in the nearby bin befor
KAEL.Keeping a low profile was never a problem for me. I could keep myself quiet for a long time, but I couldn’t tear my eyes off Adessa from the moment she appeared at the banquet.Even before, she was already beautiful. But seeing her in a beautiful gown and all this luxury around her made her shine even more. She was really fit to be a princess. To be honest, I felt little—too little compared to her. I was starting to think I didn’t deserve her, especially after everything I did to her. But the moment our eyes locked and she returned the smile I gave her, hope rose in my chest. Maybe she still wanted me. And with each minute that passed by, my hopes kept getting higher. I didn’t take my eyes off her, so I caught her every time she looked at me while seated at the head table and eating breakfast. She was more than ten meters away from me, but I could see her lips twitching into a smile whenever we locked eyes, even if she placed something in her mouth. I counted the times she lo
ADESSA.I was acting calm compared to the turmoil within me. Everything the King told me led to one thing: I had no freedom to choose who I would end up with. He was implying I should give up Kael and accept whoever ended up as my future husband. I had told him I had been married and that I was no longer pure. He said it didn’t matter anymore. He was sure everyone wanted to have the possibility of ruling Absalom. I felt like I was just a tool for Absalom. I wanted to tell him I didn’t care about his kingdom. I only wanted my husband.But how ironic my life had turned out. What was happening was exactly how my life started with Kael. I was also just a tool to save him—his ego and his heart—from being broken by Desiree. Only this time, I had no idea who I would be marrying. And at least with Kael, he asked me if I wanted to. I was not forced into marriage with him. My eyes stung as I tried to keep from tearing up as we walked down toward the hall where the breakfast banquet was. I co
ADESSA.“This is your room from now on, Adessa.” The King’s voice came from behind me.I slowly turned around to curtsy before him. “Good morning, Father.” I almost said, “My King,” and I was glad I was able to catch myself as I wanted to make a good impression.He nodded but remained in his spot while I continued to smile warmly at him. “This room is for me?” I asked.“Yes.” He replied before he motioned with one hand. “Come here.”One man approached him and handed him a beautiful crown encrusted with clusters of small gemstones. It was sparkling, and just looking at it made my heart thud loudly.“This is a ceremony that should be witnessed by our people, but allow me to be selfish and have this moment alone with you. I will give you a grand coronation the moment you settle with a mate.” I bit my bottom lip. I almost got teary-eyed with his words, but the last part made me worry again.“Kneel down, Princess Adessa. Remember that the only time you will kneel before me is whenever I
ADESSA.I was not able to sleep at all last night. After Father left my room, I asked Danielle about the Royal Games. She confessed to me she didn’t know the full extent of the event and that what she knew was just hearsay or stories passed on. The Royal Games were not practiced for many decades because no princess had been born in the Royal Family for a long time.And it seemed the King was reviving the tradition because of my existence. Danielle told me what she knew about the game—it was open only for unmated Alphas, regardless of age. Unmated Alphas were those who were never married, as well as widowed or divorced. They were not only open for Alphas of this continent but also extended to other continents. All the while she was talking, I did my best to keep up a brave front, listening and trying to get all the details as possible, even if everything she said kept breaking my heart. I knew Kael loved me, and I was confident he would make an effort, but what if they didn’t le
ADESSA.“But I think you are the missing royalty,” Danielle added.“Why?”“This mark on your back. It looks exactly like the one that…” She paused, and when I tilted my head to look at her, her eyes widened, and her face turned red.“Like the one that? Like the one that someone has?” My brows furrowed. The King told me in passing that the birth marks on the backs of the royalties were not public knowledge. But maybe workers in the palace knew this thing. “Never mind.” She replied. “We should rinse off your body.”“Have you seen a mark like this?” I asked as I stood up, pointing to the red mark on my hip bone. She swallowed, and her face was turning more red. I already assumed many things. “From my father?” I teased her, and she immediately shook her head. “No. Of course not.” “So… from one of my brothers?” I leaned closer, enjoying the blush on her face. Despite the discomfort on her face, I could say this was the only thing that felt natural in my fairytale life at the moment.
Author's Note: This is officially part 2 of Adessa and Kael's story. The title will change to THE ROYAL LUNA from this chapter forward. ✨✨✨ADESSA.After they swabbed something inside my mouth, I was allowed to leave the room. The woman that came with the two men was named Danielle, and she was to be my handmaid. I was still trying to get a grip on what was happening. A part of me wanted to wish the Alpha King was wrong with his assumption that I was his missing daughter and that I was a princess so I could be free to look for Kael again, but making that wish reality could only mean more trouble for me. If I were not his daughter, he would surely have ordered me to go to prison. Either way, I was at the losing end. But maybe, if I were his daughter, not allowing me to see Kael would just be temporary. If I could explain to him our history, he would surely understand. I kept my hopes and head high as I followed Danielle along the long corridor until I realized we were heading for