LUCYMy senses gradually emerged from the haze of unconsciousness, greeted by the hushed tones of people. The environment was different from the cold walls of the dungeon where I had been left to rot, it was warm here and for some reason, I felt safe. “Lost the baby. She’s been through a lot,” a man’s voice murmured, the words penetrating my fragile awareness.The room echoed with a familiar voice now, it was Chris’ voice, a storm of emotions unleashed.“How could this happen, mother? She’s my mate. Why didn’t you protect her?” Chris said, his words reverberated, carrying a weight of anguish.“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was her. I was led to the inner chambers for protection when the news of an intruder got to the palace,” his mother explained.Struggling to form any word, my voice emerged in fragile whispers, “Chris.”The strange man rushed to me as I tried to sit up but I was too weak to do so. “Lie still, you need to rest,” he said.“Hey, are you alright?” Chris said, holding my
CADEBorn into the Parker family, I was the eldest son and supposed heir to the throne, yet fate’s decree favored my brother as the heir. Was I undeserving of the throne that the moon goddess had to reject me from assuming my rightful position?“Why not me?” my anguished question echoed within me. A fit of relentless jealousy took root, festering over the years.Members of the pack hated me for being cruel, if only they understood my plight. If only they knew what it was for me to watch my right being given to my younger brother. I knew my family never loved me, it was evident in the way they treated my brother with utmost attention, grooming him to be the leader and alpha of the pack.My father, the alpha, remained resolute in naming my brother as the successor. Consumed by bitterness, I confronted my father, challenging him to reverse his decision and give me what was rightfully mine.“Your brother has found favor in the eyes of the moon goddess. She has chosen him as the successor
CHRISRumors had begun to spread around the pack, whispers of dissent reverberating through the air. I felt the weight of judgment in every gaze that met mine. The pack members knew I harbored a rogue within the walls of the pack and they believed I had betrayed them, but what they didn’t understand was the depth of my love for Lucy.I remained resolute beside Lucy, ignoring the murmurs of my people. The stern-faced elders had summoned me a couple of times regarding this issue, their judgment echoing the sentiments of the pack. They declared my leadership unfit, a decision that cut through my determination like a serrated blade.“Chris,” Orvyn spoke, “the pack question your judgment. Trust is eroding.”Defying the people’s concern, I asserted, “I won’t abandon her. Lucy stays.”“Then you leave us with no choice. You are not fit to rule this pack if you refuse to keep sentiment aside,” another elder said.Just as we argued, Lucy stepped forward. “Give me a chance to prove myself, to fi
CADEThe moon cast its ethereal glow over the rogue pack. My determination as the hour approached flooded my being, my armies were weapon-ready against the hallowed manes. Though a bit disappointed at my son, Nathan for disappointing me and walking away from the one thing I always wished for, to fight by his side against the hallowed manes pack.All of this was Lucy's fault, she had brainwashed my son into believing that I was the evil one. I never was, I was only reclaiming my position as the alpha of the hallowed manes, and I knew I would get my son back once I reclaimed the throne.With determination, I and my army marched to the hallowed manes, our steps resonated with confidence, every stride echoing the burning desire to conquer.As we got close to the hallowed manes pack, I noticed an unusual quietness that raised a concern to me. The unexpected hush settled in, unnerving everyone including me. Something felt amiss but I couldn't place what it was, the ominous quietness bothere
LUCYMy heart was troubled after the intense discussion we had with the elders. The decision had been made and there was no going back from it. Staying away was better than allowing Chris to lose his rightful place as Alpha of the pack, it was the right thing to do if I truly cared about him.In the uneasy calm before the storm, the hallowed manes pack prepared for the impending battle against Cade’s army. Their howls drew near, indicating their closeness, and tension hung in the air as warriors sharpened their swords while awaiting the rogue's arrival.In the inner chamber, maps sprawled across the table, depicting the battlefield that would soon be drenched in the blood of friends and foes. Chris addressed the warriors, implementing the importance of the battle at hand. Most of the warriors glared at me, murmuring to themselves. “The alpha has lost his senses, why should a rogue be amongst us?” one of them whispered.“I hear she is mated to the alpha. What crime could he have commi
CADEIn the heart of the battle, I was filled with pride as my ever-ready army dealt with the warriors of the hallowed manes. The clanging of swords fueled my desire the more, if we could win this battle then the city would be ours. My singular focus was on Chris who seemed untouchable by my sword. He was swift with the blade and had mastered the art so well. My focus wavered when a familiar voice reached me through the chaos. It was the voice of my son, Nathan. I felt my heart skip a beat, 'Why was he here now?' He had sworn not to have anything to do with my course or me. "Nathan!!" I called out to him. "What are you doing here?"His voice filled with resolve, he said to me, pleading that I end this battle. "Father! Enough with this madness, it stops now."My fury grew as he spoke. Surely, that wasn't what I was hoping to hear from him after disappearing from me for a long time. I was fueled by my desire for power and dismissed his plea as a sign of weakness, a sign of a failed so
CHRISThe triumphant sight of Cade surrendering willingly to us stirred a mix of satisfaction and vindication in my heart. The once fierce warrior who was feared by everyone was now being led to the dungeon to face his doom. He was now a broken man, a man who had lost everything he held dear due to his greed. "Finally, justice begins," I muttered to my beta, Glen, my voice filled with determination. Cade's capture was the first step towards victory, towards revealing the truth behind Lucy's father's stained legacy. The next step was to expose Cade's evil deeds to the elders. It was crucial because the name of an unjustly accused man needed to be clear, and it was the only way to make Lucy his Luna."Mount guards around the pack, Cade's warriors might show up again to rescue him," I ordered. Glen did as he was told and different guards were made to secure the walls of the pack.However, despite the echoes of victory that loomed over the pack, there was an unusual quietness around me.
