IT WAS past eight in the evening when I returned home. All the lights were on, proof that there was a scaredy-cat living inside my house. Katriona was not that special, I recited that like a mantra over the past couple of hours.And yet, I assigned a female warrior to watch over her while I was away, something I had never done before.All the things she would have missed, from the luxurious jewels, clothing, and shoes, I had them delivered here. Her favorites were added to the menu which Chef Matthew prepared. The guest room was decorated according to her preference. Even I had no darn clue why I made such efforts.I ran a background search on Katriona before I went to the city. I was aware that she didn’t leave their estate until three years ago. The reason was still unknown though. Even the best spy in the North cannot uncover that. She was home-schooled. By the time Katriona came out of her comfort zone and faced the society, news about me had vanished into thin air as if I didn’t
(Alexander)IT WAS the first time I’d felt it again. Looking forward to going home after an exhausting training session. Just when I thought Katriona would be spending another day stuck in her room, I found her sitting on a tree branch while reading a book with her brows furrowed like she was torn between liking and hating the book.And I could relate.Even I feel torn as well.It had been a week since her hunger strike. After that, as if she had been traumatized, she would make sure to eat everything to Chef Matthew’s delight. When I came home at night, she had already finished her dinner. The only thing I’d get to hear was her locking the door as if she was staying in the living room and would only leave in a hurry once she hears the sound of my car arriving.And every morning, she would have her breakfast right after I left. I couldn’t blame her. I had almost lost control that night. If she didn’t leave in time, I might have kissed her. No, I might have done more than that especial
“WE are not as patient as Valerie. Don’t test us, city girl. You have no idea what we can do to you.”I covered my nose with my hand and turned my back on them. “Let’s stop this childish fight. I will never lower the bar for myself just to match your level.”“You are in our territory and in this place, we are above you. Remember that, Katriona! You have no right to turn your back on us when we are still talking to you!”The blonde woman grabbed me in my arm, her claws sank in my skin. And at that moment, I saw red. All the teachings on how to be a proper princess flew out the window when I dropped my traveling bag on the ground.I turned towards the blondie and spun her around before slamming her face onto the railing. I may not be able to fight their alpha but that didn’t mean that I could not fight at all. Fighting was the first thing I had to learn after I was almost burnt alive when I was sixteen.The two women were stunned but when they recovered, both of them snarled at me. The
I SHUT my eyes and allowed the cold water from the shower to fall over my body. My lower lip bled when I bit it once again as I struggled not to make a sound, especially when I heard the familiar sound of Alexander’s car. He was back.Every drop of water hurt but I willed myself to remain steady. I was in a foreign land with no one to back me up if I were to get hurt. I only had myself and these shattered pieces of me. I can’t keep crumbling in front of the enemies, in front of the people who wanted me dead.I turned off the shower knob and stared at the mirror.“You have to be stronger now more than ever, Katriona,” I whispered at the reflection staring back at me before I gently wiped my body. “No one can protect you and save you aside from yourself.”I put on a robe and stepped out of the bathroom only to be stunned when I saw Alexander comfortably sitting on my bed while playing with the house keys in his hand.“You took a while. I thought you died in there or something,” he tease
(Katriona)MY HEART thudded. I stood as far away from Alexander as possible before rubbing my ears. “Something must be wrong with my ears. Or maybe I was just tired. I think I misheard you-““No, you didn’t. You heard me loud and clear. I’m telling you to strip in front of me now, princess.”My body was shaking with another surge of hatred when I replied, “Just how much of my pride do you plan to take away from me?”Alexander stood up. His long, powerful legs had easily swallowed the gap between us. Every time he would take a step forward, I would take a step backwards until my back hit the cold wall. I grimaced.“You just don’t know how to listen, do you?” he asked when he was only a step away from me. I could almost breathe in his masculine scent.His words sounded aggressive but there were no traces of threat or roughness in his eyes. Instead, he had a soft expression as he gazed down at me, something I didn’t know whether to believe in or not. He was a man of contradictions. He wa
THE next morning, I saw Alexander still in the house when I left my room. He was sipping on his coffee. Breakfast was already served. And as usual, Chef Matthew was no longer around. I sat in front of him. We were having breakfast quietly when his phone rang. He glanced at me and said, “Be quiet. I will answer this here. It’s my beta.” “Why didn’t he just link with you?” He grinned. “Let’s just say that Jace is currently too embarrassed to do so.” He put the phone on speaker and placed it back on the table while putting a jam on his bread. “Alpha Nickolas of the Blood Moon pack was not retreating. He insisted on fighting head-to-head with us,” Jace reported. “You know what to do, Jace. Lead the attack,” Alexander answered. “I no longer give a damn whether Nickolas’ father used to be my mentor when I first came here. Destroy them.” All the magic from last night disappeared with just one call. When he noticed me looking at him, his forehead creased. “What now?” “You really destro
