MAXIMUS.
I lost complete control. My wolf surfaced, and all I knew was that I had to protect her at all costs. It was certain that I was being punished for all my past sins, because how could an Omega be my mate? Firstly, the soothsayer prophesied that she—Starlette—was the only one who could give me an heir. Secondly, she turned out to be my mate. Double punishments. I would have sent her back if she wasn’t the only one capable of bearing pups for me. After all, a king needs an heir. Let’s just hope the damned Omega’s gene doesn’t dominate my Alpha genes. “Mate?!” Lauren exclaimed, her eyes flickering with a combination of surprise, contempt, and jealousy. Now I have a lot of explaining to do to my woman. Lauren and I had been lovers since we were teens. She was a beta and would make a perfect Luna. I could never leave her for an Omega. “Let’s take this somewhere else.” I exhaled sharply. I didn't want to have that conversation in front of the pack members. “No, I–” She began, but I cut her off. “Lauren!” I cautioned firmly. She might be my girlfriend, but I was still her Alpha. I wouldn't have her disrespect me before my subjects. Knowing better not to disobey me, she breathed out. “Fine.” I began to trudge out of the dining room, leading the way, and she followed suit. I took her to my room, and the moment we slipped in, she began to rant. "Maximus, what’s happening? First she was brought here to be a breeder; now she is your mate. Who knows if the next thing she’ll be is your Luna? And you’ll leave me all alone.” Tears began to stream down her cheeks, crushing her pretty face. “Lauren.” I called softly, wiping the tears from her face with the back of my hand. “I would never leave you. You are the love of my life. Once she gives me my pups, I will reject her.” “Why couldn’t you just trust me to bear pups for you? Why did you have to bring in a breeder? And now she’s your mate.” She sobbed. “You know how much we’ve tried for pups. I would have been honoured to have you carry my pups. But it’s just not working.” I reminded her of our struggles. Lauren and I had been really trying for pups for the past few years, but to no avail. I even brought in the most beautiful women and slept with them for the same course, but nothing. Until the prophecy. “We could have just tried harder.” She persisted, her voice filled with pain. “We should have.” “Lauren. I promise you, I will do whatever you want me to do to prove to you that I will never leave you for her. Anything.” I assured. I hated to see her hurt. It crushed my heart. She was my woman, and I was willing to do anything to please her. Anything at all. “Is that so?” She raised a brow, looking at me through her teary eyes. “It didn't seem like that back there. You humiliated me in front of the pack members. Because of her." “I would never humiliate you. I wasn't in control; my wolf took—" “Exactly!” She cut me off. “That’s how it’ll start. And then the excuses would keep piling up, until she actually became your Luna.” “You are my Luna!” I sharply declared. “Then reject her.” She retorted firmly, her eyes staring intently into mine. “I already said I would when she gives me my pups.” A disapproving scowl flashed on my face as I reminded her. “A rejection won't block her womb. Would it?” She asked, folding her arms over her chest. “Reject her. Now.” She demanded. I didn’t know why or how, but an uncontrollable rage started building up with me at her statement, and for a second, my wolf threatened to surface. “No!” I growled, the words vibrating through my chest. *** STARLETTE. I was beyond shocked when the Alpha King stopped Lauren from striking my face. What was more shocking was that he declared me his mate in front of his pack members. So much for someone who threatened me not to tell anyone about it. Could it be that he had had a change of mind? “I told you, he might not be as bad as we thought him to be.” Iris howled happily in my head. “We can’t make conclusions yet, Iris.” I told her. I didn’t want to get my hopes high. It wasn't that easy for werewolves to suddenly change their minds. Especially not the Alpha King. I wondered what he was talking about with Lauren, though. They had been gone for a few minutes now. Looking around, I realised everyone’s gazes were on me. They seemed quiet, but I knew they were all mind-linking, gossiping, and probably loathing at how I, a weak Omega, could be mated to the Alpha King. I felt so uncomfortable under their intense gazes, and I needed to leave there immediately. So, leaping to my feet, I trotted out of the dining room. Bella quickly followed me. “You are a pack member, and I know they were mind-linking. What were they talking about?” I curiously asked, not sure if I wanted to know. “I tried to join, but they shot me out. Perhaps they feared I would tell you all that they said if I had joined.” She told me as we walked through the hallway, making our way to my room. No, Alpha Maximus room. Our room. That sounded weird. “So, would you have told me if they had let you in?” I asked curiously. “Depends on what they said.” She replied honestly. I nodded. “I understand.” “Aren’t you the luckiest?!” She beamed, nudging me playfully. “You’re mated to the Alpha King.” “Oh, please.” I rolled my eyes. If only she knew how much pain the said Alpha King had caused