HAYLEE~~“I’m pregnant with your child, Alpha Jett.” The world as I knew it froze at that moment. My eyes widened and my breaths became shallow as shock and undefinable emotions coursed through my body, replacing the initial excitement and hope that I was feeling.This can’t be h-hapening… This should never happen. Those words shouldn’t be coming out of my sister’s mouth… her eyes shouldn’t be glinting like that for goddess’s sake!She was my twin sister and–“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Alpha Jett’s voice cut through the thick layer of my thoughts.If I weren’t looking at his face, I would think he was mad about my twin sister’s announcement but the twinkle in his eyes. He was happy. My twin sister just announced that she was carrying his child before everyone in the pack during a party meant to celebrate my nineteenth birthday… A party I believed would be used to crown me Luna of Cresent Moon Pack because a year ago, on my eighteenth birthday, I discovered that Alpha Jett was
HAYLEE~~I was ripped off Kaylee by the familiar coarse hands that had shown me to the door of hell many times in the past– my father’s hands. For the first time, I cried to the father in the beast he had willingly shown me over the years. I stupidly thought he would take my side for the first time. A girl could wish, right? So I cried, “Dad, you can’t let her do this. You can’t just stand there and watch Kaylee snatch my mate–” But my statement was interrupted when his palm settled over my cheek like thunder. He slapped me and I tasted blood in my mouth as my father yelled in my wet face, “How dare you attack your sister! How dare you lay your hands on her? The Alpha has chosen a mate and it’s not you even though the moon goddess thought someone as plain as you could be Cresent Moon Pack’s Luna. That was a mistake on her path and we have corrected her mistake.” No, the only mistake here was having him as a father. The only mistake was picking to look like my heartless mother wh
ALPHA KING XALEN~~I don't know.I don't know how to exist in a world where my mate doesn't. A world without my Laura. I have spent the last five days beside her motionless body and even in that state she managed to look beautiful. She managed to capture my heart like we were teenagers again. How I wished she would open her eyes and tell me, “It’s a joke, Xalen. How can I die and leave you and the kids?” But today, I had to put her to rest. I had to bury her according to tradition so she could find peace in the afterlife. My heart was heavier than my bulky body and breathing felt like a crime because Laura wasn’t breathing. She was six feet under the ground we used to walk as the King and Queen of the werewolf realm–“Come forward and present your gifts.” My trusted Beta, Evan, voiced, calling on the visiting Alphas and leaders of the numerous packs under my jurisdiction.The funeral has ended as far as I was concerned. I had buried Luara and I don’t understand why these people
HAYLEE~~Fuck me!What the fuck was I thinking? No. I didn’t think when I heard that little child crying.My stupid brain just reacted to her and as I have always done with kids, I reached for her and offered comfort because no one offered that to me when I was growing up with an abusive father and a mean sister.And now that I was standing before the Alpha King, my heart was about to beat its way out of my chest. My body shook with fear as cold shivers traveled down my spine. There was something about his dark eyes that–“Don’t make me repeat myself?” His voice was cold, laced with anger that no one deserves, not even a criminal.I took my eyes off him, fighting the uneasiness my wolf was feeding my mind with. I said slowly, “I’m Haylee from–’ “Silence!” He snapped at me, causing me to jump away from him. If my mind wasn't shaky at the moment, I would have wondered why he asked me a question only to shut me up when I gathered enough courage to respond. However, I could only thin
HAYLEE~~“How dare you!” the hostile voice pierced my eardrums before an icy feeling cut through my skin, sending shivers down my spine. My eyes flew open and I jolted to my feet even though my brain wasn’t fully awake. I wobbled, my body shivering as I felt another icy feeling. I was drenched. I was soaked. Yet, I couldn’t scream as my eyes met with Owen’s angry ones. “How dare you fall asleep, Slave?” Owen, the head of servants in the Royal Pack, snarled at me.He was holding two black buckets whose content he just poured all over me. My hair and the dark brown dress I was given three days ago were dripping. The chilly air of the night wasn’t helping my case– everything was against me.“I d-doze—” I tried to speak but my teeth chattered and I instinctively wrapped my arms around my body, “You dozed?” Owen hissed. Ever since the Alpha King stopped me from leaving the hall three days ago, my life has changed drastically. One would think the Alpha King who didn’t hide his hatred
ALPHA KING XALEN~~“Really?” I barked.Anger built up within me as the hope I was holding on to seemed to be fading every second. I had so many people around me yet I felt so alone. I once had a plan for my life and future but now? Now I was lost with no hope of finding my way. Perhaps if Laura comes back to life. She was my compass– My moral and geographical compass. “We have searched and did everything we can, My King but there’s no evidence that the Queen was murdered.” My Royal Gamma, Wyatt, repeated as he fell on his knees before my throne. “Then have the trackers tear everything down,” I growled, barely keeping my ass on my throne.Wyatt was too scared to open his mouth so Evan stepped in and said to me, “The trackers did everything, My King. The Healers also testified that they found nothing toxic in her body. It’s a natural death–” “Don’t even tell me that!” I cut my Royal Beta off. “How can that be a natural death? She gave birth to Jodie without complications and two
