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
ALPHA KING XALEN ~~ I hated her. The way she constantly looked at me from under her long lashes. The way she inhaled. The way she exhaled. The way she walked. The way she looked in the servants’ uniform. The way her chest rose and fell as she tried not to let her eyes wander. I hated everything about her. The bright color of her hair. Her dull green eyes had only brightened when she stared at Jodie. The small curve of her lips as she smiled down at my daughter who had stopped crying like she was in some sort of magic land and not the arms of a slave… Fuck, I hated everything. Yet, I had to bring her into my home. After all, I couldn’t just drop Jodie with her and let her take care of my daughter in the Servants’s quarters where she had obviously been suffering– “You should have let me break every bone in his body.” Theo snarled in my mind, holding a kind of anger that was new to me. He was angry because the slave was touched by another man… because she was maltreated b
HAYLEE ~~ I understood that he hated me for reasons best known to him. But to be honest, I was a victim too. I have been all my life and the way he seemed to enjoy hurting me even though I was helping his kid was making it hard for me to breathe. My chest hurt. But my head was aching more due to the forced connection he– “You don’t speak much, do you?” The young woman Alpha Xalen handed me over to, asked, her eyes on me as if she was studying me. I have learned to be careful around Servants in this Pack since they all considered me beneath them. If my head wasn’t aching, I still wouldn’t speak to the nanny to avoid getting punched– “He wasn’t always like this.” I didn’t ask her but she supplied that detail anyway. “Well, he was hostile when he was younger but became very warm when he met the Queen. Losing her sent him back to his dark days.” I get it. He was suffering. But I have been suffering all my life and he doesn’t see me being a pain in his ass or that of anyone
HAYLEE~~“You do not belong here….” The voice I heard was soft and young, and it was supposed to be innocent and friendly, but it was everything but that. It was harsh and as I opened my eyes to see the small frame boiling with obvious anger before me, My brows furrowed. I could only stare at the little girl before me as I pushed myself off the nursery floor. I must have dozed off while putting Princess Jodie to bed. I thought working with Owen was hard but having a baby who won’t let me drop her for even a minute was harder. The good part was, I wasn’t getting slapped or starved. Aside from Princess Jodie, no one was yelling at me until now. “That’s my mom’s spot. Get up and get out of my sister’s room.” The young girl literally hissed at me. Her mom’s spot? Her sister? “Princess Sophia?” I breathed, Rather than respond, she seethed just like I had seen Alpha King Xalen do, “I told you to leave my mom’s spot and get out of my sister’s room.” I was standing in a cozy corner
HAYLEE~~“I swear to the goddess she was right here.” I had screamed three hours ago, my body trembling as he stared down at me with anger and perhaps worry in his eyes. Clearly, he wasn’t concerned about the way my heart was rising and falling rapidly, not when he was about to growl at me. But before he could, I added, “Princess Sophia showed up. She was furious. She sent me out of the room and I thought it was best to sit here while I waited for her to–” “But you fell asleep!” He shut me up, punching the nearest wall in a way that made me jump backward. “You fell asleep when you were supposed to be watching my kids.”“I didn’t mean to. I swear to the goddess–” I whimpered. “Enough swearing to the goddess, dammit!” He hissed maliciously, showing nothing but hate and disrespect to the goddess. That happened three hours ago and while I was shaken by fear and also been praying that the Princesses would return home, they haven’t and we have all been searching and by searching, I m
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.
HAYLEE~~“I’m glad you gave me a chance. You gave us a chance, Haylee.” Alpha King Xalen’s rich voice echoed, hitting my eardrums and sending sweet vibrations through my body. His smile was even brighter than the day. "I promise you, Haylee. I won't let you down.”This was happening?I was giving him a chance.Heck! I would give him a chance because I could tell my life was about to take a new turn.Of course, I still couldn’t believe that the cruel Alpha King was mine. Not just my destined mate but a destined mate who had accepted our bond and vowed to never hurt me. At least not again.So why wouldn’t I smile when he took my hands and stared deep into my eyes? Why wouldn’t my heart flutter with joy and the kind of warmth I had never felt before? That has to be love, right?Was this what love felt like?“Yes, Haylee. This is love. This is our love story, and we have begun the sweet journey of love against all odds.”Alpha King Xalen replied, making it known that he was in my head
HAYLEE~~“Yes, Alpha King Xalen,” I muttered sadly, but his face lit up, which made me realize that my response wasn’t clear enough. So I added to clear up the misunderstanding, “Yes, I’m saying no to trying.”That was so hard to say, but looking into his eyes as the twinkle they once reflected vanished without a trace was so much harder.However, I couldn’t put myself in danger for a man who wasn’t sure about me.“What are you saying? He is asking you to try, Haylee. He is certain he wants this.” Liya chimed with disbelief, mostly because she knew how badly I wanted this.My wolf knew I had waited all my life to be loved by someone who was meant for me. By my mom. My dad. My sister. I longed to be loved by someone who I could call mine, and the one person who seemed to love me, I couldn’t reciprocate.I have waited all my life for this moment, but just like always, life has a funny way of putting me in a tight spot. Why give me a man I can call mine when he is tied to two other wo
