Alyssa's POVI was quickly taken to The Colosseum where I had been only the day before, but it was different knowing that I was going there to fight. It wasn’t going to be a fight to the death, the king had promised that.Well, it was more like he threatened us regarding it. If Taylor or I were to kill the other, we’d spend the rest of our lives locked up in the Red Maple Camp. This battle was to let us air our frustrations and anger out on one another, but the Alpha King wouldn't let us kill us, not when it would cause a rift between two of his most powerful packs.I had no intention of killing Taylor, even though the idea of it wasn’t terrible to me, but I saw the fear suddenly flash in his eyes as he looked at me as if that's exactly what he wanted to do now that he knew that I wasn't going to be 'returned' to him.I couldn’t help but feel smug. I’d been through the horrors of the Red Maple Camp, he’d only heard of them. I could handle going back. It would break me after this brief
Kai’s POVI thought this fight was going to bore me. Though I was beginning to stop assuming that Alyssa was weak, fragile and timid, I still expected her to cower. I’d seen enough battles and men, trained and untrained, cower at the mere thought of battle, let alone be in a real fight.So when Alyssa transformed, her giant silver wolf almost rivalling Carter inside and the feathery wings sprouting from her back, and made the first move to attack Taylor, I was pleasantly surprised. But when she took flight, diving towards her ex-fiance with a fiery anger that burned around her like a flame, my mouth was agape.This was what a warrior looked like, nothing but resolve in her eyes as she knew how this fight was going to end and was going to ensure that she was the one that was going to come out on top. Alyssa spiralled like an arrow towards Taylor, not giving him a chance to summon his fire as she knocked him off balance. He was brutally thrown to the floor, unable to steady himself wi
Alyssa's POVI didn’t get much of a chance to rest after my fight with Taylor. I was taken back to the room that the Alpha King had placed me in and immediately flopped on my bed, burying my face in the soft pillows and blankets.My heart was still racing from the fight even though all the energy in my body faded. I stared up at the canopy of my bed and took in a deep breath. The fight had barely lasted for ten minutes but with how I was feeling it felt like it had been going on forever as all the anger and fury in me took over. I wanted to close my eyes and sleep the rest of the day away, my bones and joints aching and I could feel Carys resting in the recesses of my mind, but only an hour after I returned to my room, there was a knock at the door.I was half tempted to ignore it and sleep, but the door knocked again, more incessantly. With a groan I stood and walked towards it, opening it slightly. Prince Kai was standing at my door with a servant carrying a box behind him, giving
Kai's POVI was half tempted to punch the living daylights out of my younger brother for the stunt he tried to pull. Not only had he tried to gift Alyssa a dress, which was a clear invitation to the ball when he already had a fiance, but he also wanted to gift her a golden one! If I didn’t think he had a brain in that head of his this certainly proved it.Did he have any idea the kind of chaos he could’ve caused if Alyssa accepted that damned gown? No, he didn’t, because he’d always been a stupid, spineless punk who got everything handed to him.But this time he didn’t, because Alyssa had rejected his dress and accepted mine. A thrill went through my body as I remembered that and a smile brought itself to my face. Rarely was I the first choice, and even if it was because we’d made a deal or not, she’d chosen me, not the mate who rejected her.Just as I was planning to leave my father’s own to return to my own, I ran into my pathetic excuse for a brother who looked positively pissed.
