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
Megan flushed down the remaining strips in the toilet and rinsed her face with ice cold water from the tap.She didn’t want to leave any evidence behind that she had been crying. In the mirror, however, her face still looked pink and puffy and she still felt the lingering nausea.Was this how pregnancy was like?After getting back in bed to try sneak in some more hours of sleep, Rosetta and Brianna entered the room.“Good morning, Luna!” They said, a bit too loud for Megan’s ears but she answered them nonetheless.Perhaps she was just cranky this morning. She was determined to look and act as normal as possible.Despite the fact that she abruptly made up her mind to leave the East after her divorce, she wasn’t sure how to break the news to either ladies that she would be leaving.She didn’t have a clear plan so she couldn’t ask them to come along, she couldn’t.Megan let them draw her a bath and she sat at her vanity as Brianna pic
What?”Megan asked, turning to look at Rhode. Clearly she heard wrong.“Marry me, my queen.” Rhode said again, holding her eyes.This was not the time nor the place he planned on proposing yet somehow he felt compelled to at this very moment.“Why?” Megan was finally able to ask.“Why what?”“Why would you want to marry me? What’s in it for you?” “Do I have to have some ulterior motive? Can I not just want to marry a beautiful woman?”“Who is broken goods.” Megan added, getting up.“You’re not broken goods, Megan. You’re the best of only your kind.”“You flatter me but I’m afraid your words fall on deaf ears. I could never marry you.”Rhode’s heart sunk to his belly.“Why?”“Because I can’t.”“That’s not an answer, my queen.”“That is enough, Rhode Wales. I will act as though this night never happened. I appreciate your help these past few nights but I will handle my situation a
Mirabel fuhler walked through the hallway in deep thoughts as the long black skirt she still insisted on wearing to mourn her late husband Michael Wales, trailed behind her. The husband she never knew she needed. It pained that she spent years pining for another when the real love of her life was seated beside her and praying for her to look at him.And now she was being forced to marry the younger brother of that perfect man? It didn't make sense to Mirabel, not even one bit. She loved Michael, and the resemblance Rhode shared with him was also a punch to the gut every time she crossed his path.“My lady, are you sure you want to do this?” Her maid Anne asked as she led the way to the room of Rhode's bride to be from the west.“Exactly my lady, it does not really make sense. You were supposed to remarry Alpha Rhode, but he chose some wench from the west over you, why should you go to visit her?” Lily, are other maid questioned and for the first time in a long time, Mirabel was tickle
Richardson could not stop the growl that ripped from his throat at the scene before him. How stupid was Aspen exactly? To do this to the daughter of one of the great houses was not tolerable. The fact that she was pregnant with his kid aside, Aspen was not of a high birth, and she was already courting trouble.He was enraged. The inner court were already giving him problems, he could no longer control them, and he could his grasp slipping meeting by meeting. He missed Megan, she would have handled l those sniveling worms for him, with her he would not have to worry, he knew it. With her he had been safe, but like an idiot he had traded it for the spark of a fleeting passion with Aspen, it was simply sickening, he was sickening.Then he had the news come to him that Aspen was staring up trouble with the ladies of her inner court, mostly ranked above her, it was a source of shame, and one council member even had the guts to ask him that if he could no longer control his family, then how
Aspen tensed as she walked around the courtyard to investigate and discovered that her worst fears were being made a reality. The servants had already noticed the disappearance of one of them, and they were already starting to talk.“What's going on?” She asked with a feigned innocent at the maid walking silently two steps behind her, and she hurried to catch up with a bow.“Lucille is missing.” She informed Aspen, and stepped back again, causing Aspen to grit her teeth.“And? Why is Lucille missing?! What are they saying?!” She yelled, causing the maid to flinch backwards, and the eyes of several of the ladies around the courtyard to look at her judgementally.“S_she is rumored to be dead.” The maid whimpered, causing Aspen to stop on her tracks abruptly and distabilizing everyone walking behind her.Curling her trembling fingers together and hiding them under the folds of her extravagant dress, Aspen turned to look at the maid again, cold sweat doting her head.“Dead?” She asked, fo
“Alright, that's enough.” Megan laughed as she noticed the confusion in Brianna's eyes as she grew positively redder. Brian's gaze were still strong on Brianna as she stuttered in confusion, so Megan had no choice but to elbow Rhode that was halfway lying on her in laughter, and he sobered up quickly.“Alright, it's time we leave the ladies to their discussion, Brian.” Rhode interjected and started dragging the reluctant Brian with him, while turning back to shoot a wink at the amused Megan as she waved him goodbye.“Oh my God.” Brianna gasped as she swayed over to the bed and collapsed on it with sweat on her brows.“Yep, that was intense.” Rosetta agreed with a chuckle. “But at least we got to see one thing.” She added, causing the two other ladies to look at her curiously.“What?” The still amused Megan asked where she laid cradling her belly, and crunching down apples.*We learnt that he is definitely interested.” Rosetta giggled, sending Megan into fits of laughter immediately as
