HAYLEE~~“What has gotten into you?” Jose snapped at me, his voice low but still loud enough for the few servants who had gathered in the living room to hear him. “Will you ever stop? She is a helpless woman and—”“Jose!” I cried out, wondering if the kind soul that used to be my best friend was still in there. I was breaking underneath all the weight and attacks, and even though Xalen was with me, it would be nice to have the man I used to know by my side.It would be nice to have my Leo.The one I used to have before all this craziness. Before he became Kaylee’s mate and got into trouble because of me. The one I used to trust. The one I would be able to trust in this kind of situation.“When do you plan to stop all of this? You are breaking the realm apart, and you aren't even Queen yet!” Jose snapped at me, ignoring my cry for help. Rather than be the friend I needed, he joined the army of people who wouldn’t hesitate to stone me to death.What was I expecting? Stupid, stupid Ha
ALPHA KING XALEN~~ Nothing kills a man faster than having to watch the woman he loves suffer, and I was no different from any other man.In fact, because I was the Alpha King, seeing Haylee, my mate and the woman I loved, suffering because of the lapse in my judgment and my failure to protect her name was killing me faster yet so slowly.It was torture.Of course, I didn’t regret killing Benita, even though her death had led to protests and more suffering for Haylee. However, I have come to realize that I could have kept her alive until she told the truth and cleared my mate’s name.Killing Benita after she soiled Haylee’s name and person was a wrong move, and we were all paying for that mistake. Haylee is paying more than the rest of us.“Does she have to attend the meeting with us? She could just stay at home where she would be safe,” Theo complained as we both watched Haylee prepare for the meeting through my worried eyes.“Be safe?” I exhaled. “We both know she is safer when s
HAYLEE~~Two days after the meeting with the elders, I still didn’t understand why Xalen wanted me at the meeting, and I also didn't understand why he would threaten the lives of the elders' loved ones right after he said he was about to make them a better offer.Goddess, the political game was complicated, and I might never understand it.That was why I didn’t go with him to the private meeting he was having with the elders who had reached out to him after the public meeting. He tried to get me out of our bedroom earlier today, but I refused, telling him that I had more research to do.Xalen left me in the bedroom, but his presence remained in the back of my mind. I smiled to myself as memories of the previous day flashed through my mind. Despite the toxic tension in the pack, Xalen and I spent the previous day in bed, strengthening our bond and just being there for each other—“You mean fucking each other like horndogs?” Liya let out a woofy snort, causing my lips to stretch even
HAYLEE~~“They claim to be your family.”Those words continued to echo in my mind even though my body had frozen. My chest felt heavier, and time seemed to stop existing, even though I could hear the clocks in my head ticking rapidly.I shouldn’t be surprised, yeah?I mean, Aradia already told me that I would get guests from my past, and what other past do I have apart from the one I shared with Kaylee, our dad, Alpha Jett, and members of my supposed birth pack?“What do you want me to do?” Flavia’s voice pierced through my flooded mind.Blinking rapidly, I looked at her, realizing her eyes were filled with worry for the first time since she stepped into the bedroom. I cleared my throat as I whispered, “How many of them?”“Two,” Flavia answered.It was no secret that I had been given into slavery by my own family. The entire pack witnessed that during the funeral that brought Xalen and me together. Flavia had to know that, too.I sat on the bed for a few minutes, weighing my option
ALPHA KING XALEN~~If I could hear the commotion from my office, then it was a big one.I swiftly dismissed the ten elders who had reached out privately, their loyalty hanging in the air like fragile glass. I motioned for Wyatt to take them out through the secret tunnels—quietly and unseen. Roy and I exchanged a quick glance, then moved to leave my office.At first, I thought Allison was causing trouble again—her name already forming in my mind. Or maybe one of my furious pack members. My fists clenched, and my eyes burned with rage. I was ready—the urge to rip whoever disrespected Haylee apart simmering just beneath my skin.Upon stepping into the living room, I noticed the unfamiliar scents. Those scents stood out to me because they didn’t carry the musk of the royal pack, yet they were still recognizable somehow. By the time I made it to where Haylee was standing with a rageful Flavia, I realized that the strange scents belonged to two members of Alpha Jett’s pack.In fact, the
HAYLEE~~Have you ever been hurt by the same people who should love you? Betrayed by a family member or abused? If you have, then you will understand all that came with my dad tendering a heartfelt apology to me after almost twenty years of torture and trauma.It was a bittersweet moment.My world flipped, and the harsh foundation shifted, leaving me confused for a moment. After all, this wasn’t normal. The man who had broken my bones more than I could count on both hands was standing right in front of me, staring at me with eyes that pierced through my mask, going straight for my wounded soul.“I really am sorry, Haylee. This won’t change what I have done, but I want you to know that I was wrong and you didn’t deserve a scumbag like me,” he uttered, adding more salt to the open wound his apology had placed right in the center of my soul.Now, how do I respond to this? I couldn’t accept the apology because I wasn’t ready to forgive him, but I also couldn’t reject it because my dama
