Layla’s eyes widened in shock, and she gasped as she stared at her worst nightmare. Jarod was also surprised to see her; he quickly changed his expression. Demetrius looked from one to the other in confusion. His mate was still as a stone, paler than he had ever seen her. He pulled her back and shielded her from Jarod's glare.“This is my mate, Layla,” Demetrius told Jarod. He heard his mate gulp behind him.“I… see,” Jarod said. “Your mate, she looks different,” he added.“What?” Demetrius asked.“Did she grow up here?” Jarod asked.“No.”“I know, she looks more beautiful.”“What are you talking about? Do you know her?” Demetrius asked, growing tired of Jarod’s games.“Why don’t you ask your mate?” Jarod told Demetrius.DEMETRIUS’S POVI wondered what relationship existed between my mate and Jarod. The way my mate reacted when he was close indicated that they knew each other. My mate was scared of him, and that didn't sit well with me. Looking at the state of my poor mate, he must hav
Jarod observed the woman closely, admiring her well-defined figure. He signaled to one of his men to offer her some clothing. Once she was properly covered, he approached her. Fatigue and hunger were evident in her eyes; she must have been fleeing. As an outcast, she seemed the perfect distraction for Jarod, taking his mind off Layla, at least for the time being."What is your name, rogue?" "My name is Annabelle," she responded, her voice hoarse but pleasant."Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Annabelle. I am Prince Jarod," he stated proudly. "As you're an outcast, I'll claim you.""No," Annabelle rebutted. She had her own agenda and refused to be tied to any pack. Realizing she was outnumbered, she resolved to escape. However, her pride prevented her from hunting and feeding on fresh blooded animals due to her weariness and hunger."I'm not giving you an option here," Jarod stated, his signature smile lingering.Glancing around for an escape, Annabelle caught Jarod's warning expres
Jarod smiled at Annabelle, who had his full attention. He ignored Freya, who gave him a disbelieving look. She knew he wanted to be alone with Annabelle, but she wasn't going to make it that easy for him, so she stood her ground. Jarod looked in Freya's direction and shook his head at her for being childish.Annabelle watched the two of them, thinking she should use this as an opportunity since she was in front of the prince. "I could use a little food," she said.Two pairs of eyes turned to her, one curious, the other angry. She shrugged at them. "I'm hungry right now and can't function well without food. You have proof of that," she said, focusing on Jarod.His curiosity turned into a smile. "Noted, Freya, make yourself useful and get the two of us something to eat. Now that she mentioned it, I need proper food," he said."What... I should be a slave for her?" Freya snapped angrily."I'm the one who gave the order," Jarod said, his voice changing and sounding dangerous. "GO," he gro
Demetrius watched as Lisa shook her head at something his mate would have said and went back to what she was doing. He did not know if he needed to be worried about Lisa, because she was one of those who helped his mate when she was attacked. So, would she now turn her back against his mate? Demetrius wondered if he should have someone tailing Lisa. He needed to know who to trust and not suspect his pack members, as it could lead to bigger trouble. For now, he would just watch her himself, and if he was still not sure about her, he would have someone on her. His mate must have sensed his presence at the door because she looked up at him and smiled, waving. Others in the kitchen also looked in his direction and bowed to him. He acknowledged them with a wave and nodded to his mate before leaving the entrance.LAYLA'S POVWhen my mate left, I went back to my conversation with those in the kitchen. Someone was talking about the almost messed-up incident that happened in the kitchen on t
When Layla woke up the next morning, she found herself alone in bed. Looking around the room, she realized she must have overslept. Demetrius hadn't returned the previous night. Was he avoiding her? She wasn't in the right state of mind to see him yet, perhaps it was for the best. Her head was pounding, and her face probably red from the crying last night. She suspected she'd missed her morning training once again.Elijah hadn't come to wake her. He likely let her rest considering her condition. After washing her face, she heard a knock on the door, and her heart skipped a beat. Was it Demetrius? But instead, Elijah entered, nodding approvingly at her presentable appearance."Good morning, Luna. Did you sleep well?" he inquired.Layla gave him a look, and Elijah suppressed a smile behind a fake cough. He soon turned serious."You still have training this morning," he stated."What? But... the time has passed," Layla protested. "I knew it was almost two hours late already.""The Alpha
Layla was acutely aware of the rumors circulating within the pack. Those who had previously accepted her were now pointing fingers at her. Unable to refute the rumors since they were true, she wondered who might have revealed her secret. Annabelle was no longer part of the pack, and aside from her, the only other person who knew about her secret was Demetrius. But she couldn't believe he'd start such rumors.“It couldn’t have been our mate,” Linda defended Demetrius.“Why not? Look at the way he's been punishing us. He hasn’t released Red. This is the third day, and we're yet to see him. He is avoiding us,” Layla responded to her mate in her thoughts.“I say he is not,” “He is.”“Is not,” Linda stubbornly argued.Layla noticed two others gossiping about her. When they realized she was observing them, they laughed and shook their heads, boldly facing her.“Does anyone have a problem? If you do, come to me!” Elena's voice echoed across the ground. As the overseer of the female pack tra
