ARIA“Alana… why do I feel like I have heard that name before?” I continued asking while still rooted on my position racking my brain about that woman.I slowly turned towards the lady who’s still shouting at her attendants and stared at her.I don’t like her face. It’s not that there’s some physical deformity or what but it’s the vibe that I am smelling from her.The alpha prince’s wife is someone that I could dislike at my first glance. I never knew I could hate someone this much when I saw her.Sophia kicked her servant on the face again. “Alana is dead and Georgia divorced William! Now, I have all the alpha prince all to myself and I will not let anyone, let alone a prostitute take him away from me!”I clenched my hands and stopped the urge to slam a punch right into her face. It felt like this annoyance I am feeling towards her is automatic as if she had done something horrendous to me in the past.“Get out of my face, you idiot! Maybe it would be better if you were dead too, just
ARIAThe treatment is done and the alpha prince has long been deeply sleeping in his bed but I am still on his side gripping his hand that won’t let go of mine too.The way he breathed is like someone that is so at peace with the surroundings that he did not have to always be on guard.“I will know why you are making me feel this way, alpha prince,” I whispered as I stared into his closed eyes and slightly parted lips.“I will know why I don’t have the urge to kill you despite what you did to my village. You did the most horrible thing and yet all I am feeling now is longing.”And what exactly this longing meant to me is what boggled me. I am a lycan while the alpha prince is a werewolf. Our clans are mortal enemies so there is no way that we are acquaintances before.“Are we friends? Are we lovers that have only forgotten each other?” I joked and tried to laugh but my smile soon disappeared when I felt a pang in my heart.But why does it feel like it’s quite true?I shook my head whi
ARIA“Because Zuleik took something from me that I could never move on from. He took the woman that made me the happiest man in this world.”I paced around the room while his words kept on circling in my head. So, that is the reason why he is hunting us down. It’s not because they are afraid of another rebellion uprising but because he is accusing Zuleik of killing his mate.That’s what he meant.“But I thought that he erased his memories with that woman? Does it mean that his heart never forgot her?”I sat on the bed and sighed. I am envious of his mate. To be able to receive a love as lasting as that would have been really nice.“But I should not be feeling this!” I reminded myself indignantly. “I am here to kill him because he massacred my people!”I reached inside my pocket and touched the vial of poison. I only came here for this and nothing but this. I should not be curious about these familiar places and people and feelings.“Right,” I murmured. “I should set my mind on my goal
WILLIAMI grabbed her wrist and pressed the silver cuff further even when it’s hurting me too.“Explain yourself. Just what the fucking thing you mean by that?! How did you know about her?! Tell me her name now!”It’s already too late to take back my words. The second my mouth slipped, the smile on her face widened upon knowing my weakness.“So, you did not remember her name? And even if I tell you her name, you will still forget her. That’s how the spell works. Am I right, alpha prince?”She grinned even wider. “The rumors are true all along that you won’t recognize her even when she’s alive and is standing right in front of you! Oh, how depressing it would be to be like you now, alpha prince!”I raised my hand ready to strangle her up but the sudden presence of a guard I put on Aria interrupted me.“Alpha prince, Lady Sophia learned about the woman you brought. As of now, she is coming to her. The guards are not able to stop her, alpha prince, because she has the badge of the queen
WILLIAMI gently put Aria onto my bed and began treating her myself. I don’t want the doctors of the palace to get acquainted with her. I mean, it’s technically their job but something is telling me that it would be better off if less and less people know her face and that she’s with me.I wiped her face with some cold towel to ease off the warmth in her body. Lycans and werewolves hyperventilate when they do not shift into our animals at a certain time. Aria was on the verge of her shapeshifting when I arrived.“Damn,” I muttered and gritted my teeth when my fingers trembled against her soft skin.I didn’t know I was this sex-deprived these days that I could shake like this in front of a sleeping woman.I managed to wipe her body as fast as I could before I put covers on her. I made sure that the blanket would go up to her neck so I could only see her face.“Shit, William. What are you? A thirteen-year-old boy who just saw his crush after a long time?”I snickered to myself and bent
LUCAS“The spell I put on the alpha prince’s brain while performing the surgery would soon wear out the second he knows that he has a mate, beta.” The chief doctor glanced at me briefly and then bowed his head again before continuing. “The memories will come rushing into him and we cannot do anything to stop him from remembering Alana. I am afraid that if that happens, we will fall victims into his wrath.”I clenched my hands and cursed under my breath. I won’t allow that to happen! I have promised before the alpha king and myself that I will bring that secret with me to the graves. “So, before that happens, I should make sure that he doesn’t know that he has a mate. I should always remind him that those things for which he thought are real are not. But how can I do that when I fear that he no longer trusts me? I know he’s been feeling wary around me.”The chief doctor cleared his mouth before answering me. “I’m sorry but I cannot offer any solution anymore, beta. The surgery was perf
WILLIAMI glared at the nurse who was shivering all over on the floor. “You should properly take good care of Francine from now on. Stop giving her the medicine but do not tell anyone, you understand me?!”She crawled towards me and nodded. “Yes, alpha prince.”“Any untoward thing that could happen with Francine will be attributed to you. The life of your entire family will be the payment if you mess up, you get it?! I will not stop until I make sure your clan is all cut off if something bad happens to her, okay?!”She nodded repeatedly. “I get it, alpha prince. From now on, I will do everything you just said.”“Good.”I brushed Francine’s hair and watched how she administered the proper medicine to her.If they are doing this much to keep Francine from fully recovering, then I know they are really hiding something from me which I should find out starting from the real identity of Aria.And I should find out about it before my parents arrive. I did not waste any more time and went t
WILLIAMIt felt like someone had pushed me down a cliff and I fell to the abyss where I was greeted by a light that hugged me briefly.The memories flashed before me in a speed of light from the moment I found her in the dungeon where she was chained down and was in the most godforsaken state to when I brought her the first time to the palace and told her she was the one I have been waiting for my whole life. “Alana, you are my mate.”I panted for air as her hands tightened around my neck. But even if she stops, I will only offer my blood to her again and again.More memories came to me like when I chased after her back into her village, and when I learned about the truth of her identity and her strange behavior as a hybrid lycan and werewolf.We cannot be together according to the standards of our status and clans but no one can separate us.We were allergic to each other and with every second that we are together, it only gets more painful but that did not stop us from loving each
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