Shelled, the Eastern region.Odion, the older elder, rose from his seat and approached the slaths, who stood unmoved in their position."Who are you?" Elder Odion asked, only to be met with silence from the soldiers standing still."Do not go near them," Ace warned, but like always, they didn't listen."You have no business being here!" Elder Odion continued sternly as he got to where one stood. "This is the elder's court, and—" he didn't get to finish because the slath launched at him. He pulled out his silver dagger, ran it over his neck, and then thrust it into his chest. The elder body dropped, and his blood gushed onto the floor, much to the horror of everyone seated.They all rose to their feet, and they looked terrified. Four more slath soldiers stepped through the door, and the total number now was six. Before they could prepare, the slaths launched at them, attacking with their fingers and claws. Ace knew he had to leave the council court since his presence had subdued their
Soule, the Northern region."Get out of our town!" a man yelled, running towards the men with his jar of wine.The third slath launched at him, and with a swift swing of his dagger, he sliced the man in half. The tavern erupted with angry cries as the men rushed towards the four slath soldiers standing in the tavern, forgetting what Edward had just told them about the men.The slath ran head first into the attack, their daggers flying as they sliced and cut through the men standing by. The Wahala men succeeded in taking down one of the four men before they were all brutally annihilated in under a minute.The slath ran towards Edward, but he stretched his hand out to stop him on his step. He turned to Kialani and said, "I cannot hold him for long. You need to go."He saw she didn't want to leave his side, but she had to. "Your presence is interfering with my magic."She nodded, and without another word, she took to her heel, running as fast as she could from his presence. One of the sl
Ace stepped into the palace, surprised to see everything in order and untouched. He wondered if the slave army had attacked the capital, but from the look of the palace alone, it seemed it hadn't. So Damien had attacked the regions, hoping to first weaken the kingdom from around before facing the capital. Or did he only come for Shelled? That wouldn't make sense."Lord Ace," King Xavier called upon seeing him."My king," he said, dropping to his knees when he got close, and Ursla did likewise.King Xavier stepped towards him, and the queen stayed by his side. "I'll take it that Shelled also got attacked," he said, raising a brow.Ace nodded. "Yes, my king. It was a terrible attack, and being unexpected made it worse. Many elders of Shelled lost their lives."Xavier looked torn by his reply, but he composed himself. "And your mission to the east?""Lord Crow and the other living elders now understand you are not the enemy. This enemy doesn't speak to or understand them. The mission of
Ace had someone in mind he wanted to see, especially after everything that had happened. Two days ago, when the slave soldier had him trapped and was about to kill him, he thought about only one thing: not his life as a lord or even the kingdom of Wahala. He thought of Xoe, the princess of Klean, his mate.He feared he might never see her again, which wasn’t the end he saw for himself. He needed to see her now.He had to. In the past, he had told himself why he couldn’t see the woman he loved. One reason was that she was married, but now he didn’t care. He couldn’t hide away and make all those excuses anymore.Death could come at any time, and he would die a miserable man if he never got to say his goodbyes. He deserved that, at the very least.He stood in Bronxville, where he knew Xoe had moved after her marriage to Lord Niall. The last time he was here was three years ago, just after her marriage, and he saw her in the night robe.He knew what was next; she would give herself to her
It took him a while to believe the words Xoe had told him. He saw her as many things, but none was a killer. It didn't make sense, and when he asked her what she meant, she did not tell him anything; instead, she told him to leave.He dressed up and left the house, but not Klean. He couldn't leave her, not in the midst of this, but he didn't want to be another trouble to deal with.The carriage arrived at the noble home, and Xoe got inside before it drove off. He followed behind, keeping a distance between them. After three hours of riding, they arrived at the capital and headed for the palace.The guards, already waiting for her arrival, helped her out of the carriage and led her into the palace.Just like she told him hours ago, she was being tried by the father of Niall for the death of his son. They believed she had poisoned him, as he had died suddenly. The house had a record of healthy blood and lived well into their old age, and Niall barely passed twenty-five before his sudden
The alpha king, the queen, and his elders are gathered in the deliberation room, standing around the large table, having a union discussion. Xavier had called all the elders together, and it would be their first meeting since the deaths and burials of Luna Elena, Sir Valerio, Sir Alex, Lord Jarold, and a few others. They spread out the map of the Wahala kingdom on the centre table, and everyone’s eyes are fixed on it as they mark out a division of the kingdom.In the wake of the attack three weeks ago, Xavier had given orders to have the strongholds of the four regions reinforced, just like the capital. Yet that didn’t feel like it was enough. They had strengthened themselves while waiting for the enemy to land on their shores.It didn’t feel right; why did they have to wait for the enemy when they had much more to lose? Xavier shared his thoughts with Mia, who agreed with everything he told her. She had been thinking the same thing.So, instead of getting bed rest as instructed by th
