She paused and said, “I couldn’t.”“I insist.” Rhode said and reached for his bag, bringing out a wrapped piece of pastry.Melody took one look at Rhode and Brian who gave a small nod, “thank you.” She said and took the food from Rhode’s hand.“You can sit.” Rhode said to her and she took a quick seat in front of both men. She unwrapped the pastry and the fresh scent of the pastry hit her nostrils, “it’s fresh!” She said excitedly and Brian smiled, “we use a special wrapper that traps the heat. It remains fresh for up to ten days.” He told Melody.“I see.” She said, “Thank you.”She bit down on the pastry an
Megan stood at her opened door visibly taken aback.“Hello.” Megan said awkwardly, who was this girl?Melody stood at the door, looking at Megan as if studying her features. The encounter made Megan greatly uncomfortable.Megan broke the silence and said, “Do you work here? Are you here for something?” She asked Melody, referring to her uniform.“No.” Melody simply said.Megan looked at the girl and was beginning to feel creeped out, Margaret assured her that the inn was safe and secure. There was a strange girl standing outside her door who was just looking at her and she was unsure of how to handle the situation.“Okay. Well, goodb
“How was your night?” Rhode asked as he took his seat opposite her.Megan was wearing a red dress that complimented her deep red hair. From what he say, it was a flowy dress with an accentuated neckline. The glimpse of her neckline he saw was exquisite. She was showing a bit more skin than she did when she was still queen of the East and he was not opposed to it.She looked divine in everything.“I slept well.” She said and took a breath, “How did you sleep?” She asked in return. Megan was unsure of how to ask him about Melody. If they were still lovers, she did not want to make it seem as though she was interrogating him on his history with women before her. She was married to a man just a day before after all.“I-”
Brianna froze in her steps.“I mean, you can stay if you need to. Please do not let my presence disturb you.” A concerned Brain said.“Oh, thank you. I shall stay, then.” Brianna said, walking towards one of the trees. As she got underneath it, the breeze on her skin felt wonderful.She was still hyper aware of Brian’s presence close to her. They stood under trees that were next to each other.“I have been wanting to apologize.” She heard him say, “what?” she asked, unsure of what he said.He walked towards her and said, “I have been wanting to apologize.” He repeated.Brianna flushed and said, “Oh, please. I
Brianna stood wide-eyed, watching Brian as he approached her and the other two ladies.“Hello, ladies, Brianna.” He acknowledged them, calling Brianna’s name made the hairs on the back of her neck stiffen.Why was he singling her out?“Hello, sir Brian.” Brianna said. Mia and Rona also acknowledged his presence though Rona was doing a poor job at hiding her very obvious crush on him.“May I speak with you?” He asked her, Mia and Rona stared at her as though she had a second head.“Alright…” She responded. He stretched out his hand, leading her to his front.After they were a considerable distance away from pe
In Rhode’s carriage, he was thinking about how to break the awkward atmosphere between him and Megan.He thought that giving her the necessary information about Melody would help but Megan had not looked at him since then.What was she thinking?He hated to start on a bad foot with her, on their first day back to the Western Kingdom.“Penny for your thoughts?” He asked, trying to sound casual.Megan was in deep thought about a lot of things. It was farthest from her intentions to seem awkward or distant.She was just unsure about how to not be so affected by the Melody situation. Although Rhode had assured her that she was nothing but an old friend, memories of h
Megan was more excited than nervous to her own surprise. The buildings moved closer as they rode faster.She sat back down to face Rhode, a light smile on her lips. “Are you good?” Rhode asked her, unable to tell what was going on in her mind.Megan nodded and said, “nervous.”He acknowledged her feelings with a tight smile and said, “ I’m returning home with the most beautiful bride. They should be nervous.” Megan laughed, “you always know when to crack a joke Rhode Wales.Rhode chuckled lightly, “you will make the best queen.”Megan gave a small smile. That was what everyone said before she became Richardson’s wife and queen of the East. It sounded like an innocent compliment then but now that she thought of it, it felt almost like a trap to be the best there has ever been. Not that she planned on being anything short of that though, it just set really high expectations for her and because she was Megan, she always managed to overcome anything that would easily drown the common p
