ALPHA KING XALEN~~My heart was racing. My soul was threatening to abandon my body. I lost track of time as I walked along with Evan, searching for all three of my kids. I was ready to blame the slave when I found out Jodie wasn’t in the Palace but when I heard her mention Sophia’s name, I knew my daughter was back to be a sweet indispensable pain in my ass. Sophia was a menace. No one would call her this but yes, she is a crazy five years old and Laura was the only person she ever listened to. But now, Laura was gone and she wouldn’t listen to anyone else which was why I had to send her to the Healers even before the funeral because I knew she would have thrown tantrums all through the funeral and create a scene that wouldn’t be good for her reputation–“Somehow, it sounds like you are describing yourself,” Theo muttered despite how weary we both were. “You were a menace and a crazy bastard before Laura came into our lives and now that she is gone, you are back to the old day
HAYLEE~~I still haven’t gotten over the shock of hearing Alpha King Xalen tell Princess Sophia that she would be apologizing to me. I mean, I thought he would cut out my tongue as soon as he caught me reprimanding his daughter.But Instead of that, he asked her to apologize and just as I began to think about his parenting skills, I heard the sassy Princess say to the so-called Cruel Alpha King– a man who was feared far and wide, “I would do no such thing.”My gasp was swallowed by the louder ones from outside the burial chambers. The chambers were built in a way that everyone could see the inside of the chambers even if they were outside and the space was big enough for twenty people to stay by the late Queen’s side. Even in her death, she was loved. As harmless as that seemed, it made my heart hurt but I quickly pushed myself to focus on the scene before me… between the Alpha King and his daughter. Princess Sophia has his eyes but aside from that she looked like her late mom.
ALPHA KING XALEN~~A new lunar month without my Laura. I couldn't even hold her cold body anymore as she was buried last month and I have been living under the same roof with the girl the moon goddess sickly assumed would replace my Luara.I was staring at the moon and somehow, it was mocking me. “We usually do this with Laura,” Theo whispered into my mind, causing my heart to clench painfully. Would I ever get over her? I hope not. I hope I never forget how much I loved her and still love her. I hope she remains a part of my life for as long as I live.“She would have tried to count the stars a million times since we got here,” Theo mentioned another core memory. I smiled despite the ache in my heart. “And she would have called Sophia and Asher to join us. I would be rubbing her belly and speaking to Jodie…” I mentioned, describing the beautiful past without missing a single detail. Nothing about the present was beautiful. After Sophia ran out of the burial chamber last mont
HAYLEE~~It all happened so fast. One minute, I sighed, realizing that it was a bad idea to wait in the living room for him after putting the kids to bed. I should have been sleeping but I waited because I couldn't continue to live as I had lived for the past month. I mean, I had gotten used to holding Jodie’s weight, hearing her cries, and also taking care of the two other royal babies that had been trapped in a world without their mother. However, I haven't gotten used to the unexplainable pain on the inside of me. The pain has been growing ever since we left the late Queen's burial chamber that night. It was almost as if that night marked the birth of some kind of magnetic force between the Alpha King and me and each time he pulled away, tugging at the force, I got to feel the pain tearing me from within…. I didn't want to live like that anymore. It was too painful and even Liya was losing it gradually. I could lose my wolf and myself all because of the cursed bond between
ALPHA KING XALEN~~“What did you just do!” Theo exclaimed, groaning right after as raw pain consumed us both even though the slave had stopped talking.My body trembled as shock shook my core, making me wonder. I mean, how on earth did this happen? How is that possible? While I tried to fathom what just happened with the slave, Theo yelled at me again, “What did you just do, Xalen?”“I knocked her the fuck out. That’s what!” I groaned, my entire body aching with no explainable source of pain. “Why would you do that? You were this close to killing her.” My wolf lashed out at me, snarling within my mind.“I wasn’t even trying to kill her and why are you blaming me when I just saved us from feeling any more pain!” I growled right back, looking down at the slave’s unconscious body. A few seconds again, she had fallen into my arms but I was quick to drop her as her skin burned mine like a hot rock.“Knocking her out doesn’t help. We can still feel the pain and as soon as she wakes up
HAYLEE~~“Argh…” I groaned as my eyes fluttered, my head aching like it was about to explode. I blinked rapidly, holding my head as I pushed myself off the soft surface of my bed–Wait a second.Where am I? My blurry eyes looked around and I realized that I was indeed in my room and on my bed. If my head was banging, I would have thought what happened between Alpha King Xalen and me was a dream… a terrible dream. One where he confessed that he couldn’t fight the pull of the bond and one where he nearly took my life because I tried to reject him… a terrible dream. As the memories of what I assumed was last night, as I could see the brightness of a new day sneaking into my room through the windows, flooded my mind, I started wishing that all of it was a dream. It would be better and easier that way–“It’s not a dream. We were this close to death, Hay.” Liya let out a wolfy sob, reliving the injustice we suffered at the hands of our supposed mate, one who was supposed to protect