Megan's shrewd eyes followed the two men as they exited the room, and she could tell by the tension in their shoulders that they had found something, and it was not good.More than anything, she wanted to be there. After all, she was sure they were going to discuss her, and she wanted to figure out what. But before she could make her move, they were gone.“What's wrong my lady?” Brianna asked with apprehension as she no doubt noticed the heavy sighs Megan let out continuously, and she turned to reassure her worried friends.“It's nothing Brie, I'm fine, seriously.” Megan smiled as she patted Brianna's hand gently, but her expression remained distant as her thoughts returned to that night.Something was missing in her memory, but for the life of her she could not remember what, and she had no desire to worry them further.“Oh I know what's happening.” Rosetta interjected with a dejected smile, causing Megan and Brianna to exchange glances.“And what's that Ro?” Brianna asked as she til
Nodding, Rhode quietly knelt behind the still kneeling Megan and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and with a nod at Brianna and Rosetta, a silent command to watch over the lady, he moved towards the door with Brian on his heels.“Alpha, don't you think the lady should be a part of this conversation?” Brian asked as followed right on Rhode's heels, and halted when he did.“No, no keep it from her. If she knows about this, it would only hurt her, and I fear she is not well yet.” Rhode shrugged, causing Brian to nod understandingly behind him as they stepped into his study.Closing the door and shutting the windows tightly was not enough, Brian and Rhode were still paranoid. Any wolf could listen in the conversation if they really wanted to actually.“Okay, speak softly and quickly.” Rhode immediately commanded, and Brian nodded.“So I was looking into the attack that night, and one of our border guards said one of the dead wolves had this seal on them.” Reaching into his pocket, he thruste
“Brianna!” Rosetta cried as she hurried over excitedly, but Brianna was definitely not in the mood for any form of excitement whatsoever. She was still tired, and frankly she felt ashamed of herself. She could not believe that she had missed the signs of Megan's pregnancy.How could she have thought, she literally did everything for her, she prepared her bath, prepared her bed, prepared her clothes, she did all those, but how could she have missed the fact that her lady's body was changing.She had always prided herself on being observant, she had always thought that nothing relevant escaped her discerning eyes, she had always thought of herself as capable, but it was obvious now that her thoughts were nothing but a fluke. She was a fake.“Brianna! Why are you ignoring me?” Rosetta scolded as she got close enough to hit Brianna on the arm, causing her to flinch away.“Not now Rose, please.” Brianna pleaded as she shifted away, sorrow shining through her doe brown eyes.“Well I came be
Rhode had no idea what he was doing, he was working with his gut feeling at this point, and it was telling him to do the impossible, to rouse a fetus. That should not be possible, right? It was a fetus, but it was also a wolf, and he tried to remember that.“Wake up?” He asked Megan's stomach as he kept staring at it, but she was still unmoving, as stiff as a board, and Rhode's heart wilted a little.Leaning forward, he placed his ears directly on the surface of Megan's stomach lightly, as he reiterated the command.“Wake up.” Still nothing, he was beginning to lose hope, cupping his hand around Megan's little hand, he couldn't help but regret the decision to bring her with him to the East. Maybe if he had left her back home, she would still be alive. And the thought was gut wrenching.“Megan, please wake up.” He tried not to sob out, he was an Alpha, but he certainly felt tempted to.“You would not abandon your Alpha like this, would you?” He asked her still form as her chest rose
Aspen was beside herself, she had been waiting for feedback from the rogue mercenary group she had hired to do her dirty job, but there was nothing from them, she could not reach them and they were obviously not reaching out to her.She was becoming more and more paranoid as the hours went by, it was a pretty simple plan really. Kill Megan and if possible that bastard husband of her’s as well, but if that was not possible then they were advised to withdraw right after attacking Megan.“Ah!” She yelled as she paced the length of her room uneasily. There were various scenarios running through her head, what if Megan was not dead though, what if the stupid rogues made a mistake that implicated her? What if the East were gearing up to war with the West just because of her?She shuddered at the thought. She knew Richardson would not hesitate to throw her to the wolves literally if it would prevent him from going to war, the coward, Megan raged.“My lady.” A maid stepped inside, causing th