ORION'S POVHe nodded, then continued. “Yes. You know, my hands are tied. Whatever I've done, I've done for my son. He's going to enjoy his life now, the money I have somewhere all stashed up for him, he'll never lack. My life doesn't matter at this moment. I knew it would always end up like this, so I prepared. I can never tell you who my boss is, that's just it.”I stared at him for the umpteenth time, and I was nothing short of amazed. Amazed at what fear could do, and what the idea of loyalty looked like. This was loyalty at its best, loyalty at its finest. He didn't even care about his own life. All he cared about was his boss, and his son. “Why?”I asked him, staring at him. At that moment, I wanted to give up. I was tired. “Isn't it obvious? He will come for my son. And I can't let my son die, all my money will be a total waste. So there, I've explained it. I can't tell you who my boss is, so if you're going to go ahead and kill me, do so.”I turned my face away in anger an
TRISTAN'S POV I shrugged, returning back to my laptop. “Please get out of my room, Logan. Go and have your meal.”He shook his head, then smiled as he left the room. “You know, our father always taught us to eat together. It brings unity. But here you are, saying you want to be the Alpha, but you're disrespecting his opinions even in his grave.”I closed the door after him as soon as he went out, swallowing hard. Logan was clearly one of my most annoying brothers, but I wasn't going to let him get to my head. Not now, not ever. In a few minutes my door opened, revealing Rosalind. I smiled at her as she placed the food before me. “How was it? Did you execute the plan?”Fiddling with her fingers, she nodded, then averted my eyes. I didn't blame her once again. It was okay to be afraid of me. I didn't mind that. It only showed the power and respect I had garnered in such a short while. “Yes sir. I did as you asked me to.”I rubbed my hands together in anticipation and excitement.
TRISTAN'S POV “What are we going to do? For the record, I have started the poisoning. It's supposed to take place in a few weeks. Emilia escaping now can jeopardize my plans. How do we find her?”Henry shook his head, and I could see that he was equally as baffled as I was. Emilia Roberts escaping meant a lot of things. It meant that my reputation as the Alpha was on the line, and I could also imagine what my brothers were going to say once they heard about it. I scratched my neck once again, and I turned to look at the window. “We can comb the entire city searching for her. We need to make sure she's not in the city. If Charles got her, I know his house. He'll know better than to take her there. I say we head to Charles's house tonight and check. You can check the palace, boss.”I nodded, and for the umpteenth time that morning, I regretted the moment that I had even thought of abducting Emilia. What had come over me? Why did I even do it? It was meaningless, but I knew I had been
TRISTAN'S POVSeeing me with a gun did that to a lot of people. “Please, Tristan…you have to understand. I did my best.”I shook my head sadly, the gun still in my hand. “I gave you an entire fleet of teenagers to work with. Gave you a park. Gave you money. And nearly half of my supply. And what are you telling me? That you weren't careful enough so a man came in, threatened you and offered to take it all away and you didn't shoot him in the head.”I paused, then gave him a sly smile. “Since you can't do it, then I'll help you do it.”With those words, I fired. Two shots. There was a gaping hole where the chief's forehead used to be, and he fell onto the floor in a pool of his own blood. I stared at him, then glanced at Henry. “Clean this up. By evening, we'll find a place to dump his body.”I left the office, headed for my car that was parked in the garage. _____________EMILIA'S POVA MONTH LATERStaying in Dani's house had opened my eyes to the disadvantages of staying in a h
EMILIA'S POV“Well, I've heard you. Only the park, Emilia. And as soon as I'm done with work, I'll come and fetch you. Hurry up, dress up. You can forget about taking your bath, you can do that when you're back.”Jumping from the bed in excitement, I made my way to the bathroom, poured water on my face then applied a little makeup. I quickly donned on one of my special gowns, a black and red gown that stopped below my knee. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and smiled at what I saw. I had added a lot of weight, and although I knew that what I eventually needed was exercise. Charles and Dani had done a good job of feeding and treating me well, and it was showing. Smiling,I went out of the room, joining Charles in his car as I bade an unsmiling Dani goodbye. The park was just a few miles from his house, and it was filled with parents and children. There were a few parents walking their dogs, while the children ran around, taking delight in falling onto the grass. Touching my ha
EMILIA'S POV“He's putting acid, a poison that will kill you and the other brothers slowly from the inside. You need to stop eating from the palace kitchen, Orion!”By the time I had finished, I was out of breath. And I could tell that my time was almost up. I could literally imagine and see the shock on Orion's face at that moment. “Tristan Ironclaw is truly a bad egg amongst us. He's the weapon fashioned against Goodwill. Imagine eating my own death. I'll do exactly as you've said. I'll also inform the brothers.”Sweating, I knew that Charles would be back anytime soon. It was better I went back to the park where he could find me as soon as he entered so that he wouldn't suspect anything fishy. “I have to go now, Orion. But I assure you I'll call you around this tomorrow. I love you. In a few weeks, I assure you we'll be back together. I've missed you so much.”He groaned, and I could imagine the pain he was going through throughout all the times I hadn't been there. “I love you
ORION'S POV“Come with me to the courtroom. There, we're going to discuss what we're going to do to prevent the poisoning and how we're going to apprehend him. We need to hear more from Emilia, I know she still has more information.”She followed me, tagging along. I found myself wondering if she was still going to go back to school, or if she was going to wait until she could see her friend. I knew the love that they shared was a beautiful one,and it made me sad that my twin brother was something else, a monster. The courtroom was filled with my brothers. Without mincing words, I went to the throne, took the scepter that was on top of it, then raised it. The silence in the room was deafening. Nodding at Elena, I began to speak, proceeding to tell the brothers the most shocking story of their lives. By the time I was done, the look of dumbfoundment and surprise on their faces surpassed that of mine. I could also sense the anger and the tension in the room. If Tristan was anywhere ne
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
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