Alyssa's POVTrue to his word, Kai knocked on my door at five on the dot. I was dressed and ready so opened the door, seeing the first prince dressed immaculately in the doorway. He took my breath away.He was dressed in a black tunic with golden embroidery tracing over his body in intricate swirls and patterns. Over his breast pocket was a golden wolf, the symbol of the Royal Family. He wore black trousers that hugged him appreciatively and white gloves. On top of his head was a golden circlet to show off his status as it merged with his blonde hair naturally. He didn’t just look like a prince, but also a soldier.I supposed this ball was just another type of battlefield. It certainly felt like it was going to be that. I had to stop myself from staring at him too much. If he thought I was beautiful or anything along those lines he didn’t show anything. I pushed a strand of my hair that was falling behind my ear, trying not to feel too self conscious.Kai presented his arm for me to
Alexander's POVI just wanted to get this party over and done with. Usually, I didn’t mind them, I liked talking with my people and learning new things about the kingdom I hoped to inherit, but this one I just couldn’t enjoy. Caspian was reminding me every five seconds why.You should be here with Alyssa, not Freya.I’d stopped responding to him after a little while because none of the reasons or excuses I reminded us of could convince my wolf to be happy with the situation. Hell, I barely convinced myself of them.I was certain I’d made the right decision by rejecting Alyssa and taking Freya as my bride, especially with my mother's constant praise of the matter. But, the more I saw Alyssa, the more I longed for her and wanted to protect her. When I saw her in that arena… I didn’t know that I could feel fear like I did at that moment. I wanted to jump down and protect her. Granted, she didn't need it, but that wasn't the point.“What’s the matter, dear?” Freya’s voice pulled me out of
Alyssa’s POV“What if I wanted you to stay?”I wasn’t sure that I heard what he said properly. Why on earth would he want me to stay? What Kai and I had, it was purely contractual, wasn’t it? I couldn’t think of any reason why he would want me to stay other than our deal.If anything, my staying with him would only damage his reputation more. He'd be far less likely to become Alpha King with me at his side. I had no political power, I was just a disgraced daughter who wasn't even heir to our pack anymore because of my younger brother.“What?” I asked, wondering if there was some kind of joke hidden behind his words.But the first prince had a stoic look as he waited for my reaction or response, “If I asked you to stay? Even after I was cured.”I tripped over as he spoke again, but Kai caught my waist so to the others it looked as if he were going to dip me. I was aware of his grip and the warmth that spread from his hands to my waist.“But, but, Your Highness, I have nothing for me he
Alyssa's POVI ran until my lungs burned and my feet could barely carry me anymore. If I’d shifted and let Carys take over I could’ve run or flown as far as I wanted, but if I’d done that I knew I might not have come back. So I ignored the instinct to let my wolf out and kept running on my own.I ended up in the Royal Gardens. I’d been here once, long ago, when I had first come to the Royal Palace with my father and my mother. It was also the first time I’d met Kai and Alexander.Once, Alexander told me he knew I was his mate from the first time he’d met me, that would’ve been here in this very garden when we were young before Kai had gotten the scar over his face. Would things have been different if he had spoken up before then? Maybe we would’ve been married already.But things weren’t different, the ache in my legs and the burning of my chest reminded me of that well enough.I found a tree and sat down, leaning against it as I sucked in deep and desperate breaths. It was getting qu
Alyssa's POVIt didn’t take me long to get to the Fire Bone Pack since it bordered on my own, but I took a lot of precautions necessary. I had a hood covering my hair and perfume scattered over my body to hide my true scent.I didn’t have much to go on other than my memory of the maid and the brief discussion about Evelyn that I had with Clara, but I had a plan to find out.Clutched in my hand was my father’s seal which signified he was an Alpha. Typically those seals were given only to family and trusted envoys of the pack if the Alpha was unavailable to deliver news or things himself. Luckily for me, my father hadn’t needed it.So with a deep breath, I followed the path that would lead me to the centre of the pack.The Fire Bone Pack was different to my own, whereas my father took care to ensure all people in our pack lived comfortably, the Alpha of the Fire Bone Pack seemed more concerned with his welfare than that of his pack.As I passed buildings many of them were derelict like
Kai's POVMy army and I had been travelling for a few days, no one was tired or complaining, they’d been trained better than that and I made sure we had enough supplies to keep us happy and content. No one liked leading a starving and exhausted army. We’d travelled farther and in much worse conditions, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.We settled down for the night and I waited my turn for a watch-shift. I liked knowing what was going on when I was travelling.It seemed slightly suspicious to me that the South was beginning to become unstable again so soon. After the last incident, it seemed stupid for them to attempt it again. Then there was also the assassin situation where not only had an assassin somehow found access to the palace, but had actually managed to hurt me.I could think of plenty of people a hundred times over who might've been involved, but I couldn’t make any accusations until I knew what was going on.Every night on the road I thought of Alyss