me within the last few hours. How he threatened to reject me. I was excited when I realised he was my mate at first. But now, I think of it as a curse rather than being lucky. “I wish I would also be mated to an Alpha who would come to claim me.” She placed both hands on the left side of her chest as she closed her eyes, daydreaming. “I hope he’ll love and cherish you.” I chuckled softly as I stared at her. She was adorable. “Of–course.” She finally opened her eyes, blowing out a sharp breath. “But—“ She turned to look at me with concern in her eyes. “Lauren is a bitch. And she’ll try to make life a living hell for you for taking her man.” That was something that had already started playing out. Even before she realised that we were mates. And Alpha Maximus didn’t seem like he would leave her for me. He even threatened to reject me. But I wasn’t going to tell Bella about all that. So, nodding, I replied. “I’ll try to be careful around her.” I didn’t need her feeling pity for me. We came to a stop in front of the Alpha King’s room. Our room. “I’ll take my leave now. See you tomorrow, Starlette.” Bella said with a sweet smile. Wait? What? I couldn't be left alone with Alpha Maximus. "Can’t you, like, stay with me?” I quickly asked, and I realised how dumb my question sounded the second the words slipped off my mouth. “Stay with you? In the same room as Alpha Maximus?” She pointed out, laughing. “No, I can't.” “I know, it’s just that—" I trailed off, deciding not to spill out my feelings. “Thank you, Bella. Goodnight.” “Goodnight.” She smiled sweetly before turning around and walking away from me. Now I was left to deal with the devil, a.k.a., the Alpha King. Inhaling and exhaling sharply, bracing myself for what was to come next, I pulled the door open and slipped inside the room. But the second I stepped in, I froze, a sharp pain piercing my heart as I looked at the devastating sight before me. Alpha Maximus was on the bed with Lauren, making out as they dissolved in intense passion. An excruciating pain erupted through my body, threatening to tear my entire being apart. My wolf howled in pain; she was seemingly even more hurt than I was. Clutching my chest with both hands, I hastily turned around, desperate to leave that place. “Where are you going, ugly bitch?" Lauren taunted, and I could tell that she was smirking, enjoying how pathetic I looked. “Stay and watch.” Never! Ignoring her, I pulled the door open, ready to dash out of the room, when Alpha Maximus growled, causing me to halt. “You heard the lady. Stay and watch.” Oh, no. No please. I told you, Iris, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions yet.STARLETTE.I leaned against the door as I watched them continue to make out. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. I watched them, and I couldn’t help but desperately wish that I was the one my mate was kissing.As he cupped her breast and kneaded it over her shirt, images of it being my breast that was being smooched flashed over my head, and a soft moan escaped my lips.I placed my hand on my boobs and began to subconsciously rub over them.Alpha Maximus turned to look at me, and I quickly yanked my hand off my breast, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. He could smell my arousal. I was sure of it.He promptly looked away and continued doing things with Lauren—things he was supposed to be doing with me.What was wrong with me? I mentally scolded myself. I was supposed to be disgusted, but here I was, getting wet. My wolf, on the other hand, was displeased with what was playing out before us and was furiously howling in pain.“Ahh, I love it.” Lauren moaned. She looked at me over
“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” Bella’s voice beamed, jolting me awake. I slowly opened my eyes to see her opening the blinds, and I quickly shut my eyes as the rays of sunshine hit them. Turning to the other side, I opened my eyes again. I looked around the room, hoping to see Maximus, but he wasn’t in sight, and that left me wondering where he went. I didn’t even think he returned yesterday night. I was awake for a long time, waiting for him to return and thinking about the things he did to me before sleep swept me away. I wondered why he touched me, arousing me, and then suddenly stormed out of the room afterwards. Did I do something wrong? Or could it be part of his torture scheme?Bella abruptly yanked the blanket off my body. “Wake up, Miss. It’s time for breakfast.”“I’m awake.” I sighed as I lazily sat up. “Have you seen him this morning?” I asked Bella. I didn’t need to mention his name for her to know who I was talking about. “No, I haven’t.” She replied before turning
STARLETTE“Never in your miserable life should you ever lay hands on my girl again.” He warned. My already broken heart shattered even further into irredeemable pieces. “That’s if you don’t want to get your filthy hands cut off. They have no use anyway.”I stiffened without uttering a word, because it was of no use. No matter how much I tried to defend myself, he’d never believe me over her, and that reality hurt more than it should. Tears threatened to spill out of my eyes, but before they could come rushing out, I sprinted out of the kitchen. I wasn’t going to entertain them with my misery. I ran to my bedroom, which I hated to go to because it was also his, but it was the only place I could find privacy.Once alone in the room, I couldn’t control the tears that came rushing out. Every second, every minute, and every hour that I had spent in this pack had been nothing but torture. My heart was hurting so badly that I thought I was having a heart attack. One minute he was buying me
