Princess Allison’s POV ~~My mission in the royal pack was simple—make his life a living hell, frustrate him until he abandoned the throne, give my family the chance to take over the rulership of this realm, or, even better, make him marry me in the next three months.If I were being honest, I wouldn’t want to marry a man who was still stuck on his late wife and mate. However, this was politics, and as my father’s oldest daughter, it was my duty to bring the crown home.“He either marries you or dies, Allie.” My wolf, Nala, seethed into my mind as I descended the stairs, heading over to the kitchen. “I mean, what’s the point if he leaves the throne or gets dethroned by the Elders? He has a son, for goddess’s sake.”Nala was one who never took chances. My wolf is the reason I’m so confident, even when Alpha King Xalen is yelling in my face. Nala was a hothead. Fuck that—she was a volcano that looks peaceful but can erupt at any fucking time.My wolf was the reason my dad trusted me t
ALPHA KING XALEN~~I still haven't gotten over the emotions from yesterday. The anger Allison called out of me. The worry and guilt Haylee poured into me. Plus the hunger I had to resist during the moment Haylee and I shared last night. Although she didn’t seem to notice, controlling my hunger around her was becoming harder. This explains the jealousy I felt when I saw her walk in with Jose, Allison’s guard—that reminds me! I need to tell Wyatt to find out who Jose was and how he got to know Haylee. I quickly sent a message to my Gamma, asking him to see me at my main office, where I would be going today, to avoid anymore drama from Allison and unwanted feelings from Haylee. Despite these demanding feelings, I got out of bed and joined my kids in the dining hall. As soon as I entered the hall, Sophia grumbled, “Why is breakfast not here yet? I’m starving."Haylee’s voice hit my eardrums, and I was this close to letting out a deep possessive growl, “I can make something for you,
HAYLEE~~As I rushed after Princess Sophia and Prince Asher with their little sister in my arms, I asked myself why anyone in their right mind would be hellbent on making kids as young as five and three years old sad. What is she driving at?What point is she trying to make? “The same point Dad and Kaylee had been trying to make all our lives,” Liya said to me. My wolf’s response made me realize that people like my dad, Kaylee, and Princess Allison really have reasons to be who they are. My dad claimed he was harsh with me because I was a replica of my mom, but that wasn't enough to abuse any child. Kaylee claimed the reason she hated me was because I stole her life, her mate, and everything from her, but I never did, and even if I did, it wasn’t enough reason for her to give me into slavery and wish me death. After all, she took everything from me, and I still don’t wish her death. In Princess Allison’s case, the desire to be Queen has blinded her enough to kill any sense of h
Princess Allison’s POV~~No reactions?Not even a single one from any of them?Yes, Sophia failed me first, but never in a thousand worlds had I imagined that Alpha King Xalen would also fail me. Or was my intention to wipe out their precious mom and beloved mate wasn’t clear enough? Was I not doing enough?Could I be losing my touch already? Hell, I just got here for goddess’s sake!“Relax, Allie. We aren’t losing touch.” Nala said into my mind, more like seethed. “This shows that we must go lower to get his attention.” “How low are you talking about?” I asked my wolf as I slammed the door to my bedroom. “Do you remember what Dad said before we left home? Nala asked me. I nodded instantly. “He said we have an ally within this pack. Someone close to the Alpha King and that this ally has enough to break Alpha King Xalen’s strong spirit.”“Exactly.” Nala chimed in response. “I believe it’s time we reach out to this ally.”Although my wolf was smart, I couldn’t agree with her at t
HAYLEE~~I was wrong to think the change in my title wouldn’t change my routine. I mean, I have become the talk of the pack, but also people approach me now. Just yesterday, I was walking around the palace with Princess Sophia and baby Jodie when a group of servants who walked past us greeted not just the princesses but me as well.They acknowledge my presence.“I hadn't noticed how much our scent changed when we were demoted by Alpha Jett, until the promtion from Alpha King Xalen,” Liya said to me, enjoying every bit of this new attention even though I knew I would soon shy away from them.I had just put Princess Jodie to bed for her afternoon nap. Prince Asher was also taking a nap, and Princess Sophia was somewhere in the palace, doing goddess knows what. I would have gone in search of the Princess if I hadn’t planned to get food from the palace kitchen, eat, and take a nap right after.However, my plan was interrupted when Benita and two other servants walked into the kitchen j
ALPHA PRINCE XALEN~~I could hear the servants’ party from my office, which was in the middle of the pack, but I didn’t move to stop them like I would have done before Laura stepped into my life. Laura made me realize that the servants deserve a lot more than just paying their salaries, which is why they could have a party once every two months. However, I still couldn’t wrap my head around why they would have the party as planned even though they were meant to be mourning their late Queen. After everything Laura had done for them? “Ungrateful bastards.” Even Theo was mad, and my wolf didn’t hesitate to seeth those words in my mind.“I guess that’s how it is with death. Once you die, no one gives a shit about you, and everyone tends to move on.” I responded to my wolf trying so hard not to drop the papers in my hands and storm to the party’s venue.“Everyone sure has moved on, Xalen,” Theo muttered sadly. I sighed, “Everyone but me.” “Xalen–” Theo finally understood the message
