The night was lively as all pack members of the Night Crawler Pack gathered to witness the first shift of the pups who had come of age. Tonight, under the moonlight and before their goddess, they will witness this life-changing event. Children between the ages of five and eight have all awaited this day along with their parents. The night of the blood moon, which comes once every four years, was finally here, and the children couldn’t wait to meet their wolves. Once a shifter gets a wolf, they will immediately be considered full-fledged members of the pack and one who can bring great contribution to the kingdom and realm at large. Esme once experienced this adrenalin that came with that anticipation. How long ago was that again? Yes, that was eleven years at the age of seven when she also stood along with children her age before the goddess to be blessed with a wolf. That ritual had ended, and only she was left standing on her two feet while others walked about in their new s
Esme rushed to her room to clean up, and that was when she realized how much blood she had lost. Her body felt heavy and eyes dizzy. Rest was an order, but she knew she couldn't have that. The guests were still around, and the pack was still in a celebratory mood. If she sleeps now, then she is only courting more punishment and public humiliation. She stood before the mirror, although covered in cracks. It was all she had. The dimly lit room illuminated only by a few candles was her not so safe haven. Now, before the mirror, she could see the crimson stain on her snow-white hair. A sharp contrast to the rest. Her clothes were also ruined, and although they wouldn't be considered worthy of wearing anymore, she would wash and sew them because she didn't have much to throw away anything. “It'll be midnight soon,” she said to herself, a gentle reminder of her eighteenth birthday being only minutes away. Many girls find their fated mates at hours like this. A girls eighteenth bi
Dane sensed the gaze of Esme directed at them, and he frowned. Searching for her, he found that she was indeed staring at them. No, to be more specific, she was staring at one of the youngest alphas of the kingdom, Julius Carter, alpha of Midnight Pack. His frown deepened when he turned and found Julius staring at her with curiosity brimming in his eyes. But he could also see the conflict brewing within them. It was not hard to tell what was going on when he knew that the brat down was of age now. Tonight. A small smile crept up his lips at the realization. He didn't need to do anything now. His deal with Midnight Pack would become a reality now. The girl has truly proven useful after all… Who would have thought? “Shall we join…” Dane began but was interrupted by Julius, whose gaze was still on Esme. “Who is she?” He asked. The scent of chocolate and vanilla had him surrounded, drowning out every other scent, and his sole focus at the moment was her. Everything around him se
There was something special to being a Hawthorne. The Hawthorne name was respected throughout the country because of this one reason, and that reason was that they were blessed by the goddess. Their silver hair, believed to bear semblance to the moon goddess, was what identified her as a Hawthorne and nothing more. While her family, though late, were remembered for the gifts—her father had great strength, one that rivaled the lycans despite being a wolf shifter if not surpassing most of them. Her brother possessed the ability to heal, not just himself, but others too. His battle prowess was sung by many. While, Esme, had not even a wolf of her own. Her mother, though not Hawthorne by birth, was a skilled warrior, but she—Esme, was weak. For someone born into a family of warriors, she was a disgrace, and if her family were alive to see her now, they would be greatly disappointed. Esme cried for herself for so long that she lost track of time and didn't even know when she fell asle
Every bad situation will have something positive. Even a dead clock shows the correct time twice a day. —Anonymous— With a darkened expression, Grant stared at his beta for a while without uttering a word. His mind was a wandering mess. “The seer?” Grant asked, and Leornado gave him a look with his brows raised. “Where is she?” He asked, rising to his feet. Without waiting for Leornado. He marched for the door, and Leornado had to run after him due to his long and fast strides. If there was one thing that they all knew was that the woman's words, though always twisted and probably exactly on point, she was never truly wrong. Whatever she saw, there must be some truth to it. He knew something major was about to transpire. “She is in her tower, your Majesty,” Leornado replied, finally able to match Grant's pace. Grant didn't speak after hearing that and rather increased his pace. The maids and guards they came across bowed respectfully to the alpha king, but he didn't acknowl
A low and ferocious erupted from deep within Grant that had Leonardo backing away from him, taking backward steps until he was out of the door and his back pressed against with his bowed and eyes staring at his feet. “Alpha…” Leonardo uttered, respect and submission dripping from his voice and stance. Grant staggered forward. The battle between them and the beast in him, visible. After almost two minutes of battling it out mentally, Grant leaned on the wall and slid to the ground, sitting with his elbow propped on his right knee while his palm covered his face. “I didn't mean to do that,” he said. Even without referring to anyone in particular, Leonardo knew it was him his king was talking to. Leonardo finally raised his head and looked at Grant. He sighed in relief, knowing the man had won over the beast. He then sat down beside Grant in a similar posture. “I know that very well, your Majesty,” Leonardo replied. “Have you figured out what he wants? The alpha beast, I mean.”
