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.I should have known better that nothing good lasts forever. Especially for someone like me—a lowly, orphaned Omega. The last year has been so perfect that I thought I had finally found my place in this world—right in the arms of my mate, Alpha Kael. Fated mates are a rarity, and for a wolfless Omega like me, the chances are, I would never find my fated mate. Without a mate destined for me, I thought I was bound to walk this earth alone. Because I was sure no one would take a chance on me.But then I met Alpha Kael, and on that same day, he offered me a contract to be his Luna—to save his pride and his name from the betrayal of his fiancee, Desiree.I had just turned eighteen and was legally allowed to marry while the Alpha was already twenty-seven years old. Everyone around him was pushing him to settle down. He had already proposed to Desiree, but it turned out she had been cheating on him for a long time.He caught her in bed with another man when she said she was out on
ADESSA.“The Alpha woke up!” Dexter, Kael’s Beta, yelled from the living room. My body went rigid as the words slowly sank in. I immediately left the housemaid I was speaking to in the kitchen and rushed to our bedroom. Kael, my mate, had a car accident a month ago and went into a coma. His condition was getting better, and recently, he began falling in and out of consciousness. He would wake up for a few minutes and stare blankly. He wouldn’t speak, or he wouldn’t even look at anyone. And then he would fall into a deep sleep again. I continued with my routine to keep the household going while his Beta and Delta were doing their best to run the pack. But since I was the Luna, all the final decisions were up to me. I kept a brave face to everyone, but in the silence of our room at night, I would cry myself to sleep. I missed him and the security of his presence.I wanted him back.I haven’t given up hope that one day he will wake up and everything will be back to normal.It seemed t
ADESSA. The whole day went by in a blur. People came and went. Everyone was fussing over Kael. I had attempted to reach out to him, but Miranda blocked me all the time. There was a time when I screamed at her out of frustration, and it was the scene Kael accidentally witnessed. Of course, he didn’t like it. So, instead of letting me speak with him, he took his stepmother, who kept pretending I was the mean one, and they left the house. I had no idea where they went, and no matter who I asked around, no one could tell me. So I didn’t get any sleep at all. I watched the clock tick, and the moment it hit six in the morning, I was already up and began managing the housemaids in the kitchen, hoping Kael would be back for breakfast.Breakfast came and went, and there was still no sign of him. After eating, I went to my office and called the central hall to check if he went there, as he would usually do during work days. But he didn’t. They were actually surprised to find out he had woke
ADESSA.“So, you want a divorce,” I stated. I was trying my best to keep my voice from breaking.“Adessa, I have a fiancée.” He said in a calm tone.“You had a fiancée a year ago, but you have a wife now.” “I can’t remember anything about you, and I am sure it is Desiree that I want, not anyone else.”“Did you forget what she did to you?” I asked. Instead of answering my question, he threw one back to me. “Tell me, did I love you? Are we together because we are in love?”I swallowed. I could lie and tell him we were, but lying was not part of our relationship. We had always been honest with each other. “No,” I answered, keeping my head high. “Thank you for your honesty. So are we together for convenience? Or what? But it doesn’t matter anymore. Whatever reason brought us into this marriage, let’s forget about it. I want a divorce, Adessa. I never wanted to marry anyone I didn’t love. It was not how I grew up. I had always envisioned Desiree as my Luna.”His words were too painful
ADESSA.I went to my office after I signed our divorce paper. I knew I should go, but I had many things in my hand that I didn’t want to leave without giving instructions about them.I took my time to write the next step and the necessary confirmations for each matter I personally handled while he was in a coma. I knew I could tell him directly, but I didn’t want to see him anymore. I spent my whole day in my office, just waiting for someone to kick me out of the house, but it never came. So I also took the chance to make some calls to find a small apartment where I could go after I left this house.Kael didn’t say anything about when I should go, but I was planning to stay at least until tonight and leave before dawn. I didn’t want anyone to see me leaving. Fortunately, no one disturbed me in my office. It was already nine o’clock in the evening when I finished all of the things I had prepared for him and his pack. I didn’t have lunch and dinner, and by the time I was already in b
ADESSA.I was staring at the ceiling, even if I couldn’t see anything in the darkness. Kael was snoring beside me. It was louder than usual, probably because he was too drunk.I knew I should get up and leave his bed because he might not like it if he saw me beside him. However, a part of me wanted to stay because what happened between us gave me hope.He couldn’t remember me, but his body surely knew how to move against mine.Kael would always start slowly and carefully in our lovemaking. Then, he would amp up his pace and take me wildly. He knew all the right places to touch me, and he knew all the right words to say to make me whimper in ecstasy. And he did all of that tonight. I think I should stay and sleep beside him. I couldn’t wipe the smile on my face even after I closed my eyes and hugged him tightly. He purred softly before he turned to his side, facing me and wrapping his arms around me, tucking my head under his chin as he would usually do. It had been too long since he
ADESSA.After I was pulled inside the van, I ended up in a very awkward position. I was seated but lying down on my side and with my hands tied behind me. It was harder to move. I struggled to break free for a while, but it was useless, so I slowed my breathing and did my best to calm down. I didn’t want to freak out. I didn’t want to give them any reason to hit me and make me unconscious. And I guess it worked. The man beside me pulled me up and helped me sit straight before tugging away the cloth around my mouth. “Sign this.” He said. My eyes roamed around. There were only three males with me, and they didn’t even hide their faces. But it was so dark that I couldn’t see them fully, and I doubted I had met them before. They looked and felt unfamiliar to me. “What’s that?” I asked. “Don’t ask. Just do it.” The man seated in the passenger seat turned around and pointed a gun at me. I swallowed and kept my eyes on his finger. I had no idea if I could dodge once I saw him press it
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
KAEL. It had been hours since she was taken, and I had no idea where she was. King Essak returned to the ballroom and stayed for ten minutes, but I was not able to get to him. Unlike earlier, he was fully guarded this time. No matter how I tried to ask politely and professionally, I was not allowed to talk to him. And regardless of whether I positioned myself within his peripherals, the King would always avert his gaze away from me. Something was off. It was taking too much of me not to snap and create chaos. I was worried, but I knew that if I let out an outburst, I would be in a bad position. The last thing I wanted was to give them a reason to throw me out of the perimeter of the Absalom Palace. After the event, there was an after-party. I also went there, hoping to find Kevin or meet someone who could tell me anything about Adessa, but I was not successful. I then proceeded to Mindorf Manor, which served as the hotel for guests. Everyone invited to the Moonlight Ball had auto