(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
OIL and fire. That was what we are. One look, one touch, and we burn. And both of us knew that. I didn’t have to look at my reflection to see that the heat in Alexander’s eyes mirrored mine. I was not going to deny it anymore. I was attracted to this man.And this attraction we feel for each other was a fatal sin. Every day since I realize that, I live with this terrible guilt inside me. My body, my heart, my mind, and my wolf were constantly colliding with each other and yet, when Alexander and I were this close to each other that I could smell his minty breath, a part of me was telling me that this was the most natural thing to do.This electricity, this spark, this thing that I used to read in romance books were real. And only the city’s number one enemy could make me feel them. I would have never found out that those feelings exist if I didn’t meet Alexander.He makes me question things. My beliefs. And even my own feelings.He was like a switch. He was hard to understand. Someti
(Katriona)THE moment I stepped out of my room, I had already felt Alexander’s gaze on my body. Hunger crossed his eyes as he leaned on the doorway while waiting for me.I threw a quick glance at him. The six-foot two inches alpha looked ravishing in his navy-blue button-down shirt, jeans, and loafers. He undid the first two buttons revealing a glimpse of the tattoo on his muscular chest. He put his hair in a bun. He looked so confident and so ready to break hearts.“It’s rude to stare,” I commented when he kept quiet while looking at me as if he wanted me to be his dinner tonight.Alexander shrugged. “You already know I lack proper manners.” Again, he ran his eyes up and down my body before finally lifting his gaze to meet mine. “Go back to your room, princess. Change your dress.”I spun in front of him. “What? Why? What’s wrong with my dress?”I was wearing an off-shoulder little black dress and flat black sandals. Valerie approved of it. She braided my hair and even encouraged me t
ALEXANDER’S kisses were hot, needy, and demanding. He thrust his tongue inside my mouth and I’d forgotten where we were. I was… lost. This was different from the kiss he stole or from last night’s kiss when he was trying to save me from my trauma regarding Roman.My hands were on his chest, but I couldn’t push him away. My whole body was against it. Even my wolf. This was wrong but why did it feel so right? Why was my chest aching for Alexander? I already had Bradley but why… didn’t I feel anything close to this towards my own mate?The power Alexander held over me often took my breath away.‘You are my life, Katie.’I was about to close my eyes and savor the kiss when I suddenly heard Bradley’s voice in my head. I felt like cold water had been splashed over me. Alexander deepened the kiss, urging me to respond as he grabbed me by the waist but this time, I pushed him away and I heard our wolves snarl at me.“Damn it,” he cussed as he put his forehead over mine. He breathed roughly; h
SWEAT dripped down my forehead. “You’re wrong. I’m not in heat, Valerie. That’s impossible. I was just not in my best elements right now.”Valerie raised her brow; she was obviously not convinced. “Did you ever have your heat when you were with the crown prince?”It just occurred to me that I’d never experienced being in heat the whole time that I was with Bradley. My chest was pounding when I said, “I didn’t but that was only because Bradley was yet to claim me as his. Once we get married and form a bond, I’m sure I would-““No, Katriona,” Valerie answered while shaking her head. “It doesn’t work like that. The minute you meet your mate, the bond is already there, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The wedding will only formalize your bond and-““Will you please stop talking? Stop confusing me!” I didn’t mean to raise my voice at her but my head was muddled. And none of her words were helping. After a while, I turned to her and sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. I appreci
ALEXANDER quickly and carefully pushed me down the floor and shielded me with his body. His eyes were alert as he checked on the guests. The explosion went on for a couple of minutes that I felt like my ears would burst from the sound.After a while, we saw hundreds of fireflies. They shone so brightly and they seemed to surround the entire villa. Right there and then, the broken windows, crystal chandeliers, and furniture had been fixed all at once as if nothing happened. Alexander rose and reached out his hand to help me stand. The explosion was still ongoing outside but mana had kept us safe and sound.“It’s about time you show up, Clyde,” Alexander said after a while as he glanced at someone behind me. “You’re late.”I turned to where the alpha was looking and gasped when I confirmed who he was talking to. It was no other than Clyde Wilson, the youngest arch mage and was referred as the genius of the century for possessing unrivaled mana in his own kingdom.I had only seen Clyde’s
I FELT a strange twist in my heart as I watched how darkness clouded Alexander’s eyes. The moon goddess knows how much I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to disrespect the alpha during his birthday and in front of his pack members but I couldn’t just stay still.I don’t want to do anything that I would have to apologize to my future self about.“Mikael has a wife and two daughters waiting for him back in the city. He’s only acting out based on the command that was given to him.”Mikael was the first warrior who found me in the barn house. He had a huge permanent burn in his back from saving me that night but he didn’t mind. Mikael already had his first born at that time. His daughter had almost lost her father because of me. And I didn’t want the same thing to happen now because of me again. I could never forgive myself for that.Alexander’s blade grazed my palms until they bled. I knew this was a hard decision to make. If he caves in and listens to someone like me, his pack wou
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.