*ALEX* The following day... After lunch, Lauren and I welcomed the new caretaker. A couple in their late 50s arrived with their meager belongings to start working in the mansion. "Good afternoon, Sir, Madam. We are the new caretakers sent by Luna Alicia," the husband said. "Welcome to our family mansion!" I said cheerfully. "I'll bring you to your room so that you can rest and freshen up before I give you a tour of the house," Lauren told the couple. "Thank you, ma'am, Sir!" the couple replied in unison. I remained in the living room while Lauren brought the couple to their room. Then she returned to the living room and said, "I'll get the refreshment from the kitchen." "OK." I nodded my head and continued chatting with my siblings and parents in our family chatroom. A few minutes later, Lauren returns with a platter of refreshments and a snack for the caretaker. The caretaker couple joined us in the living room and had a snack with us. After the snack is over, we give the co
*LAUREN*The day of our departure to the city has finally arrived.I wake up early, at 6:00 in the morning. I didn't get up from the bed right away; instead, I stared at the ceiling of my room, and a mixture of excitement and sadness surged through my veins. I'm excited to see the city of my dreams and sad at the same time because I'm going to leave behind this place that has been my home for many years.I can no longer visit Granny's grave all the time. I wish to return here someday to pay her a visit. I will always remember this place. A single tear fell from my eyes. I felt emotional all of a sudden.I glanced out the window, feeling melancholy. I can't understand myself. I felt excited yesterday and last night before I went to sleep. I've been waiting for this day; my dream of seeing the city and finally working there is about to happen.It's too good to be true!I'm not gonna lie; the truth is, Mr. Wolf, make my dreams come true. Despite his perverted nature, he is actually a goo
*ALEX* I was browsing my phone, but my mind was on my lovely companion just a few inches away from me. She was trying her best not to get so close to me, but sometimes it's not possible at all because our knees and arms would touch because we are in close proximity to each other. Three hours later, she was already feeling sleepy; she pressed her head on the car headrest and closed her eyes. A few minutes later, she was already resting her head on my shoulder without her knowledge. I gently kissed her head, expecting her to wake up and slap me in the face, but nothing of the sort occurred, so I'm ecstatic. I let her head rest on my shoulder and made her sleep as comfortably as possible. One hour later, she finally woke up and was surprised to find her head resting on my shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said apologetically and composed herself. "Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked. "You were sleeping on my shoulder, so I let you sleep as much as you wanted. It's fine with me, sweethea
*ALEX* My parents were sitting on the bed with a grim expression on their faces. "Dad, Mom," I nod my head to them. "I thought you, guys, had already gone home?" I said, lowering myself onto the chair facing them. "Son, let's talk about Lauren," my father said. I heaved a sigh, getting ready for my parents attempt to convince me to give up my human mate. "What about her, Dad?" "It looks like she is not willing to be your Luna." My father said, poking a stick to dig deeper into the truth. "Yeah, but that would change soon," I responded confidently. "How long do you have to wait, son?" My mother interjected. "Give me a month," I said. "One month is too long, son. How about you meet Natasha for the time being? She is our chosen Luna for you, and the council agrees as well. If you present a human mate to the council to become your Luna, they will definitely oppose it. Natasha is the best candidate to be your Luna. Before you get serious with Lauren, meet Natasha first, you might l
*LAUREN* I opened my eyes and woke up to a bright, sunny morning. I sat upright and glanced at the window; the sun's rays were flooding in. "Huh? Did I forget to close the window last night?" Maybe yes; I just can't remember. I scanned my room and liked it despite the color of the wall, which is pink—too girlish for my liking but much better than my room in the mansion. The best thing about the room, aside from its big closet and comfy bed, is the 32-inch smart TV. Wow, I can finally watch fantastic TV shows again! I smiled brightly; my morning started great! I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling of my room, processing everything. What happened last night? Ah, the entire family of the Alpha King was here last night, and I almost passed out due to nervousness. Good thing Luna Alicia is very nice and accommodating to me. They are really nice, down-to-earth people, despite their royal blood. But then I couldn't care less because I'm not a werewolf; I'm a human being. Th
*ALEX* After we finished eating our breakfast, Lauren asked my permission to see the garden. "I'll just check the garden. I'll be back before you know it," she said. "Go ahead, enjoy the flowers," I responded, giving her permission. "Are you sure you don't need anything?" she asked. "I'm fine, sweetheart. I'll call you later if I need you to do something for me," I said, and I began reading the newspaper while sitting on the comfy sofa in the porch, in direct view of the fountain and the garden, where I could see my mate clearly. When the guard opened the gate wide and a black sedan car entered my property, I was on page five of the newspaper. I was expecting Bart, my beta, to come today, and he could be driving that car that was now parked in the driveway. A blond guy with clean-cut hair and an easy smile exited the car and approached my location. He was sporting a bright smile on his face. "Alpha Alex! It's nice to see you again!" he gushes. I nodded my head and smiled at my
