The next morning, Rosetta and Brianna were drawing Megan’s bath when they heard a ruckus outside.“Is that Aspen, what is she doing in your quarters?”Brianna and Rosetta rushed out of the room.Aspen successfully swiped some gold jars from the hallway where Megan’s room was at.When the cleaners reported it missing, Aspen suggested that they searched everyone present.What Rosetta didn’t know was that Aspen had sent one of her maids to plant a piece of gold on Rosetta.During the search, one of the people searching found the gold on Rosetta.“That can’t be right! I’ve never touched anything in this hallway! I pass through it countless times a day.”“Yes! This is a mistake!” Brianna seconded.Everyone present was starting to murmur. Megan came out of her room, hearing the chaos.“What is the matter?” Everyone bowed. Aspen hated it.“Luna, some mini gold jars and trinkets are missing from the hall. Ms. Aspen suggested we do a search down of everyone who frequents the hallway and we fou
Megan left the garden, her mood now sour.The next morning, Rosetta was fixing pins in Megan’s hair when Richardson barged in.“What has gotten into you?!” He yelled.“Rosetta, please excuse us.”As soon as she left the room, “I don’t follow.” Megan said, looking at her reflection in the mirror.“What has gotten into you Megan?! Why are you so bitter towards Aspen?! You’ve changed!”Megan chuckled.“Changed, your majesty?”“Yes! I thought maybe last night would soften your mind but it seems it’s made up!”“I thought you would remain friends with Aspen!”“So you had sex with me because of Aspen.” Megan felt insulted.“Is it wrong? You have clearly been jealous.”“Why bother? What’s the point if I cannot get pregnant? You could have just kept ignoring my needs. I’ve been just fine.”“I see that now. I certainly regret it.” He spat and left the room.A tear slid down Megan’s face.That was probably the meanest thing he ever said to her. She hoped no one was eavesdropping.“Oh, your highn
Aspen’s parents came to the mansion to see Aspen and Richardson.It was the first time Richardson was ever seeing Aspen’s parents with her.For him, it was awkward. Seeing guests with a woman that wasn’t Megan.Aspen would be his wife soon anyway.“Your majesty.” The baron and the baroness bowed before Richardson.“Please, rise.” Richardson said.Aspen was sitting beside her parents. As she was not yet his wife, she couldn’t sit next to him per their custom.“Thank you for having us, alpha. Your castle is as breathtaking as always.” Baroness Bridget said.“Thank you, Baroness.”The air was awkward, Richardson didn’t want to have to see them but he thought it rude not to see his future in laws.Aspen had pleaded with him to see her parents. She wanted her parents to see the kind of life she was living. In the castle.“We just wanted to see the father of our grandchild.”Richardson gave an awkward smile.“It’s good to meet you both, your daughter is a good woman.”“Thank you, your majes
Jason took her to a part of the city that was busier than the central area where the institute was.There was a lot of music and dancing, very different from where she was from.“Stay close to me.” She heard Jason say through the noise.On reflex, she held his arm which made him laugh.“Stop laughing at me.” She said.“Sorry.”“You happened to come on one of our festival days. I promise it’s not this busy all the time.”“Okay!”Jason led her to what looked like the residential area.He led her to an igloo looking hut and they both entered.“We don’t have any hotels around here, as we never get tourists.” He said as they entered the hut.It was dimly lit and very cozy looking.“I’m not a tourist. I’m here on an official assignment.” Aspen retorted back.“I apologize. It just seemed like you wouldn’t have gotten a place to sleep if I left you there.”“I’m sure I would have been fine.” She snapped back.Jason raised a brow.“I’m sorry.” Aspen apologized, “I just can’t believe they left m
Aspen was woken up from sleep by the smell of fresh bread.She got up and traced where the aroma was coming from.“I didn’t know you had a kitchen.”Jason laughed, “I didn’t exactly give you a tour yesterday.” He started.“I’m aware our houses look like boring huts from the outside but inside, it’s pretty much the same as houses in the East.”“Except the outside bathroom.” Aspen added.“Except the outside bathroom. Though there’s also a reason for that, same as to why our houses look like huts from outside.”“Why?”“The water can make the rooms humid.”“Oh. Which can make it more cold?”“No. Which can make the thick layers we wear very uncomfortable.”“That makes a lot of sense.”“It does, doesn’t it? Here.” He handed her a piece of warm bread and a cup of tea.Aspen sniffed the cup and smiled“Tastes even better I promise.” Aspen took a bite of the bread and her eyes went wide.“There’s no way you made this! I could never get bread this good at home!”Her reaction warmed Jason’s hea
Megan was in her office attending to her duties. Duties that would soon belong to Aspen.She remembered spending most of her childhood and all of her teenage years training for the position of the wife of the alpha and future king.Never in a million years did she think she would be rounding up her projects, giving up the things she loved.Megan cried herself to sleep every now and then. She didn’t believe it would hurt this much if her marriage was purely political or if the mistress was a total stranger.It was hard for the queen. She hated especially that they had Rhode Wales and his entourage around.She had her guard up more than usual because Rhode was always at places where only she and Mason’s owner would know.Mason’s owner had never shown up and despite Brianna and Rosetta pitching to her that Mason’s owner was Rhode Wales, Megan simply couldn’t fathom it.