ALPHA KING XALEN~~“Busted.” Theo mocked me as my body froze before the woman, whose presence suddenly felt like a magnetic force.One minute, I was ready to move her body away from the door or something, just to get to Allison and pour my anger on her, throwing everything I had planned since yesterday out the window, and the next minute, I felt Haylee’s body drawing me in.The energy was so compelling, and I could feel myself claiming her lips for the second time in what? Three days?And bam! Haylee gasped, “It was you who kissed me, not me.”Those words were a wake-up call from the slumber her scent and energy had dragged me into. I blinked rapidly, taking steps backward, not because I was scared of Haylee but because I was afraid of the fact that she would remember our first kiss as—“You kissed me, right?” Haylee asked this time as if she couldn’t believe I would do such a thing, and honestly, I wouldn't believe it either. “I didn’t initiate it; you did.”The longest minute pas
HAYLEE~~I finally saw it.The affection Jose was talking about, I finally saw it as Alpha King Xalen switched into what I would like to call killer mode. Storming after Princess Allison, who I knew would be back in the palace by now because she left the execution ground before I could get my feet to move, shock and pity perplexed my entire body.I finally felt it.I felt his concern for me, and goddess did it not feel like he hated me at that minute.However, because of what I assumed were Princess Allison’s fingerprints, the moment I didn't know I had been waiting to experience since I perceived this man was destined to be mine was cut short and replaced by anger.As I ran after him, Liya bubbled with joy for some reason, but I was so damn worried as I could see how badly this would end.“This is good, Hay. A man is fighting for us. The most powerful of them all, in fact,” Liya said to me, enjoying the moment more than she should.“This is bad. If he fights for me, Princess Allis
ALPHA KING XALEN~~She shouldn’t be here, not with my baby in her arms.And did she leave Sophia and Asher alone at home?I was trying not to be mad as I thought about why Haylee would choose to leave two of my kids at home and bring my newborn to the execution ground. It’s no news to anyone that children under the age of fourteen are not allowed on the execution grounds.“Might be news to her. She isn’t a member of this pack, after all,” Theo defended Haylee, speaking calmly before I could catch up to Haylee and demand she leave immediately.Or maybe it was the fact that I followed Haylee’s gaze and found Allison and Jose standing side by side that made me change my mind.“If you had made her a part of this pack, you would have been able to speak to her through the mind link without causing her pain,” Theo pointed out, reminding me that even though Haylee had been living here for the past forty-two days, she still wasn’t an official member of my pack.“I will see to that as soon a
HAYLEE~~The tension in the pack was undeniable, and the source of that tension was within the same palace I was living in. I could feel it during breakfast, and even though breakfast ended many hours ago, I could still feel it as Banita, Maeve, and Orla discussed the execution that would be happening soon.“His parents are old, and he is their first child,” Orla muttered with pity.Maeve rolled her eyes. “You can’t pity him, Orla. He dared to touch the Alpha King’s woman. That’s a big crime.”“But seriously, I have known him for years. He isn’t someone like that. I can’t seem to wrap my head around the whole drama,” Orla countered, talking about how the guard who was to be executed in a few hours was her neighbor growing up.Benita didn’t have much to say since she didn't know the guard. The four of us were in the kitchen as usual because that was the only place big enough for all four of us to be at once, and of course, I was holding Princess Jodie, who kept playing with the stra
ALPHA KING XALEN~~In spite of how the previous day drained me, I woke up in a better mood this morning. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I slept with my kids around me and in the bedroom where Laura and I created them.I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about those days.This was the first time I would be smiling genuinely at the thought of Laura, and also last night was the first I would spend in my matrimonial bedroom after Laura’s demise.I believed that was my way of trying to connect with her before I began the fight against Allison—a fight that would save my kids and the realm and probably secure a future with Haylee.“So, goodbye to Laura?” Theo asked me, even though he knew the effect those words would have on me.“She will always be a part of my life, Theo.” I wasn’t saying goodbye. I just couldn't.“If you aren’t saying goodbye, how will you take Haylee? What space will she hold in your life? Will she have to compete with the ghost of Laura?” Theo as
HAYLEE~~“Haylee, we need to talk. Meet me in the garden at dusk. It’s urgent and important. — Jose”My heart raced as I folded the note neatly, my eyes scanning the handwriting I was familiar with hastily.Surely the note was from Jose. He didn’t have to write his name on the note for me to know. A couple of emotions swirled within me: anxiety, fear, and maybe a bit of hope. I had been trying to get hold of Jose all day, but all my attempts were fruitless as he had been in court with Princess Allison.Why did he want to meet in the garden? Why couldn’t he wait by my bedroom door for me or find me somewhere in the palace? What’s with this secret meeting? I honestly hoped he wasn’t about to tell me about his feelings again.“I suspected something was bothering him this morning when he walked past us without uttering a word,” Liya said in my mind. “Whatever he has to say, it’s our chance to ask him about last night. We have to seize it.”Liya was right, yet my heart kept racing as I
HAYLEE~~From the rumors flying around, Alpha King Xalen had a long day—long enough to take his mind off punishing the servants for throwing a party. Or so I have heard. However, I believed I had a longer day because I had been juggling through my fuzzy mind, trying to remember what went down last night, especially between the Alpha King and me.Thinking and having to take care of the kids all by myself didn’t go well together, as the kids needed my full attention.I had been with the kids all day, and now Alpha King Xalen was standing in the living room where I had been with the kids and some man Princess Sophia had introduced as her uncle. I also saw the striking resemblance between the Royal Advisor and the unfamiliar man, but I still couldn’t leave the kids alone with him.This is why Alpha King Xalen walked in and found me in the living room.“There’s tension,” Liya muttered into my mind after Alpha King Xalen and Roy entered. “Definitely bad blood between the cousins.”Oh, I