ALANAHand in hand, we went back to the main field where the queen luna, Sophia, Georgia, and the rest of the attendants and soldiers were waiting for us.“Alana, are you okay now?” The queen luna walked up to me and touched my face inspecting something on it. “You are still pale, Alana.”“I’m okay now, queen luna. Thank you so much for asking. I really appreciate it.”She stared at me again before sighing and walking back into her position to address all of us.“What happened to Alana is unfortunate but now that she’s back, we will announce the winner of the test.”She took a bouquet of flowers and handed it down to Sophia. “Sophia won the test successfully shifting into her wolf in a matter of seconds and coming in first place during the challenge.”Sophia excitedly received the flowers and smiled so happily. “Thank you, queen luna. That only means that I am more than capable of giving offspring to the alpha prince. Thank you for appreciating that, queen luna.”Even though I know I
ALANAAs if on cue, Lucas appeared on the door ready to get me.“Alpha prince, I will be the one to escort Alana into her new room.”William sighed before shaking his head, surprising me. I thought he already consented to me leaving for another room. I looked at Lucas and then back to him. Did the beta’s presence change William’s mind?Is there a possibility that he knows that Lucas claims to be my mate too? I shuddered at the thought especially when I sensed that the two men seemed to be having a cold war themselves.No, it can’t be.William took my hand and put it in the big pocket of his jeans. “No, I changed my mind. My mate will stay in my room where she belongs.”“William…” I muttered and looked at his determined face.Francine stepped back with her hands in the air as if surrendering to let the two men settle this.If I let William have his way, then I am afraid that the rift between him and the alpha king would become wider. That’s what I am most wary of because I know just ho
WILLIAM“Alpha king, please I am begging you to retract your order. Please let Alana return to me. Please, let my mate come back to my side!”After the call, I rushed into the dormitory but my mother was there chastising me to go to my father before I would be let in the building.I knelt before my father hoping that he would listen to me but that did not happen. He just continued staring at me with his hands clasped together in his desk.“And why would I do that? If I give in to you, then I am just setting you up in a lifetime of alphas who would rise against you and would try to break you in. They do not like the fact that you are with your mate while the tests are ongoing. Whatever the results may be, they will not accept it.”I clenched my hands upon hearing his answer. “Isn’t that a normal thing, father? No leadership is perfect. Every now and then, an alpha would stand against you and that same thing would happen to me too when I become your replacement and that it’s normal. I a
ALANAWe are back in the forest for the continuation of the competition. The two girls are their attendants but I only have Lucas with me who acted like he is my mate throughout our trip back in the woods.“We are on the third of the five tests that we have prepared for the three contestants vying to be the alpha prince’s wife. For this test, we will look into the lineage marking. We are on the ancestry hunt. We will look into their family origin to know if their bloodline clashes with that of the alpha prince’s.”I scratched the back of my hand with every word that came out of the mouth of the announcer beside the queen luna. The note Francine gave me from William says it all.He said the queen luna plans on looking into the family structure of each representative.I swallowed the lump in my throat and shook off the cold feeling that seeped through me.Bloodline hunting. Lineage marking.How can I tell them that I am the granddaughter of the former alpha king that the current alpha k
ALANAI paused when I felt something big stalking behind me. Flesh trembling, I slowly turned around to see the biggest gray wolf that I had ever seen in my whole life with its uncanny red eyes staring down at me.I gasped, my knees began to shake as its powerful paws started taking a step towards me. I tightened my grip on the deer on my shoulders when it smelled it.I won’t ever let it take the deer. It’s my sacrifice towards the moon goddess. William gave it to me and I would never back down without a fight at anyone that would snatch it away from me.“Back down,” I said with my voice shaking. “I said back down!”The gray wolf with its saliva dripping from its sides of the mouth just continued walking towards me until I was cornered with a tree behind me.“I said back down!” I growled as I felt the urge to let out Malaika. “Back down!” I growled again and again, my fur spurting out from my skin.The fear I once felt with this animal is now gone and I was overwhelmed with the feelin
ALANAWe arrived at the white shrine of the moon goddess in the middle of the forest where two sacrifices in the form of a cow and a goat were already there on the foot of the moon goddess’ statue. Georgia and Sophia were already done and given that their animals were half-devoured, it was a no-brainer that their ancestry is spotless and they are very much capable of being William’s wife harmoniously.“Alana, please present your sacrifice to the moon goddess,” the high priestess of the moon goddess ordered me when I just stood there unmoving, my mouth wide open looking up at the statue in awe.So, this is what she looked like in her version.“S-She looked so immaculate. She looked so beautiful,” I whispered in the air while in a trance. “This is my god. This is my goddess. This is our goddess.”And she is a fair one.“Anyone who tampers with the result will be punished by the moon goddess so make sure there is no intervention that happens,” the high priestess warned me before leading
