ALPHA ZACHARYThe warm water that pooled around me in the bathhouse did nothing to ease my tense muscles as it always does. I've always been a sucker for warm baths because of how they loosen all of the knots in every corner in my body. The feeling of it on my skin makes me spend hours doing nothing but just sit alone and, naked inside of the wooden tub while staring into open space. If anything, today, it only made my skin crawl and made my muscles harden the more. And as much as it made me feel that way, I wanted to remain there till whenever since being there was my only and temporary escape from the woman who was waiting for patiently on our bed. My woman. And my mate, whom I'm to defile today is on our bed , waiting for me to consummate our union yet I wasn't even elated one bit to share a bed with her not to talk of becoming one with her. The traditional coronation ended hours ago and Ilvira has officially become my Luna. The pack accepted her just the way they accepted me after
HAERA I was being molested. Or should I have said I was being Tormented? It wasn't surprising anyway. I mean, hasn't torment been part and parcel of my miserable life? I would have been unbodered but Princess Ilvira...No. The new Luna was what everyone has been calling her yet I haven't been able to address her as such. Don't get me wrong, Princess Ilvira deserved to be a Luna but she wasn't destined to be the luna of the Imperial pack. Although how she shoulders her duties had me questioning my destiny. I would have questioned the mate bond too but the soul wrecking pain that consumed me that night after my destined mate and his new luna left the ceremony was beyond what I had imagined and I couldn't bear it. I didn't even want to relive the experience by thinking about it. The pain was far greater than all the pain I had felt in my life. Even if all other painful experiences were to be combined to be one, it still wouldn't have been as painful as what I felt that night. I haven't h
HAERANothing can ever be as satisfying as the look on princess ilvira's face when the Alpha staked his claim on me. I've gone days after that very day, thinking about that look on her face that I can now describe every little detail of it. I remember how her eyes looked from the Alpha to me, confusion and anger etched on her face at the same time. I remember the way her lips turned down like she was about to throw a fit and cry like the brat she was. I remember how her eyes twitched and how she could say nothing else and just stormed out of the room. I remember it all and thinking about it makes my day every time it crosses my mind and everytime I think of my new position. Assistant chef. In just a single night, I went from washing the laundry and the older maid's dirty underwear, scrubbing the floors of every single chamber in the Palace, being the Princess's plaything and personal maid, doing heaps of dirty dishes to working in the kitchen and making the Alpha's meal. The events of
ALPHA ZACHARY As much as I enjoy being an Alpha, I didn't appreciate the stress of carrying out the duties that come with the position. "Since when?" Serge barged into my thoughts. "None of your business. I do most of the work while you do nothing but intrude." I said to my wolf bluntly. I was seated in my chamber, working on numerous proposed treaties alone. I didn't have enough time and I couldn't be selfish by staying idle without attending to my other duties as the Alpha of the biggest and most influential pack of the Woodlands. If I'm not working on treaties, I would be organizing a meeting with the pack officials. If I'm not doing either of those, I would be on patrolling duties with my pack warriors or overseeing other things that benefit the pack and sometimes, the woodlands at large. Alan is a great Beta but he couldn't handle my duties for me... Not as much as I wanted anyways. "We both know Our responsibilities as an Alpha are more than that and we also both know that that
I could have sworn I saw him just now. Or was I hallucinating like I have been doing these past few nights? This wasn't supposed to happen. How do I explain to anyone that I smell Alpha Zachary in the kitchen whenever I'm there, which was every night because other maids had chosen to make me cook overnight in preparation for the next day. And how do I tell anyone that I had been feeling his eyes on me even though he hardly gazed at me in the dining hall? It was as if he stayed with me in the kitchen to make up for such moments. And most importantly, was it reasonable to tell Opaline because she was the only one that listened to me; that I saw Alpha Zachary peeping at me through the kitchen window? I was clearly losing my mind. Everything smelled like him.... Everyone looked like him... And I felt him around me everywhere. Dezra couldn't help me solve this mystery because she had become crazier about him than I was. I heard movements outside the kitchen again and the looming shadow sho
I was hit pretty bad. I must have been. I'm sure one of them gave me a hard hit to the head, enough to make me lose control of my senses for a split second. Even the fact that my head was ringing and every part of it hurt was proof of how possible it was for me to have lost all sense of reasoning so much that I now make things up. Things like the familiar steely grey eyes of my mate turning into bright brown ones that had some sort of emptiness to them even as the kitchen lights accentuated them. That emptiness is what made force my eyes open wider and try to clear my head to look closely at the person standing in front of me. I knew immediately that it wasn't the one person I know who possessed a face like that. It was an entirely different person whose unfamiliarity seemed so familiar. He stood by the door of the kitchen, his body covering the entire rectangular frame with only a few inches left for his head to touch the top frame of the door. Both his feet crossed and stretched int
