TRISTAN'S POVLeaving the hallway, I smiled as I managed to get out of the fix I seemed to have gotten myself into with Orion and Elena. The last thing I wanted was either of them trying to point more accusatory fingers at me. I was quick to anger even though my goods were doing well. It wasn't going to change the fact that my temperament was one to watch out for. Entering the courtroom, I observed the stares of disdain, hatred and dislike that seemed to follow me from across the room. Everyday, it seemed I was hated more. But I liked it. It meant that I was on the right side,that I was doing something right. It meant that I kept them on their toes. Smiling and deciding to tease them,I found my way to the throne, then made a move as if to sit on it. I could see the looks of surprise and anger on their faces. Even the elders weren't left out. Smiling wholeheartedly, I made my way to my chair, then sat down comfortably, watching the proceedings of the court. It was boring and I knew
ORION'S POVI stared at Tristan, irritated. I could see in that moment why Elena hated him so much, why the rest of the brotherhood did. He was the worst person when it came to leadership. He was a troublemaker, and even in a setting like this, he was refusing to act according to proceedings. It irritated me that I had such an unintelligible and irritable person as a twin brother. What was he doing? Wagging a finger at me while I had the scepter? Had he forgotten that only one person was allowed to speak in the court at a time? And that was the person with the scepter? What did he think he was doing by talking continuously when he should be quiet and listen?“Great brotherhood!”The reply was firm and authoritative, and I found out that the brotherhood had always loved me and it was going to be so. If it came down to an election, I had absolutely nothing to fear. I was going to be the number one candidate for everybody in the city and the pack. Did my useless brother know this? I d
EMILIA'S POVI ate the food that had been brought to me by one of the guards, eating slowly. I was beginning to find hope. Hope in the fact that even after Charles had been warned, the eyes with which he had looked at me looked genuine. It was something I had never thought possible. For one of the guards that were supposed to see to my suffering falling in love with me. It was crazy. I could see in his eyes that he had fallen for me badly, and even if I didn't call myself attractive most times, I could see that my body had clearly played its part so well. I finished eating, then drank the water from the glass. Even while eating, I was being chained. It was clear that Tristan wanted to make sure that I was given no freedom, that I continued to remain where I was. What had I done wrong?I had no idea. I wondered if he did at all. To me, I was being held captive because he couldn't have me and his brother had achieved things with me that he hadn't.To Tristan Ironclaw, I was a stubbor
TRISTAN'S POVSeeing Emilia with her legs in chains and her hands free brought certain memories I wanted to keep buried. Even in chains and even though she couldn't take care of herself, she still looked beautiful regardless. Her cheeks were rosy and full, and her beautiful eyes still had me enraptured even though I wanted nothing to do with her. The fact that my brother was the one in charge of her body and her affairs still hurt me. The fact that he was the one that had the key to her heart and was controlling her was a painful pill to swallow. Thinking about my twin brother brought thoughts of the meeting between the brotherhood and the elders that I didn't want to remember. I wanted to make all of them pay, but at the same time I knew that it was something I didn't want to rush into. I wanted to take it slowly, I wanted to execute my plans slowly and surprise them. I smiled at Emilia, then retrieved a cigarette from my pocket. For a long while, I felt inactive. The wolf in me
TRISTAN'S POV I continued staring at Emilia, knowing that inside of her was a hurt that was great. She was offended that I was even talking about her lover in that manner, and I was even going as well as boasting about it in her face. But what did I care?I didn't give a care in the world. I was going to continue showing her what she was missing, I was going to continue rubbing my achievements in her face until she hated me even more. Shaking her head in anger, she looked away. I waited for her to speak, and when she did, I knew that I had succeeded in rattling her. “You will never be greater than Orion, Tristan. Not with that evil heart you carry about. Now, you can stop boasting and leave me in peace. You can never make me regret going for Orion and not you, so please, take your petty gossip elsewhere.”I nodded, heading for the door. She was good when it came to clapbacks. I didn't even want to trade words with her, but with each reply, she seemed to be drawing me back. Stopp
ORION'S POVI ran, jogging slowly. Nowadays, running was the only thing that I could do in order to maintain my sanity. I was slowly losing it. Everything reminded me of Emilia nowadays, the gift she had bought for me on my birthday, the bedsheets that she had brought from her house to my room in the palace after commenting that I had a bad taste in bedclothes. Her perfume that hadn't still left the bedclothes, that seemed stuck to it. Everything reminded me of her. Even the chef cooking, the food I ate reminded me of the beautiful meals she used to cook. It was crazy to see that even though she wasn't anywhere near, her presence was everywhere. Her presence was felt even in her absence.That was how much I loved Emilia Roberts. It was insane, but I didn't want to think about it that much. And that was why I was out, jogging, trying to clear my mind, trying to maintain my sanity because without her I was gradually losing myself. At night, sleeping was even tougher than before. I s