CHRISDays had passed and Lucy was nowhere to be found. Glen had combed all of the neighboring pack in search of her but she wasn’t there. Where could she have disappeared to?Cade on the other hand wasn’t helpful. He refused to say a word despite all attempts to make him speak. An unsettling cloud of uncertainty shrouded me. The elders were on my neck, they demanded proof to clear Lucy’s father’s name like I said I would, a task easier said than done.My visit to the dungeon was fruitless, it was a tormenting routine. I sought the truth from him, interrogating him with a zeal fueled by desperation. Yet, he remained adamant and refused to say a word to me.“He wouldn’t speak because you are too lenient with him,” Glen insisted. “A little bit of torture and he’ll be spilling the truth of his evil deeds.”Glen was right, he had a valid point. I was too calm with the man who had ruined my family, the man who killed my father out of greed. I assembled a few of my guards to the dungeon to
LUCYFew days had passed since Lothar was killed. Normalcy returned in the pack and everything seemed to be going peacefully. With Lothar's tyranny finally vanquished, the pack could begin to heal from the wounds of betrayal and deceit. My mother had returned to the pack after much persuasion from I and Chris. Though she preferred to be away from the pack considering how they had treated her and my father in the past. Her eyes filled up with tears as she recalled the past events. "You did it, Lucy. You brought us back home," my mother said, her tears flowing freely down her cheek."No, mother. We did. Without you, I wouldn't have had the courage to fight back," I said, my voice shaky as I fought the tears. Chris' mother approached us, her expression pained as she apologised for the sins of her family. "I'm greatly sorry, Lucy, for all that my family put you through. We should have done better in finding the truth.""None of this is your fault, anyone would do the same if they wer
CHRISI, Chris Parker, the vibrant leader and alpha of the hallowed manes pack was now subjected to a life of misery. My guards who were once my loyal subordinates were now against me, torturing the hell out of me.I endured the torment of the dungeon with only one motive in mind, vengeance. The pain of the wolfsbane coursing my veins only served as fuel to my determination. I gritted my teeth in agony as the wolfsbane began to take its toll on me. But I refused to give my captors the satisfaction of seeing my falter.After much torture, Lothar decided to pay me a visit. The scorn on his face infuriated me, causing me to curse under my breath. "You look a mess, Chris. I didn't reckon that my boys would be this harsh to their Alpha," he mocked."You bloody traitor. I should give it to you. You played your game so well, betraying both father and son," I said."Oh please don't flatter me. I was just one step ahead of you folks in everything. You know, I wasn't originally from here. Yo
CHRISAs I got close to Lothar's quarters, I had my doubts about telling him what Cade had told me. It was top secret and should remain the same until I was sure of who to trust. Not that I didn't trust Lothar in any way, as a matter of fact, I did. I trusted Lothar not because he had stood by me but because he was my father's beta and best friend. But things at the pack were getting overboard and I didn't know what to do.Since Lucy had suggested that I told him, why shouldn't I? I arrived at his door and found it unusually open. So unlike Lothar, I must say, he kept to himself most times and kept his door shut at all times. I peeped into the dark room and found a shirtless figure standing in the room, his chest was bare and his muscles were taut in tension. At first, I couldn't tell if it was Lothar or someone else."Lothar," I said, my voice filled with uncertainty.The shirtless man turned and it turned out to be Lothar as I expected. "You're finally here," he said. I didn't u
LUCY"Cade," I muttered. My body was covered in his blood as I tried to stop the bleeding. Cade whimpered and pleaded for forgiveness, but it was too late for that. All I needed was the name of whoever did this. Cade tried to speak but I couldn't figure out what he was saying. "He's here," that was all I heard. His bloodied hand pointed to something ahead of us. I raised my head to see who it was but his face wasn't clear enough. "Looking for me?" the man sneered. Before I could say anything or do anything, he struck me with his sword.My eyes fluttered open, the remnant of the nightmare still clinging in my head like a cobweb. I glanced around the dimly lit chamber, my heart pounding heavily against my ribs as I tried to shake off the fear. "Chris," I called out after I realized that he wasn't beside me. There was no answer and my unease deepened. Where could he be? I recalled that he had gone to see Lothar to further discuss ways of catching the murderer, but I didn't realize