(Alexander) SOMETHING sharp and foreign pierced my gut the minute I walked into my house. I’d been used to the darkness but ever since the arrival of a five-foot five inches tenacious woman with golden locks and soft gray eyes, darkness had become a foreign concept to me. Tonight, the rain was pouring and all the lights were off. The last time I returned to a house this dark was when Katriona got severely injured because of the female shifters. The thought that she could be in danger once again had turned my blood into ice. I stormed inside and the thunder roared. It was louder this time. In the middle of the lightning, of the sky’s furious rumbling, I heard a scream. When I got into her room, the door was locked. I’d called her a few times and when she didn’t respond, I kicked the knob. It broke and the door opened. She was not on the bed. The next thing I noticed was the sliding door towards the balcony. It was wide open as if Katriona hurried back when the rain poured and for s
(Katriona)“HELP!”I woke up, panting, screaming to be freed. And yet, when I felt a hand about to let me go, I held onto it as tightly as I could. I opened my eyes and found Alexander there. He was like a giant rock and finding him beside me on a rainy day like this as his big and warm hand protectively held mine made me feel… safe.The alpha was sitting on the bed, wearing a plain maroon shirt and pants. His back was leaning against the frame and his eyes were closed.Memories from last night crossed my mind. Alexander had seen me during my weakest moment again. But despite the embarrassment, my heart was beating like a drum as I stared at his face. The rain was no longer as severe as last night. He could have left.He didn’t need to bother with a woman like me. And yet, he stayed.My eyes flicked to our hands. I was holding onto him as if he was my lifeline. And last night until I woke up, he truly had been my lifeline. I had too many worries and fears already. A crown princess was
IT WAS past eight in the evening when I received a call from Clyde informing me about Willow and Katriona’s location. I teleported right away; my chest was still pounding.And there, I found the loveliest pregnant woman in the world.Katriona was in a yellow dress that barely reached her knees.God, it felt so nice to see her wearing bright colors again.She was standing in front of our home… back in the North.When she saw me, concern crossed her eyes as she started explaining, “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to leave. I mean how could I? That’s still technically my house. I only wanted to visit this place with Willow for a moment. She teleported us here but we lost track of the time wandering around. I also met the other kids again. They requested me to play the guitar and before I knew it, we were having lunch and snacks together.“When I finally wanted to come back, Willow got dizzy and we had to stay longer. The omegas called the doctor and guess what? She’s pregnant!” Katriona’s eyes
(Alexander)“DID you see that, Xander? I won!”My smile widened when I saw Katriona’s eyes shone after beating a former warrior in chess. I loved to see her win and it was precisely because of this smile. Everyone in the room was just watching her as she stood up to greet me as if it was the most natural thing to do.I looked at the chessboard before smiling at her. I kissed her forehead. “You did great, love.”After Dane’s death more than a month ago, I thought I would see Katriona waver. She didn’t. She had only let herself mourn for a day and the next day; she started exploring knowing that her father wouldn’t like to see her wallow in misery.She drove around the city and in the nearby provinces all by herself. But of course, I was right there, following her secretly from afar. She had no problems still doing anything she wanted to do because she was naturally strong. It was just two weeks before she gave birth now but her little bump could pass as only five months.She traveled a
MY STEPS slowed down when I finally saw him again. Today, he was no longer in that custom-styled suit. His leather shoes had been replaced by sneakers and he looked untidy for the first time. Gone was his regal aura.He didn’t look like a king anymore.But a lost old man.He was rocking himself back and forth while holding his mate’s photo as he stared at the clear sky from the window.I had always doubted his wife. And I’d already rehearsed about what I would tell him after I was able to show him her true colors. But it turned out that there was no need for that anymore. Beatrice had shown him all her darkness and this man bravely and foolishly accepted that darkness.I no longer had to ask if his black heart was finally breaking at last and if he was feeling that same agony that he put me and my mother through.Because it was already showing. His eyes had become swollen with tears. And the photo he was holding was already soaked with those tears.Now that I think about it, maybe Aug