ALPHA KING XALEN~~I felt everything… I felt how she tried to reject me again and how she couldn’t. More importantly, I felt her pain like it was mine and it took so much of my strength not to groan before my special adviser or if we are being informal, my uncle.Also, I felt the rage that followed the pain and I didn’t have to be told to know that she had realized that I had taken away her right to reject me—the benefits of being the Alpha King. A tiny part of me felt happy as her anger swelled within me. She was a little crazy. Timid but crazy. I have seen her craziness a few times when she gets pushed to the wall. It’s like she says whatever comes to mind at that point and forgets about the consequences that might come after.She was interesting and I most likely would have gotten to know her better under a different circumstance or maybe I wouldn’t have met her at all.“My King?” My uncle’s voice resonated through my office as he called to get my attention.I exhaled audi
HAYLEE~~“Let me reject you or I will make it easier for us both by killing myself…” I meant every word. The pain I would feel when the knife slit my throat can’t compare to all the pain I had endured in my nineteen years of living as the pathetic daughter and the unwanted mate. I was done. Liya was fighting against my will but my mind was made up. Alpha King Xalen either rejects me or watches me kill myself. “You have no right to barge into my office, slave…” He seethed, balling his fists as his face turned red.I could see the way his eyes dated from my face to the knife I was holding to my neck even though he remained unreadable. The only emotions I had seen him wear proudly were anger and pain when he was reminded of his Queen. “You have no right to stop me from rejecting you, Alpha King. It’s my right and you took it from me–”He snarled, “I have every right. I’m your king and I own you. You belong to me!” As tears fell out of my eyes, I pressed the sharp knife I had take
HAYLEE~~Amidst the chaos that erupted in the hall after Xalen’s announcement, Allison’s explosion was the loudest.“That can’t be. She has bewitched the King!” she exclaimed. “I am to be the next queen. I am to be his mate because I carry his child in my womb.”Allison’s exclamation didn’t fail to get reactions from the pack members who had gathered in the hall for this meeting. Once again, she was a snake, and I believed she saw Xalen’s announcement coming and was fully prepared to oppose him publicly.From where I was standing, I could hear people murmuring, “She is pregnant?”“He can’t tarnish her honor like that, even though he is the king.”“He has to marry her and make her queen.”“But the other woman is his true mate. We need a true mate to become the Queen so we can have peace in the realm.” It was only a few murmurs that were in support of me, but I didn’t let that break me.In fact, I heard someone question, “How can we be sure she is his true mate? Wasn’t Queen Laura hi
HAYLEE~~One minute I was thinking about going to Gladys for help and more training that could help me reach my supposed mother, but the next minute, Xalen and Roy returned home, and we all began to prepare for the general pack meeting in the throne room.When I asked Xalen what the meeting was about, he answered before kissing me chastely, “You will see, Hay.”He also made me wear the prettiest dress that I owned before he left to get a few documents in his home office. I left his bedroom and joined Flavia and the kids downstairs, waiting for Roy and Xalen to join us.However, Allison showed up before both men, and she grumbled, “Prepare to be shoved right back to where you belong, slave.”While Flavia growled at her and stepped forward to show Allison that she wouldn’t hesitate to smack her, I ignored her completely because she was the least of my problems right now. Although I had been trying to explain the power Allison somehow possessed, I didn’t let her words get to me.“She
ALPHA KING XALEN~~It wasn't surprising when Gladys confirmed that, truly, Uncle Calvin's death happened over two months ago, and neither was I stunned when she announced that he was poisoned with loads of poisonous silver.“Whoever fake Calvin was, he helped us figure out a lot even though he was trying to do the opposite,” Theo told me as Roy and I walked towards my pack office, where I planned to meet with Evan and Wyatt.I couldn't disagree because Theo was completely right.Thanks to fake Calvin, I discovered that Laura and I had a fake bond, made up with Roy, and found my way to Haylee without having to feel guilty.Thanks to fake Calvin, I understand that I had to be careful because even though I had lost so much, I still had so much more to lose.“It's unbelievable, My King,” Wyatt breathed after we all settled down in my Pack office. “The healers explained the result of the examination to us, but I can’t believe such a thing happened, and we didn’t know until now.”Evan no