“Does this mean he saw me going or returning from my greenhouse?” She asked herself.“You went alone to your greenhouse, your majesty?!” Rosetta exclaimed.“Keep your voice down. I just took a stroll.”It wasn’t completely a lie. She did take a stroll, just that she had a destination in mind.She didn’t feel like telling Rosetta about seeing Rhode Wales or her nausea which led her there.“Luna?” Rosetta called from the other side of the table.“Yes?”“Brianna and I have been talking and we decided to tell you.”Megan dropped her pen and looked at Rosetta, “I’m listening.” She said, wondering what Rosetta and Brianna wanted to tell her.“We will follow you anywhere!”“I don’t understand, Rosetta.”“If you plan on leaving the cast
Chapter SixteenRhode entered the greenhouse. He must have heard wrong.“Rhode Wales, it may seem as though your physician here is in the business of telling jokes or making jest of a person and i’m not quite sure I appreciate being seen as a joke.”Doctor Ronda said, “I’m afraid I’m not telling a joke or making jest of you, Luna. Your presenting symptoms are without a doubt characteristic of early pregnancy.”Megan laughed and threw her head back. This doctor Ronda must be insane.“Pregnant?” Megan asked and laughed some more. She couldn’t help it.The barren queen suddenly pregnant? Hilarious!“If you’re not convinced, Luna, I have some sensitive test strips used in the West to confirm pregnancies. All you need is your early morning urine.”Doctor Ronda handed Megan a small bottle containing tiny white papers.“You can take as many as you need but let me be the first to say, congratulations queen.” Ronda said as she ex
Rhode stared at the happy faces of his men under the moonlight. They were all at home right then, even if they were miles away from their families and loved ones. Being civilized was the price they all had to pay for the life they had, but at times they were all overcome by a deep and dark sense of nostalgia that urged them to throw everything away and become one with the moon and the untamed creature within.It was something every wolf experienced as they were often forced to suppress their primal nature in order to live as civilized men. But it was more prevalent in men, so he knew every man under the sound of his voice could feel what he felt.He turned to look at Brian and noticed the light finally coming back to his features after days and weeks of endless court intrigues.He could only hope that Megan was alright back in the palace. He felt selfish for enjoying such a feeling of freedom without her but knew that he shouldn't. It was not what she would want, he could tell.He had
Rhode was already exhausted as he could feel his thighs chapping with every move of the horse he was on. He was not a novice rider by any chance, in fact he had learned how to handle a saddle before he could even shift into the creature that resided inside of him, but even the most seasoned horse rider would have gotten sick of being on top of the beast by now.He knew that if he was feeling this tired, and yet shockingly restless, then his men must be having it worse. They had been on the saddle for three days and three nights with no breaks in between after all.“How are you holding up?” Rhode turned to ask the surprisingly young man that rode by his left hand side. The young man was responsible for holding on to his armor, and by rights should not be able to keep up with his men, but Rhode was shocked by the dogged determination the boy had been exhibiting.“I am alright, alpha.” The boy answered, his voice tight with strain, and Rhode had to smile at this. They could converse now
Richardson could not help but gloat at the sight of the left state counselor's triumphant face. The man believed he had won, believing that with a few well placed strikes he had managed to disarm Richardson, which almost caused the alpha to gloat at his beady face.“We are going to squash the Faes!” Right stare counselor yelled, his eyes alight with a fierce light, and Richardson could not help but grin at the sight before him.He knew why they were so happy, knew that it had nothing to do with submerging the Faes and everything to do with the planned coup they planned on carrying out against him, and he could not help but grin bitterly.“Alpha, this could only mean one thing.” His trusted advisor Roderick murmured in his ear. But Richardson was unmoved, Roderick was not telling him anything he did not already know, so it kind of dampened the whole dramatics.“It will be alright.” Richardson shrugged, his expression carefully blank, trying to give nothing away.He knew that any slight
It felt like Aspen had been travelling on the rocky roads for days. Some days they strayed towards civilization, but her scruffy companion for some reason insisted that they kept closer to the swamp. A fact that never failed to rouse Aspen’s ire. She was with child, and more filthy and disgusting than she had ever been, and what was worse? She was expected to be okay with it! She had once tried to voice her concerns, but her scruffy companion simply stared at her with beady unsympathetic eyes that were void of any true desire to make her life more comfortable.“Wait! Slow down you bumble head!” Aspen yelled out raspily. Her voice was gone from serious dehydration. At this point she was seriously beginning to fear for the health of her poor baby.“Look, you could dawdle here all you want and wait for our captors to catch up with you, but I'm not going to do that with you, so I think we should part ways here.” Rudolph said firmly, his eyes unwavering, and Aspen gulped. She had no idea