They launched their ship to meet up with the ones sailing from Foth.Edward, with his vision, could tell the number of ships that approached. It was six, each carrying not less than three hundred and fifty slave soldiers. One hundred and two carried out the first attack on the four regions, and those hundred wreaked much havoc on the entire kingdom. A few days ago, they had a taste of what the slave soldiers could do. A thousand would ruin the kingdom, and no one would be left to fight this battle.“You think this is the place?” Xavier asked Edward as their ship stopped after a two-day journey.“According to my calculations, yes, this is the place.” He replied, “I know if my calculations are wrong, this is all in vain, and we will lose our lives, but my calculations are correct. The slave ship will be here tomorrow at dawn, and we must get to work tonight.” He answered.Xavier nodded. “Then give the order.” He said.Edward nodded and headed out. The orders went out, and all the soldie
Edward felt satisfaction watching the ship burn, and he knew the next best thing to this would be to see Kailani and wrap his arms around her. Their return took two days, and Edward kept a close eye on Koz and Xavier. Koz because he believed the alpha was still mentally unstable, and Xavier because he knew his brother was so far from fine. It was his duty to get them back safely. Xavier will return to his mate, Mia, his son Lyon, and his unborn child, while Koz will return to his daughter, Cara.Their victory at sea would give them an advantage. There was no telling if they would win this war, but they could hope for the best.They returned to shore excitedly, and searching through the happy faces gathering around to welcome them, he found Kailani's. She stood farther back, and unlike the rest of those gathering to receive them, she didn't look thrilled. This sight made his heart sting weirdly. Usually, Kailani would have been the happiest to see him, yet now she wasn't.He walked thr
The alpha king's last wish when he thought his time had come was to grant his queen all her desires. It took many months for him to do that, but he finally did. With the full moon shift out of the way, they had at least three weeks with no need to lead a shift.He placed Alpha Koz and Luna Ursla in charge in their absence. And the boys, he handed to Edward and Kailani to take care of. Kim was now two, and Lyon was four, and they could look after them in their absence. They also assigned care to the boys so they wouldn't wear the prince and princess out.They headed for the Savanna River. It was the largest river south of the kingdom, and it connected Wahala to Jade and was the most luxurious spot to visit. Three months ago, Xavier took charge of creating a resort around the river, as he hoped to bring Mia with him. It took two months and one week, but it happened.The plan was to spend at most three weeks on the Savanna River alone with each other. Yes, they had decided Kim would be t
Xavier stood at the door, leaning against the frame and watching Mia remove her jewellery without saying a word. They had returned inside after she was done speaking, and though they held onto each other's hands, they uttered no word. There was so much he wanted to say but didn't know how to begin, so he remained silent.She finished with her necklace and then turned to him. "What?"She knew what, but he was ready to play along. "You were amazing with your speech; I hope you know that."After her speech, the entire mob that had gathered outside the palace gates for the last three days disappeared to their various houses, probably to do what the queen had told them to do. The joy and pride he felt watching her take matters into her own hands. This gave him a glimpse of who she was whenever he wasn't home. It was a turn-on."Thank you, then?"He pulled himself off the door frame and stepped towards her. "No, thank you. I just wanted to say you were amazing." Her speech today told him ju
With the awakening of the alpha king came many reforms around the kingdom. The kingdom needed to build back and regain what they had lost. He assured them they would recover it all.Many rumours flew around about his mysterious healing, and though many speculated he had made a deal, that was far from the truth.Xavier visited Shelled, and just like he promised, he made Lord Crow not only the alpha of the region but also an elder of the king's council. The lord was more than pleased to receive this title and vowed to do his best to ensure that the region remained loyal to the king's cause. Mia stuck beside him through it all. Her place was right beside him.With the war over, Xavier spoke to Edward about the next steps for the kingdom of Foth. Since the takeover, Kailani has ruled and done a perfect job at it. He also knew his brother's stance on being king and ruling. That wasn't his place. The throne came with many responsibilities that Edward knew he could never fulfil.As he specul