HAYLEE~~“She didn’t show up.”My wolf, who heard every thought that crossed my mind throughout the night, said this as soon as my eyes fluttered open for the hundredth time that morning.I had been slipping in and out of consciousness all through the night, hoping and longing to be sucked into the realm that allowed me to communicate with a woman I knew nothing about but who had proven to be valuable after Elder Calvin was found where she said he would be, even though she didn’t mention that he was dead.A realm where I could be Nerina.But even though I tried, I didn’t get to meet with my supposed mother.“Or I failed to connect with her.” I sighed, pushing myself off Xalen’s bed, which we both fell into last night after we hit a dead end with the red wolf theory, but he wasn’t here at the moment. “I remember she said something about how I brought her to that realm the last time we were there.”“That’s accurate, and the two times you were able to reach her, you and Xalen connecte
Princess Allison’s POV~~It’s been a crazy, humiliating day for me.I still hadn’t gotten over the marks Haylee and Alpha King Xalen had given themselves overnight, yet I was getting accused of murder. Not that I cared that Elder Calvin was dead, but it kinda worried me to think he was gone.I mean, wasn’t he the same man I had been talking to over the phone? I thought he had been helping me, or should I say I had been led to believe he was the mystery ally I thought could help me.After the news of what he did spread, I simply assumed he was working with my dad, and while that would be a conflict of interest, I believed my dad had found a way to tie Elder Calvin down just like he did to the red wolf in our basement.“We have to reach out to him, Allie. I know you are terrified, but now that Elder Calvin is dead, you need to know what’s going on,” Nala said, urging me to drop my fears and call my dad.My dad had tried to reach me this morning. In fact, I missed several calls from h
HAYLEE~~I had never seen Roy so out of control. Even when he was mad at Xalen, his anger was contained, and he meticulously planned his next move. But the second he saw Allison, who could easily be his dad’s killer, he lost it all.Some of the curse words that slipped past his lips had never been heard before now, and Allison looked frightened because she could sense that the man approaching her wasn’t the same one she had overlooked many times since he returned to the pack.He was angry.He was a ferocious alpha male whose anger had driven him to the point of violence.Fortunately for Allison, Flavia caught up to Roy before he could get to her. She wrapped her arms around his midsection and skillfully twisted around him, standing between him and Allison within a second.“No, Roy,” Flavia uttered, holding his gaze while he shook visibly.“She is one of them, babe! She is Richard’s daughter, and she could have easily carried out his evil work. She could be the killer and I have to—
ALPHA KING XALEN~~“This doesn't make any sense,” Roy blurted before I could, shaking his head, and I assumed he was thinking back to the last time we saw and heard his dad. “He shot me about ten days ago. He spoke to me, so you are mistaken.”Flavia immediately understood Roy's emotional turmoil. She removed her healer’s coat and walked up to her mate, holding him so her scent could calm him down.“I think we should take this to a more private place. Something is off, and now everyone should be a suspect,” Flavia murmured, looking around as a few of my men and healers moved around to do their thing.Gladys muttered, “I will stay here to keep an eye on the body and cross-examine the results, my king. But I have to say that I don’t expect anything to change. This man has been dead almost since the time the queen passed away.”My heart tightened not just because it killed me to hear that but also because I was confused. How could that be?I recall having many deep moments with Uncle
ALPHA KING XALEN~~Goddess, I was driven by undiluted rage.I mean, how dare he point fingers at my woman? My Haylee!Yes, Evan didn’t know who gave me the information, nor did he know that Haylee had become my mate. My marked mate, in fact. Evan’s explanation was also logical, but who cares about logic?He definitely wouldn’t care when he discovered the whole truth.“This is why we should tell the pack about the bond as soon as possible. I am not sure I can stand any more of these disrespects and accusations that are getting thrown at Haylee,” Theo gritted within me, coming to Haylee’s defense.I agreed with my wolf and made the decision to introduce Haylee to the entire pack the next day. I had to spend the entire day away from her because of my uncle, and when I leave here, I will have to go to the healers’ examination room to get updates.Being away from Haylee was hard—harder than finding my uncle’s dead body in a well.Evan, whose oblivion to my state of mind would soon get hi
Alpha Prince Roy’s POV~~He did deserve to die.After everything he had done to me, to Xalen, and to the family, he deserved to die the most painful death.Falling into a well and breaking his neck on impact seemed like an excruciating way to die, and yes, my betrayer of a father deserved it. I fully agree with this perspective, but why the hell was I burning with anger?Why did my eyes sting as I watched warriors pull his decaying body out of the well after hours of discussing the best possible way to do that? Why did I feel the need to punch someone, anyone, just because I found out that my father was dead?I didn’t understand this feeling, but I tried to explain it and convince myself that I was this angry because I didn’t get to torture my dad before he died. The initial plan after he shot Xalen and me and escaped was to find him and make him pay, but how do we make a dead, rotting man pay for his crimes?Jax chimed within me, his anger merging with mine as we both watched my da