KEIRA: Lennox cursed loudly in my mind. 'Stay there. No matter what you do, do not leave Father. The pack doctor is on the way. Stay calm, love…stay calm.'And the line between us went dead. Did Lennox cut the line dead or was it only my imagination? "Alpha John?"Calm?How could someone be calm in a situation like this?I could no longer feel my hands. It was cold and shaking. My heart won't stop beating fast and all I could do was stare at Alpha John. In my mind, Lennox was saying something but I could no longer hear it. He was still there? Until I realized the door burst open. There were lots of people. Saw Lennox stroll towards his father while the pack doctor was doing everything he could to bring Alpha John back to life. Everything happened so fast. The aloha was barking orders while waiting for the pack doctor's next move. Then four people came in and bought a stretcher. Alpha John's heartbeat returned, but no matter how I told myself to move, it would not. "Keira!" Som
KEIRA:Wife.Now Alpha Lennox was treating me as his wife? Why? Hearing the words wife from his mouth made my chest swell. Everything he said will always create a reaction in me. “Lennox. Will you calm down? Tate and you are not enemies. You can stop trying to kill him with his looks.”"This man has been trying to take you away from me," Alpha Lennox muttered in a dangerously low voice. "No one was taking me away from anyone," I responded. "I do not belong to anyone except for myself. You get it both?" My gaze shifted from Alpha Lennox and Tate. I could see that the former was holding himself from hurting his beta.I don't get why Lennox was acting possessively as if we were mates. We were once, but not now. It was either because of his pride or his wolf. Those were one of the most logical explanations I could think of. Not because of jealousy. Not following his alpha’s orders, Tate’s hand snaked around my shoulders. Alpha Lennox hissed."Hands. Off," Alpha Lennox growled.
KEIRA:Mate. Tate will turn me into his mate.It was not impossible. It was possible as long as there was an agreement between the two persons involved. But of course, regardless if the two agreed or not was for the Moon Goddess to decide. She would always have the final say about that matter."Tate," I called him. "Don't say things like that."The beta smiled and brought my hand to his lips. "I am serious, doll. I have never been serious in my entire life."I pulled my hands away and put it at the back. Tate did not know what he was saying. That was the only thing I could think of right now.He would be going to make me his mate? Why? Did he truly like me like what he said? If he continued saying it, then, I would be thinking that he was saying the truth now. But of course, it was not, right?I refused to be treated as someone's charity case. "Beta. Do you understand what you are talking about right now and the repercussions of it?"I let out a shivered sigh. Yeah.The repercus
KEIRA:I chuckled in the end. "You're seriously doing this to me, Malik? You never had any ounce of pity on my peace of mind, did you?" I asked, the bitterness was like a venom in my tongue. Alpha John was hospitalized while Zoe's life was in danger. The fate of what happened to the two was now on my shoulders.What kind of cruel fate was this?What kind of cruelty did I do in my past life to be troubled this great?“Are you not scared of what your sister would become on that pack?”I heard footsteps on the other line. Perhaps Malik went to his window and stared at the full moon in the sky and contemplated on what he would say next. “Zoe is my sister.”“That's the point, Malik. Zoe is your sister and I had no relationship with her.” Only Lennox and Zoe. “Zoe. Father thinks highly of us his children that they are not allowed to commit any mistakes. Between the two of us, Father thinks less of Zoe because he said she is weak.”I beg to disagree.When I first saw Zoe, she excluded tr
KEIRA:I stiffened.Tate and Lennox's voices seemed so down as if they really regretted what they had done here. Nothing was broken so far except my trust in both of them and that was the most valuable thing of all.Did Tate and Lennox think about asking for my forgiveness at the same time? Did they think about it? Or did they plan about it?Their forgiveness moved me a little, shooing away some of my pain.However, they must learn their lessons. 'Doll?''Love?''Doll. I won't do it again. I promise you. I will control myself and be reminded that you don't want me to get hurt because you love me, do you?'A growl echoed at our connection. From Lennox. He said he will promise not to pick a fight with the alpha, but from what he was doing right now, he was not doing it.'Keira loves me. She only loves me.''Emotions and feelings change over time, Alpha Lennox especially if she won't feel anything in return from you. Right, doll?''Is this part two of your brawl?'The two were silent
KEIRA:I tried calling Lennox once again. Tried reaching out to him, but he already blocked me.Just as I was about to tell him, he already knew it from another source. Who? Who told him? Did he have contact with Zoe's pack? My neck throbs. My head hurts. Especially my heart. Everything hurts. A lot.As if sensing I was hurting inside, Alpha John called my name. "Rei." No. It was not my name but of his daughter. He rarely called me Keira. Does not matter anymore as long as he was alive and with us. He can call me whatever name he wants. “Rei?”Inhale. Exhale.Alpha John should never find what his son had been doing for now. Or he would have another heart attack.Forcing a smile, I faced Alpha John again. "Yes, Dad? You call?"His brows furrowed and stared at my face. I shifted my feet from foot to foot. "You look tense. Is there something wrong? Is it my son? I know it. He always gives you a headache. On his behalf, I wanted to apologize. I am waiting for the day he will be res
