A beginning with an end 🔥🔥🔥**Ashley's POV**As I approached my delivery date, I could feel my anxiety hitting me progressively harder the more I counted down the days. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what was making me anxious, but I would often find myself feeling anxious at random times throughout the day.George was such a godsend because he never let my pregnancy mood swings and seemingly ridiculous requests get to him. He would spend time with me, doing everything he possibly could to make me feel better whenever I was down. The mating bond obviously wasn't going to fade just yet, and so things progressively became much harder for me to cope with, given the fact that I was constantly yearning for both Lucas and Simon. Every time I felt the urge for their touch again, I had to suppress the feelings because there was simply nothing I could do—I was never going back to them.All in all, the journey was long and hard, but having George always come through for me, no matter how busy a
A thrive 🔥🔥🔥It took me quite a while, but I was finally able to get over the loss of my daughter. One thing George did that I found very helpful for the healing of my soul was ensuring that the whole situation didn't escalate with the people or even the domestic workers in the house. He did this by instructing all the midwives not to share the fact that we had three children, with serious punishments attached to anyone who disobeyed this order. As a result, only the midwives, George, and I knew that we had actually given birth to three children, while everyone else, including the domestic workers, believed that we had only two boys.As days passed, although it was really hard for me, especially as a new mom, I still managed to at least make myself happy and strong for the sake of my twin boys, as everyone had started calling them. It was hard for me to forget about my princess, but over time, not having anyone talk about her or her death made my healing process much faster than it
Weight of the past 🔥🔥🔥As the boys ran ahead, chasing each other with laughter echoing through the garden, George walked up behind me. His presence was always steady, like a quiet strength I could lean on when things felt uncertain. “They’re getting bigger every day,” he said, smiling as he watched them.“I know,” I replied, crossing my arms as I leaned into him slightly. “It’s happening too fast.”“They’re strong,” George said, his voice thoughtful. “Stronger than you think. But they’re going to need you more as they grow. You can feel it too, can’t you?”I didn’t need to ask what he meant. There was something about Lucke and Simeon, something more than their royal lineage. I saw it in their eyes sometimes, a quiet intensity, a power they didn’t yet understand. And as much as I wanted to keep them shielded from that world—from their fathers and the bloodline they carried—I knew it was only a matter of time before it caught up to us.“I can,” I admitted softly. “But I’m not ready
Ready or nah? “Ashley, are these your children?” Simon asked. I raised a brow questioningly at him, not finding the tone of his voice respectful or polite in any way.“Yes, and so?” Both Simon and Lucas had the same expression on their faces, so I knew questions would start rolling in at any moment.“Excuse me,” I said, holding both my sons as I attempted to walk away and avoid speaking with them.“Hold on a minute.”“Just wait right there,” they both said at the same time, Simon holding my arm to keep me from moving away.“You do realize you have a lot of explaining to do right now,” Simon continued.“And why is that? I owe neither of you any explanation because I don’t understand what relationship we share that would require me to tell you about my business.”“But you do realize that if what I’m thinking about these children is true, then you definitely have a lot of explaining to do.”“Well, I’m sure what you’re thinking is definitely not true, so just leave me alone. By the way,
What if ....I looked up at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, and for a moment, the fear that had been gripping me all day melted away. George had always been someone I could lean on, and in that moment, I knew I wasn’t going to be alone in this fight. Whatever Lucas and Simon were planning, we’d find a way through it—together.Just as I was about to thank him again, the porch light flickered on, casting a soft glow over us. We both turned to see two little figures standing in the doorway. They walked away from the shade where they had been standing, their sleepy eyes blinking in the light.“Mommy, Daddy, why are you outside?” Luke asked, rubbing his eyes as he shuffled toward us.I exchanged a glance with George and smiled. “We were just having a conversation, my love. What are you two doing out of bed?”“We can’t sleep,” Simeon mumbled, leaning against the doorframe. “It’s too quiet, and also, we're hungry.”I chuckled softly. “Alright, how about we go inside, have a quick snac
Might be...### ASHLEY'S POVThe house was finally quiet now. Luke and Simeon had both fallen asleep, and so had George, who had just retired to bed. I stood on the porch, staring out at the moonlit view of the city, feeling the weight of the past few days settling heavily over me. As much as I didn't want to dwell on it too much, meeting Lucas and Simon again at the event had been a difficult pill to swallow. The encounter was one I had anticipated and mentally prepared for, yet I still found myself feeling unprepared.I had been careful all these years, keeping my distance even though I knew it could only do so much, building a new life far from the chaos of the Salvatore brothers. But seeing them again had stirred something in me, a part of myself I thought I had buried long ago. It wasn’t just about the complicated history we shared—it was about my sons and the secrets I had kept.Luke and Simeon weren’t just any children. They were unique, remarkably so. And they were Simon and L