TO MY SURPRISE, there were more wolves who jumped down the gates and joined our pack. Half of them were the members of the Order. The others were the royal family’s warriors themselves. Alexander and I glanced at each other and nodded as we led the pack towards the mages.Clyde had blocked every spell thrown our way. The mages may possess strong powers but without them, their bodies were like those of humans. Compared to them, the shifters were still faster, especially me and my mate. And with Clyde blocking the attacks, we were able to charge forward.I sank my claws and teeth into the body of the first mage I saw and tore his arms apart before slamming him onto the wall before I proceeded to another mage.“Katriona!”I wouldn’t have stopped until I heard that voice.It was Rhodora.She stood a few meters away from me. But what caught my attention was the sword she was holding. Alexander had told me about it. It was the missing sword. The Legacy. The one from my ancestors.“No one hu
(Katriona)R HAD one mistake. She may have been successful in masking her scent from my wolf but she left a drop of her blood on the floor. She was injured when she came here to spy on me herself. Her latest victims must have tried fighting so hard for their lives before they died in her hands.When Alexander called Clyde over, the mage did not waste time to prove himself. He still felt guilty for failing to cure my father and he was too eager to offer help in any way possible that tracing the owner of the blood did not take him much time.He was also inspired more than ever now since Willow was back on his side. I heard that they got separated after Willow decided to marry the man her parents had chosen for her who was also a shifter. It happened years ago. She was so afraid that her parents would disown her that she chose them over her own heart. Unfortunately, her husband sold her to the high-ranking mages. Since then, her life had fallen apart.Now that they were back in each oth
Fifteen years ago…‘THAT’S ENOUGH, Johann! I’m begging you! Just hit me, okay? I would take it all! Please spare our son! Bradley is still too young for this!’ Beatrice screamed as she struggled to crawl on the floor to reach us.‘No, mom! I’ll be fine,’ I mouthed and tried to smile to reassure her despite the blood dripping in my head. ‘This will be over soon. Just please... look the other way for now. I can still take it.’Tears streamed down her cheeks. She could barely open her left eye after Johann made her his punching bag again last night. Her right cheek was swollen, she had cuts on her face, and bruises all over her body. Each time I would see her framed picture in the living room, the only picture she had before she married my father, I couldn’t believe that it was her.No one would be able to recognize her like this anymore.Beatrice looked thinner and smaller now. Her bright smile from the picture was replaced by sheer agony, by her tears that I see every waking day of my
(Alexander)I BREATHED sharply and braced myself for the worse. I could still remember how the King and the Order looked at me like I had gone insane when I rejected the crown. They must have been expecting some good news when they saw me in a flashy suit after a long time.They must have thought the suit was for them.Hell, no. It was exclusively for this interview.Duke, the oldest in my pack, happened to also be the only one among us who had a social media account. He saw the post, took a screenshot, and sent it to me last night. I shook my head. I could still imagine him grinning as he tried playing cupid for the first time.I never wanted to be a king. I only considered it when I thought Katriona wanted to be a queen.But she didn’t.Everyone has been failing to see it but she only wanted to be herself.She had lost herself for too long that there was no other role she wanted than to finally be the real Katriona Aldana. She was still in the middle of rediscovering herself, of re
I COULD not tell how long I had been running. I just knew I needed to escape for a while and calm myself because I didn’t want dad to see me have a meltdown in front of him once he woke up. I didn’t want him to worry again.I was sure he would already worry about breaking his promise to me again.I ran and stopped only when I was in the middle of the woods. I howled and howled until my throat burned, until the nearby wolves had awakened and howled with me.Clyde’s last words were still echoing in my head.‘We found two kinds of poison in your father’s body. I was only able to get rid of the one affecting his wolf. It was no doubt the poison your wolf had detected. The second poison, however, seemed like it had been in Dane’s system for years. It has already spread in different parts of his body. I’m sorry but you need to prepare yourself, Katriona.’‘How much time do you think we have left?’ I asked, my voice was shaking.Clyde sighed. ‘To be honest, I don’t think your father can make
HIS SHOULDERS shook.Dad had always been a proud man but tonight, he looked defeated, like somebody had taken all his hopes and dreams away. I clenched my hands.My expression hardened when I spoke, “What did I do this time, dad? Where did I go wrong again? I’ve manifested as the wolf you had always wanted me to become so why do you still look like that? Is it because of Chantal? Look at me and see who is here for you right now! See me for what I am! I am your only daughter! Chantal is never going to come back! I will not allow someone who tried to kill you to ever step foot into this estate again!”Dad looked at me and my stomach twisted at the agony in his eyes. “I had hurt you so much, didn’t I?”“Yes, you did.” My voice cracked. “And I want to hate you so much for it, dad.”He lowered his head. “I’m so sorry.”“I tried telling you about it, dad. You didn’t believe me. You lied to me. You said you would be my protector. You swore to be there to chase away the monsters under my bed.