I knew that aura could only belonged to someone of that rank but I was shocked as well. The last thing I remember about Alpha prince Tybalt was him saving me from falling from a ladder while I was removing the decorations for the duel but that was not the memory I chose to know of him. I didn't need anyone to tell me that Alpha Prince Tybalt was venomous. I saw it myself on the day of the duel and I remembered how much it annoyed me to see him battle a man who wasn't even giving it a fight. The rage and the hatred he had for his half-brother was glaring to me and I should have accepted it as something normal for brothers born in such situation but maybe the fact that the Alpha was my mate made me hate Alpha prince Tybalt and how he seemed like he would kill Alpha if he had the chance. Maybe that's why his aura was so strong. It had rage and anger bottled up inside of it and I don't want to have anything to do with someone like him. Him being here was more shocking than me finding out
Alpha ZacharyI saw it all. I witnessed all of it but I did nothing to stop the brutality nor did I save her...Haera. I was fucking there battling with myself and my wolf as the maids began their torture on her. I was still trying to put up a stronger fight against my wolf when I heard her bones popping and cracking. I was there yet I didn't rescue her. Haera. "You can't be reckless after what you did for her days ago!" My wolf had said when I made the move to interrupt and end Haera's suffering. I couldn't believe some of my pack members could gang up against an unarmed person just because I promoted her. "If that is the reason for what she is going through at the moment, think about what will happen to her if you interfere." Serge had become unreasonable but I believed him. When have I ever listened to him? Who was I kidding? It wasn't just Serge that had restricted me from saving her. I was being a coward, thinking about my mate's feelings instead of fulfilling one of my duties as
EPILOGUE. HAERA.(A year later)Where in the world is he?I paced the length of the room with frantic and erratic steps. Up...down.Up...down. Just like that. My covered feet made tapping sounds on the ground with how I took more than a step in a second out of worry and fear that something might be terribly wrong somewhere.Opaline was behind me and probably looking at me with more worry than I felt now. In her arms, was my days old baby boy whose traditional naming ceremony as a new pup born into the werewolf clan was today. My little son came as a bouncing little blessing to me and my mate. It was just what we needed to complete our perfect family and our perfect life. Life over the past year has been nothing short of that for the both of us and even the people of the pack at large–perfect. With Tybalt gone and the peace of the pack restored, all I and my mate had to focus on was our duties as the leaders of the pack. I was officially the Luna and I never imagined the acceptance
ALPHA ZACHARYThat kiss was different.To be candid, everything was different when I was doing it with my destined mate.The marking process, the ritual, the coronation ane every damn thing in between was special.But the kiss was different in a good way.Why wouldn't it be when it was our first kiss. The very first kiss we shared as destined mate.It was our first even though it wasn't my first.Saying I regretted every moment I spent with Ilvira would be an understatement and even though I was at fault too, I couldn't stop myself from hating her and her biological mother for coming in between Haera and I.They came into my life to ruin this.I should have been enjoying this bliss ever since I became Alpha but Gennora just had to ruin it.I decided it was time to stop thinking about my past and what I had missed with Haera when she moaned into my mouth during that heated kiss. A kiss that left me hungry for my mate.For my Amanisa.I loved her new names but it was Amanisa for me and
HAERAThis kind of news was great but at the same time unbelievable. Before the arrival of the news, Basil had been complaining and whining about how he felt useless by staying with me."I thought he was jealous of our relationship. Why entrust your safety with me?"Basil had complained as he termed "protecting me" as "babysitting me". I kept hitting him on his back to shut him up but what harm could my fragile hands do to him?"He doesn't like you but he trusts you to protect me."I had tried to clarify but Basil gave me a silly response regardless, earning himself another slap on his back."Will you feel safer when you kill me, your supposed protector?"Basil had barked at me and I was close to hitting him again but Alan's arrival saved him from me. I wasted no time showing my worry and also asked Alan about the situation."Everything is under control, Princess Haera."Alan responded without a hint of what actually happened. His face was void of emotions which made it difficult for
