(Katriona)‘IT’S a mean world out there. And you are too fragile for the world, sweetheart. Everyone will swallow you whole outside. You may know a bit of self-defense but you still can’t protect yourself well. Your father and I can’t protect you forever either. So, stay with the future crown prince at all times. That’s the only way you can keep yourself, including everyone you love, safe and sound.’I grew up thinking exactly like how Mom taught me. Those words had been stuck to my mind like a curse that I can’t lift. And after what happened to my wedding, I was convinced more than ever that she was right.This was truly a mean world. And I had no place in it.But tonight, as I watched Alexander sitting next to me and tenderly wrapping my bleeding palm with silk, I realized that there could be hope for the world. He brought me back to the hall. There were several people who could do it here in the villa but he personally tended to my wounds.Was the alpha even aware that he was holdi
ALEXANDER took his shirt off before he crossed the distance between us. He was doing it slowly as if he was giving me a chance to back out but I couldn’t. Instead, I stayed still and blinked twice when I saw that hard and muscular body of his which spoke of strength, sex, and endless pleasure.I swear I was not into tattoos until I saw his. I didn’t think they could look this sexy and this attractive until tonight that I wanted to uncover the mystery behind them. My hands craved to touch each and every line and curve.“You can touch it, princess,” Alexander said in a gruff voice when he caught me staring.I blushed. “This is wrong, Alexander.”“Indeed.”Despite saying that, Alexander put my hand on his chest before cupping my buttocks. He pressed his hardness against my abdomen. My nipples tightened painfully when he buried his face in my neck and started showering me with wet kisses.All I needed to do was step back and close the door. And then all this madness will be over in a minu
AMID the warning bells ringing in my head, I willed myself to calm down. I picked up the note once again and hid it in the drawer before taking a shower. I started receiving those letters when I was still in the city.But with Roman’s disappearance, the letters had ceased from coming. That's why my family and I thought that he was the letter sender.Was he here? But how did he get inside the northern walls?I shook my head and reminded myself to breathe. I looked at myself in the mirror. This time, I didn’t feel ashamed from seeing my short hair. It was proof that I was getting stronger or at least, I was getting there. And maybe in time, I would be brave enough to dig deeper to find the letter sender and face him or her, whoever that was.For now, I had to find him. My new comfort pill.I put on a bright yellow dress and flat sandals before I stepped out of the house. I didn’t have a hard time searching for Alexander. I just had to follow the melancholic sound coming from the piano.
“THE CITY is gathering all the mages in the world. They also sought the help of the humans in crafting new armors and weapons exclusively for this war, alpha. Right now, none of our men can penetrate their borders anymore,” Jace reported.My fingers impatiently tapped the table while waiting for his report to finish. My feet had somewhere else they wanted to go to. My mind had been preoccupied by someone since the beginning of the meeting.Where was she? What was she doing right now?Duke cleared his throat and my attention went back to him, to Jace, and to everyone including Clyde who seemed to be waiting for my response.“What? Is it over?” I asked my beta.He looked puzzled. “Yes, alpha.”“Alright. Thank you,” I said and stood up. I took my jacket off the swivel chair. “Great job. The meeting ends here, gentlemen.”“That’s it?” Duke asked, still sitting on his chair. “You have nothing more to say?”“Why? Are you afraid, Duke?” I shot back instead.“You know me, Alexander. I have ye
(Katriona)“YOU have eleven days left before the full moon. You are doing good, Katriona. You are gaining the Northerners’ trust. I always knew you were capable. Keep it up. Bradley, your parents, and the city will wait for your victory.”Valerie blinked. Her eye color had returned to normal. They were back to being light brown again. She found me staring at her. Her forehead creased. “Is something wrong?”I shook my head. Valerie clearly had no idea that she had been possessed when she went into my room. In fact, she looked lost when she found herself holding my arm. She released me right away.“What was I doing here?”I gulped and struggled to smile. “You were checking if I’m feeling better. Thank you for the concern, Valerie. I’m fine now as you can see. Let’s head out. The alpha has been calling me.”“Alright,” she answered, still confused. “By the way, I would like to…” She cleared her throat. “Thank you for saving Giselle. She’s my best friend’s daughter. What you did means a lo
(Katriona)‘BOTH alphas will die if you don’t make up your mind, Katriona. Is that what you want? Don’t ever think that I don’t know what you are doing behind our back. Alexander is just using you. And if you are using him, too so you can escape here, then I will let it slide. If not, there will be major consequences.’This time, that reminder came from Giselle when she approached me a while ago. She was just a six-year-old child, for crying out loud, and yet, she was being used by the mages who were backing the Queen.Her Majesty was starting to scare me. It was like she was everywhere.I almost lost my mind the second I heard Giselle whisper those words in my ear. It was hard to still dance and play with the kids, knowing that one of them could be the Queen again. Hearing her warnings three times in a row rattled me.Bradley, Alexander, the death threats, the Queen’s commands, my family, the city… all of them were too much for my brain to handle all at once. I was even surprised I
MY PULSE spiked with anticipation when Alexander kicked the door behind us. Now that he was drenched, his hair clung to his forehead.My best friend used to tell me that there was something lethal about men and their wet hair but I didn’t really believe it until I saw Alexander. Both of us were soaked but I didn’t feel cold. It was the opposite. The more I looked at him, the more my body burned up, and the more my core ached to be filled again.And after seeing the smug smile on his face, I could tell he knew it. He knew how easy it was for him to make my body follow his every whim.He looked so sinfully hot that I couldn’t even hate him for that smile.Alexander was changing me, my preferences, my fantasies, my dreams, including the things I thought I needed and wanted.We didn’t get to reach my room anymore. Alexander was in a hurry and so was I. He devoured my mouth as soon as we entered the living room.After this day, I knew I was never going to kiss someone else again. That woul
AS soon as the clock ticked at seven, I rose and turned to the warriors. “I’ll get off work first. Great job, gentlemen. I will see you all again tomorrow.” Clyde and Duke joined me in the elevator. Clyde stood in our center. He had a blank expression on his face since that was one of the very few expressions he had in his system while my uncle was back to being grumpy. He had been like that ever since the last phone call we had which was three days ago. This was a progress to our relationship since I’d never seen him act like this. I felt like our roles had been reversed. “Clyde, will you please tell the alpha over there that the person temporarily residing in his house is not a child? She is old enough, for heaven’s sake. She can manage staying there by herself. He doesn’t need to rush home every fucking day just to check if she’s breathing,” Duke stated, clearly emphasizing the word ‘temporarily’. Clyde yawned and glanced at me. “You heard him. He said you’re being an idiot.”
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.