STARLETTE“Sorry about your clothes.” I quickly told Lucius before giving Iris full control, my bones breaking, shredding his clothes into pieces. I ran into the woods and followed Maximus’s voice, who wouldn’t stop yelling my name, a hint of fear lacing his voice. I reached him in no time, and the relief that immediately masked his features when he saw me was palpable. “You scared me!" he exclaimed, placing a hand on his forehead and sighing. "Where have you been?"I was surprised to see that he was the only one searching for me, and a whole search party had not been deployed as I had expected. This was the moment I should have shifted back, but apparently, I had nothing to wear. I howled at him, hoping he would understand and get me something to wear.“Do you want to run with Nile?”What? No!“Yes!” Iris objected in my head.“Have you forgotten our justified anger towards them?” I reminded her. “We are angry at Maximus, not Nile, remember?”“They are the same.”“Nile is better.” S
STARLETTE“Luna?” The surprise in my father’s tone, equalling mine.“Yes, Luna.” Maximus affirmed. My father raised a questioning brow. “And why is that? She’s an Omega, remember?”“She’s my mate.” Maximus retorted, and Father displayed a great deal of shock. His expression shifted from shock to disbelief, finally settling on disdain. “How could you, the Alpha King, be mated to a mere worthless Omega like Starlette?" He repeatedly shook his head in disbelief. “They’ve got to be a mistake somewhere.”“There is no mistake. Starlette is perfect!” Maximus’s tone suggested he was starting to get annoyed. “She would ruin you! She’s no good!” My own father tried to diminish me. “I repeat—“ Maximus took an intimidating step forward, his jaw clenching. “She is perfect.”I still haven’t absorbed his sudden announcement of wanting to make me his Luna, but the way he stood up for me, spoke about me in front of my father, melted all the rage I harboured towards him. My heart warmed, elated tha
STARLETTEThe following morning, I woke up to see Maximus seated on the black leather couch in the room, his gaze fixed on me. “Good morning, Starlette.” He greeted, immediately standing up and walking towards me. “How did you sleep?”“Fine.” I rubbed the back of my hand against my eyes to clear the remaining sleep in them. “How long have you been watching me?”“Since I finished preparing breakfast.” He reached for the tray of food on the nightstand and placed it on the bed. The plates were all covered, so I couldn’t tell what was in them yet. “Ohhh….”“I prepared everything by myself.” He boasted, grinning from ear to ear. “That’s nice.” I said, pretending to be unimpressed as I sat up and dragged myself to the edge of the bed. “I need to pee.” I told him as I got to my feet. After taking a few steps, I suddenly felt nauseous and halted. “What is wrong?” Maximus was beside me in a second. “I feel nauseated." I told him, and what followed was a gut-wrenching retch.I ran, and I
STARLETTE“That bitch.” Bella hissed, her nose wrinkling with disgust. “I always knew She had something up her sleeves. But I didn’t think she’d be desperate and audacious enough to pin a pregnancy on the Alpha.”My eyes narrowed at Bella’s statement, and she rolled her eyes at me. “Don’t look at me like that. I know you are also having the same thoughts. She’s been with the Alpha for years and couldn’t conceive. It was even prophesied that you were the only one who could bear his child. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, she’s pregnant? It didn’t make sense to me at first, but now it does. The pup isn’t his.”“Don’t jump to conclusions yet.” I cautioned, clearing my throat. “We don’t have any evidence. Yet.”“If you say so.”“Let’s get back to what we came here for,” I said, steering the conversation back to the task at hand. That was my top priority at the moment.“Okay.” She shrugged, and as she spun around, my eyes caught the book she was holding. It looked very familiar. “Bella.”