ALPHA ZACHARY. That feeling was clear and certain. I sat in front of the mirror, looking at myself and my features, the changes and the parts that didn't change as well in the past few days. I was reminded of this moment by that feeling that tells you you have been in a place before with only a few things being different in the situation of things. The last time I sat in front of a mirror like this; with that somber expression on my face, was the day of the duel months ago. The very day that changed my life and my fate. I recognized the look on my face that day as that of a man who wasn't willing to fight. I didn't need anyone to tell me and I didn't need my wolf to remind me even if he took it upon himself to do so. I remembered how the maids prepped me up and prepared me like I was attending some ball and not a battle that would determine my faith. I was simply like a ram that was being taken to the slaughter; fattened and all dressed up for my blood to be spilled. All the feel
HAERAWe were stuck in the wilderness and in time as well.This place is the perfect definition of timeless and unchanging. Except for the usual nightfall and daybreak, there was nothing that signifies the time of the day. It was morning again and to be honest, I have lost track of time.The first few days were traceable but I got tired of keeping tabs on the number of days and nights that we had spent in this strange place when there were other things to worry about.Perhaps it was the thought of how Alpha Zachary and I would escape this open prison that made me forget how many days we had spent walking, searching for a new way out, going around in circles, and being each other's strength.Or perhaps it was as a result of the growing bond between my mate and me. Either way, it was all Tybalt's fault.I must commend his quick thinking though. He found a way to make sure Alpha Zachary and I never get out of here alive if we manage to survive the fall like the other time.My mate had b
HAERAThe anger boiling inside of me as I yelled at Zachary was one whose reason was unknown to me;not entirely unknown but just strange because I was angry about a lot of things yet relieved at the same time. It was dangerous for him to have followed me and then try to save me by jumping in. It was stupid and even though it reminded me of my own self, it didn't make me less angry. He never listens to me and does things his own way, that's the only reason he could have tailed me all the way to the cliff. How the hell did he even do it? My relief was only from the fact that he was right there, in front of me, safe and looking confused as hell. I had thought of the worst after Tybalt drugged me and had me brought down here but seeing him out of danger and safe was what made me feel relieved. But I wasn't near done yet. His presence might bring me relief but still, it was dangerous for him to have followed me. "Why the hell did you come all the way here with me?huh? You never listen! You
ALPHA ZACHARY The light but severe weight on my head was crushing my skull painfully. I wasn't fully conscious of my environment but I could bitterly sense my discomfort in every part of my body. My eyes were clenched tight as I groaned out in pain due to everything that felt painfully out of place. Naturally, I tried to reach for my wolf as I rubbed my head but I couldn't feel Serge like I was supposed to. My mind was blank of every other emotion that wasn't pain and uncertainty. I wanted to keep my eyes closed and remain in the same position but I was uncomfortable due to the rocks that were pricking my back. I changed my position slowly but without gritting my teeth in pain. The process was slow but thankfully, I was able to control my arms which had been laying limply beside me. I used my hand to reposition myself into a sitting posture as I fluttered my eyelids with caution. All of my other senses as an Alpha seemed to be failing me because I was unable to sense the scent of my
HAERAI pried my eyes open but it was still dark all around me like I still had eyes tightly closed and like I was still back in that darkness that consumed me when I fell to the floor and the one I've been in for longer than I can remember. I knew I was knocked out for a long time because of how weak and rigid my body felt. I closed and opened my eyes a few times, trying to assure myself that I was really out of the blackout moment which time frame I had no idea about. It was all the same, no matter the number of times I opened and closed my eyes. Nothing changed and I was convinced that it had nothing to do with my eyes. It has to be where I was huddled at. The thought of it brought about my next question. Where was I? The memories of my last moments before now haunted me and echoed in my head, making a sharp pain that I had paid less attention to, sear through my head. It made me wince and try to sit back but I couldn't even move a muscle. Not because I was weak and tired but becau
HAERA Shouldn't it be a crime for news to affect living creatures' emotions? The annoying part is that the word "news" has been subdivided into good and bad which are usually out of our control. As much as I understand that some things just have to happen, I still didn't like the news I received a few seconds ago. Why couldn't we always get those things we wanted? Everyone knew that the best news that I wanted to hear at this moment was about my mate regaining his memories but that didn't happen. I was standing in front of my Papa, forcing myself not to show him how much his information affected me even though I wanted to act like a child...his child. "Are you with me?" My papa questioned when I didn't react to his announcement. He just told me that he has to return home because something urgent came up even though I still needed him here...with me. He was an Alpha after all and Alphas shouldn't stay away from their pack longer than necessary. "Yes, Papa but do you have to leave toda