Not adding up ....The packs are growing restless, wondering why the royal bloodline has not been extended. They are beginning to question both your leadership, given the fact that Queen Veronica is still unable to produce an heir.”I could feel the weight of Nathaniel’s words settling over us. The rumors were spreading faster than we could have anticipated. If the packs believed that we had no way of producing an heir for the Kingdom, it could spark unrest—or worse, rebellion. To make matters worse, if Ashley's sons do end up being ours, a lot of controversy and issues may erupt, as the people would think that Lucas and I had been hiding the existence of our sons from the world. In fact, things could potentially spiral out of control even faster because of this."Who started these rumors?" I asked, keeping my voice even, though my wolf was now pacing anxiously within me.“We’re not certain yet, Your Highness, but they’ve spread rapidly among the southern packs. There’s been talk of a
Need to discuss..."If that's the case, then she's definitely playing her cards well," I muttered. "From everything we've just analyzed, those boys are truly ours, and she’s holding the key to the future of our kingdom. And she knows it."Lucas nodded. “She’s definitely smarter than we gave her credit for. She’s waited all this time, biding her time until the right moment. She didn’t use the pregnancy back then because she didn’t need to, whether or not she actually knew about it. Considering the possibility you mentioned earlier, it's also possible that she knew about the pregnancy and decided to hide it, waiting for the perfect moment to corner us—just like she’s doing now.”“Exactly! Either way, she’s using the boys to force us into a corner.”I drummed my fingers on the table, lost in thought. Ashley had always been cunning—it seems we've underestimated her once again. But that didn’t mean we were out of options.“So what do we do?” Lucas asked. “We can’t just sit back and wait fo
The end of the tunnel !!!**Ashley's POV**As I stood by the side, watching my arch-nemesis being taken away, I honestly couldn’t tell what I was feeling at that point. Although this moment had been a highly anticipated one for me, it just didn’t feel right somehow. As soon as the guard announced that her banishment was to begin, I could feel my wolf’s countenance instantly change. I remained motionless where I stood, watching the whole thing unfold. Nobody moved until she was finally out of sight, with the men trailing behind her as she went on her way. I couldn’t shake the feeling I was getting, although a wave of relief washed over me. All this while, I had wanted her downfall—to see her get the punishment she truly deserved. But now that it had happened, I surprisingly didn’t feel as excited as I thought I’d be.“Are you feeling alright?” I heard Simon ask as he placed a hand on my shoulder, and I nodded.“Yeah, I… I just—”“It’s fine, you don’t have to say anything. I can underst
Outplayed....**Veronica’s POV**Right after informing me of the success of the plan, Drago had actually requested that I come over to see things for myself, and as I drove to the arranged meeting point, I couldn’t contain the mix of emotions I felt. It was a strange blend of excitement, adrenaline, and anxiety. Drago had assured me everything had gone according to plan, but amidst the excitement, I couldn’t shake off the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something didn’t feel right.As I approached the hideout, my phone buzzed again. This time, it was a voice message from Drago.“Greetings, your Highness. I just wanted to let you know that these kids have been crying ever since they were brought here. I don't know what happened exactly, but when I went out to find something for them to eat, one of my men apparently shot one of them, and now he's dead. I'm really sorry, your Highness.” The moment the voice note ended, I had to slam on the brakes because the shock hit me harder
Love and war !!!We made our way back to the mansion quietly, sneaking in before anyone noticed our absence. Even as we slipped back into our normal roles, something between us had changed—strengthened. There was a deeper understanding now, a silent promise that we would stand by each other no matter what came next.What came next was the reckoning we had been preparing for.Later that day, Simon and I gathered in his study with the sole aim of finalizing our next steps regarding Veronica. We knew time was running out. With Fabian already in our custody, Veronica was bound to make a move sooner rather than later. Her desperation would push her into action, and we needed to be ready.“She’s going to crack soon,” Simon said, his voice filled with certainty. “Especially now that we’ve got Fabian. There’s no way she can keep up this facade much longer.”I nodded in agreement. “We just need to keep the pressure on her. Fabian already gave us some leads—now it’s only a matter of time before