FRANCINE“William!”I was able to catch him into my arms before he completely collapsed on the floor.Unconscious, I slowly put him on the floor and began treating his wound. His hands have been tight and cannot do anything because of his parents pressuring him to stay away from his mate during the test.He can’t see or even touch his own which for every werewolf with a mate is a torture. They said they’d rather die than go through the agonizing pain of being separated.As for their case, William is more attached to the bond with Alana because werewolves coming from the clan of the current alpha king are known to be monogamous.“Alana…” William murmured in his sleep after I finished putting up a bandage on his wrist.He is hurt. He is too hurt now that even breathing right now feels like your whole chest is being burned.I carried William out from the shrine while the attendants were starting to clean the blood in the area.When I reached his room, I gently laid him down on the bed an
ALANA“Alana, it’s time. I have to take you back to the dormitory,” Lucas said from my back while I am still holding William’s hands.He is still not waking up but the color on his face is back. I peered into the bandage in his wrists and found a big deep wound there that is still bleeding.“William needs to do that for the prayers to be more effective.” That is what Francine told me as her answer. “Do not feel any guilt, Alana. He is just doing what I know you will do in a heartbeat for him.”Yes, she is right. I would do the same thing for him but still, I can’t help but feel guilty knowing that he was hurt again because of me.“Alana…” Lucas put a hand on my shoulder to which I yanked off as quickly as possible.“Don’t touch me!” I glared at him. “You disgust me, Lucas.”He clenched his hands to control his temper from exploding.“I did not do anything to you. In fact, you are the one that is making it hard for everybody, especially William. Alana, the mark on your body indicating
ALANAI am tightly clutching the hem of my white wedding dress in front of the mirror staring at my own reflection.A woman of substance full of happiness and fulfillment stared right back.Lifting a finger, I caressed the reflection and smiled at myself. “You have come a really long way, Alana. Tonight, your dream will happen. William is really going to make true of his promise.Before his proposal, we had traveled the world together seeing things and places that he wanted to let me witness. Every word that he told me he would, he did for me.“Mother, father, I just wish you were here with me to see how happy I am,” I wished and hugged myself. “I wish you were here with me to walk me down the aisle to be married into the most wonderful man in the state.”As if on cue, a gust of wind blew and hugged me right then and there.I closed my eyes and savored the sensation. The wind whispered love and sadness but the love overrode the other.“We are so proud of you, our daughter,” said the co
WILLIAMThe moon is high above the clouds in the night sky bursting into the clearest lights as if it’s also getting married to the sun illuminating the palace down where a great wedding is happening.I kept on wiping off the sweat on my brow and clearing my mouth because it’s as dry as the desert.I was full of nerves and I can’t think straight anymore. I kept on asking the staff if Alana is still in her room just to make sure that she will be really marrying me. I’ve been here in the venue which is the beautiful garden in front of the great statue of the moon goddess three hours earlier just to make sure.“William, what the hell are you doing here this early?” My mother asked in confusion, still in her robe.She just got down here to oversee the whole preparation, to make sure everything is perfect.“The ceremony will start three hours from now. Please go back to your room now, William.”But I firmly shook my head at her. Being in my room only made me more nervous that is why I came
WILLIAMMy nerves are killing me but I am more determined than ever to pop her the question. Wiping the glistening off my brows, I looked at the mirror practicing what I am going to say.This is the most nerve-wracking moment of my lifetime. Not even those battles and wars I have been to could be compared.“Alpha prince, Ms. Alana is already awake. And the cake is ready too.”Swallowing the lump in my throat, I glanced at myself in the mirror before heading out to the kitchen to take the cake that I baked last night and asked the soldiers to guard all night so no one would be able to compromise its safety.“Okay, William. You can do it. You can do it! No!”I tripped on the cable and stone on the ground and before I knew it, the cake flew to the air and ended up on the ground.Smashed. The dirt eating up the white filling and the words on top of them being buried into non-existence.“No!” I growled, my eyes wide in bitterness and sadness.The cake suffered the same fate as the balloons