Layla remained silent as Elena addressed the pack. She struggled to believe that Elena would stand up for her. She believed the woman disliked her, never showing any real interest in her aside from aiding her when Annabelle attacked. Layla assumed Elena was just fulfilling her duties. She couldn't fathom why Demetrius sat there, seemingly unconcerned by the seriousness of the issue.Even if the people's accusations held truth, Demetrius should have stood by her, preventing them from speaking in the first place. Though Elena attempted to dissuade her from being present, Layla's stubbornness arose, partly a desire to disobey Demetrius's orders. He had taken her friend Red away and avoided her, refusing to share a bed. It felt unreasonable; was being held in a cell justification for such treatment?Accustomed to being disregarded, she sensed Demetrius was having second thoughts about their mating. With her tumultuous past, who in their right mind would settle for less? When Elena returne
Prince Jarod entered Annabelle’s chamber, his face a mix of determination and uncertainty. He had made a decision that would shape the future of his pack and was about to discuss it with Annabelle, the remarkable woman he had chosen to join his pack. He had reached this conclusion after his observation of her and wondered how Demetrius could just throw her out of his pack like that.“Annabelle,” Prince Jarod began, his voice steady, “I’ve decided to accept you into our pack. Your unique skills and brilliance are exactly what we need to stay safe as we plan and execute our attacks on rival packs.”Annabelle’s eyes sparkled with a blend of gratitude and excitement. She knew how hard she had worked in the last few days to show her worth. The pack had been against her for some time, as she had to compete with Freya. Finally, someone had seen her worth beyond her intimate relationship with Jarod. She had proven herself in training and strategy discussions, but now, her role would be pivota
Demetrius was in his room, going over the report Lucas brought to him about the operation of other packs when he heard a knock on the door. Knowing it was his kids, he stood up and went to the door, opening it a little to talk to the boys. However, the sneaky children made their way into the room, rushing to his chair and bed.“Mama?” Laish was the first to notice Layla before Demetrius could cover her up. The other two ran to him and helped each other up, joy in their eyes as they recognized their mama. Shamir turned to Demetrius, asking for confirmation.Demetrius nodded, “Yes, Mama.”“Mama is sleeping,” Laish said.“Mama, wake up,” Shamir said, touching her cheeks.“Kids, don’t wake Mama, let her sleep,” Demetrius told them as he carried Tristan down from the bed and then Laish. When Shamir saw he was next, he started crying, holding Layla's clothes.“Come on, Shamir, don’t wake Mama with your cries,” Demetrius said, trying to peel his hands off Layla’s clothes. Layla groaned and op
Annabelle used magic to throw Demetrius across the room; his head hit the wall, and the power holding him mid-air released him. He fell on the table, breaking it in two. The shock wore off from Demetrius immediately; he knew Annabelle was not planning on going easy on him. So, he charged at her, but she used her powers to immobilize him, rendering him unable to move.Demetrius focused on his inner strength; it had never been said in history that a Lycan king or queen was defeated by a mere witch, and it would not start with him. He felt his toes move, unbeknownst to Annabelle."Do you think you can defeat me?" Annabelle asked, not paying attention to his legs. She started pacing. "You can’t handle me. I am stronger than you think.""But it is killing you," Demetrius said, determined to keep her talking until he was sure he could move his whole body."What do you know?" she snapped. "You know nothing about me. I am not the Annabelle you used to know," she told him."Of course, I know t
Jarod and Annabelle heard the growls from afar and knew that battle was upon them. Annabelle went outside and directed her men on what to do. Jarod pulled her aside as the men got ready, some shifting while others remained in their wolf form, armed with weapons mixed with wolfsbane, weakening the enemy easily.“You should stay with Layla,” Jarod told her.“But she is dead,” Annabelle said.“We are not sure of that, hell, you are not even sure. Four men will watch you, in case you want to change your mind about killing her again,” Jarod said. Annabelle sneered at him, but he waved her away. “We need you to be safe.”“I want to fight!” Annabelle said stubbornly.“No, you are our secret weapon; you should stay safe first,” Jarod told her. “Watch her,” he told four men who escorted Annabelle back to the house.Jarod changed into his wolf to blend in with the men. He knew his strong scent could give him away, but he aimed to take down many enemy warriors.The wolves from the woods charged