STARLETTE“Pre—pre—pregnant?” My lips trembled with panic as I stared at Bella. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. “You’re pregnant!” She repeated as she pulled away from me, her face glowing with happiness. “Alpha would be so pleased to hear this!”“No.” I said quickly, shaking my head. My throat felt dry, and I swallowed to moisturize. I couldn’t fully grasp my emotions at that moment. I wasn’t happy, but I wasn’t sad either. I was just... there, not knowing how to feel. The smile on her face faded when she noticed my blank expression. “What happened?” She asked. “This is good news. You should be happy.“I should. But the feelings that stirred within me were deeper than I could explain. I wasn’t only feeling like this because I was carrying Maximus’s child. But also because… I was having a baby!“Please, don’t tell anyone yet. When I’m ready, I’ll tell him myself.” I pleaded, holding her hand. “I beg you.” She sighed, then nodded. “I don’t know your reason, but I’ll do wh
STARLETTEI quietly slipped out of the bedroom before Maximus could wake up and met up with Bella in front of the pack house, where she was already waiting for me. The land of the witches was far, and we couldn’t cover the distance even on our fours without burning out in exhaustion, so we opted to run our journey with a stolen car, Maximus’s. We got into his black Mustang and fastened our seatbelts like we owned it. I had managed to steal the key from him while he was sleeping, and thankfully, driving was one of the few useful skills my father had taught me, although it was mostly so I could run errands for him and my sisters. “So, what’s the plan?” Bella asked as I started the engine. “Do we even know where we are going?”I reached into my backpack, pulled out a piece of paper I had taken from Maximus’s office, and handed it to her.“A map that leads to our destination.” I told her. She unfolded it and studied it before glancing back at me. “This is absurd.” She hissed, her disa
STARLETTEBella let out a heavy sigh of relief, and I exhaled sharply, though still in shock. Never in my wildest dream did I imagine that the witch I came seeking for was the daughter of the elder. Emelia turned her gaze to me, a wide smile spreading across her lips as she pulled me into her arms. “It’s been so long. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”I pushed the shock in me to a hideous depth and replaced it with a cheerful demeanor. “It’s good to see you again.”“Come with me,” she said, helping Bella up and wrapping her arms around our shoulders as she led us out of the gloomy room.“Be careful, Amelia. These wolves are not to be trusted.” Her father called after her. “Don’t worry, Dad. I trust this one.” She assured him before we exited the room. We walked through the dark corridor in total silence, none of us addressing what just happened. My head was filled with billions of questions, my mind hoping she would agree to what we came here to ask.Stopping in front of a gi
MAXIMUS I stretched my hand forward, reaching for my mate, but the bed beside me was empty. My eyes snapped open, scanning the room. But she wasn’t there. It was unusual for her to wake up before me and leave without a word. Maybe she went out for a walk, I thought. Yesterday, she seemed distant, lost in thoughts. I wished she would let me help her, allow me to be a shoulder she could lean on. But she still didn’t trust me, and that hurt. She wasn’t to be blamed, though. It was all my fault. And making amends was all I had been trying to do. To fix what I had broken. She hadn’t been treated well in her former pack—something I only realised when her father visited. I should have suspected it earlier when he sold her to me without a second thought. What kind of father does that? The way he belittled her in front of me... it took everything in me not to tear him apart.She deserved better. My goal was to make her feel more loved and cared for than ever before.Someone tried to mind-li
VIOLETNo doubt, I was attracted to Axel, but he was forbidden to me. I kept repeating that mantra in my head the entire way to the South. Sitting beside him in such close proximity made it really difficult for me to control my desire. It took everything in me not to throw myself at him. I asked him to park the car before we got to the pack’s border because I didn’t want my father knowing that Axel was the one who drove me here. “I’ll be right back,” I told him as I opened the door and jumped out of the car. “And I’ll be right here,” he replied with a grin. I walked towards the pack border, and the guards at the gate were surprised to see me. “We weren’t expecting you, Princess,” one of them said. “It’s an impromptu visit. I’ll be leaving soon. I believe the king is around, yes?” I asked. He nodded. “Yes, and welcome.” I made my way to the pack house afterward, going straight to my mother’s bedroom since she was the reason I was there. But she wasn’t there. Just as I
VIOLET Ring ring ring. The sound of my phone ringing woke me up from my deep sleep. I groggily reached for it from the nightstand, and without even glancing at the caller ID, I picked it up and placed the phone to my ear. “Hello…” my voice dragged into the phone. “Violet, dear, did I wake you up from sleep?” A familiar voice sounded from the other end of the line. “Mom?” I called. “I will call you back when—“ “No, it’s okay,” I said, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand and sitting up. “I’m up already.” “Happy birthday, darling!” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “Wishing you a long life and prosperity.” A smile curled on my lips as realization dawned on me. It was my birthday. “Thank you, Mom,” I replied with a smile on my face. “Are you sure you don’t want us to throw a party for you? If you change your mind—“ “Mom—“ I interjected. “You know how I am with parties. I hate them.” My parents had proposed throwing a birthday party for me here at school, and I ha
