You know what hurts the most? Alpha Knox was kind of nice to me earlier. He told me I was beautiful. And foolishly as I was, I began to hope. Even I found it hard to believe he said that. Now here he was cheating. I hung my head like a dying flower and was about to leave, when someone grabbed me by the waist and covered my mouth. My eyes flew open. “let me go! I —” “It's me” came that dark raspy voice. I stilled. I turned around immediately and there he was. My mate. He grabbed my arm, willing me to look into his eyes. “ Where did you run off too!?” He growled. “You are hurting me” I yelped, trying to free myself from his grip. “That was my intent” he smirked “To cause you pain” I whimpered as he tightened his grip. “You will get punished for this” he sneered. “ That is a promise” ******************************************************** As we rode back to the house, I would turn my head to steal a glance at this beautiful man who was now my mate. Any time I turn,
Hands behind my back, I paced to the ends of the palace. My mind was like that of a marketplace. For a weird reason, I felt guilty. Guilty for putting Nina in the dungeon. I still feel she deserved it for not listening to my words but my wolf thinks otherwise. "What have you done?!” My wolf questioned. “How could you put your mate in the deepest part of the dungeon? Did she kill anyone? What the hell was her crime? “ He growled. Then I replied. “How dare she leave the spot? How dare she go farther away from me? What if Ashira saw her? She might be dead by now.” My wolf glared at me, bearing his teeth at me. “ For what you have done, I will not be with you” “Well don't be” I replied. “ Who needs you anyway” Then I could feel him leaving. I scowled at the moon. This damned curse wants to make me soft. To make care. Who cares if she's my mate. I walked up to my room. As I passed the corner Nina would usually stay, I felt some sort of nostalgia. She would stay hunched over
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a dead squirrel. I gasped and sprang up. Turning my head around, I realized I was in the woods. What was I doing here? I began walking aimlessly. Saw some wild fruits and ate them. After I rested I realized it was getting dark. I needed to find somewhere to sleep. And so I did. It was under a mango tree. I slowly made a makeshift bed with leaves underneath. I lay there expecting to stay awake until sleep came and finally stole me away like a thief. Then I woke up again. It all began, the moment I opened my eyes. Everywhere was pitch black and nothing was in sight. “My eyes!” Panic set in. Running my hands frantically across my face. I was surprised to find out that it got darker as I did that. Then it occurred to me that I wasn’t blind but I still couldn’t see anything. That was when my heart rate spiked up all the way to the highest. It beat as if it was about to leave my body. “Where am I!?” I screamed in my head. Placing m
I sprang up immediately to find out that it was a dream. My breath was ragged. I had sweat all over my body like I had been running a race. Nina has been shot. She died crying. Screaming . I snatched a robe and ran out. Taking the keys from one of my men, I ran to the dungeon. My heart was in my mouth, as I wonder the state she could be in. For first time in a long time, I was pretty scared. What if she died. On getting there, I took out a torchlight. I pointed it around the cell but I couldn’t find Nina. “Nina!” I growled. out her name but I got no response. My heart was beating at a very fast rate. What if she had died or something? I kept asking myself. I opened the door to the cell and came closer. That was when relief washed over me as I saw her curled up like a kitten, sleeping. I stopped to touch her. I found out that Nina was running at a very high temperature. “Your highness ! What Happened? You scared us?!” I turned to find Vok and madam Lafayette standing out
“Ashira!!! Where the hell are you?!” lysa screamed into the phone. My phone had been buzzing endlessly and the moment I heard Lysa’s voice, I knew I was in deep shit. “Hi Lysa, good morning please try stalling her on, I’m almost there!” I begged as I jumped out of bed. Shit! I had slept in again and I would get late for work at the palace. “Ashira there is absolutely nothing good about the morning. I know you spent the night watching that annoying doctor and ending it by reading novels?” “Ehhh something like that but it’s–“ she cut me off. “Save what ever you have to say for yourself later. Now will you get your ass down here or you will get me in trouble!” And on that note she ended the call. A huge grin stretched across my face as I thanked the heavens for giving me such a friend like her. She had been my friend for a long as I can remember, although get parents forbade her our friendship. It seemed like the harder they Tried to break us apart. I applied my cream on my
“Oh” I muttered, clutching the sheets to the chest. I stared down, unable to look home in the face. “Alpha Knox!” Immediately he heard his name, he walked out of the room, leaving me all by myself. I took that as an opportunity to look for my clothes. I searched for them on the floor and other places but all I could see was my scarf. I grabbed it immediately and began searching for the rest of my clothes. “Where could he have kept them?” I muttered as I stood. Standing this time in front of the mirror, I stared at my reflection. I had swollen eyes and plump lips. I didn’t have beautiful sleep hair. I used my scarf to tie my hair, literally covering all my hair. I did that because I didn’t like the looks people gave me for the color. It was white, unlike that of girls my age. After I had tied my hair, I looked up to find someone in the mirror. I opened my mouth in horror. “Oh I’m sorry” I muttered as I immediately moved aside while I bent my head a little. I wondered how long he