KEIRA:The pack was gloomy. Not once did I see someone laughing or smiling which was not the usual scenario. Everyone was grieving the sudden passing of Alpha John. Though we kind of expected that this would happen. That he would die, but I never thought that this would be this soon.I was not prepared. No one was prepared. I oversaw all the preparations including the food of everyone who would visit the pack to pay their respects. Including the alphas and betas from the neighboring pack.This was the final day that I would be seeing Alpha John's face and tomorrow, he would be buried where Rei and his wife had rested their final place. I was hoping that Lennox would do his duty as the only living child of the previous alpha. To be with us. But I waited in vain. Still no message from him."Is he even still alive?" I asked out of the blue. Tate and I were sitting opposite each other. Only a few had managed to stay awake at this hour. The others were already going to their rooms t
KEIRA:No.It was not that Tate and I "had" a relationship. It should have. I waited for Tate's response, but it seemed like he kind of expected I would be saying it.I scoffed. "I know it. You heard them."All because he wanted to protect my feelings. This man. How long will he learn until he realized he could not protect me forever?Tate picked a small stone and threw it. "Yes. But I tried ignoring them, doll. Why would I listen to it when I know the truth? You never even give me the chance to court you."Tate.How will I say it? He never failed to show his true feelings for me, but I treated it as if I did see it. Others would see that there was something. The more they would think that the rumors were true."Why would you court me when I am the Luna of this pack?""Doll. Are you seriously waiting for him to divorce you? Right now, your agreement has expired after Alpha John died."That was why I will be explaining to the pack my decisions when Lennox continued missing in action.
KEIRA:I was taken aback by Lennox’s honesty. He rarely showed his emotions to me. And when he did, it was the most tender expression I witnessed.My heart fell for him.I was about to console him when hurried footsteps were heard.The back of my hair stood as if it could sense an enemy. "Alpha Lennox!" It was Alpha Bryan together with his daughter beside him. His eyes darted at our joined hands. "What is the meaning of this?"Lennox put me on his back, protecting me from Alpha Bryan's murderous look."It is what it is, Alpha Bryan."His eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Are you forgetting what we had agreed? The wedding will happen next week!""The wedding won't happen. My apologies, Carmela."The woman secretly sighed in relief without her father knowing. Wait. She did not like Lennox? Why?Do you have to know? Not all women liked an alpha like him. It's good for you, Keira. Less competition in yourself. You can focus on the problem at hand— Alpha Bryan. "You know what will happen
KEIRA:I knew it would be difficult for Lennox to answer my call for help. So it was no longer a surprise when he said, “I cannot.”Right then, I realized he no longer cared about me. His words and actions no longer matched. I gave up. Letting go was much easier than clinging to him. ‘Okay. I understand your decision, Lennox.’Did I? I could not.But what choice did I have? I had to return my focus to Ace. My eyes went back to the fight when the crowd cheered. The fight had already begun and I didn't even notice it. It was only a few minutes of talking to Lennox but Ace was already losing. He was bloody and beaten to a pulp by his brother Kent. “You said you trained him!” I cried out.“I did, Miss Keira. But Kent is stronger than his brother. He had already trained since he was a child. Among the sons, Alpha Bryan had high regard for him,” he growled. I covered my mouth to stop the sob from escaping my mouth.I cannot watch Ace like this. He was only a boy who was forced to honor
KEIRA:My heart was pounding loudly against my ribcage as I waited for the match to start. The rest of the batches had already started and winners were already declared. Except for Ace. His name wasn’t called yet. I squeezed my sweaty palm now and then. It felt like I was also part of the match. I did not know what I should be feeling right now.I wanted to stop the match while Ace was not yet in the arena. But how? That man had already made up his mind. We were in the oval-shaped arena and the crowd was already thick. It was a ten-minute break before the next match. Was Ace okay there? The guards did not allow us to see him for the last time. No matter how much we tried to change his mind, he would not escape. Until I gave up and turned my attention to looking for Lennox. But I failed to find him. Was it only me or he was evading my presence?Why? He was not yet prepared to face me? He looked like he was indeed guilty. Solomon tried to look for him, but he could not find him. O
