Alyssa’s POVThe Red Maple Camp was not a kind place. It was created to imprison criminals and dangerous wolves. I certainly didn’t belong there, I was surprised I had lived this long. For the past five years, every breath I took and every word I muttered resulted in pain and punishment. It was my turn to clean the floors as part of my daily chores and I pulled at the wound on my back from the countless beatings and whippings I’d taken. I let out a hiss of pain, the wound and hunger making me dizzy. I took a deep breath, leaning on my hands to take a small break.My wolf, Carys, whimpered in warning, but it was too late when my watcher walked in. His eyes moved to the floor as he saw I wasn’t finished before his gaze roamed my body, making me shiver in disgust.I expected him to beat me for slacking off, but instead, he said, “It’s your lucky day Alyssa. Alpha Henry has come to collect you.”That couldn’t be right, could it? Had my father truly come to take me away from this place?T
Alyssa’s POVThe first face I saw when I returned home was Vivian, smiling innocently at me as she opened her arms, pulling me into a hug, “Welcome home, Alyssa.”I didn’t return her hug, just gave her a sharp nod and stepped back, I didn’t want to address her at all, let alone have her touching me. It was then I noticed the amount of wolves gathered, watching this reunion. I spotted faces I hadn’t seen since I was little, so many alphas and lunas that it was hard to keep track.“I wasn’t aware we were to have an audience, love,” My father spoke to Vivian.Vivian looked around in mock shock as she placed a hand on her heart, “Honey, don’t you think today is a special day? It’s not every day an alpha’s daughter turns eighteen! And I’m sure it’s tradition for the birthday girl to have a shifting ceremony.”My father opened his mouth to speak, quickly looking between Vivian and me. It was only my thirteenth birthday that Vivian had sacrificed her child and my father lost his true heir.
Alyssa’s POVMy father rarely mentioned my mother anymore, so hearing him say that, here in front of everyone made my heart ache.“Did mother have wings?” I asked softly through our pack’s mind speak. I had been so young I hardly remembered her.“She did, she was the only one in her family to have them. They were small, but they were a symbol of power, especially since the Feather Wing Pack had almost lost that magic entirely. Your mother was a very special woman and would be so proud to see this.”I wish she could see me too, I thought to myself. If she were here I wouldn’t have endured those years in Red Maple Camp.Whilst I was lost in my thoughts a my father’s praise, neither I nor Carys saw the stone flying towards us. The stone cracked against Carys’ face and she couldn’t help but let out a sharp growl.Caleb was glaring at us with more anger than a four-year-old should know, “Go away! Go away! You’re going to ruin my family!” He cried.He reached down, picking up another stone
Alexander’s POVI knew it was her from the second I saw her. Five years had grown and matured her with her silky chocolate hair cascading down the small of her back. Her blue eyes shined with defiance and will and it almost made me smile, proud to see the woman she had grown into. Our Mate, Caspian whispered to me in pride. Quickly, I shut him out as I reminded myself of why I was here.I hid around a corner after my glimpse of her. My mother had instructed me to wait until after Alyssa’s shift to make my appearance. It didn’t matter what her wolf was like, whether it was small and weak or strong and powerful, I was here to reject my mate, not accept her.“Alex, my dear boy, Frey is who I have chosen for you,” My mother, the Luna Queen Lina, reminded me before I set off for the ceremony, “This marriage will give you the support of both the Fire Bone pack as Vivian’s daughter and the Ice Heart pack as the future Alpha’s sister. You need every advantage if you want your father to pass
Alyssa’s POVI didn’t know if it was the sudden change of weather or the stress from the rejection, but I suddenly fell ill. I couldn’t eat and would barely sleep. My father insisted the servants brought me medicine and food, but I could barely stomach it. The iron bracelet on my wrist felt cold against my feverish skin. I stared at it with empty eyes, twisting my wrist to see it dance around my skin. After I shifted and Carys almost attacked Caleb, my father locked the bracelet around my wrist, restricting Carys and her abilities just in case. I could barely communicate with Carys, I couldn’t grow my wings and I couldn’t shift. Only he or someone more powerful could take it off. But it seemed the bracelet was also restricting my wolf’s healing abilities. I shouldn’t have been this sick. “You look like shit.”I didn’t even notice that Freya had entered my room until she spoke those cruel words. She barely had a foot in my room, like she was disgusted just seeing me.“Go away,” I mu
Alyssa's POV “Try this one.” My fiance, Taylor, ordered as his eyes trailed over me. As my father promised, he arrived at our pack in the early morning and I was pushed to meet him. My father thought a shopping trip for our future wedding would be a good bonding experience so we were in a store with me trying on dress after dress until Taylor was satisfied. It made me uncomfortable that there seemed to be no one else around at the moment. Maybe he wanted a chance to get to know me alone, but I didn’t like the thought of being with this man. Not with the way he looked at me. I left the dressing room in a blue off-the-shoulder dress that clung to my curves dramatically with a low cut on the chest. I tried to convince him I didn’t like it but he insisted. It felt like I was naked. Suddenly, Taylor pulled me against him so that we were face to face and my body was against his. I tried to push away but he held me tighter, admiring my exposed skin and curves with an evil grin. I