They gave it their best shot, was all he could tell himself.His eyes grew glassy. "We have to go, Lyon," he said, touching Lyon, but the little boy was now as cold as his father.Fear gripped Edward's heart, and his mind raced with thoughts of what could have happened. Was Lyon trapped in the realm of the close-to-dead, or did he enter Hades with his father?Nothing could trap Lyon, not with the level of power he possessed, but then he was just a little over three, and that left him in a vulnerable state.The shadow sickness would not think twice before harming him if she dimmed him as a threat. Perhaps she had.Edward didn't know what to think.Did his quest to save his brother leave him blinded to the vulnerability of his nephew?Mia would never forgive him, and he would never forgive himself for losing Lyon."Lyon!" He gripped the little boy's face and shook him out of fear. He found himself in Hades, the realm of the dead, immediately.Confusion and surprise took over Edward as h
Edward opened the door and stepped into the royal chambers, even without knocking. Judging by Mia's observation of the king's condition, he could tell they were barely on time now. They needed to get to doing what needed to be done.Mia turned to him as soon as they stepped in, and she sat up in bed, her eyes filled with panic."Mother!" Lyon squealed, and the little boy stretched his hand out to her.She ran off the bed and over to her son, taking him into her arms when she got to Edward and hugging him tightly.She stared at him and shook her head, telling him Xavier was dead and there was nothing they could do. She was breaking down yet, doing her best to stay strong through it, probably because her son was watching this all unfold.Edward didn't let her emotions and the truth, which she wanted to confirm, deter him from his mission."How long?" he asked, stepping towards the bed."A few seconds ago." She replied.Good. He thought. That gave them much room for hope.He nodded and m
Mia opened the door to their chamber and stepped inside, and she found Xavier on the bed the same way she left him. It wasn't like he could move anywhere without her help, though.For the first time since finding out about his shadow sickness, she had hoped, and it was the most powerful thing she ever experienced. She would hold on to it, telling herself it wasn't time to give up."Where did you go?" Xavier asked as she stepped onto the bed.She turned to him and found that his lashes were still shut; he must have picked up her scent. Despite the shadow sickness, his abilities were not completely gone."I was with Edward." She answered. There was no reason to lie to him."What did you discuss? Funeral arrangement?""You said you would not give in until the end.""And you said you would stay by my side until the end." He replied, and his weak emerald eyes settled on hers as his lashes fluttered.Her teeth gritted. "I am beside you, and this isn't the end." She reached out and took his
“How was it?” Xavier asked, as Mia stepped into their chambers and silently made her way to the wardrobe to change out of her robe.She had worn a two-piece black, easy-to-remove robe for the funeral rite at the black cove. She had now taken off the first piece.She turned to him and said, “It went well, but the kingdom took a massive loss. So many sons and daughters would never get a shot at life because they laid it down for the kingdom’s cause.”“It was a great price, and they knew this before joining the warrior’s institute.” He answered.“I do not know how I would feel if those were my boys.” She mumbled under her breath, and he heard.“War is the last thing anyone ever wants. But if the inevitable occurs, we must do whatever it takes to preserve the land. You know this.”She nodded. “Yes. I do, and I understand. I wish there were another way.” She turned to him.He mumbled his agreement under his breath.“How do you feel?” she asked, stepping towards the bed.“I feel like I have
Three hours after they returned from the black cove, Mia sat beside Xavier in bed with his hand in hers. She sat, thinking about all the years they had spent together as mates. It was the best she ever had; he was the best mate the moon goddess could have given.Watching him now broke her heart, and there was no way of consoling it. This was where they would give up.There was no game plan, and there was no escape.This was the end.She wiped the tear that rolled down her face and sniffed the rest.“Thank you for the happiest years of my life.” She began to speak. I can still remember how it used to be, and I remember how it is now. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, but I am happy I spent the time I did with you.”She felt warmth in her hand, and she glanced at it before looking up at Xavier and seeing his lashes lifting. His amazing emerald eyes settled on hers, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe. He was the definition of perfection on foot. He has always been her
Xavier could hear his heart pacing as he ran towards where Damien, the king of Foth, stood with about three dozen of his guards as protection.Such a coward.He wanted to wreak havoc on Damien and see the fear in his eyes before he snuffed the light away.Yes, they were just seven warriors, but these seven warriors were stronger than average. Aeon had the strength of six mighty soldiers combined, and Xavier could still take on the same number at once, despite his weakness. The queen also wielded strength beyond most imaginations, as did Alpha Zayn, who had just lost his best friend, Alpha Chado, in the war. They were all men scorned by the king of Jade, wanting a fair share of the price."Since you have almost lost this battle, you are here to see if you can take me down instead." King Damien said from where he stood on higher ground, shielded by his soldiers."That is exactly what I am doing, so why don't you come out and face me one-on-one?""That will not be a fair fight then, beca