Madam Lafayette took me by the hand and together we went into the palace. She first took me to the maid quarters. “Who amongst you asked her to do laundry?” she asked. Her eyes were blazing. Her voice, sharp like a knife. There was silence. Before I could put in my next line of thoughts, the head of that head maid was dangling from on the floor. Shaking vigorously as if trying to connect to the detached body. Her body fell with a thud and blood splattered in my face. I shut my eyes immediately. What the heck just happened? My heart pounded in my chest and my hands trembled. Was it that easy to take a life? What was this life as a mate and vessel and its gory details? Blood sipped out of the bodies and it rushed to my feet. I squeezed my toes in utmost disgust and fear. “Who asked her to wash those clothes? Who made her leave the alpha's Chambers” Madam Lafayette said again. I glanced at her and my blood ran cold. There was no proof of emotion on her face. She was like a r
What? What was happening? How could this be? Who could have been hurt? I looked him over as I tried to ascertain wherever he may be hurt. “Your highness what happened. Come—” “ Did you for a moment think that I was crying?” He smirked.I froze. Those weren't tears? Oh this cocky bastard. Knox released my hands and wiped his eyes clean. I watched his long fingers swipe at all. Parts of his face. When he looked at me again, my heart raced. He stared into my eyes and moved closer, thereby closing the gap between us. What was he doing? My heart pounded. Knox went ahead to put on the light behind and I flinched as soon as the light came on. “There's your sunlight,” he muttered . “ Don't open the curtains” I quickly nodded. “ Congratulations on getting into my room but not my life …mate” Knox said emphasis on the last word. He stared at me and I evaded his gaze. Looking everywhere but at his face. “You are nervous,” Knox leaned in. I fought keeping my focus on something. Anyth
For the next 3 weeks, I was confined in the royal infirmary. The royal healer said that the wounds I had sustained in the prisons were not ordinary. He said they were injected. And so needed to be treated. The alpha wanted me to move back into his bedroom but the doctor said he risked being infected. What the doctor didn't know was that he couldn't be infected. Very few knew he was a hybrid, immune to a lot of things. So he let me stay in the royal infirmary. He asked his guards never to leave my side. So I was under their eyes 247. Despite all that, I didn't feel any better emotionally. It was in the first week of my stay that the alpha executed all the elders who were involved. The female wardens and males in charge of the torture were stabbed countlessly with a hot knife. Then for Amelia, I heard she died the most painful death. He took two weeks to kill her. I remember seeing a nurse attend to her amputated leg that night. Well the next day, he ordered that the other o
I was drowning in pain, and my eyes threatened to close, but I wouldn't. I couldn't. Knox had ordered me. I looked away from the bloodied Amelia to his face. His eyes burned with a fire. One I know that would not be quenched if blood did not flow. I sighed, and every time my brain threatened a shit down, I tried to remind myself of that order. So I focused on myself. On my pain. Every breath was like sharp needles poking through my ribs, the remnants of the beating I endured in the dark, stinking prison below. I thought I'd die in there. I really thought so. I tried to move my legs, but I couldn't My limbs felt like dead weight, bruises blooming beneath my torn dress. But none of that mattered now. I was no longer alone in the filth, no longer shackled in silence. I was in his arms. Knox was the last person I expected to see. I thought he was dead. I mourned him. The few times he was calm with me were my best times with him. His scent was a wild cedar and the crisp bi
“No, stop that,” the guard holding me said to the pervert who was staring at me. “What? What did I do?" “You will not touch her. She’s from the alpha he said." The pervert rolled his eyes and walked away. I glanced at the guard holding me. Should I be grateful or what? I just didn’t even know how to feel. The guard was not ready to take me in, he still wanted to keep talking with his friends. They laughed. “Who knows how many times she slept with him to prove that she was good enough” “Yes that pressure” I was disgusted by their jokes but what could I do? I was bound to my hands and feet. “Serves her right” they laughed at my pain. The gate to the dungeon grumbled open and immediately, the guards shoved me in and slammed the door shut. “Your death will save us a lot of work,” one sneered, and they laughed while they walked off. I landed on the hard floor. My shin throbbed and I could feel some liquid on my leg. I shut my eyes. Waiting to bleed out. Time pass