ALANAWarm arms enveloped me from the back as his scent embraced me.“What are you thinking? Hmm?” William asked, nuzzling his nose against my bare shoulder.I was on the balcony, enjoying the fresh breeze on a full moon night, my mind wandering towards Francine.After William came back to life, the alpha king and the queen luna threw a feast which was still ongoing in the entire palace while William chose to pull me into his room to have his own sweet wicked ways on me.Not that I am complaining though. This is what I want. To be with him and to savor each second of our lives together.I intertwined our fingers on my stomach and tilted my head to my side, leaning into his chest on my back to give his mouth a better access to my neck.Love making is not painful anymore and the remnant of the monster inside me is almost gone, especially when I am in William’s arms. Controlling anger seems to be easier now. The feeling of seeing red in my eyes is also gone now.Everything seemed to be f
ALANA“Alana…” he called my name with his raspy low voice as if trying to figure out if I am real or not.I just stood there, in so much awe at the truth that he is finally back to me. William is alive! William has come back to life. He is back to me! William has come back from the dead for me.With trembling hands, I placed a hand on his cheek relishing the warmth in it. I am trying to convince myself to believe that this heat is going to be there for years while trying to forget that for once, I held his cold body in my arms.“You are back to me, William,” I said in a trance, my mouth breaking up into a smile of relief. “William, you have really come back for me!”In a split of a second, I pulled him ever gently in my arms, careful with his limbs, scared that once I blink, I would just wake up from this dream. “Alana?” he called for my name but I did not respond.Burying my face on his neck, I inhaled his scent. It’s warm and intoxicating just like all the moments that we have been
ALANAI gazed at Francine and felt shiver run down my spine. Why does she look so happy as if she’s been anticipating death all her life? Sure, there is pain but the happiness in her face is remarkable.“Come on, Alana,” she urged me again and put my hand on top of William’s. “Child, you are going to do me so much favor if you are just going to listen to me and do what I will be telling you. Call for William’s name over and over again. He already heard you. You already took his attention and now it’s time for him to go back to you. Do it, Alana. Please, this old maid is begging you.”My mouth downturned because of emotions pouring in as I clenched William’s hand.“But if I am going to do that, then I am going to lose you, Francine,” I said as my voice crackled.She just laughed it off and wiped the tears on my face. “But you are going to gain back, William. He is going to be alive again, Alana. He is going to fulfill his promise to you. You are going to get married and have lost of ki
ALANAI clenched my hands around William’s when I realized what was happening.My tears fell but I did not open my eyes and continued calling for William’s name.“My love… William, it’s me, Alana. Please, come back to me, my love. Please, fulfill your promise to me.”The stench of more fresh blood coming from Francine assaulted my senses but I continued shutting my eyes even when all I wanted to do is to stop it all.“Alana, do not stop calling for his name. William needs you now. Please, I can almost sense him. I can see him now. Please, call for his name again.”I let out a sigh and called his name over and over again. The hand for which I am holding ever so tightly started to have life again.My heart leaped, rejoicing because maybe, he is finally going to be alive again but all of that happiness went away when I heard the grunt of pain in Francine’s voice.It took all of strength in me and mental fortitude to let go of William’s hand and opened my eyes at her.Truly enough, I coul
ALANA“But your William is different. Way way different from all of them, Alana. He is the single person I met who can easily surrender his precious life for someone he loves. Back when he was a child, I doubted if he could ever do something for you because he tended to be selfish but I was wrong. He magically changed for the better when he began yearning for his mate.”She slowly rose up from the floor and offered me her hand with a bright smile on her face. “Alana, that’s the precise reason why I was here in this world. That is my purpose for living. I could live on and on for hundreds of years looking for someone like you and William and now is the perfect time. Child, you both did not disappoint me.”I accepted her hand while staring at her face, disenchanted by the happiness in her voice.She slowly led me to William and held the white cloth to remove it.“Francine!” I stopped her from doing what she intended to do. “What are you doing?”But she just smiled at me and assured me w
ALANA“Ahh!” I let out a growl as my tears and pain drowned me again.“Tell me, Francine,” my voice croaked as I tightly held her hand. “Am I really worth it? Does someone like me, an abandoned person who was hated by everyone I know, deserve someone like the alpha prince who’s loved by everyone? I should have been the one who died! It should be my body lying cold there because my existence in this world is abominable! It should have been me! Why does he have to save me when I am the monster that should have not been born in the first place!”Gentle hands wrapped around my face, wiping my tears slowly. “Alana, you are not a monster. You are asking me if you are worthy enough to be saved by the alpha prince, then it’s a yes, Alana. William did not hesitate to save you because he loved you. Sacrifice is the most noble thing a man can do to his woman.”She smiled at me and cupped my face again. “It’s a life worth living for him because he has met and loved you and you loved him back. He