Alyssa's POV I recognised him immediately, those piercing blue eyes were difficult to forget. The illegitimate first prince of the kingdom, Kai. He couldn’t have looked more different to his brother if he tried, golden hair, blue eyes, tall and broad shoulders, the only imperfection was the deep, jagged scar running down the side of his face, almost clipping his eye. “Move,” Caspian growled, trying to stand tall to show his authority. Kai’s wolf just growled back, taking a threatening step forward and snapping his jaws in a challenge. “What’s wrong Cas?” Prince Kai asked mockingly as he looked at me with interest, “I’m just being friendly.” “I know what your version of ‘friendly’ means,” Caspian took a step backwards as if he’d run away with me on his back. “Relax pup, I need a favour from the beautiful lady on your back.” I tried to ignore that comment as I slid off of Caspian’s back and fumbled into a clumsy curtsey, knowing I didn’t look the part of an alpha’s daughter
Alexander’s POVI thought I would be able to get over Alyssa easily, it wasn’t like I knew her anymore and I already committed myself to Freya. But my chest ached with a dullness that was hard to ignore. Maybe it was just the broken mating bond.I was in my palace, trying to regulate my emotions with servants scattered around tidying and making noise.“Everyone get out!” I grumbled, throwing my handout, not wanting to be around anyone at the moment.I heard ‘sorry’s and ‘excuse me’s but it wasn’t as if I was going to hurt any of my servants. Caspian was the hot-tempered ill-mannered one between the two of us.For once I was grateful he was not here. He’d tear down the walls of my room as punishment for what I did. And if any servants got in his way… I wouldn’t want to be them. I wondered where he had gone too but tried not to think of him too much.Quickly, I went to the cabinet where I kept my wine and took out a fresh bottle thinking that maybe the alcohol could calm the thudding in
Kai's POVThere were multiple reasons why I never told anyone who gave me this scar and why. One of those reasons was that I didn’t want to show any kind of weakness to my enemies, and in the palaces there were too many enemies to count.Another reason was that it was simply embarrassing. If people knew I’d been distracted by love and pretty words I’d never hear the end of it and my reputation as the General of the Skeleton Army would become non-existent.But the real, honest-to-goddess reason was that I hated it whenever people looked at me with pity. Pity was the worst kind of emotion possible because people looked down on you as if it was someone else’s fault.So when I finally told Alyssa, a woman whose mate had broken her heart and spirit only minutes after meeting him, I expected her to look at me with nothing but pity and was prepared to throw her out of my palace without a second thought on whether I truly needed her or not.I was shocked to find her nodding, a hint of empathy
Alyssa's POVI took a deep breath as I stopped just outside of Prince Kai’s room. As he promised yesterday, one of his attendants called on me and brought me to the prince’s palace. It wasn’t as grand as the Alpha King’s, which was to be expected, but it had a nice quaint feeling to it, the kind of place someone could run away to in order to get away from everything.The attendant brought me to the door before he excused himself. I was to go in alone. To anyone watching it was normal for a wife-to-be to see her husband and his home before they were married, but just standing outside his door felt too intimate.I’d never had a partner before. I was thirteen when I was sent to the Red Maple Camp and the people I was imprisoned with weren’t the type of people I wanted to form romantic relationships with. With Alexander, I’d barely spent a minute with him before he rejected me and shattered my heart and soul to pieces.Slowly, I lifted my hand to knock on the door, but just as I was abou
Alyssa's POVEveryone was silent as the Alpha King returned to the throne room, the princes following quickly behind him. Alexander and Kai stopped behind me once again. Kai gave me a quick once-over, to check if anything had been done to me. Once he was satisfied there was nothing wrong, he simply nodded and looked at his father who now sat on his throne again.Alexander as a quiet, “Are you okay?”I just nodded at him stiffly, also turning my attention back on the Alpha King.“It’s a shame I can’t leave some of my most trusted Alphas alone without it almost descending into a fight,” The Alpha King scolded and my father and Alpha Thomas looked ashamed of themselves.With a heavy sigh, as if this meeting had taken too much energy out of him. I didn’t know why, all he had to do was sit on a throne and make a decision. Though, I supposed he did just have to entertain Prince Kai for a few minutes and that was enough to take a lot out of anyone.I looked at Prince Kai, trying to gauge wha