A NIGHT BEFORE, The gate to my cell cried open and I instantly sprang up. I didn’t sleep all night and day. I was waiting for them to come carry me. I was waiting for death but none of that happened until now. If I was correct tomorrow was Vok’s wedding. I just didn’t know how to feel about all that. I was worried about my fate. I stared at the door. Five women wardens were staring at me. “What? “ I snapped. “What do you want? “My heart raced. What were they planning to do to me? One of them walked to me. “You this church rat. You have always made me hate my job” “Me too,” another said. “So? What has that got to do with me?” They exchanged looks. “She still dares to talk? She is going to die anyway. Bring me the whip” the one still standing behind said. I recognized her from the morning Lilith wanted to see me. Her name tag said her name was Jenny. I began to back away. “Don’t you dare touch me! “ They glared at me.” shut up!” they chorused. So they tried to ga
“So, your Highness, you let her poison you to catch her?” Brandon asked. I nodded smiling. “Exactly” I could already imagine Amelia handing Nina something to drink. She poisons it, but she knows it can’t kill Nina because she puts the antidote in the mouth of the juice. The small portion could not affect Nina, but it couldn’t heal me. So when I fed from Nina, I got the poison, but the dose count healed me. She was smart. I have to say, she really is. “Wow, that’s brave,,” Brandon said. I clapped my hands. “So Vok what’s your idea to catch Amelia?” Vok leaned away from the chair. “Your Highness. You are probably the only one who hasn’t heard yet.” he glanced at Sean and Brandon, who wouldn’t look me in the eye. “What Vok?” I stared at the three. “I don’t like the way, all of you are looking away” Vok sighed. “Your Highness Amelia knows you are a hybrid” “Yes, she does” Yes, she has seen me feed. “She told me that if I didn’t want her to talk, I had to mark and ma
I raised an eyebrow. “What did you say?” I growled. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “She’s in the prison, your highness,” Vok said and looked away. “How did she get there?” I snapped. “The elders made the decision; I couldn’t do anything,” he said. “They needed someone responsible for that incident and no matter how I tried to make them see that Nina was innocent, that morning, nobody listened to me. “Which elder was spearheading this?” “Elder Abram” I gritted my teeth. That old man has bitten more than he can chew. My nose flared; well, he had a point. Those elders can make one go loco. I pitied Vok fir a moment. He was more of a swordsman. He knew absolutely nothing about alpha politics. So that was why I cut him some slack. “I hope she has not been harmed.” Vok shook his head. “Not a hair on her head.” “Good” “Go and call the elders, we are going to sit” “Now?” “Yes,” came my sharp answer. I wasn’t going to let Nina spend another night in prison. My
It was the summer before I was declared the heir alpha of winter fell. Everyone was around me like flies would do to poop I hated it. And I matter how I tried to tell him that I wasn’t comfortable with the way people looked at me, he always said one quote. I think it sounded like uneasy lies in the head that wears the crown. He said I was chosen to lead, and there were no buts. I grudgingly agreed. So, one weekend, Dad sent me on a mission outside the pack to capture an enemy oak. I was scared as hell, but the last thing I would ever do was complain. Mom didn’t ever want to listen. So I went with the pack army for a surprise attack. Dad didn’t want to send me but he had to. The elders were beginning to grumble. He just bowed to pressure. “Listen up, guys, we camp here for the night!” Stan, my beta in training, commanded, and my cousin said... We had been marching since dawn. The road to the Night Howlers pack wasn’t this far, but because we were attacking them unannounced
It was with a mix of anxiety and anger that I took in the information. Vok wanted to see me. What for now? Was he going to come with his fiancée or what? Why in the world would he want to see me after what he had done to Lilith? As I made my way out of my cell, I prepared in my head a bucketful of words that were not only going to hurt Vok, but I’d leave him tossing and turning on the bed. The only thing I couldn’t do was smack him right in the face. Leaving Lilith just like that was enough, but I understand none of that was his fault, but why would he want to make that worse? But no matter how evil and rotten and wicked I had arranged my words for Vok, nothing at all prepared me for what I would see in the visitation room. Seeing Vok in visitation was clear proof that something was wrong. Then, when I walked in to see his hands laced together with Amelia’s, I lost all my speech abilities. If I had the power, I would immediately turn my head around and run, but I couldn’t.
“Nina! Nina! Wait! “A voice screamed behind me and I turned around. I narrowed my eyes. I swear, if I was not feeling an inch sleepy, I would have said that it was Lilith. But what was Lilith doing in my cell side, especially this early morning? “Nina wait!” then I saw clearly. My eyes widened. It was indeed Lilith. Two female wardens stood before her, stopping her to get to me. “You can’t come any closer, without permission” She begged. “I need to speak to my friend. It ‘'s very urgent. I won’t take most of your time” she struggled with them. “Step back!” Lilith was staring into my eyes. “Nina I need to talk to you” I didn’t know what to do but I knew I had to do something before it was too late. I broke free from the arms of the female wardens holding me captive. “Miss Nina” they stood in my way as she dragged me roughly. I glared at them. “You should know I am the alpha’s vessel” and immediately they let me go. “Let her come to me” I ordered to the others.