Hi, dearests. I apologize for the inconsistent update frequency.I have been feeling blue, and that has affected my motivation. I will really appreciate a few words of encouragement in the comments. Also, thanks for the amazing ten reviews and the countless votes and comments. You are the reason I pick up my laptop every day, despite my mood. Thank you. Love, Kik.
HAYLEE~~“Haylee?” The woman with Jose called out with disbelief, or should I say confusion? Because she looked like she was trying to understand why I was there, and as much as I wanted to tell her that I was asking myself the same question, I was numb because a big part of me already knew why she was there. Hell! They both exuded the undeniable scent of sex.I breathed, “I'm sorry to have interrupted you. I better go—”“No, wait a second!” I have come to know that voice and maybe loved it. But right now, I couldn't even look her in the eyes because she reeked of my best friend's scent and of the man who confessed his feelings to me less than a month ago. They both reeked of sex.If it was someone else, I wouldn't have cared, even though it proved that Jose could be just as bad as Sylas was trying to tell me. But this was someone who had vowed to be my friend even when I wasn't ready to be hers. This was Benita for goddess’ sake! I couldn't stand seeing her half-naked and dis
Alpha Prince Roy’s POV~~I saw her walking—or more appropriately, dragging her feet—over to where I was standing. She was far from the palace, where I knew she spent most of her time. I wasn’t expecting to see her in this part of the pack because I had observed her routine and knew she rarely ventured beyond the palace grounds.And as much as I had been watching her, I didn’t come here for her. I was here because this place reminded me of Laura.“I love sitting by this forest. It’s peaceful.” I remember those words, and Laura’s voice echoed in my mind even though it had been many years since she said them to me.I also recalled telling her, "It's beautiful."But my eyes weren’t on the forest Laura was talking about. They were on her, and even though I couldn’t sense our mate bond back then, I knew she was mine. I could feel it in my gut and my wolf—I cleared my throat, cutting my thoughts short. Even though I came here to fuel my anger and remind myself of the most important thing
ALPHA KING XALEN~~It wasn’t my intention to stay away from Haylee and my kids. I have been working tirelessly to make sure the territory keeps running smoothly. As much as Evan and Wyatt were helpful, they were still not able to fill my position in my absence, which is why I have been spending a lot of time in my pack office.I have also been having numerous meetings with the Elders and a few other people who have important matters to discuss. Plus, I have been speaking to Wyatt about how to deal with Allison’s case and how to cripple Alpha Richard’s plan.As of today, I have just forty days left to prove that Alpha Richard killed Laura so he could take the throne or make something up, and I have trusted Evan and Wyatt with this. They have been helping me.Spies have been sent to Richard's pack, and I have eyes on Allison as well. She has been spending most of her time with Jose, according to the report I got from Evan earlier today, and that reminded me of the fact that I need to
HAYLEE~~If the trunk of Alpha Jett’s car counts as a ride in the car, I would say this was my second time in a car. Many wolves don’t see the need for vehicles because it’s a luxury that comes from the human world, and as much as we are cool with humans, we try to limit interaction with them to avoid stirring trouble. But of course, most Alpha King Xalen had a few cars that I had seen many times in the palace’s garage. Also, most Alphas, Elders, Chiefs, and other influential wolves collect this luxury—“So we are thinking about cars to ignore the weird energy looming in this car?” Liya said into my mind, calling me out of my delusion.I mean, I didn’t know what to say to Alpha King Xalen. I could tell he was angry to see me with Alpha Prince Roy, who seemed sweet from what I had observed, but I do have a thing for trusting people easily.What do I say to him? I can’t even tell him how and why I ended up on the other side of the pack and found Roy. He doesn’t know that I went to fi
ALPHA KING XALEN~~“I see you, Haylee, not as a replacement but as you.”I meant these words with every fiber of my being. However, I wasn’t sure that would be enough for Haylee. I could tell she wanted me to wipe Laura out of my heart and mind, but that would take time, even if it was possible.Haylee's eyes twinkled with shock, and they darted around the hallway as if she were scared that someone would hear us, but I wouldn’t put her in danger. I mean, before walking up to her and saying those words, I had made sure no one was within earshot.Regardless, Haylee whispered, “Can we do this in Jodie’s room?”I nodded and walked behind her with shopping bags she didn't seem to notice in one hand. A thought crossed my mind as we drew closer to Jodie’s room, and I shared it with Theo, “She calls Jodie with affection and familiarity. Am I the only one she refers to with fear and formality?”“Huh? I bet it’s you and Allison, so you have nothing to worry about,” Theo chimed, and for a sec
HAYLEE~~I was speechless. His words, his expression, his tone, and the softness of his scent as he spoke to the damaged little girl within me—all of this stunned me into speechlessness and drove me to tears. He wrapped his arms around me so delicately, holding me against his chest. I shouldn’t be thinking about Leo right now, but he was the first male that held me and made me feel safe. However, Alpha King Xalen was the first man who held me, made me feel safe, and made my heart race. Even Alpha Jett couldn’t come close. What was I saying? He never held me or spoke to me softly.“Seriously?” Liya’s voice broke into my mind. “A normal female would be over the moon right now. You are being held by the Alpha King of the territory, Hay. Stop thinking about the lies of Leo and Alpha Jett.” “I have never been happier,” I confessed to my wolf, sniffling back happy tears as I rested my head on Alpha King Xalen’s chest, listening to his heartbeat, which sounded like a melodious rhythm.
ALPHA KING XALEN~~That was cute… And I liked it. Hell, I found myself smiling even brighter after she ran out of Jodie’s room with all the shopping bags. “Imagine her face when she realized she shouldn't have gone with all the bags.” Theo let out a wolfy chuckle. The smile on my face widened not just because I was staring down at my daughter, whom I was beginning to bond with on a deeper level, but also because I believed life was about to get better. Henceforth, I would be making conscious efforts to choose Haylee and put her first. May the goddess help me, and this time, not take my mate from me. “I'm proud of you, Xalen. Thank you for doing this for us. Theo muttered those words to me, causing my heart to skip a beat. I nodded my head, barely keeping my emotions in check as I began to walk over to Sophia’s room, where I sensed Asher would be.“Daddy!” Asher exclaimed as soon as I stepped into Sophia’s room. Sophia also jumped off her bed, racing over to give me a hug. My
ALPHA KING XALEN~~Having worked on pack affairs side by side with Laura, I would recognize that handwritten any day. As soon as I saw the first word on the first letter that I opened, I knew Laura had written them. At that moment, a part of me that I didn’t know was dead came back to life as excitement swelled within me.I thought to myself as I grabbed as many letters as I could, moving to sit on the bed that used to be ours, “This could be it. This could be the closure I have been looking for. Laura must have written these letters secretly for me when she was alive.” I was happy to read it. Heck, I was eager to read.Despite the presence of my kids, I let my eyes run over the first few lines of the letter, my heart racing even though I was sitting down. “I didn't mean for this to happen. I know you are mad, but I couldn't control the urges or stop him. The mate nark and the bond between us make it hard. I'm currently carrying his child, but the good news is, it's a girl. I kno
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
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