HAYLEE~~I was drained of every bit of energy. Yet I was still standing in the kitchen where I had been since I woke up in the wee hours of this morning. I barely slept for three hours before I got up to prep for the warriors’ breakfast. It’s like preparing a meal for every member of the Crescent Moon Pack. After preparing breakfast with little to no help from the servants who used to do these chores before I was brought into the pack as a slave, I started preparing lunch for the chiefs of the pack because they would be having a meeting in a few hours and Owen had started talking about all I had to do for the Royal Family dinner. My sight was foggy, my throat was dry and the worms in my stomach were biting me, crying to be fed. However, despite having different dishes around me, I wasn’t allowed to eat any. Owen would kill me.“Just serve yourself a plate, Haylee. We need the strength. We need to sleep.” Liya cried into my mind. The last time I shifted and let Liya have a meal o
HAYLEE~~I didn’t know which one I paid more attention to with every second that passed without a word from the Alpha King– Owen’s shaky frame or the lips that kept parting only to close again like their owner couldn’t make up his mind. “I was ju-just correcting the Slave, My King. She was dis-disrespectful and stole–” If I was going to die, I would rather die a criminal who touched the King’s child and had the audacity to appear before him as his second chance’s mate at his beloved Queen’s funeral, than be called a thief for eating one spoon of rice. With that thought in mind, I cut Owen off, sounding more confident for some weird reason and despite the Alpha King’s presence, “I didn’t steal. I haven’t eaten in three days, My King and I know I’m a slave but I need food just like everyone else. I need food and sleep to function and I haven’t been having enough. If you want me dead, chop off my head or throw me to the rogues but please do not treat me like I’m lesser than–” “Shus
HAYLEE~~“Arch what?”I blurted, confusion latching onto my mind like a parasite.Despite the confusion, I could tell that Flavia’s attention wasn’t on me. It was on her newfound mate, who wouldn’t take his eyes off her either. I couldn’t blame either of them. They had just found each other, yet they hadn’t had a moment to themselves.The chaos around us was overwhelming, but it only intensified when Sophia, who had been standing somewhere in the distance between Xalen and me, exclaimed, “Daddy!”My shallow breath hitched, and my mind went blank as if I wasn’t ready to bombard Flavia with questions just a second ago. My eyes cut to Sophia, who ran back to Xalen’s bed, crying, “Open your eyes, Daddy. Why won’t he open his eyes?”The Healer standing with Xalen gave Sophia a reassuring smile and said, “It’s okay, Princess Sophia. The King is simply sleeping. He needs proper rest to heal—”Oh, the silver toxins were still in his system.I couldn’t help but look back at Flavia after not
ALPHA KING XALEN~~Why the hell is no one telling me anything?Why won’t anyone tell me why the pain I was feeling suddenly intensified as the mate bond between Haylee and me froze completely, almost stealing my breath? Why wouldn’t anyone tell me why it suddenly felt like I was losing my life, even though my heart seemed to be beating fine?Not even one of the healers seemed to be paying attention to me.I would have said it was a relief when Sophia, who had been beside my body, told me something if she hadn’t burst into tears as she spoke to me: “Haylee collapsed, Daddy, and Uncle Roy is awake, but Haylee won’t wake up.”The news my daughter broke to me only confirmed what I was feeling, and despite the pain pinning me to the bed, I pushed myself into a sitting position, unable to console my daughter because I was fighting to see what the hell was happening.I mean, why would Haylee collapse?Why would her heart stop beating all of a sudden—Just as suddenly, I felt warmth rushin
Alpha Prince Roy’s POV~~One minute, I was walking toward the bright, captivating light that seemed like the relief I needed after all I had been put through by my loved ones.My supposed loved ones.One minute I was chasing that relief because even though my body felt numb, my mind remained active, replaying my father's words of disappointment over and over again. My mind wouldn't let go of the part my supposed destined mate played in all of this. Neither did it stop blaming Xalen as well, even though he wasn't to be blamed.My mind was messed up, so I believed chasing that bright light was the only way to get rest and peace. I believed catching up with the light would wipe my mind and make me a new person.One minute I was a floating man full of hope, but the next minute, I was yanked back to what I immediately knew was life because air rushed into my lungs as my eyes flew open. My heart thudded loudly within my chest despite the almost unnoticeable ache, and I gasped, trapped be