The silence that followed Rhode’s announcement was almost deafening. For a moment, Megan felt as though the ground would be very kind to open up and swallow her.Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone clapping, and one by one the sound of clapping grew more and everyone was standing.“Welcome, our future queen.” Lord Rosebud said, approaching her with outstretched arms.The gesture took Megan by surprise but she was very glad. She hugged Lord Rosebud and for the first time since she stepped out of the carriage, she left Rhode’s hand. “Thank you.” She said to him,Rhode took her hand back in his and she smiled back at him. He leaned and whispered in her ear, “the worst part is over. We’ll be back at your temporary quarters shortly.” She nodded in response.One by one, every person that was present came to pay their respects to Rhode and Megan.“I am glad the King has finally found a good thing.” One of the old men said.“Welcome to the West.” Another said.“It’s good to finally have
Megan smiled at the knitting thread in her hands that had begun to form something that was a cross between a sock and a skirt? Oh well, she had not expected to be perfect anyways.She was never the knitting or crocheting type, preferring to wage wars with a pen and usurp kingdoms. Plan coups and displace rulers. But for the first time in her life, she was seated in a rocking chair with two needles in her hands as she tried to spurn the perfect dress or scarf for her precious baby.“This is quite the sight.” Rosetta laughed as she strolled in with a basket under her arm and sunflowers in her hair. And Megan lightened up instantly.“Rose, come and take a look at this!” She ordered in excitement, and Rosetta dropped the basket of laundry she was holding and hurried over.“Well?! What do you think?” She demanded, and Rose made an expression that was a cross between a wince and a grimace.“Err, it's a very nice head warmer?” Rosetta asked cautiously as she stared at the strange item and Me
Admittedly, due to his friendship with Rhode, and knowing him so well, it had been hard for Brian to transition from best friend to subordinate. In fact, he had been ready for the friendship itself to end as Rhode would undoubtedly have more influential people to mix with, but to his surprise, he was held tightly by his friend. Metaphorically speaking of course.So due to those factors as well as some important ones, he had forgotten what his friend was truly capable of, but in moments like this, he tended to remember.He had only seen Rhode use what they had come to know as the imperial sway once, and even then was nothing compared to what Brian was witnessing.The council members were now on their knees as they writhed and pleaded for mercy, but he could see from his friend's eyes that he had none to give them. To his relief however, Rhode had exempted him from the turmoil discreetly, so Brian raised a hand to his bleeding nose, as he wiped it, and gave a reassuring nod to his frie
Rhode could not contain his anger when he woke up the next morning. He had stirred up to find himself in Brian's bed, and that was not the only unflattering thing that happened.He could still feel the bitter residue of whatever drug he had unknowingly consumed the night before, and knew, without anyone telling him, that the drug must have been potent.And what's worse? He could still feel the weakness in his bones that came from denying his body what it had been forced to desire last night. Doing that had only been through sheer force of will, as was everything he did, but oh was he pissed off.He knew the gist of what had happened by now, his own court members, or one of them at least had dared to poison him, and he knew without the doubt that if he had stayed in his room last night, he would have been violated, but the court would not have seen it that way, and would have demanded that he took responsibility for the cursed woman.He knew everything, and that was precisely why he co
Aspen, although severely ungrateful with her lot in life, had never truly suffered in any way, at least not to the people around her, although that opinion would soon change when the western kingdom got wind of her less than pure movement.Richardson had been quick to dispel the rumors and dismissed everyone, but even his kingly presence, note the sarcasm, was not enough to rid the accusations from the people's minds and seal their lips.As a result, she had been extra careful not to go outside, partly because everybody seemed to look at her like a murderer, e.g the servants and ladies maids, but also because of the appearance of Duke Elric.She had seen the way Richardson went pale at the sight of him, and had begun to question if making a deal with such a man was wise at all. But it was too late now, she was already indebted to him, and he held the secrets that could bring her to ruin at the tip of his untrustworthy tongue.“Aspen!” Richardson barked as he slammed the door to her ch