ALPHA KING XALEN~~ For a minute there, I froze, rage bubbling within me as I glared at no one else but Jose, who was still standing there like he was determined to challenge me. If I recall correctly, this was the second time he would stand against me like this. I would earn the title ‘fool of the century’ if I actually believed that he was like this only because he was Alpha Richard’s person. There has to be more to this guy. And I honestly couldn’t wait for Wyatt to get answers. I wanted them now. “Who are you?” I growled, my voice low but loud enough to communicate my anger to the man whose scent had polluted Haylee’s sweet and fresh scent. “I don’t care who he is, Xalen! Just kill him this instant.” Theo barked impatiently. But I needed answers. Jose exhaled shakily. His fear was teasing my nostrils even though he tried to mask his scent. “I’m Jose, Princess Allison’s guard.” “You know damn well that isn’t the answer I need from you!” I snapped, and Haylee jumped away
HAYLEE~~ The sun has been piercing through the tiny curtains, probing my eyelids as if demanding I wake up and face the aftermath of last night, but I didn’t leave my bed, nor did I think of last night as I fell deeper into the endless pit of sleep.But I was yanked out of that pit by a familiar voice that sounded so far away at first: “Wake up, Haylee.”Groaning into the pillows as my head reacted to the voice by threatening to spill into unfixable pieces, I buried my face deeper, trying to drown out the urgency in the voice and hoping that I would be left alone.“You have to get up,” came the voice again.“Let me be, Kaylee.” I groaned again, muttering the wrong name even though I knew the voice wasn’t Kaylee’s. At least I knew subconsciously.“It’s Benita, Haylee.” The voice rang through my aching head again, pulling me closer to the conscious world. “You might be the royal help now, but you still have duties. Princess Jodie will be up any second, and you know she won’t let any
ALPHA KING XALEN~~Saying I was angry would be the understatement of the century.These past few months, I have lost a lot of people who mattered to me. Even though Laura turned out to be a snake, losing her affected me, and Uncle Calvin’s death remained a trauma I couldn’t get over as fast as I wanted.And now, Haylee was poisoned by one of the servants in my home?There was no way in hell I would allow her to go scot-free. There was no way in hell I wouldn’t make an example of her!“First, Ghostflower juice, and she still had the audacity to use Ashen venom?” Theo gritted angrily within me. My anger boiled hotter with every step I took toward the one place that smelled like that bitch—her bedroom.I knew she wasn’t there, but I needed to get my hands on whatever was left of the venom she fed my woman. I couldn’t shake off the need to get rid of it along with her. I got to her bedroom, ransacked it, and found vials of poisons laid carelessly within her bedside drawer.To my utmost
HAYLEE~~I could have sworn I died.I could have sworn that death swallowed me the second my lids closed, but somehow, those same lids fluttered open after I almost became best buddies with the darkness of death. I didn’t know how long I had been out.But if I were to assume, I would say I was unconscious for about an hour or maybe two.There was this sharp sound ringing in my head, and I just knew I needed to sleep for a long time; still, I had to ask the two concerned women standing beside the bed, “Did you get it out? How long was I out for?”I groaned as I tried to push myself into a sitting position, hoping that the block Liya placed between my mind and Xalen’s didn’t fall when I lost consciousness. Gasping, I added another question, looking deep into Flavia’s eyes this time, “Has he found out?”She knew I was talking about Xalen. I could tell from the way she looked at me, but what I couldn’t tell was the next words Flavia blurted out: “No, he hasn’t, Haylee. It’s been five m
HAYLEE~~“I told you so.”If Liya wasn’t trembling with rage within me, I was certain those four dreaded words would be echoing endlessly in my mind. My wolf would have said those words to me, but even though she didn’t voice them out loud, I could still hear her furious voice in my subconscious because, truly, she told me so.Heck! Liya warned me severely.“I knew she was a snake, but I didn’t know she would go this far,” Liya hissed into my mind, frustration coursing through her. “I didn’t like her from the start, but I also couldn’t see why she would want to kill you. Even when I forced you to keep that sample from the smoothie, I was just trying to be thorough and cautious.”Well, thank goodness for that, because how else would I have known that the only person who willingly offered to be my friend when I started living in the palace was, undoubtedly, my faceless enemy?Flavia, who had been quietly working, suddenly gasped, “I can’t detoxify you alone. We either get you to the