VIOLETThree hours of detention seemed like an eternity. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly hate this school more, I found myself trapped in yet another unbearable situation. I needed to get out of here, but that was just wishful thinking. My father wouldn’t let me leave until he accomplished whatever mysterious goal had led him to send me here in the first place.After we left the principal’s office, I quickly pulled out my phone and sent Zara a text, letting her know I wouldn’t be able to make it to practice. With a sigh, I shoved my phone back into my pocket and made my way to the library, where the other three were already seated around a single table.Axel sat directly across from me, making it nearly impossible not to look at him. The atmosphere was thick with tension, and for a long while, no one spoke until Emily broke the silence.“Axel,” she called, staring at him. “I’m sorry about the… inconvenience.”Axel didn’t even bother to lift his head, let alone respond to her,
. VIOLETAxel’s eyes blazed with fury as he lunged toward the boy and pushed him hard on the chest until he stumbled backward.“You are so dead!” the boy yelled, aiming to push Axel in return, but he dodged. Swinging around, Axel hooked his leg around the boy’s and knocked him to the floor.Just when Axel was about to jump on him, the boy sprang up and charged at Axel, wrapping his arm around his waist and pushing him down with him. But Axel was quick to react, rolling over until he was on top.“Wow!” A loud clap suddenly echoed, and I turned to see the trainer slowly walking into the middle of the circle that had already been formed by students. “That was a great demonstration of what you were taught. Excellent!”The crowd erupted in cheers, but it was obvious that Axel and whoever the boy was weren’t having it as they continued glaring at each other.“Enough!” the professor growled, gesturing for silence. The noise quickly died down, and he continued, “But that behavior isn’t allow
AXEL“Axel?” Aunt Amelia crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side.“Uhm…” I scratched the back of my head, thinking of what to say. “I— Uhm— was just serving justice.”“Elaborate,” Uncle Lucius chimed in.“Why are you guys here?” I quickly changed the subject.“Hmm-hmm.” Aunt Amelia shook her head. “You can’t do that here. Don’t change the subject.” She turned her attention to Mason. “Mason? I believe you’re a good boy, and you’ll talk.”Mason and I made eye contact, and we burst out laughing, knowing that Mason was way more stubborn than I was.“The thing is—Uhmm—” I scratched the bridge of my nose, deciding to tell them what happened. “Those boys did something terrible. They terribly assaulted one of my classmates, and because Emily was involved—”“Emily?” She cut me off, raising a brow. “The Eastern Princess?”“Yes.” I nodded before continuing. “Because she was involved, they were only suspended when they should have been expelled.”“Who’s this girl that was
AXELMason met me at the school gate, and after catching up on everything that had been happening in our lives and discussing my plans for those boys, we proceeded toward the school gate. Of course, the guards there stopped us from leaving."I was also suspended for one week and asked to go back home. And I’d like to leave with my friend here," I told them, hooking my arm around Mason’s shoulders."We were informed," one of them said, unmoving. "There are only three students who were asked to leave today with their parents. And you aren’t one of them.""There is something I must do. Can you just let us pass? We will be back before you know it," I pressed."Control their minds already. Why are you wasting time when there’s an easy way out?" Mason mind-linked me, his voice impatient."I like playing games, you know," I replied. But I had to do what I needed to do now before the boys’ parents started taking them out of the school. They were around already.Straightening my shoulders, I c
AXELWhen I arrived at the library, I spotted Emily browsing the tall shelves, her fingers trailing across the spines of the books.“Emily!” I called out, my voice booming as I strode toward her.“Oh, Axel,” she said, turning to face me with a wide, almost mischievous smile.“What did you do in Violet’s dorm room?” I growled, keeping my voice low but firm.“Oops,” she gasped dramatically, her hand flying to her chest as if she were truly shocked. “I got caught?”“Don’t play games with me, Emily. What did you do there?” I demanded, my patience wearing thin.“Axel.” Her expression suddenly turned serious. “What is it about her? She’s not prettier than me. Why do you seem to be so interested in her?”I raised my brow. “And who told you I was interested in her?”Confusion crossed her face. “I thought you were—”“What if I was?” I cut her off quickly.“I am just jealous,” she admitted. “When we were together, you never defined our relationship. It never even went public. You just kept me h
AXEL“What was she doing there?” I asked Daisy as I began descending the stairs to leave the arena.“I don’t know. I walked in, and her scent was everywhere,” she replied.“Alright. Do something to mask the scent before Violet gets back. I don’t want her panicking. I’ll deal with Emily myself,” I told Daisy before cutting off the mind-link.“Axel!” Indie called from behind, hurrying after me. “What happened? Where are you rushing off to?”I had almost forgotten I didn’t come here alone. Turning back, I stepped closer to her, planting an apologetic kiss on her cheek. “I’m sorry, Indie, but I have to go. Something’s come up.”“What’s going on?” she asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.“Bye,” I promptly said, intentionally ignoring her question, before turning around and whisking out of the arena.It seemed Emily wasn’t satisfied with getting away unscathed after what she did to Violet. Unlike the boys she hired, who I had ensured endured excruciating pain, Emily had walked away witho
AXELRage burned through me after Violet told me those things. Just when I thought I was getting somewhere with her, she tossed all my efforts away and demanded I stay away from her. That’s exactly what I would do. I’d ignore her until her eighteenth birthday, when she sees her wolf and the mate bond fully develops. Then, the tables would turn, and she’d beg to be with me. I wouldn’t take it easy on her.Staying away from lacrosse was like depriving my lungs of air. And now, thanks to Violet, I was stuck with another one-week suspension. I didn’t regret protecting her. I would do it over and over again, but that didn’t make her any less infuriating.Since I couldn’t play, I decided to at least watch practice. I hoped watching would ease the maddening itch to get back on the field. Indie accompanied me to the arena, and the moment we got there, my gaze met Violet’s, but I quickly looked away.“Okay, spill it,” Indie said as she plopped down on one of the stadium seats. “What’s going on