“Her pulse is weak, but she will make it,” the pack healer said as she examined Esme. Her face contorted when she saw the many scars on the body of Esme, but she was quick to mask it before the wrong set of people saw it.“Give her the medicine and apply the herb to her wounds. She will recover faster that way,” she said again as she packed up her stuff. She knew the girl was maltreated qnd abused by everyone, but seeing her like that and the result of the actions, the marks on her body were equivalent to being branded. Such scars would leave a lasting effect on a person. The physical ones might fade with time, but the emotional scars might never fade, especially if she keeps on being subjected to such cruel treatment. She felt bad for her but there was nothing that she could do. Not unless she wanted to offend the alpha and his family as well as all of the NightCrawler Pack.“Thank you, Lucy,” Alicia said, truly grateful that woman could make it in time. Lucy nodded her head at t
WARNING!! THIS CHAOTER CONTAINS SENSITIVE CONTENTS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE ACCEPTABLE TO ALL!******************Esm only regained consciousness just before sunset. As soon as her eyelids fluttered open, she immediately wished her timing had been better. At least after the two people in her room were gone.She could barely make out their images, but she knew without a doubt that they were right there, staring at her without an ounce of pity, despite her close brush with death.She didn't want to look at them, so she turned her back to them, her eyes once again shut tightly. “And here I thought you were dead,” Dawson was the first to speak out of the two siblings. She didn't need to look at him to know what kind of expression they had on their faces.“I told you she is just feigning her illness,” Ophelia said, her tone laced with irritated as if she couldn't stand the sight of Esme. The smell of herbs filled the room, but these siblings acted as if they couldn't perceive it. Even Esm
“I….I dont…. I am not…” The healer fumbled with her words, which only aggravated Grant's anger, and once she felt the temperature in the room drop, she knew she had already messed up. “I have never seen anything like this before, my King. The child, she.. is not ill. I can't find the cause of the pain,” she quickly said, knowing she had to say something despite her stuttering, “Then what good are you being here, alive?” Grant stared at her, his beats prowling just beneath the surface. It was as mad as he was that the healer they kept around had proven to be useless at the time she was needed the most. The healer staggered back, her heart accelerating at the king's words, knowing that if something wasn't done, then she was done for. “Please your Majesty, let me try again. I know I can…” she said, trying as hard as she could to do something before her life came to an unwanted end. “Take her away and find someone more capable,’ Grant ordered, and the healer slumped to the ground. Her
Esme had never felt anything this before. This pain, it was as if her insides were being pulled at, and her heart squeezed painfully. It was excruciating. She couldn't even hear her own voice despite how loud she was shouting.She felt like stripping of her clothes, doing anything that could take the pain away, and then suddenly, she felt a pair of arms curl around her frame. She couldn't discern what was happening or but she felt the spark that traveled through her body. It was Grant. Even though she didn't want to get any closer than she already was, being in his arms did make everything feel better. She could breathe unlike before when breathing was also a difficult task to do just a few seconds ago.Wanting relief, she clung to him, her soft and delicate body clinging to his harder one. It felt just perfect. She sniffed him, and strangely enough, that helped too.She rubbed her face on his own while her hands curled around his nec
At the NightCrawler Pack,Dane stood in frustration. Not only has he lost his pack, but he has also lost the last Hawthorne. A pureblood blessed one. His aura reek menace and everyone who came close instinctively drew away, not wanting to get caught by in the Alpha's wrath.“Why did you let them take her, Father. You know what a great loss that is,” Dawson snapped, stomping towards his father. Ever since his injuries healed and he learned that Esme had been taken away, all he did was make a fuss. Regretting why he listened to his father and not slept with girl when he wanted to. Now, the so-called king has taken her. Even he couldn’t ignore the blessed bloodline. “We have to get her back,” Dawson stated firmly. His fists tightly clenched at his side, and his teeth gnashed against each other out of anger and irritation. The very idea that she was gone and no longer within their grasp rubbed him so terribly badly that he didn't care if the one who had taken her was the king.“Watch yo
Several hours later, Esme and Alicia were within the palace walls. The grand palace of Lyrria stood majestically before them. The air was refreshing, and the knowledge that they were finally out of the NightCrawler Pack offered them another sense of relief. Running from one of the cars, Alicia happily approached Esme. “My lady,” Alicia called, smiling as she looked ahead of them, her hands clasped together and her eyes brimming with happiness. “We are finally out of there,” Esme said, and Alicia nodded her head. “Yes. And it's all thanks to you, my lady,” Alicia said. She looked at Esme gratefully. She was still shocked that Esme was mated to the king, but then, she knew Esme deserved only the best the world could offer. The NightCrawler Pack and Alpha Julius just didn't see her importance and value, and now, someone else had seen it. The goddess smiled on Esme. Their lives would take a turn for the better.For the first time since the incident, Alicia smiled. She appeared rejuven