STARLETTE Wondering who it was, I turned around to see a wolf with a striking resemblance to Maximus. Perhaps his brother? But I had never heard of the Alpha King’s brother. “Who—who are you?” I stuttered, too stunned to even speak coherently. “I am Lucius. Maximus’s brother, obviously.” He grinned with a glint in his eyes, confirming my guess. “Older brother.” He added. “Older brother?” I asked, my eyes narrowing in confusion. How come I had never heard of him before now? And how could Maximus be the Alpha King when he was the older brother? The older son’s were usually the heirs to the throne. “Yes.” He nodded, a mischievous smile lingering on his face. My mouth formed an ‘O’ as I stared at him. My mind raced with so many questions—questions I chose to keep to myself. “So...” he folded his arms across his chest, his gaze sweeping from my head to my toe. “You are the breeder and the said mate.” Before I could reply, he continued, an amused smile playing on his lip
STARLETTE"I won't lie." Lucius groaned as he jumped back to his feet. "That kind of hurt."In a split second, Maximus was next to him, slicing through his chest with his claws and yanking him aggressively against the tree. Lucius grunted in pain but quickly replaced his expression with an amused smile. The cut on his chest healed immediately, surprising me. Those without wolves had a very slow healing ability, and I wondered how he healed so fast. "I don't want to ever see you near her again." Maximus warned, his jaw clenching with anger. A smirk played on Lucius’s lips. "Why? Are you perhaps worried that I would fuck her like you fucked my girlfriend?”"No, little brother." He continued. "I am not a monster."He jumped to his feet, dusting dry leaves off his body. "Why do you care anyway? You don't treat her right.""I am worried that you might have helped orchestrate her escape." Maximus growled in response. Lucius chuckled. "That wouldn’t have been bad. I would think about tha
STARLETTEI slowly opened my eyes and turned to look at the other side of the bed, hoping to see Maximus there, but he wasn’t. After our altercation last night, he stormed out of the room, and I had stayed up late, waiting for his return, but he never did. I wondered where he went to. Perhaps he was with Lauren. The thought of that caused anger to rise up in my chest, and I quickly shook my head to get it off. He wasn’t worth my emotions—so I made myself believe.Not long after I woke up, Bella came in, her usual bright smile shining on her face.“Good morning.” She beamed as she approached me.I mirrowed her smile. “Good morning, Bella.”Her smile faded when she sat beside me on the bed.“What?” I asked when I noticed her change in contortion. “I am sorry for telling the Alpha that you were with Lucius when he asked about you.” She said remorsefully.I didn’t even know that she told Maximus that. But I wasn’t mad about it. Not at all. I knew she had no choice but to be truthful when
STARLETTEI quietly walked out of my hiding place like a thief sneaking out of a rat hole. I stood there and stared at them blankly, not knowing what to say. “What are you doing here?” Came the Alpha’s question. “Just…” I darted my gaze at the shelf behind us before looking back at him. “I was bored, so I decided to get a book to read.”Without saying a word in response, he walked past me and headed towards one of the book shelves. “Hey, Starlette.” Kade said, and I snapped my attention at him. “Hi.” I breathed awkwardly. “Uhm,” he said, swiping his palm across the back of his neck. “Don’t mind what he said. I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”He didn’t need to try to soothe me with his words. I was used to getting hurt by the Alpha’s words anyway. “Sure.” I nodded, smiling awkwardly. I took another glance at Maximus, whose attention was now fixated on a particular book. Blowing out a sharp breath, I trotted out of the library. My mind was a mess, and I wasn’t looking at where I was
STARLETTEThe following morning, Tom and I met for training again, and I channelled all the rage burning within me into the training. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him. I kept chanting in my mind with each attack I blocked. “You have gotten better and fierce.” Tom commented, amazement evident in his voice. “All thanks to him.” I blurted before I could even stop myself. “Who? The Alpha?” He guessed. “Can you believe he hasn’t been sleeping in our room? Not that I care, but—“ I trailed off immediately when I realised I was divulging too much information.“Never mind.” I continued, exhaling sharply. “It’s okay.” Tom managed to hit my waist, and I groaned in pain. “It’s a safe space. You can talk to me.”I didn’t know who Tom really was or if I could trust him. But I needed listening ears before I went out of my fucking mind. I needed to rant! So, without giving it much thought, I went ahead. “Not that I care, but why would an Alpha abandon his own room to sleep in a woman’s room?