Alyssa's POVI didn’t know it was possible to feel more vulnerable and alone than I’d felt, even before the Alpha King and the princes exited the throne room for whatever discussion or scolding was needed to be done behind closed doors. Even with Carter and Caspian still with me, I felt the animosity grow from the others left in the room like any protection I previously had just vanished. The Luna Queen was still there, looking at me with disdain as if she wondered what was so special about me.But it wasn’t just her that frightened me. Now that there were no princes to act as my shields, Freya’s demeanour changed massively. It didn’t help that she was favoured by the Luna Queen and it was doubtful anyone would stop her if she decided to act.She charged towards me even as Carter and Caspian growled at her. With the princes and the Alpha King no longer there, she knew that she was not in any real danger.“What do you think you’re playing at?” She hissed, her eyes glowing with an ange
Kai's POVMy father, the great Alpha King decided to take a recess in our courtroom and pulled Alexander and me into his study. I rolled my eyes, expecting to be scolded for my careless comments but I didn’t regret them. It was his fault I didn’t know my mother so I took the opportunity to take the jab at him.I'd known that I was a bastard since I was old enough to understand the word. I'd never been held by the Luna Queen, even as a pup, only by her maidservant who did it out of duty more than anything. Then when Alexander was born and people spoiled him rotten, I finally understood where I stood in the hierarchy they called family.Alexander was pathetic. He hung his head low as soon as we were out of the audience’s view to offer respect to his father and try to show his submission, hoping father wouldn’t be too angry at him.By the Goddess, he was like a child.My father’s room was old and dusty like an antique store. It had been the study of who knows how many Alpha Kings over th
Kai’s POVThis farce of a trial was getting boring. My father was being his typical imposing self and making this a bigger deal than it had to be. So what if that twit of a wolf lost an arm and an eye, I had soldiers in my army that had suffered a worse face.And enemies that wish that losing an arm and an eye was all that had happened to them.Taylor of the Fire Bone Pack was a pathetic snivelling idiot who wanted more power than he had. I’d met him on a few occasions during Royal Banquets and Pack Meetings and he always showed up with an arrogant look on his face and a puffed-out chest, he’d done nothing to deserve that arrogance except be born.He wouldn't last a day with the Skeleton Army.I’d had no idea of what the bastard had done to Alyssa, so when I heard her recount the tale, trying not to stutter her words or tremble from the memory, I found myself wanting to finish what Caspian started.For once my brother’s impulsive wolf did something right.Soon, the messenger returned
Alyssa’s POVEveryone turned their attention from me to Caspian and I couldn’t help but feel a bit grateful. Behind me, Alexander came forward. I doubted he had any idea what his wolf had done, but it looked like he was going to take responsibility.“Alexander, what do you have to say about your wolf’s claim?” The Alpha King asked his son, clearly not amused. It seemed he thought this was going to be an easy case of sentencing me, but my relationship with his sons made things complicated.“I was not around at the time Caspian claims he did this.”That was right. Caspian told me that he was angry at Alexander and had run off on his own. I dreaded to think what would’ve happened if Caspian hadn’t come to save me. Why couldn’t my mate care for me as much as his wolf did?Alexander was careful with his words, letting his father know that these actions were his wolf's doing and his wolf's doing alone. Poor Caspian, even his prince was hesitant to defend him.“Interesting.”“Convenient,” Al
Alyssa's POV My words cut through the throne room like a knife as everyone looked at me with a shocked expression. They clearly hadn’t been expecting me to say anything against them let alone defend myself. My father seemed to look the angriest, even more than the Alpha King who I had openly opposed. Part of me wanted to take it back and apologise, but I didn’t want to. I hadn’t done anything wrong! I hadn’t been the one to attack Taylor so viciously. All I did was try to protect myself.But clearly, no one seemed to care about that.What had Taylor said about that day? Before I could react, my father strode down the steps that held the platform to the thrones and was in front of me, gripping me tightly by my shirt.“Alyssa, you have disgraced this family enough,” He spat, no love in his eyes for his daughter, “You will apologise, you will accept your punishment and then I will bring you home where I will deal with you myself.”I stared into my father’s eyes, the ones that were sup
Alyssa's POVI stood at the foot of each throne, trembling as I watched the Alpha King and the Luna Queen briefly inspect me. The Luna Queen looked at me with obvious distaste, wondering how a wretch like me had caused trouble in the Royal Family. The Alpha King, however, looked indifferent, partially curious but it seemed like he hadn’t formed a particular opinion on me yet. Caspian and Carter now stood on either side of me as if they were ready to defend me. The Luna Queen’s glare deepened, but neither wolf backed down.“And may I ask, father, what is it my wife-to-be has done?” Kai asked, almost bored as gasps filled the throne room.I could’ve strangled him for that, revealing it at a time like this. Murmurs began between guards, maids and even between my own family as my father looked shocked and Vivian demanded to know what was going on.Freya looked as if she was ready to storm down the steps of the throne pedestal and grab me by the hair to demand what I thought I was doing,