The hatch **Lucas's POV**Right after the whole thing with Ashley presenting ample evidence against Veronica, although it was hard for us, Simon and I just had to keep to ourselves. Well, at least until we had finally achieved what we wanted, which was actually pretty close to our reach at that point. I never liked Veronica from the start, but this was something I could never see myself believing she committed. It now makes me wonder if she really was the one who killed Mortica as well.As I sat on my bed thinking about all these things, I could feel a knot forming in my head, and I ruffled my hair as I tried relieving myself of the headache. As it stands now, we currently have all the top perpetrators in our custody back at the torture house, and the one person we needed to find is that slimy Fabian. Just as I had mentioned to Ashley a while back, we needed to keep things on the low so that we would easily be able to use Veronica to get to him. After all, the reports we had been get
Surprise, surprise!!!“Yes, yes, that’s right! She seemed very secretive about the whole thing, like she didn’t want anyone to know we’d left or where we went.”“I see,” I responded, finally removing my claws from his thigh. Lyon gasped in relief, but the moment Simon turned his glare toward him, he silenced himself.Simon and I exchanged a knowing look.“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Simon asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.“Bet,” I replied, a hint of realization dawning on me.Together, we turned our gazes back toward Lyon, who flinched in fear under our combined scrutiny.Simon crossed his arms, his jaw tightening as he addressed Lyon again. “You better hope for your sake that what you’ve said checks out. If we find out you’ve withheld anything, even the smallest detail, you’ll regret ever stepping foot in this mansion.”“I swear, Your Highness, that’s all I know! I told you everything!” Lyon pleaded, desperation evident in his voice.I took a step forward, looming ov
Feel the heat....I stepped forward, towering over him. “You thought you could hide in the shadows, Fabian, but your time is up. We’ve heard everything.”His face paled, and he stammered, “I-I can explain! It wasn’t my idea—Veronica pushed me into this! I was just trying to survive!”“You’ll have plenty of time to explain,” I said coldly. “Take him away.”Fabian’s eyes darted to the exit, but before he could make any sudden moves, our men swiftly blocked the way. He was trapped. The fear in his eyes deepened as he realized there was no escape.Simon crossed his arms. “Let’s make this simple. You come quietly without receiving any beatings, or we drag you out of here with no less than 20 slaps already landed on you.”Fabian hesitated for a moment, but when he saw that resistance was futile, he slumped in defeat. “Fine,” he muttered. “I’ll go.”As we escorted him out of the building, Simon leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Now that we have him, it’s only a matter of time before Vero
A little bit more....The next morning I woke up feeling extremely refreshed and light. For over 6 years I had been wrongly accused and tagged for committing crimes that I knew absolutely nothing about. Even though I did make it a point to act like I didn't care about it, the accusations definitely followed me around like a serious plague all through. Well at least till last night.As soon as I woke up, the first thing that came to mind was everything that had played out the previous night between myself and both Lucas and Simon, and a smile soon appeared on my face “Finally! I'm free” I exclaimed, as I excitedly got out of bed. I went straight into my bathroom to freshen up, and as I went about doing my usual morning routine, I couldn't help but to hum a song happily whilst carrying out every activity I did. “Oh, good morning my queen, you seem happy this morning,” Yasmine greeted warmly, as she peeked into the bathroom where I was busy brushing my teeth. I spat out the mouthwash
Let the real games begin!!!!I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. “Because Amira has been helping me gather evidence. We have proof of her dealings with corrupt members of the court and her plans to undermine the council. I’ve been working with Rita to piece everything together, and we’re ready to present it to you.”There was a moment of silence as the two of them processed my words. Lucas finally leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful.“If what you’re saying is true, then why didn’t you come to us sooner?” he asked.“As if,” I scoffed. If I had come to them any sooner, they would have dismissed me as quickly as possible. Not to mention the fact that going without concrete evidence could have endangered the little I had managed to gather over that space of time.“If I had come any sooner, would you two have given me a listening ear? That is exactly the question you should be asking right now, not the one you just mentioned. Given that every attempt I made to reve
Look back...This wasn’t just an attack on Amira—it was a trap for me. Veronica had suspected something, and now she was using Amira to bait me into revealing myself.I took a deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm. I couldn’t act rashly. If I made the wrong move now, everything we had worked for could be undone. But Amira—she had risked everything for me. I couldn’t just leave her to face this alone.As Veronica presented her so-called “evidence”—a series of forged letters implicating Amira in a conspiracy—my mind raced. I had to think quickly, but I couldn’t act openly in front of the council. I needed to find a way to turn this situation to my advantage.Then, an idea struck me. I stood up slowly, the eyes of the council and Veronica now on me.“Queen Veronica,” I began, my voice steady, “these accusations are indeed serious. But I must question why this alleged plot has only now come to light. Every one of us knows that this lady in question happens to be your most trusted han