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
VIOLETThe injustice I faced wouldn’t stop gnawing at me. I hated it so much that the mere sight of Emily made me have super dark thoughts. Right now, we were in the training room, waiting for the next class to begin—combat. All I could think about was storming toward her and plucking her eyes out.“Hello, students,” the combat professor, Professor Ronald, called out as he strode through the massive doors of the training room.“Good morning, Professor Ronald,” the students echoed.“Apologies for being a bit late. I had an emergency to attend to,” he said, coming to a stop in the center of the circle we’d already formed. “Today’s lesson is on defense strategies. You have two minutes to pick a partner.”The students scrambled around, picking each other as partners. I scanned the room, instinctively searching for Axel. When I found him, my heart skipped a beat. He stood on the far side of the circle, a girl clinging to him as if her life depended on it.“Looks like it’s just us two witho
VIOLETLater that evening, we were summoned to a meeting in the principal’s office. Axel, Emily, the three boys, and I sat silently in front of Alpha Richard, the principal. The absence of parental involvement in such a serious matter made me suspect that Emily was really going to get away with this. But I kept my cool, hoping I was wrong.“So, explain in detail what happened,” Alpha Richard started, his gaze scanning between all of us.Emily was suddenly mute, as were the boys who had tried to assault me.Alpha Richard’s gaze settled on me. “Violet, you reported this. Go ahead and explain.”Shrugging, I recounted everything that happened without leaving anything out. When I finished, Alpha Richard sighed heavily, rubbing his temple as though the weight of the situation physically burdened him. He then turned to Emily.“Emily, is that true?” he asked her.She vigorously shook her head. “I swear, she is lying. I didn’t ask them to do that. Violet told me she wanted a breath of fresh ai
VIOLETAxel pounced on all three of them and began slashing through their flesh at intervals. Blood splashed all over him, but he didn’t care as he continued to mercilessly cut through them with ease. After a while, they stopped trying to struggle against him and just lay there on the floor, almost unconscious. If he continued this way, he was going to kill them for real. I had to stop him.“Axel!” I called out, but he didn’t respond.I moved closer to him and grabbed his arm, causing him to stop immediately.“Stop, please. You are going to kill them,” I blurted out.“They could’ve done worse if I hadn’t shown up. So it’s only fair if they all die!” he groaned with so much rage.I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. “Please, don’t kill them,” I pleaded.I didn’t want him to turn into a monster because of me. Axel looked like a totally different person. He was covered in blood, and the dark look radiating through his eyes was deadly.“Please,” I added when he hesitated.The muscles
VIOLET“Where are you taking me?” I asked Emily as she led me into the forest.“It’s a surprise,” she giggled. “We’ll get there soon. I usually go there when I want to take some heat off my chest.”I knew following her into the forest like this was not right, but my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see what she was talking about. Maybe whatever she wanted to show me could help ease the turmoil swirling in my chest.We continued walking, walking, and walking until we arrived at a cliff, and that was when she finally stopped.I looked at her, confusion crossing my features. “This is it? This is what helps you relieve stress?”She nodded. “Yep.”“What part of this is stress-relieving?” I asked, confused, as I peeped over to see the beautiful waves of water flowing beneath the cliff. “Okay, maybe this is soothing,” I concluded as I continued staring at the water.“Told you,” she replied weakly.I turned to look at her. “You love swimming too?”She rolled her eyes. “That’s none
VIOLETI felt my hands trembling as I hesitantly answered the call.“What is this I am hearing?” His voice boomed from the other end of the line. “I didn’t send you to that school to mess around with that bastard’s son.”“Dad,” I choked. “It is not what you think.”“Then what is it?” he shouted. “There is only one explanation for the picture I saw. He is the son of my enemy. The man I hate with everything in me. Treat him like one. Nothing can happen between the both of you. Do you understand? Nothing!”Not wanting to argue with him anymore, I responded, “Nothing will happen between us.”“Good. I shouldn’t hear of such anymore. The both of you must not be in the same space at the same time. You must not breathe the same air!” he pressed.“Understood,” I said with a sharp breath.Without uttering another word, he ended the call. Frustration bubbled up within me at the fact that my every move was being watched and reported to my father. I should’ve known from the start that I couldn’t l