*LAUREN* I continued ignoring Alex inside the moving vehicle until we reached his house. I didn't even bid him goodnight. I went straight to the second floor and locked myself in my room. I will not leave the room until the morning comes. It's a good thing I've already eaten pizza and fried chicken to last me for the whole night until I fall asleep. I was furious that he kissed my head without my permission. How dare he kiss me? He's not even my boyfriend! I went to the window and looked at the gate. There's a security guard guarding the gate; it would be impossible for me to escape now. Alex has not lowered his guard since I attempted to escape the old mansion back in the countryside. He knew that I would try to escape again! I bit my lower lip. I felt frustrated because I'm now a prisoner in this house. Ah, not really a prisoner, but a semi-prisoner. Well, duh! 'You are not a miserable prisoner! You are a lucky prisoner because you can eat delicious food, sleep in a comfy b
*ALEX*I remained silent because I was observing Lauren and trying to analyze the subtle reaction on her face. Was she jealous of Natasha? Is she feeling sad right now? I want to know what she feels inside after learning about my bad news that took her by surprise."You can marry her anytime," Lauren stated calmly. She no longer had the surprised expression on her face; instead, she was portraying a calm exterior. "Can I still continue working here in your house?" she asked.I was disappointed with her question. I was hoping that she would beg me not to marry Natasha, but instead she asked if she could continue working here in my house, which was not exactly the answer that I was hoping for.No, you can't continue working here if I marry another woman. Natasha will kick you out for sure," I said, hoping to get the right response from her this time.Sadness enveloped Lauren's face. Tears shimmered in her eyes. She looks like she's going to cry any moment. Finally! A smirk curled up on
*3rd POV*Two days later, Alex and Lauren returned to the city from their short vacation.Alex proceeded to his house while Lauren returned to Magnus' residence.Lauren opened the door, climbed the staircase, and went to her bedroom. The house was still quiet, an indication that the owner hasn't returned yet. His prolonged absence got her worried.What could have happened to him? She hopes he is alright.Lauren put her bag on the floor and saw the envelope on her pillow. Her brows knit together; what is this? She picked up the envelope and found a letter inside. It was written and signed by Magnus.~Dear, Lauren...When you read this letter, I'm already back in my kingdom because there are still a lot of things that need my attention. Peace has been restored in my kingdom. My brother and I are on good terms again. He finally let go of his woman for the sake of peace between the two kingdoms.In line with my current state of mind, I would like to let you go as well. You can go now and
*GRANNY URSULA*A while ago...When I looked out the window, I saw Alex in the car, then Lauren re-entered the house and investigate. I could have shown myself to the couple right at that very moment, saying hello to the two children that I raised like my own.The temptation to show myself to them again is very strong.I wanted to talk to them, have a conversation with them and hug them one last time but I can no longer do it. I can't look into Alex's eyes and pretend that I'm still the same old Granny Ursula that he used to know. I killed his grandparents and if he knows, he will hate me to the bone.I'm guilty of using the couple for revenge but I need to do what I have promised to my beloved queen when she lies dying in my arms in the garden.I can still recall vividly the pain of seeing her on the verge of death."Nanny, I'm dying. Please take care of my younger brothers on my behalf..." Queen Hesperia has a hard time breathing."Who did this to you?" I asked, my eyes filled with
*ALEX*I went home that morning and went straight to bed to sleep after eating a light breakfast.When I wake up in the afternoon, it's already 4:00 p.m. I texted Lauren that I'm going to her place to bring her to a place far from the city so she needs to bring some clothes with her.I haven't told her yet about what happened to my grandparents dead bodies.I need to go to a place that is quiet and relaxing to de-stress.Half an hour later, I'm already out of my house. I get into my car and drive to Lauren's place.After a few minutes of driving, I arrived at my destination and parked the car outside the gate of the vampire's residence.I texted Lauren that I'm already outside, waiting for her to come out of the house. I looked out the window on the second floor of the house and saw a silhouette. Who was that?When I looked closely, the silhouette had already disappear. Or maybe it wasn't there in the first place. Maybe my eyes just caught something that looks like the silhouette of a