ORION'S POV I lowered my head in anger. When I looked at her, it was with determined eyes, a determined and angry burn in my heart. “What do you suggest we do then?” I asked, staring into her eyes. She stared back, and I knew then that Elena wasn't only brave, she was courageous and would do anything for the people she loved. “We go to the police. Wherever you've been, we go there. We start afresh till we find her, Orion.”I nodded, agreeing with her. Even arguing with her made me weak. Since Emilia's abduction, everything seemed to sap the energy out of me. “Okay then. I suggest we have breakfast first before we go. You should shower, I'll wait for you in the dining room.”I waited for her to leave the room, then crossed to the window, leaning and placing my head on the cool, glass panel that separated me from the outside world. Where was Emilia Roberts?I dressed slowly, and when I was done, I collapsed onto the bed, going through pictures of Emilia and I on my phone. God, I mi
TRISTAN'S POVTherefore, the leakage couldn't come from them. All theories pointed to the young man I had used when I had killed the chief maid and when I had kidnapped Emilia. It had to be him and no one else.Had Christopher done it? Had he betrayed the trust that I had in him having worked with me for close to five years now?Well,I muttered within me, we were going to find out. Discarding my cigarette, I turned from the window, facing the two men, all smiles. “Now, thank you, chief Tom, for that beautiful piece of information. Everyday, I thank God we connected instantly. Couldn't have wished for a better partner to work with. Please stay safe. And work carefully too, you can take your leave now. Allow me to deal with this existing problem.”Smiling, he put on his cap, shaking my hand in fear, then leaving the room as soon as he could. He was still afraid of me despite the kind of connection we had achieved. That was the kind of man I was, the kind of leader I had strived to b
TRISTAN'S POV He laughed again, laughter that burnt my chest. Laughter that made me want to punch him in the stomach and hit him on the face until I drew blood. “Who knew that in a few weeks, you'll be here with me, eh? Eating leftovers, and about to be judged by a panel of Elders and your own brothers. Life is a rollercoaster, Tristan. And it's your turn to go on that ride.”I shook my head in anger when he shoved me again. “Don't push me!” I hissed angrily. “I'm in charge here, Tristan. And you're going to do as I say. Now move!”He was right. I was now underneath him. He was in charge, and there was nothing I could do. How the mighty falleth!_________ORION'S POVStanding before my brothers and the elders, I raised my hand in silence. Before me, I held the bottle that was filled to the brim with acid, which served as an evidence before the whole court that my brother, Tristan Ironclaw had been charged for the death of a dozen people and conspiracy to kill me and the rest of t
ORION'S POVStaring at Rosalind, I was filled with rage. How could Tristan be so callous? How evil could he be? For him to do such a thing to his brothers meant that he could go to any length to try and destroy most of us. It meant he was willing to go to any length to destroy whoever had been standing in his way on his charge to become the Alpha. It was a good thing that he was locked up, just where he deserved to be. There were no two ways about it. “Denver!”I called out, placing my hand atop Emilia's in order to let her know that she wasn't alone. I was annoyed, but not at her. I was offended by my brother's callousness, by his lack of human empathy, sympathy and love. Being his brother at that moment was something I wouldn't even wish on my worst enemy. He was an evil man, a very callous person, and I wanted him to be paid according to how he had lived his life, according to how evil he had been. “Yes royal one.”Denver was beside me in a flash, the worry on his face mirrorin
EMILIA'S POVBrushing my teeth in the bathroom, I couldn't help but smile time and time again. My head was filled with pleasant thoughts, and that was all I cared for at the moment. I wanted the pleasant thoughts to continue, I didn't want them to end in any way. All I thought of was marriage with Orion Ironclaw, and how I wanted to spend the rest of my days with him. I imagined living in the palace, and I imagined our children running around. He was eventually going to be the Alpha, and I imagined him being disturbed by one or two thoughts and problems that plagued the land, and there I was, comforting him, telling him that everything was going to be alright. It was all I wanted to think about all day, it was where I wanted to be. I loved him to the moon and back, and with Tristan gone and locked up in jail, it was going to be a rollercoaster ride for all of us. I wanted us to get married immediately, because I didn't want any problems or obstacles. Because I wanted to continue be