HAYLEE~~Flavia barged into Sophia’s bedroom, where I was with the kids, her eyes wide as the sky but also cloudy.I dropped the book I had in my hands instinctively, ignoring the soreness of my body. I assumed I had to get used to the muscle soreness that I had been experiencing due to my training session with Xalen.“Are you okay?” Those were the first words that Flavia uttered, even though Sophia and Asher were trying to get her attention.I could see her fingers trembling as she tried to wrap her arms around Sophia and Asher. The scent of her worries invaded my nostrils, almost suffocating me before I answered, “I am okay. Are the results out?”My eyes were heavy, but just like I had ignored my sore muscles, I had been forcing my tired eyes to remain open because I wanted to read more about the various abilities that each faction within the werewolf community had.“They are, Haylee, and they aren’t good.” Flavia let out a shallow breath. “We should get you to your room. You need
ALPHA KING XALEN~~Everything Rowena told us about Alpha Richard's offer simply proved that he had a secret weapon—or what was supposed to be a secret weapon. With every passing day, I was leaning closer to the red wolf theory, but we were still stuck in a state of dilemma.I mean, even with all of this, I still couldn’t bring Richard in or punish him because, while everyone in power would believe me, normal subjects wouldn’t. They would see me as a tyrant, and that would further divide the realm.“Richard knew what he was doing. He planned this perfectly,” Theo hissed within me.My wolf’s statement made me wonder just how long Alpha Richard had been putting these plans in place. Obviously, he had been making moves even before I was born. How do I beat him then?“You know he loved you, right?” Rowena muttered, snapping us all out of our thoughts, even though she was looking at Roy’s red face. “He hated that you and the king couldn’t get along and always looked forward to your visit
ALPHA KING XALEN~~“Welcome, Elder Rowena.” I breathed before the dark blindfold that Wyatt had put over her face came off.The older woman blinked rapidly, her eyes adjusting to the light in my office, before she exhaled, “My King.”Her eyes fell on Roy, who was sitting on the couch opposite my office desk, and Rowena muttered, “Alpha Prince Roy.”Roy simply nodded her way because he didn’t trust her, even though I had assured him that she could be of help to us. After training with Haylee this morning and making sure we didn’t miss breakfast time with the kids, I asked Wyatt to get Elder Rowena and bring her into my home office through one of the secret tunnels.I also asked Wyatt to blindfold Rowena so the secret tunnels would remain just that: secret. In fact, I had to direct Wyatt through the tunnels because that was the first time he would make use of them.Rowena went straight to business after I offered her a seat. “May I know why I was abducted from my home and dragged thr
HAYLEE~~“Ouch!”I cried out as Xalen overpowered me for the umpteenth time since we began sparring. I have lost count of the number of times I have landed on my back, even though I could tell Xalen was holding back.It’s a good thing we weren’t doing this in the open where other warriors would see me getting my ass handed to me. It would have been shameful.“This is shameful, Hay,” Liya groaned within me. “You haven’t landed one blow, even though that was the first move he showed you.”“Would you like to try?” I gritted at my wolf, rolling onto my side even though my entire body protested. “Perhaps I would have mastered the first move if you hadn’t been making fun of me.”Rather than being of help, Liya has been having a good time, laughing loudly each time I lost my balance and fell. She did the same even after I called her out, and I could feel anger rising within me.“Don’t beat yourself up, Hay.” Xalen’s voice pierced through my boiling rage and thick frustration. “It’s only y
HAYLEE~~I had to sneak out of bed before daybreak the next morning because Flavia asked me to. According to her, we needed to keep tabs on the servants, especially those who prepared the royal meal in the kitchen. Since we couldn’t trust anyone but ourselves, we had to do the spying ourselves.“We either find the poison before they start preparing breakfast, or we catch them red-handed,” Flavia muttered as we entered the empty royal kitchen. Even the servants were still fast asleep.Before I could respond, Flavia added, “I discreetly tested everyone’s blood to be sure we all haven’t been poisoned. I found out that you are right. You are the only target, which means the poison is added to your food after the general preparation.”“That’s a relief,” I whispered to Flavia, who had started searching the kitchen cupboards and cabinets. “I doubt the poison will be kept here, Flavia. Especially now that it is clear that it does not affect me.”I had been trying to think like whoever was
ALPHA KING XALEN~~“We had a long talk, Xay,” Haylee breathed after we settled into bed for the night.Due to our schedules, talking in bed before we fell asleep had become the new normal. I was more than happy to chat with her in bed as I recalled a time when I couldn’t share such moments with her because I thought keeping her away from me was for the best.“She told me that Allison would lose her power because Alpha Richard would cut her off from the source, which I believe is a Red Wolf in capacity,” Haylee added, staring at the ceiling as she lay on her back. “I also read about the first Red Wolf today.”As she told me about the information she gathered, I watched her closely, her voice fading into the background as her beauty and obvious interest captivated me faster than her enchanting voice.“She’s breathtaking.” Even Theo agreed with me.I mean, what on earth is this beauty that Haylee seems to unlock with every passing day? I knew I was in love with her, and love tends to