Megan frowned as she stared at Rhode's face, and that was the moment something was not quite right with the Alpha. Why, sweats were dotting his forehead and he looked positively flushed, she wondered if he had too much wine.But it was more than that, wasn't it? Right from when Lord Fuhler and Aldrien seemed to want Rhode to stay back, but the friendly man she had met before had battled for the opposite.“I wonder if he is alright.” She murmured to herself, but the woman sitting beside her seemed to have no qualms for manners as she blatantly listened in, and turned to Megan.“Perhaps you should verify.” She said so softly and quickly that Megan was left to wonder if she had imagined the soft whisper.“You know something.” Megan turned to her with an accusing look, but she simply busied herself with cutleries as she ignored Megan and casted graceful smiles to everyone in the room instead, the picture perfect queen, but Megan was too in her head to put her properly in her place.Someth
Rhode sipped the wine sitting in front of him in an effort to clear the strange feeling in his throat. He had no idea what was going on, only thing he knew was that he had started to tune out the conversation slash confrontation going on around the table.Tried as hard as he might, he just could no longer pay attention to Megan, he was beginning to harbor a terrible kind of suspicion.“Alpha,” Brian concerned voice shook him a little from his stupor, but for some reason it felt like Brian was yelling at him from a place he could not quite reach, under the ocean perhaps.“Brian?” Rhode whispered, something was quite wrong, but he could not pinpoint what it was. His hands shook as he tried to pick up the knife in front of him.“I am here Alpha, what is going on?” Brian asked behind him, he could hear the muted panic in his voice. Brian was worried, and that informed the strangely inebriated Rhode that perhaps he should be worried too.“I feel drunk.” He confessed slowly to his best frie
Mirabel hurried towards the dining room, she needed to talk to her father physically, to put an end to his craziness.If Rhode finds out what she did to him then it would be well within his rights to put her to death, and no one would bat an eye, people have been condemned for less.She needed to speak sense into her dad, he was becoming too reckless with his ambition and it would result in tragedy, Mirabel was sure of it.Her dad wanted the throne, he had coveted the position of Alpha for a very long time, and Mirabel knew that from a very tender age he had viewed his daughter as a stepping stone to his great ambition, but this had gone too far.“My lady, you have not gone to the dining area since Alpha Micheal, why are you doing so now?” Rose asked with apprehension as she led the way to her father, and Mirabel grimaced.“As much as I don't want to see the People, I want to die even less.” Mirabel answered with a wry smile.She was not afraid of dying, far from it. She was afraid of
“The cheek of that woman!” Rosetta gritted angrily as she paced in Megan's suit, and Megan shrugged, biting her lips in deep thought. Mirabel Fuhler, the dethroned queen. She had the perfect motive for vengeance, didn't she? But yet, Megan could not help but feel like she was missing a very important part of the puzzle.There was a chasm when it came to Mirabel. If Rhode was to be believed, then his claim that Mirabel had been the perfect wife to his brother should be believed too, right?If she had been faithful and loving to the late Alpha, then there would be no reason for her to wish to jump the wagon so soon. Something was definitely fishy, and Megan was determined to find out what it was. The former had been silent since her arrival to the palace, she had ignored the whispers about being dethroned that floated around the court like smoke. She had been perfectly polite when they met, so why on earth would she do something like this? It just did not make any sense. Unless she wa
Mirabel had only said what she did as a joke, but seeing the stiffening figures before she could not help but wonder if she was right after all, and if so, what exactly was she right about?Megan was a very intelligent woman, she was formidable as well, with the dangerous ability to sniff out enemies from wherever they were hiding.Now while Mirabel herself might not have had anything to do with Megan's incident, thus absolving her of guilt, but she could not say the same for her ambitious father, and that made her want to creep into Megan's mind, to see if she had come to the same conclusion, and to snuff her out if she had to. It was her duty to protect the Fuhlers name, and she could not let anyone that might proof to be a danger to said name, walk around freely.But she was finally evenly matched, she could see the intelligence in Megan's eyes, and the cunning of her smile, she could not be caught off guard before such a woman, she needed her wits about her.So she had said what s