ORION'S POV “Good morning chef Sarah. I want to prepare something for my girlfriend. I know you guys must have already prepared a meal for the occupants of the palace, but I'd like to prepare something special. And yes, I'd like you guys to help me. But from a distance, please don't interfere.”Sarah smiled, then nodded. It was obvious that she understood where I was coming from. Most of them had heard about the showdown with Tristan, and had probably heard that he was in prison too. Nodding, I noticed a young cook who seemed disturbed by my presence. Her hands were trembling, and she was in a corner, standing as she stared at me. Smiling at her, I noticed that she averted her eyes. But I didn't take it to heart, that was the reaction of most servants when I tried to be friendly. Without skipping a beat, I decided to start preparing breakfast for Emilia before she woke up. Asking questions, I managed to find the eggs and then put them into a bowl before whisking them. Bread was wh
ORION'S POVI stirred awake, the rays of the sun that pierced the windows blinding me monetarily. For a minute, I didn't know where I was. I stared, surprised and in clear wonderment. And then I remembered. I was in the palace, in my room. And beside me was my girlfriend, a woman that I loved and had always loved. A woman that I was ready to lay down my life for, a woman that I was ready to spend the rest of my life with. Just seeing Emilia beside me made me excited. The fact that I hadn't been this close to her in months, that we were not allowed to be close to each other because of obstacles that existed in the form of my brother and her ex boyfriend made me bitter. But all that bitterness had been transformed into love now. I no longer felt bitter towards my brother, who at that moment had been handed unto the hands of the pack by the police force. We were going to deal with him, just as our laws, rules and regulations required, while they were free to deal with the remainder of
EMILIA'S POVI was seated on my bed watching the television when Elena called me, telling me to turn to the NBC News channel immediately. I did so, and I was shocked at what I saw on the television. Tristan Ironclaw had been arrested after he was identified as one of the most notorious criminals of the past year. I couldn't believe it. I was actually free. Him being arrested meant that I was free to go back to my lover, and I was free to go back to the palace as well. My life had been pretty messed up, filled with ups and downs, and it was eventually time for a change. I broke down and wept, still looking at the television. Tristan Ironclaw had been the worst thing to ever happen to me. And now, he was going to jail, where he was going to spend the rest of his days. The evidence against him according to the television was massive, and I found myself wondering what they had found on him. I didn't care.All I seemed to care about at that moment was that my life was finally mine agai
ORION'S POVAs soon as they shook hands, our van drove in, and in a twinkle of an eye, I could see Tristan transform into a wolf. But I was ready. Clutching the gun that was armed with several bullets, I transformed into a wolf as well, blocking his path and tripping him as he began to run. He fell in a heap on the ground, and I pointed the gun at him. He smiled at me, a nervous smile, and I shook my head, perplexed. My twin brother was a hardened criminal. He was laughing even though death was staring him in the face. He was showing that he had no remorse for whatever he had done in the past. He was just showing everybody the type of man he was. “I should've known. Who else will be in charge of my downfall if not for my own twin brother, if not for my nemesis from day one.”“You are your own nemesis, Tristan. The evil you've done in this city is only coming back to haunt you. I am your karma, and I'm telling you right now that you should surrender and hand yourself over to the pol
EMILIA'S POVI nodded, acknowledging at that moment that I loved listening to Orion Ironclaw speak. His voice was soothing, especially for the fact that I hadn't heard it in days. As soon as we were done discussing the matter of Tristan Ironclaw and his masked dealers agency, I proceeded to tell them that I couldn't live with Charles anymore. It was going to be better if I checked into a hotel on the outskirts of town where he would never find me. Agreeing immediately and seemingly annoyed, Orion immediately agreed to it. He wasn't going to let anything happen to me while he was alive, he swore time and time again. I entered the car while we drove to a hotel in the outskirts. There, I checked in, and Orion paid for everything, including my room service. “After all this is over, you'll be back with me in the palace as my wife. We've suffered so much, Emilia, we deserve every good thing in the world. Which is why I'm going to say we should get married as soon as possible.”I clutche
EMILIA'S POVI had swallowed it for too long. I knew that I had tried my best, and I was supposed to move forward. At least, I was supposed to be treated as if I wasn't in a dungeon anymore. If he loved me, he was going to allow me to do what I wished. He was going to let my plans flow as smoothly as I wanted it to. “I need to go out, Charles. I've been locked in here for two weeks. You've bluntly refused to let me go out. Is this love? You say you're afraid of Tristan, but you go out everyday yourself? What does that mean?”He shook his head, then tried to touch me. I ducked immediately, then swore inwardly. Why did he keep trying to touch me? It only made my skin crawl with repulsion, and I wondered if he couldn't see it. I hated him, and he wasn't even seeing it. “You need to understand that you are fragile, Emilia. I love you, and I'm trying to let you understand that.”I shook my head angrily. This wasn't love. It was something else. I didn't deserve to be locked up like an ani