Alyssa's POVOne of the things I learned from Kai during my time at the palace was that if I wanted to get something done, I had to be sneaky about it. It was even harder to do that with Vivian and Freya breathing down my neck every five minutes and tormenting me.I don't know how my father didn't notice, maybe he chose not to notice, but Vivian and Freya planned their moments for when my father was gone or distracted to plan their sick ploys.I’d found silver nails in my shoes, caught the faint scent of wolfsbane in my tea and who knows what else I’d missed, but one thing was for certain and it was that they were going to try to make my life a living hell.But I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I wasn't the same person from before and I wasn't going to take things lying down.As Luna, Vivian had responsibilities and expectations that she shared with my father and on one occasion of inspecting the quality of our warriors and Freya out with her friends, I took the opportunity to final
Alexander's POV“How foolish can you be? Do you know what you have just cost us?” My mother’s shrill voice drifted through one of my ears and then out of the other. I was acting as if I wasn't even in the room with her.I stood still, looking past her so I wouldn’t have to focus on her, hands clasped in front of me as I pretended to listen to my mother’s repetitive words. She sat on a chair in one of the palace’s many meeting rooms, tapping the arm of the chair rhythmically.“Do you understand how much effort I put in to secure that match for you?”Another rhetorical question she repeated about five seconds ago. Ever since I’d rejected Freya’s offer of a date, I’d realised that I didn’t want her at all, not even to secure the crown because what I wanted now was far more important than any jewel or kingdom.It was my mate, and I was going to fight tooth and nail to be given a second chance, even if she truly was in love with my brother.The moment that solidified my resolve was seeing
Alyssa’s POVIt didn’t take me too long to get back home to the Ice Heart Pack and when I did, my father was waiting for me with open arms which surprised me.“I’m so glad you’re alright, my dear,” He announced as he walked me inside of our home. I cringed as I saw the pictures of my father and Vivian as a happy couple and Freya as their loving daughter. As we walked to the family room there was a family portrait of the four of them: My father, Vivian, Freya, and the newest addition, Caleb. They really looked like the perfect family.I didn’t mention it to my father as we finally entered the dining room where the other members of my family were waiting. Vivian sat on my mother’s old chair, and Freya and Caleb sat patiently on the sofa. When Caleb saw me he whimpered and cuddled closer to Freya. It pained me to know that I might never get the chance to bond with my other brother.I chose to stay standing up, eyeing up Vivian wearily. I didn’t know anything about them from after the pa
Alyssa's POVKai was gone by the time I woke up but one of his servants told me that he wanted to meet with me in the Royal Gardens. I found it odd that he wanted to meet me in the place we were attacked but it was daylight and there were guards everywhere. It was probably to discuss steps going forward but I already had a plan of my own. As far as I was aware from doing test after test, it looked like both poisons were gone.I didn't know how I’d managed it, but I’d done it.I followed the trail back to the Royal Gardens, enjoying the sun on my face since I’d spent the last few days in a cave or cooped up in a room, it was nice feeling the breeze brush against my skin.Then I saw him looking better than he had in days.Kai’s skin looked healthier, he was no longer sweating or grimacing in pain and his blonde hair had a healthy shine to it rather than being dull and sheer like it had been.Sensing my presence, he turned and smiled, nodding his head for me to come closer. I stood by hi
Alexander's POVI couldn’t let it happen.Kai didn’t love anyone. He barely cared about someone unless they were useful to him and as soon as they stopped he’d discard them like trash. I couldn’t let that happen to Alyssa. I wouldn’t.I could picture my mother’s disapproving stare if I told her about my regrets about rejecting Alyssa.“It’s for the good of the crown, Alexander,” She would tell me, “What do you think Kai will do if he becomes king? You need the support of the packs.”She’d always wanted me to be better than Kai. She was very bitter about the fact he was older than me and even more so that he had so many accomplishments under his belt. Since the moment I could walk I was held to a higher standard so that one day I could surpass my brother for all the packs to see.But I was slowly finding that I didn’t care about that as much anymore. Let Kai have the throne, let him try to kill me if he became king. I’d realised it wasn’t worth it to lose Alyssa. I only wished I’d real
Kai's POVI didn’t know how long I’d been asleep for, but it must’ve been one of the best nights of sleep of my life. I woke up, with no aching or soreness in my body even though I knew I should’ve still been in a lot of pain, even my scar didn't throb like it always did. I sat up and rolled my shoulder, surprised that there was no stiffness in it.Then I noticed my hands. Because of the poison, I’d gotten paler as my body tried to fight it off, but now my hands looked warmer like whatever was draining them had gone.I looked to my side, and there she was. Alyssa had her head placed on the bed, eyes closed tightly. She looked so calm and peaceful as she slept. How long had she been working on me?Not wanting to disturb her, I shifted to the other side of my bed and placed the blanket over her so that she would stay warm.As much as I wanted to stay in bed and recover some more, I had a lot of work to do, firstly with finding the bastard who attacked Alyssa in the first place. Quickly
Alyssa's POVThe assassination attempt, though it freaked me out badly, might have actually been a blessing in disguise. Once Kai and I had gotten back to his palace I began working on his wound. I breathed out a sigh of relief as I saw that what I had done in the cave had worked. Kai’s wounds had stopped bleeding and though he was still being poisoned at least that was one less thing to worry about. He was still too pale for my liking though.“Can we get food delivered to your room?” I asked since food was always good to keep the energy up.“No,” Kai stated as he grabbed my hand like he thought I would head straight to the door anyway, “We can’t give anyone any reason to be suspicious.”Though I disagreed, I nodded along.I knew that I didn’t have too long to mess around as the wolfsbane concoction was still running rampant through Kai’s body. The first prince was strong but I didn’t know how long he’d be able to endure the pain.Already he was panting and sweating as we got him to