TRISTAN'S POVI stared at my reflection in the mirror, excited by what I saw. I wasn't looking at the soft hearted man that had been Tristan during the tenure of my father, I was staring at a different man entirely. I was staring a new version of myself. I was staring at the alpha version of myself. At that moment, I wished Emilia was there to also take a glimpse of me in all my glory. I wanted her to see the mistake she had made in choosing my twin. I was the one with the guts,I was the brave one. I was the troublemaker, I was the one who could stir up the Hornet's nest without getting hurt. So far, my plans had been going according to how I wanted them to go. It was all going perfectly, exactly how I wanted it to go. I was going to show them all. The attacking of the elders was just a sign to Orion that I could do what I wanted with the solidarity of the crowd behind me. I wanted to tell him that without the people, there was going to be no ruler. And when the ruler had the peo
ORION'S POVWhen I heard the news that Tristan's personal guard and errand boy, Christopher came bearing, I found myself wondering what it meant. It was straight to the point, but everything about it reeked of mischief and cunny. What was he up to now? What did he mean by “come to the courtroom, come late and you would miss it?”What had come over him? It wasn't as if I was in the least surprised by the drama that was unfolding, that was what Tristan was. He was an orchestra of trouble, he was drama himself. But this was way out of line. He was doing it to an extent I had never witnessed before. He was making his intentions known, he was gradually telling everybody what he was becoming, and what he was about to become.I smiled at Denver, who gave me the “I told you so” look. It was clear that my brother had something up his sleeve. And I wanted to know what it was. Telling Denver to take care of the room, I strode out slowly, finding my way to the courtroom where my now dead fat
ORION'S POV“You know, you've always opposed me, brother. But trying to do it here, on the stage where I also stand is what I regard as being petty. You hate me, but you hate me to the extent that you can't even do it from a distance.”He was staring at me, his eyes a blaze of fury. I smiled, knowing that I had struck a nerve with my words earlier. I was ready to strike as many nerves as possible. As Elder Carrick had said earlier, I was acting just like my father would've done. I was giving Tristan a taste of his own medicine. “I might oppose you, dear brother, but I oppose you for a reason. You've brought nothing but trouble anywhere you go, and I know even my brothers will agree with me.”There were a few whispers and nods that said I wasn't lying. Facing him, I knew that I was slowly winning. I had the upper hand because I had the approval of my brothers by my side, they were all that mattered in this case; they were the masses. He turned to face the courtroom, ignoring me com
TRISTAN'S POVI stared at my brothers, not able to believe my ears. It was clear now that they had always hated me right from the start. They were clearly rejecting my trial of becoming the new Alpha without even considering it. The cheer that followed my brother's pronouncement told me all I needed to know. The battle line had been drawn. If I wanted to be the Alpha, just like I had done to my father, I was going to have to fight my way to get it. “Mark my words, Orion Ironclaw. You have allowed your hatred for me to oppose the fact that I alone can rule the pack. I will leave you and the rest of our brothers to wallow in your ignorance..”“We aren't ignorant, Tristan. We are simply telling it as it is. We can't make you Alpha after a few hours of our father dying. It's disrespectful. It shows we don't even regard him, that we can't even perform his burial rites first before thinking of replacing him.”It was Logan, his high pitched baritone destroying the composure I was trying to
EMILIA'S POVWhen I heard the news, I was shocked. It was there on the television, and from the huge headlines, I could tell that it had been the talk of the city for hours. The great Alpha was dead. The news referred to him as a mayor and a huge business tycoon, and I knew they were just trying to put a nametag on it. Everybody knew him as the great Alpha, but to the outside world, he was the mayor and a businessman. What had killed him?At that moment, I could only think about the brothers that I had come to detest. What were they going to do? How were they going to cope with the death of a man they had come to call their. father? Everybody at work was buzzing with the news, and as soon as I wrapped up my work, I found my way outside and onto the road, debating within myself if I should call Tristan and his brother to express my condolences. I was tired of them, but I was still a human being. That compassion was still inside of me, the fact that I knew them. I hailed a taxi, s
ORION'S POVAs soon as Tristan left the room, I descended the podium, weakened not only by his punch, but the turmoil inside of me. He had made his plans clear. There was going to be no new Alpha except the new Alpha was ready to go through him. The last thing I was, was being scared of Tristan. No, that was far from it. I was scared of the power he seemed to possess, of the evil that was his mind. I was scared of what he had become in all these days he had kept silent. My twin brother in a way had become greater than the troublemaker I had tagged him as. He was not only a troublemaker now, he had set himself way above that. He was now the black sheep of the family totally, just like he had always been, but in a brand new light now. Some of the brothers began to leave the room, and I saw something different in their movements. Some of them were afraid. They knew what was happening, they knew what was about to take place. It was now more than their power, it was greater than them n
TRISTAN POVI donned on my flannel shirt and jeans, ready to leave the palace I shared with my brothers. Just like I had told Henry, tonight was that night. Tonight was that night when I was going to create chaos, when I was going to turn the city upside down. Having created chaos with the elders the other day, I wasn't satisfied. It was the beginning of my takeover. It was just the beginning of me showing my brothers what was to come if I wasn't made the Alpha, and if it wasn't done on time. As I donned my sneakers, I found out that I wanted to appear as casual as possible so my brothers wouldn't suspect that I was a member of the masked dealers agency. Not only was I a member, I was a leader. That was a part of my life that was concealed, a part of my life that they would never discover, a part of my life that they would never know. I stared at myself in the mirror, excited and happy with what I saw. I was looking at a man that could take over the city. A man that knew what he
ORION'S POVThanking the cook briefly, I ate from the steak she had offered me, downing it with the wine in my glass. My love for a good steak was one of the things that had never died even after my father's death. The image never seemed to leave my head. It was always there, haunting me in different ways, making me feel bad even though I knew that his death wasn't my fault, even though I knew that his death was something that didn't have anything to do with me. But it haunted me still.That image of him thrashing around, that image of him fighting with death. It is an image that never seemed to leave my mind no matter how hard I tried. It was a firm imprint on my mind, and that was why most times, I knew that I wanted revenge, but I didn't know where to start. What did I know about my father's death apart from the fact that he was poisoned? And even if he had been poisoned, by whom? Who had the guts to take my father out, the great Alpha?There were suspects, a list I had in my mi
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