Megan watched as Rhode and his army of about five hundred soldiers mount their horses they were intending to ride to the west. A lot of petitions were made for him to increase the number of warriors going with him, especially from Megan herself, but he did not take heed. Megan knew he did not wish to leave her defenseless so he was going without the appropriate amount of protection, and her love for him grew.Be safe out there.She nodded as he turned to find her in the crowd, he heard her, and he showed her by returning her firm nod.I will.It was an exchange of trust, so Megan tried to bite down on her anxiety as she wished she was not pregnant at the moment. It rendered her vulnerable, and Vulnerability was not entertained in the East.“He is really leaving.” Brianna whispered from where she stood behind Megan, and Rosetta nodded, her face lacking its usual cheer and awash with somberity.Megan could not help but wonder what caused such expression to overcome someone like Rosetta
Rhode glanced at Brian sideways, and he was immediately suspicious. There was a grin his friend was now sporting a glow that he did not have on a few hours ago. But he could say the same thing for himself, he thought, as he looked at Megan standing beside him, her back straight and her eyes firmly set on the Council members below. He could not be sure if he was putting her at risk by doing what he was doing, but he knew that it was a risk he had to take. He could not leave her and the rest of his family powerless. He had to protect Brianna as well, Brian was counting on him, so Rhode straightened his back as well.“As you all were previously informed, Lord Rosebud is going to be acting as regent in my absence, but there have been a few changes.” Rhode announced, and the entire council shuffled, not liking what they were hearing, but he couldn't care less. Rosebud was on board and that was all that mattered to Rhode.“What's this change about, alpha?” Lord Aldrien asked, his eyes shi
Aspen frowned as she was led outside to do her routine for the thousandth time since her kidnapping. It was the baby pressing on her bladder, and she tried to make that fact known, but they were not only not listening but were also rapidly losing patience with her.“May I request a female guard?” She murmured for the hundredth time since she got into their capture. She knew they had female guards, but for some reason she was constantly surrounded by males.“No. Move.” Was the eloquent reply she got as she was roughly prodded forward from behind, and Aspen frowned. She could not believe she was being forced to endure such indignities during her pregnancy with an Alpha.“I can take it from here.” Aspen muttered stiffly as they neared the approaching bush. She had to swallow down the approaching bile down her throat.“She said she'll take it from here.” The pack leader grunted, and Aspen turned her nose forward as she marched towards the bush with all the dignity she could muster.As soo
Brian hurried through the palace in his futile search for Brianna, but no matter how much he tried, he just could not find her. She was not with Megan in the sun drawing room, nor was she with Rosetta as he watched the bubbly woman interact with some maids, not even caring that they were below her station. The sight almost made him smile before he cleared his throat abruptly, and the room full of women turned towards him. Immediately he could see them straighten out their hair and clothes, and a few even did a quick swipe of lipstick across their lips at the sight of him, and Brian frowned as he wondered if they found his presence that imposing and unpleasant, so he hurried towards Rosetta.“I need to talk to you.” He told her urgently, before spurning on his heels to stride out, but as he left, he heard what sounded like protests behind and frowned. Women, he just could not understand them.“Sir Brian?” Rosetta gasped as she finally caught up to his uneasy figure pacing underneath
“Why did you take this decision without informing me about it?” Brian asked angrily as he bursted into Rhode's office, his wolf almost rising to the surface as he snarled, but Rhode simply smiled. He was expecting Brian after all, he knew that after his announcement in the council meeting about his decision to personally oversee the mission to the west, Brian would barge in on him, demanding an explanation.Everyone had been shocked when he dropped the bomb and announced his decision to follow the soldiers to the rescue of his rival, the western alpha, but he was determined.He knew the council were trying to domesticate him, he could sense it in the way they tried their best to put a stop to every and any activity that warranted leaving the four walls of his kingdom. They were trying to drive him insane with longing and rage, then introduce Lord Fuhler to him as a savior. He could see right through them that it was almost hilarious. Almost.But he would not be Rhode If he allowed t