HAYLEE~~His mind was made up.I could tell from the unwavering determination in his eyes, but it doesn’t feel right to give up now. Whereas I was dying to be the winner. Perhaps it was the teenager in me that craved this victory, or I was just being petty.It doesn’t matter.I just wouldn’t lose to Allison.Not Xalen, not the throne, and not the power that would be mine once I became queen.I didn’t want Allison or her crazy-ass family to have all of these.“What stunt has she pulled now?” I asked as I encouraged Xalen to read the content of the paper that Allison left behind.Xalen sighed and blurted, “It doesn’t matter to me, Hay. Please, let’s just focus on mending our relationship. I am begging you.”“I want that too, Xay,” I said with undiluted honesty. Aside from the fact that I wanted to win and also find out how the bond between Xalen and me affected the power I carried within me, I also wanted this to work because Xalen loved me.And I might love him too.I have been think
ALPHA KING XALEN~~At first, I thought I didn’t hear her correctly. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me and my ears were in on the whole plan.However, when Haylee said, “I want your mark, Xay,” my mind instantly shifted to another possibility.I thought to myself, “She is kidding. She has got to be joking.”“Doesn’t look like she is, Xalen,” Theo countered that thought.Yet I laughed, thinking Haylee would join me, but her brows furrowed and she asked, “Did I crack a joke?”“You aren’t trying to be funny?” I had to ask as I stopped laughing, staring back at Haylee, who began to move towards Jodie’s small bathroom to bathe her.“You think it’s funny that I want your mark? I thought you wanted more of me. More of us,” Haylee breathed and focused on getting Jodie ready for bed.“I still want more of us, Haylee, but a few hours ago, you didn’t want to speak with me or even look at me. You tensed up when I hugged you and asked for time, but now you are asking me to mark you? Rig
HAYLEE~~What difference will that make?Maybe I would have stopped to ask myself that question if my core wasn’t throbbing in ways I have gotten accustomed to, all because of Xalen. Meeting him, living with him, accepting the bond, sleeping by his side, and having his mouth all over me has ripped off the seal of my sexual self, and I loved it.Although the act of bathing Xalen wouldn’t change a thing, I wanted to do it for the sake of my sanity. I couldn’t perceive Allison on him, but bathing him would help me wash my mind off the heartbreaking scene that had decided to make my mind a home.As long as my mind keeps taking me back to that moment, I won’t make it past holding Xalen's hands before I pull back.And I couldn’t let that happen, not if I wanted his mark.Anxiety and desire mixed to become one strong emotion within me as Xalen led me to his new bedroom. I noticed the room was plain and almost empty when we stepped into it, but it wasn’t surprising because Xalen hasn’t bee
HAYLEE~~It felt so good.Xalen’s body on mine and his arms around me felt so good. His scent invaded my nostrils as he lowered his lips to kiss me deeply, and, goddess, the taste of him! I could feel his masculine, musky taste on my tongue.My needy moans blended perfectly with his deep, growl-like groans.I had no choice but to be vulnerable in Xalen’s arms. He was bigger and physically stronger than I was, and even though I had this dangerous energy source within me, I still felt like a woman in his arms.He was soft and careful, but even his soft touches didn’t prepare me for the sharp pain that I felt when Xalen tried to push his length into me. He was a very big man, and I was a tall, small woman who had never been penetrated before.“We don’t have to do this tonight, Hay,” Xalen muttered into my ear, holding me tightly.Hell, no!I wanted this. I was soaking wet. In fact, I was dripping, and the pain was inevitable. “We have to because I want to, Xay. Make me a woman. Make m
ALPHA KING XALEN~~In whatever form it comes, rejection kicks harder than a million warriors.I would know because it seemed like I had been rejected by Haylee even though we just shared a very passionate and intimate moment. I tried to pour my emotions through the bond while I made love to her gently because I believed that was the only way I could share what I was feeling with her.I believed she would heal fully and finally admit or confess that she loved me, but that didn’t happen.Instead, she couldn’t say it back to me when I muttered, “I love you,” to her.And just when I thought time was all she needed, the mark I bit into her neck practically faded into thin air. Not even a small scar was left behind. Yes, she asked me to mark her, but even though I was against it at first, I gave it my all.The idea of her standing before the elders, wearing my mark, felt so damn good.But I guess that wouldn’t happen, not when her body wouldn’t keep my mark.“Seriously? This is what you
HAYLEE~~If I thought what Xalen and I did at first was lovemaking, I was wrong because with the mate bond completed, every feeling intensified tenfold. Every touch had me whimpering for more, and I lost count of the number of orgasms that I reached in that single night.Each sensation coursed through me like a live wire, electrifying every nerve within me.The world around us faded quickly, leaving just the two of us tangled together, our breathing heavy and synchronized.Xalen’s hands roamed my body like a map, exploring every curve and dip that I never knew I had, as if he were discovering uncharted territory. With every kiss, every whisper of his name, and every slow, precise thrust of his waist, I felt the barrier I’d built around my heart melting away, leaving me vulnerable yet incredibly alive.The completed bond was palpable, igniting a fire within Xalen and me—a fire I never knew existed. It felt as though we were merging into one, our souls intertwining in a dance that wa
ALPHA KING XALEN~~What a night!I thought to myself, holding Haylee even closer while she snored softly. She was still asleep, but I was awake but couldn’t get myself to move out of bed or take my hands off her.It was a miracle that I hadn’t woken her up, in fact.When I went to find her yesterday, I didn’t know the day would end this way. I didn’t know we would be lying in bed, naked as the day we were born and completely tied together like the soulmates that we were.As I closed my eyes for the millionth time since I woke up, I thought to myself, “This is worth fighting for, and I will fight for us for the rest of my life.”I knew Haylee wanted to fight for the throne and for everyone in the pack, but I wouldn’t hesitate to stop that fight if it posed a threat to what we had here. This beautiful thing we had going on for us.This was peaceful and—A loud bang on my bedroom door smashed the peace I thought I could enjoy for another hour or two. Fuck! I jinxed it, didn’t I?I was
Princess Allison’s POV (16)~~When I found out from Benita that Haylee wasn’t in her bedroom, I immediately knew she would be with King Xalen. At first, I was furious because I slept peacefully, believing that my pregnancy result would stomp on any conflict resolution those two were working on when I walked in on them last night.However, I saw an opportunity, and I seized it.Of course, I didn’t know what had happened between those two while they spent the night together, but I didn’t think much about it because I assumed that their so-called bond wouldn’t survive the night.How I wished I knew just how wrong I was.But I didn’t know. However, I did consider the possibility of the duo finding their way back to each other, which was why I ruffled Sophia’s feathers the second she and Asher walked into the dining hall with Flavia, who I found out was Roy’s mate.As far as Flavia and Roy were concerned, good riddance to bad rubbish.I didn’t care about them, and even though they caught
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 i
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