HAYLEE~~I stood there with my jaw dropped.I couldn’t move. My mouth still agape as Princess Allison turned on her heels and marched off, or more like stormed off, fuming over the Healer’s actions that I knew she would have seen as a slap in the face.Anger was evident in every step she took, and I just couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed.My eyes cut to the Healer, whom I should really consider calling a warrior because it takes serious strength to hold someone as high up in the rank chain as Princess Allison in check. Even Alpha King Xalen had refrained from restraining Princess Allison or arguing with her.But this Healer did it without flinching and without remorse.“She is badass. This is the kind of she-wolf we should befriend, not Benita and her silly friends,” Liya gasped within me, throwing shade at Maeve and Orla.Speaking of Benita, I haven’t seen her since I ignored her at the entrance. I assumed she was looking after Asher and Jodie since she must have noticed
Princess Allison’s POV~~Xalen is alive.That was all I needed to hear and know to calm my racing heart.“Will Uncle Roy wake up?” Sophia asked with trembling lips as she stared back at the Healer who brought the news to us.Although I was able to relate to her pain when she told me to stop making scenes so the Healers could concentrate on saving Xalen, I couldn’t understand why she was crying over her dead uncle.Roy and I had never had an encounter. He didn’t stand out to me. I had no reason to feel anything towards him. Not hate. Not love. Not pity.As long as Xalen was fine, I was fine, and I could finally bounce back on Haylee for having the audacity to speak to me rudely and without any remorse. I would make her suffer for the statement she made.Hell, she yelled those words in my face like she was challenging me to counter her.“I am done tolerating her. She has to go. She is becoming too comfortable, Allie. I hate her,” Nala grumbled within me.Oh, I hated the mere sight of
HAYLEE~~The Royal Healers have been in there with Roy and Xalen for almost an hour. My legs were becoming numb from standing so long, but I couldn't bring myself to leave or even sit, not when I was supposed to be guarding the door.And most importantly, not when I have a mate whose condition I still don’t know.Or maybe I knew.I mean, the pain in my chest wasn't as severe as it was before the Healers started healing Xalen. That was a good sign, right?“It is a good sign. I believe he will regain consciousness soon,” Liya said to me, her voice coming out less hostile. “I didn’t mean to be a bitch, Hay. It was just my instincts.”“I know, Liya,” I muttered to my wolf, using the mental connection between us. “How are you so confident that he will be fine?”“You would be confident too if you opened yourself to the bond completely. You aren’t feeling the strain on the bond anymore, and it’s not cold either. It means there’s life from both sides,” Liya answered, each of her words helpi
Princess Allison’s POV ~~It wasn't the re-echoing sound of the gunshots that woke me up from my afternoon nap. It wasn't the noise from the hell that broke loose when the gunshots shook the foundation of the realm.Neither was it the noise within the palace.I slept through all of that, but I didn't know I had at this moment. All I knew was that I was sleeping soundly until the sharp sound of my ringtone jabbed my eardrums, calling me back to consciousness.Even Nala groaned in my mind, “Gosh, why is he calling now?”My wolf's hesitation to get out of bed was loud and clear. Also, her assumption that the caller was the mystery man I had been talking to for the past few days was equally loud.I got out of bed, or more accurately, I stretched my hand to get my cell phone from the bedside table without leaving the bed. I answered the call, my eyelids barely open.“Calling to yell at me for letting a perfect opportunity slide?” I said into the speaker before the mystery man could talk
HAYLEE~~I was losing my grip on the solid ground. I was losing my grip on Sophia, and I was losing my grip on sanity.“Haylee?” Sophia called out to me, fear latched onto every letter as she pronounced my name. “Why aren’t we moving? Daddy has been taken into the palace, and Uncle Roy is almost inside. We have to move.”Yes, I had to move.But I couldn't bring myself to.Liya’s words continued to echo in my mind, and I lost every will to continue walking or even living.“He isn’t breathing,” Liya had said to me a few minutes ago, and my feet had frozen along with every other sense I had. I was standing in the middle of the palace yard.“Haylee!” Sophia raised her voice as she tried to snap me out of the trance that my wolf’s words had trapped me in.I looked into Sophia’s eyes and began to wonder how she would react when she found out that Xalen was gone. Tears brimmed in my eyes as I thought about what would become of me and the kids now that Xalen was gone.Gosh, I was so fuckin
HAYLEE~~“Daddy!” Sophia cried out.I couldn’t look at her because my eyes wouldn’t budge, not even for a second. My eyes wouldn't shift from Xalen’s bloody frame.His clothes, his exposed skin, and even his face. He was bloody all over.And even though I couldn't look at Sophia, I knew tears were rolling down her cheeks as the wind carried her shaky voice straight to my ears. Sophia’s voice was not only shaky but also full of horror.The same horror was coursing through me, burning every sign of joy in my life like a merciless wildfire.I was visibly shaking, yet my legs kept moving as I ran with the warriors who were carrying Xalen on a stretcher. Sophia was running too, and we were both crying—one crying out loud and the other crying internally as they both feared the unknown.“Somebody get the princess out of the way. She shouldn’t see this!” An unfamiliar but authoritative voice echoed, snapping me back to life as I recalled that it was my duty to take care of Sophia and shield