Meanwhile, as Esme and Alicia followed Leonardo to where the cars were parked, they encountered Alpha Dane and Dawson. They instinctively became more cautious, but that also had their hearts accelerating, and the abnormality was at once noticed by Leonardo.He looked at them and found nothing wrong, but once his eyes caught sight of Aloha Dane nearby. He immediately understood why. ‘The healer wasn't lying after all,’ he thought. He had believed her when she told him everything, but he didn't think it would get to the extent that the mere sight of him would frighten the girl so much. He looked at her and didn't know how to address her. Grant hadn't said anything about it yet. Although it would only be right to call her the queen, she was yet to be crowned, and no one else knew about her being the king's mate. “Miss Esmeralda,” he called and even walked around them to shield them from the direction of Alpha Dane. Esme looked at him silently, waiting for him to state his reason for c
The healer looked around, making sure that no one else could hear them before she spoke. “The last Hawthorn. Please take her away. I don't know what they'll do to her once everything settles down, but I know that it will be severe. She warned the pack this would happen, but no one listened and even punished her for it. I am afraid she would be blamed for this too if…”“There's a surviving Hawthorne within the Night Crawler Pack?” Leonardo asked, and this was new information to him. He doubted even Grant knew about this. The report that was given to them in the past was that every member of the family was lost in the incident that claimed the family. Why would the Night Crawler Pack hide such information?The healer was taken aback by the question, but soon, it dawned in her that the royal capital didn't know about Esme. “Yes, there is, and she warned the pack about the attack a few days ago. We would have been more prepared if the alpha and the pack had taken seriously her words.”
A sense of satisfaction washed over Esme as she watched Alpha Dane struggle with his words. His rigid body almost had her laughing, but she fought against her urges. Then she heard his apology, it was far from genuine and sincere, but Esme knew that this was the first time in a very long time anyone in the NightCrawler Pack ever thanked her. Dane and his family were the worst. They worked her to the bone but never said thank you, not even once. Not that she expected anything from the people who tormented her, but at least, thank you wasn't a hard thing to say. And it was only to do so when a person deserves it. ‘Perhaps I am undeserving in their eyes’? Esme thought. Her fist clenched at her side, and her teeth gritted in anger, but her expression remained stoic, but that sense of satisfaction from earlier quickly faded away.“Are you satisfied with this?” Esme heard Grant ask, and she whipped her head upwards to look at his face. He was genuinely asking her if she was pleased with
A low growl reverberated through his chest as it made its way out, sending a chill down the spines of everyone who heard him. His gaze turned sharp as he stared at Dane, who had rudely interrupted his conversation with his mate even though it was unintended.Yes, sweetheart. Is there a problem with that?” Grant asked. Dane shook his head, and Grant took a predatory step forward, but Esme held him back. He looked at her, and she shook her head.“Forgive me, Your Majesty,” he quickly apologized, but the mistake had already been made, and there was no way he could take it back. “It is fine. I don't care about what they think or say,” she said, finally regaining her voice and strength to speak again. Maybe it was the way Alpha Dane was affected by seeing her standing beside the king or the disbelief in his eyes f as he was starting to piece together the fact that she meant more to the king than he had assumed. Whatever it was, she liked his irritation and unease. This mate bond may be n
It's in the palm of your hand now, baby It's a yes or a no, no maybeJust be sure, before you give it all to me— Katy Perry — dark horse —******“Can you talk to me…please?” Grant pleaded, wishing to understand what was really happening. One second ago, she was willing to go with him, but the next, she didn't even want to be touched by him at all. “Mate?” Esme stopped struggling when she realized how futile it was to keep doing that. His grip, although not too strong to hurt her, she was still unable to break free. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, and she had to swallow the saliva before being able to speak properly. “You are the king,” she said in a whisper. Grant frowned but nodded his head as he finally grabbed what caused the sudden change in her.“Yes, I am, but right now, that is not important. I am your mate at this moment, and that's all that matters to me,” he said, hoping she would understand as he was able to put the pieces together. “We can dis