CHRISFrom the moment Cade's lifeless body was found in the dungeon, I had a deep suspicion that one of the elders was involved in this mischief. "Get me Orvyn," I demanded.I sat in the courtroom, grappling with the weight of the recent events, my mind churned with suspicion and great uncertainty. "Are you sure of what you're doing?" Lucy asked. "Are you sure Orvyn is the killer?""I'm certain he's responsible for all that has happened so far," I said.I recalled the night, the pack had been attacked under Cade's lead, how the guards at the gate had been rendered unconscious. One of the guards had informed me that Orvyn had offered them drinks before they had succumbed to unconsciousness. It was a revelation that had fueled my suspicions.The guards securing the dungeon had also been poisoned which made me believe that he had a hand in Cade's death. He probably was hiding something and feared that Cade would reveal the truth.Orvyn was led to the courtroom, bound with hands and fee
CADEMy stay in the dungeon had taught me a lot of lessons I wished I had known long ago. My envy and greed had made me lose the people I valued most, friends and family. "I know you hate me because of the throne, but I need you to know that I wouldn't be taking your place if it hadn't been assigned to me to do so," my younger brother said.I scoffed. "Save me the details, I know you are more than glad to be stealing my position as alpha of this pack. I knew Father had always chosen you over me but that will never happen. The throne is mine and there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it."On the day of his coronation, I watched in envy as my brother took my place as alpha. I wished I could strangle him where he stood with the rest of the elders. I hated my father and brother so much that I rarely spent time in the palace. Rather, I built another pack of my own far from the pack, a rogue pack in my name where I could be alpha. I recruited many rogues and formed an army of my
CHRIS "Your father's killer is somewhere in this palace, waiting for the right time to strike."Who was the killer? I spent most of my time convincing Cade to spill the truth to me but he kept beating around the bush. I was beginning to doubt that he knew anything about my father's death. Maybe he could be the killer like Lucy said and was trying to trick me into believing him." I know you have your doubts, Chris, but I'm telling the truth. I didn't kill your father," Cade had said."If you didn't then why did you elope from the palace after his death?" I asked."I had to else I would be blamed for his death. As for Lucy's father, he was set up by the killer. He walked into your father's chambers right in time to be caught by the guards. He was framed by the killer who was close to both your father and Lucy's father," Cade explained."Why should I believe you? You tried to kill me before," "You don't have to believe me and yes, I did try to kill you. The throne had always been my p
LUCYThe thought that Chris could be in danger bothered me for days. After my encounter with the old lady in the woods, I couldn't keep her warnings off my head. How could I return to a place where I wasn’t welcomed? I could be in danger if I returned to the hallowed manes pack and Chris too could lose his position as alpha if I showed up again at the pack. But his life was in danger and going back was the only option I had. “What seems to bother you, Lucy? You’ve been lost in thought for a while now,” my mother said in a worried tone.I didn’t want to bother her with my issues. I had promised her that I would stay away from the hallowed manes until it was right for me to return there. “Nothing is wrong, mother. I just miss the good old days at the rogue pack,” I lied.My mother sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I miss those days too, I miss those happy days. But it’s good we are here, we get to forget all of the sad memories and create happy memories for ourselves.”I nodded.
CHRISI couldn’t get Cade’s words out of my head, the more I thought of it, the more it sent hot chills down my spine. Could what he had said be the truth? Could it be that Cade, the man I had always seen as my enemy, actually be innocent of my father’s murder?I stood before Cade in the dungeon not knowing what to do, my heart pounding heavily on my chest as I sought answers from him. “What do you know about the man that killed my father?” I demanded.“I already told you all that you need to know,” Cade said, his words leaving me in a state of confusion. “You haven’t said anything to salvage the situation. Who is responsible for my father’s death?” I asked. “That’s for you to find out, Chris. I have done my part,” Cade insisted. I pondered on his words. Why was he keeping the truth from me? Was it one of the elders?Cade sighed. “I know you suspect the elders 'cause they are in league with me. Yes, they have always supported my course from the get-go but they are not smart enough