★JAROD'S POV★It was fortunate that I overheard Annabelle's and Layla's conversation. She was falling into Layla’s influence again, just like three years ago when our entire plan went downhill. I quickly made my way over to them.“What are you doing?” I demanded, and Annabelle jerked like she was in a trance while Layla gave me an angry look, as if I had burst her favorite bubble. That's exactly what I did, I thought to myself.“Are you letting her sway you with rubbish words again?” I asked Annabelle.Annabelle looked annoyed. “I am not.”“But you looked smitten just now. Why is that?” I questioned her.“It is none of your business,” Annabelle retorted.It was a waste of time to argue with Annabelle once she had denied everything, so I turned to Layla. “Don’t try to sweet talk yourself out of this. We are ending this once and for all,” I told her. To Annabelle, I said, “We need to send the message now.”Annabelle nodded. “But the potion is not ready now.”“No more delays. Are you try
DEMETRIUS' POVAfter leaving my office, I went to the nursery where the kids were playing under the watchful eyes of Elena. She looked so tensed up, and I knew that the other ladies must have set her up to babysit the boys. And the three of them together are capital trouble. When the boys saw me, they ran towards me with super speed; their growth was so fast that they were comfortable on their own feet."Papa," they shouted as they got to me and surrounded me. Elena stood up right and bowed to me. "I will watch them for some time," I told Elena."Yes, Alpha," she said, sounding relieved. She bowed and left the room. "Play with us," Tristan demanded."Carry me," Shamir said, lifting his hands up to me. I knew if I carried one of them, all of them would want to be carried, so I dodged that request. I walked over to their playing mat and sat down; immediately, Shamir placed himself on my laps, occupying his space and claiming ownership. It would be trouble if any other person wants to si
★ANNABELLE’S POV★I was in so much pain; my whole body was burning. I knew I was cursed with the witch power running through my veins. The fact that Layla escaped my camp, a place I thought no one could penetrate, was a big shame to me. It made me more furious at everything I had built. I should be untouchable by now, but a weak girl, three children, and a weak male still escaped and went free. I wished Layla was conscious when they brought her back; she might be dead by now. I busied myself in preparing my weapon. If she doesn't want to die easily, then I will give her options to choose for herself. Then she won’t be able to escape death again.I picked up the potion bottle; it was a death poison. Instead of wasting energy to kill her, seeing how she had not turned up dead, escaped from Jarod, didn’t die when I stabbed her, I had to release her when I captured her, and Jarod tried to kidnap her but failed miserably, and now she is in my hands again. I am so done with her shit. I sh
Nancy gave the boys a bath, fed them, and watched them play in the garden. The children had asked her for their mama; she told them their mama was out, as the Alpha had instructed them to say if the kids asked for their mama. Nancy wished she had her own child. She was the one who told her mate that they should wait. She wanted to enjoy their time alone, but then the Luna came into the picture, and her mate had to attend to the Luna's needs, and everything happened so fast. Maybe now was the right time to have her own child, but the Luna's situation was a concern. Their Alpha did not believe his mate was dead, but Foster said she was dead.Foster was still asleep; he must be regaining his strength while on bed rest. Elena joined Nancy in the garden, and they sat together.“How are they doing?” Elena asked.“Well, they are fine. They have been constantly asking for the Luna,” Nancy said.“What do you think?”“What do you mean?”“Do you think the Luna is dead?” Elena asked. “I don’t wa
Demetrius was summoned to the north border. He hurried over to the place, running in his wolf form, which was faster than in his human form. He had to persuade his wolf, who had been angry with him for days since Layla left on her own to save their kids.He could vividly remember his last conversation with Demon echoing in his head.“You are a fool for staying here when it is likely our mate has been attacked.”“She does not want our help.”“Your help, you mean?” Demon retorted hotly. “We are one person, are we not?”“You should have gone after her no matter what. But what did you do? Stayed back, and for two days now, she has been out of reach. You are so comfortable with yourself.”“I have a pack to worry about.”“So, Foster or your kids are not part of your pack? Or talk about your mate. You don’t need her?” Demon asked him.“Of course, I need her. She is the one that does not need me!”“You sent her kids away from her; she hates you for that. And you won’t even allow her to visit
When Layla saw that everything was quiet, she went over to the barred gate and started working on the lock. She moved quickly because, from that moment, their cover could easily be blown. She heard the click sound, signaling that she had successfully unlocked the gate."It's open," Layla told Foster. She listened for any sounds, hearing none, she opened the door and motioned for Foster to follow her.They both stepped out of the cell and made their way cautiously, not moving too fast as they were still weak. Out in the open, they hid from the guards patrolling outside. When no one was looking, they changed their position and concealed themselves among the bushes."Can you tell where exactly they are?" Layla asked Foster, knowing it would be easier for him to pick up the kids' scent.Foster sniffed the air, attempting to pick out the kids' scent, but it was challenging, mixed with that of the rogues. "Let’s move away from here and try again.""We need to hurry up; they will soon notice