*ALEX*When I arrived at the funeral parlor and went to the second floor of the building to join my sister and parents, I was shocked to find an empty room—no coffins or whatever—just flowers and candles on the floor. Instead, what I saw were my family members looking at each other with a shocked expression on their faces.I rushed to their sides. "What's wrong, guys?" I inquired."Son, the coffins were gone! It happened so fast! It's like a blink of an eye. I felt like I was frozen in time and I don't know what happened during those moments. But the moment we were unfrozen, we were surprised to see the two caskets gone!" Mom said it in a rattled tone.My brows snapped together. "What is going on?" I asked in disbelief. "Who would steal a coffin with dead bodies in it?" I said it in bewilderment."Brother, believe us when we say that someone has frozen us and stolen the coffins!" Lyn explained in an agitated tone."We got to find the coffins!" Dad exclaimed anxiously."Alright, calm d
~MAGNUS~"So, is this your good news to me?" I asked the silhouette standing near the window, my eyes blazing with anger. "I'm in the middle of a negotiation with the opposing kingdom to obtain peace and you just whisked me away just to show me this good news?"I feel like my heart is about to explode due to jealousy. "I tell you now that seeing Lauren with Alex is making my blood boil. I don't like it! And the fact that you tolerated them and did nothing to prevent them from seeing each other makes me feel like the person I trusted the most has betrayed me!"I looked at her, feeling upset. "You disappointed me! I left you behind to watch over Lauren on my behalf! Not to tolerate the couple's reunion! You didn't even try to do anything to separate them!"I no longer hide my displeasure. I felt annoyed that my precious woman was now getting back together with her ex."Your highness, this is not the good news that I'm talking about," Granny Ursula responded. "I'm sorry if you didn't lik
*ALEX*I haven't slept yet and the time was already past 2:00 in the morning. Lauren was sleeping soundly beside me on the bed. I've been wide awake the whole night, and I want to make sure that this night will go well without any mysterious occurrences on Lauren's part based on my mother's instruction.I even put a CCTV camera inside our bedroom as evidence that Lauren was with me the whole night, just in case something went wrong.I think the party has already ended by now.When my phone rang at 2:40 in the morning, my heart beat so fast.Damn!They will never call me at this hour unless something happens!I quickly grabbed my phone and read the message. It was from my mother and the contents of her message broke my heart into pieces.'Son, when I wrote this message, I'm still in the hospital. Your sister is fine, but both grandpa and grandma didn't make it. They died in the party venue; the guards found them dead after all the guests had gone home safely. The reason for their death
*ALEX* On the day of the masquerade ball, I was with my family the whole afternoon, chatting with everyone. The atmosphere in the house is fantastic, filled with lively chatter. We are in good spirits, riding the wave of excitement for tonight's event. It will be the first time that our family is complete and we will be attending the masquerade ball together. In the previous ball, it's always been me who is missing and my grandparents, so today is very special because it will be a family affair and everyone will be present on the festive occasion. Everyone is excited. I can see the shimmering excitement on their faces. By 5:00 in the afternoon, I made my exit and informed everyone that I'm going home and that I would see them at the party later. I left our family home, and part of me felt sad that I couldn't attend the party. I got into my car, drove into the heavy traffic and dropped by at the vampire's place. Lauren exited the gate and waved at me. I opened the door and she qu
*LAUREN* One week had passed already. I was waiting for Magnus' return every day, yet there was still no sign of him. What could happen to him? I hope he is alright and his kingdom didn't go to war. I'm worried about his safety. I was pacing back and forth in the living room. I glanced at the clock on the wall. Alex would come anytime soon. I agreed to sleep in his house every night as part of my commitment to our relationship. I already wrote a letter for Magnus and put it in his bed just in case he would arrive at an empty house. I explained in my letter that I'm going to sleep at my friend's house. I'll be back tomorrow morning and all he needs to do is text me and I'll reply right away. My phone rang and Alex sent me a message informing me that his car was already parked outside the gate. I grabbed my shoulder bag and exited the house. After locking the gate, I quickly get into the passenger seat of Alex's car. "Hi, sweetheart." Alex greeted me cheerily. "I hope I didn't make
*ALEX* The following day, me and Lauren woke up late. After having a glorious night, we welcome the morning with fresh perspective and refreshed energy. I kissed Lauren's cheeks. Her eyelids stirred on the verge of waking up. "Good morning, sweetheart!" I greeted her jovially. "Morning!" She replied in a sweet tone, caressing my jaw. I patted her arms lovingly. "I'm going to work today. If you want, you can accompany me in my office," I offered. "No, thanks. I should go home." She refused my offer politely, getting off the bed and going to the bathroom. A few moments later, she emerged from the bathroom, returned to bed, and said, "Can you drop me off at the house on your way to your office?" "Sure! That's what I have planned in my mind already. I will send you home after we have breakfast," I answered. "Thank you," she murmured. "We can also teleport, right?" "Yes, we can do that as well. But I prefer that we use the car so that we can talk along the way," I said, gazing at