HAYLEE~~For the next two days, I didn't see Kaylee and Alfred. I believed Flavia had something to do with that, as she won't stop grumbling about how I was too kind, even though I explained why I had to let them stay.I have also stopped hiding out in different rooms just to avoid Allison, the servant of the pack members. I have come to realize that I wasn't doing myself any good by hiding.Within these two days, I have been training physically with Xalen, training spiritually with Gladys, and sometimes with Flavia when she takes a break from making Kaylee's life hell. I have also informed Gladys and Flavia about the paragraph that stood out to me, and they both promised to reach out to healers in other packs and find out what they knew about the prophecy.It's been two days of improvement, and even Xalen confirmed it when I delivered another solid punch to his jaw. His groan resonated through the private training room where we had been for hours.“Someone is getting better and fe
ALPHA KING XALEN~~I knew I should resist her because I had meetings scheduled but I could hear my wolf saying, “Fuck the meeting and the elders,” in my mind. I knew I should fight the urge to slam into her this minute and at least get her to the bedroom, but I couldn't.She was irritable.And even though she acted innocent, she knew I couldn't resist her. The best part of having a bond with Haylee was that I felt the same. Every feeling was mutual—Gosh, I shouldn't call her Haylee anymore. That name seemed to bring nothing but pain, trauma, and disappointment. Hearing her father and sister refer to her as Haylee and Hay made me realize that each time I called her by that name, I was reminding her of everything she should forget.I didn't want that for her. And since everyone seemed to call her Hay—even though she was the Hay to my Xay—I knew I had to come up with a better pet name for her—one that would be special to us.“Time is ticking, King Xalen,” Haylee moaned, trembling wi
ALPHA KING XALEN~~I knew I should resist her because I had meetings scheduled but I could hear my wolf saying, “Fuck the meeting and the elders,” in my mind. I knew I should fight the urge to slam into her this minute and at least get her to the bedroom, but I couldn't.She was irritable.And even though she acted innocent, she knew I couldn't resist her. The best part of having a bond with Haylee was that I felt the same. Every feeling was mutual—Gosh, I shouldn't call her Haylee anymore. That name seemed to bring nothing but pain, trauma, and disappointment. Hearing her father and sister refer to her as Haylee and Hay made me realize that each time I called her by that name, I was reminding her of everything she should forget.I didn't want that for her. And since everyone seemed to call her Hay—even though she was the Hay to my Xay—I knew I had to come up with a better pet name for her—one that would be special to us.“Time is ticking, King Xalen,” Haylee moaned, trembling wi
HAYLEE~~For the next two days, I didn't see Kaylee and Alfred. I believed Flavia had something to do with that, as she won't stop grumbling about how I was too kind, even though I explained why I had to let them stay.I have also stopped hiding out in different rooms just to avoid Allison, the servant of the pack members. I have come to realize that I wasn't doing myself any good by hiding.Within these two days, I have been training physically with Xalen, training spiritually with Gladys, and sometimes with Flavia when she takes a break from making Kaylee's life hell. I have also informed Gladys and Flavia about the paragraph that stood out to me, and they both promised to reach out to healers in other packs and find out what they knew about the prophecy.It's been two days of improvement, and even Xalen confirmed it when I delivered another solid punch to his jaw. His groan resonated through the private training room where we had been for hours.“Someone is getting better and fe
HAYLEE~~Have you ever been hurt by the same people who should love you? Betrayed by a family member or abused? If you have, then you will understand all that came with my dad tendering a heartfelt apology to me after almost twenty years of torture and trauma.It was a bittersweet moment.My world flipped, and the harsh foundation shifted, leaving me confused for a moment. After all, this wasn’t normal. The man who had broken my bones more than I could count on both hands was standing right in front of me, staring at me with eyes that pierced through my mask, going straight for my wounded soul.“I really am sorry, Haylee. This won’t change what I have done, but I want you to know that I was wrong and you didn’t deserve a scumbag like me,” he uttered, adding more salt to the open wound his apology had placed right in the center of my soul.Now, how do I respond to this? I couldn’t accept the apology because I wasn’t ready to forgive him, but I also couldn’t reject it because my dama
ALPHA KING XALEN~~If I could hear the commotion from my office, then it was a big one.I swiftly dismissed the ten elders who had reached out privately, their loyalty hanging in the air like fragile glass. I motioned for Wyatt to take them out through the secret tunnels—quietly and unseen. Roy and I exchanged a quick glance, then moved to leave my office.At first, I thought Allison was causing trouble again—her name already forming in my mind. Or maybe one of my furious pack members. My fists clenched, and my eyes burned with rage. I was ready—the urge to rip whoever disrespected Haylee apart simmering just beneath my skin.Upon stepping into the living room, I noticed the unfamiliar scents. Those scents stood out to me because they didn’t carry the musk of the royal pack, yet they were still recognizable somehow. By the time I made it to where Haylee was standing with a rageful Flavia, I realized that the strange scents belonged to two members of Alpha Jett’s pack.In fact, the
HAYLEE~~“They claim to be your family.”Those words continued to echo in my mind even though my body had frozen. My chest felt heavier, and time seemed to stop existing, even though I could hear the clocks in my head ticking rapidly.I shouldn’t be surprised, yeah?I mean, Aradia already told me that I would get guests from my past, and what other past do I have apart from the one I shared with Kaylee, our dad, Alpha Jett, and members of my supposed birth pack?“What do you want me to do?” Flavia’s voice pierced through my flooded mind.Blinking rapidly, I looked at her, realizing her eyes were filled with worry for the first time since she stepped into the bedroom. I cleared my throat as I whispered, “How many of them?”“Two,” Flavia answered.It was no secret that I had been given into slavery by my own family. The entire pack witnessed that during the funeral that brought Xalen and me together. Flavia had to know that, too.I sat on the bed for a few minutes, weighing my option
HAYLEE~~Two days after the meeting with the elders, I still didn’t understand why Xalen wanted me at the meeting, and I also didn't understand why he would threaten the lives of the elders' loved ones right after he said he was about to make them a better offer.Goddess, the political game was complicated, and I might never understand it.That was why I didn’t go with him to the private meeting he was having with the elders who had reached out to him after the public meeting. He tried to get me out of our bedroom earlier today, but I refused, telling him that I had more research to do.Xalen left me in the bedroom, but his presence remained in the back of my mind. I smiled to myself as memories of the previous day flashed through my mind. Despite the toxic tension in the pack, Xalen and I spent the previous day in bed, strengthening our bond and just being there for each other—“You mean fucking each other like horndogs?” Liya let out a woofy snort, causing my lips to stretch even
ALPHA KING XALEN~~ Nothing kills a man faster than having to watch the woman he loves suffer, and I was no different from any other man.In fact, because I was the Alpha King, seeing Haylee, my mate and the woman I loved, suffering because of the lapse in my judgment and my failure to protect her name was killing me faster yet so slowly.It was torture.Of course, I didn’t regret killing Benita, even though her death had led to protests and more suffering for Haylee. However, I have come to realize that I could have kept her alive until she told the truth and cleared my mate’s name.Killing Benita after she soiled Haylee’s name and person was a wrong move, and we were all paying for that mistake. Haylee is paying more than the rest of us.“Does she have to attend the meeting with us? She could just stay at home where she would be safe,” Theo complained as we both watched Haylee prepare for the meeting through my worried eyes.“Be safe?” I exhaled. “We both know she is safer when s
HAYLEE~~“What has gotten into you?” Jose snapped at me, his voice low but still loud enough for the few servants who had gathered in the living room to hear him. “Will you ever stop? She is a helpless woman and—”“Jose!” I cried out, wondering if the kind soul that used to be my best friend was still in there. I was breaking underneath all the weight and attacks, and even though Xalen was with me, it would be nice to have the man I used to know by my side.It would be nice to have my Leo.The one I used to have before all this craziness. Before he became Kaylee’s mate and got into trouble because of me. The one I used to trust. The one I would be able to trust in this kind of situation.“When do you plan to stop all of this? You are breaking the realm apart, and you aren't even Queen yet!” Jose snapped at me, ignoring my cry for help. Rather than be the friend I needed, he joined the army of people who wouldn’t hesitate to stone me to death.What was I expecting? Stupid, stupid Ha
HAYLEE~~It’s been a week since my mate angrily defended me and shut Benita up permanently. It’s been a week since Benita died, but it still feels like yesterday, not just because I still see her face each time I close my eyes, but because her death has brought about a huge protest.The tension in the Pack has grown larger and more intense over this week, but so has the protest against what the Pack members call the dark witch and her tyrant mate. In other words, they have been protesting to have me exiled and against Xalen’s actions—or lack of action—towards Allison’s supposed predicament.Aside from the protest, the servants have also been avoiding me. If they weren’t staying clear of me, the dark witch, they would be rude to me openly. In fact, they chose the perfect time to do that. Usually, when I am alone, they are in groups.My family—Xalen, Roy, Flavia, the kids, and Gladys—has been my source of strength during this chaotic time, but whenever they couldn’t be with me, I wou