KEIRA:Ace automatically hides me on his back, protecting me from his father. He snarled at him as if he would fight the alpha if worse came to worst. Solomon was on high alert as if he would fight hand in hand with Ace. "Son!"Solomon was now beside me. "Are you two starting to fight against me?"The tension escalated, swallowing me whole. The air was so thick that breathing was hard. Peeping in front of me, I can verify that Ace was a photocopy of his father. Their eyes. Mouth. Nose. And everything looked alike. They could pass as twins if not for the fine lines on the alpha’s forehead and around his eyes. Aside from that, they looked like they were sewn in the same cloth. “You!" he started, pointing his hands at me. "How did that woman enter my territory?” the alpha growled, snarling. The two guards behind him shifted their weight from foot to foot. The blood on their faces drained while their knees trembled in fear. All of us will die here if nothing is done. "Solomon!""Yes
KEIRA:The tension inside the room thickened. Ace's jealousy was like poison, making me gag. This was supposed to be a normal reunion. But after those baseless allegations of coming here because of Lennox which I didn't even know he was here was low.Lennox will deal accordingly. Not now. I will find him later. And also his woman. I will ask him if he wants her or not. I wanted to ask him where I belonged in his heart. Did he still love me or not?“That’s so mature, Ace,” I commented. “Did I look like the only person that mattered to me was Lennox? You think lowly of me.”There was a slight sting in my chest. I thought Ace would be happy that we were trying our best to save him. But because of Lennox, everything was turning in the opposite direction. I badly wanted to ask him about Lennox. But asking it right now will only make things worse. That can wait. I felt Solomon's gaze burning a hole in my forehead as well as Ace's. He was silent. Maybe waiting for the right opportunity
KEIRA:I think I will die of boredom. A few hours had already passed since Solomon left me. But he had not returned yet. I already asked the staff of the resort if they had seen him, but they shook their heads and said Solomon would return even if it would take him long hours to. It was not new, but they put their trust in the man and the man never failed them. First, it was Ace. Now, it was Solomon.I bit my fingernails. What if he was hit by a truck while he was in his wolf form? Or what if someone shot him a tranquilizer thinking he was some wild beast?Now, I was already worried for two people. I paced back and forth, barefoot. I stayed at the swimming pool area, hoping the water would clear my mind at the moment, but it did not. The pacing did not help free my mind from worrying about the two. Damn it.I felt hopeless and felt like I was a damsel in distress waiting for her knight-in-shining armor.I glanced at the clock on one of the cottages.Past six o’clock in the even
ACE:A backhanded slap with the alpha wearing his ring and bony hands was one of the worst punishments he could give. I felt his ring slicing my skin, sniffing the blood from it. My ears felt like it was ringing, after the alpha's slap. It was more humiliating because that's how he slapped his wife and mistresses. I shook off the feeling of dizziness. "I don't have a coward son! Don't you dare run with tails behind your legs, son. Do not bring any more disgrace in my name."Raw anger emerged like a roaring lion as I tasted the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. Spitting on the floor, and staring him in the eyes, I exclaimed, "Why don't you appoint your eldest son as the alpha? That's how it works, Dad. Aren't you even worried your son will die because of that match?"He pushed me off the wall and cornered me. Pointing his fingers on my chest, he whispered, "The weak should die. I don't feel any sorry if they die during the competition. As long as they did not cower in fear."
ACE:My heart pounded like crazy. After a few years of evading this place, I was able to return to Blackriver Pack, the place where I was born. All the alpha's women gave birth here. It was one of the laws of the alpha to his pregnant women before he would sign the certificates signifying he was the father of the children. The pack were looking at me with a weird expression on their faces. Bastard or the bitch's child. The illegitimate child. The kept woman's child and a lot more to tell. The people became imaginative as I grew up. That was the name they called us. Without the alpha's knowing. My stomach knotted. My legs trembled, but I tried to act calm, especially with the guards beside me. They would laugh at me, thinking how could a powerful alpha like Alpha Bryan have a cowardly son. And then they would add, "It's because he is the son of the mistress. Illegitimate children are all weak. Why did the alpha acknowledge them?"In this pack, only the legal sons and daughters o
KEIRA:The sun had already risen when I woke up. Rubbing my eyes, I looked at the clock on the bedside table. Ten o'clock in the morning. Damn.I overslept because I was too comfortable at this place. Maybe it was also because of the ambiance of the place and the sounds of the waves lulling me to sleep.My stomach growled. I need to eat. Ace. Where was that man?I looked for my shoes only to remember that I was barefooted when I checked who had entered my apartment.Checking if there were some spare slippers, I found them under the bed. Sprinting towards the door and looking for Ace, I found him on the beach, sitting on the sand facing the shore while sipping the juice of a coconut.Sensing my presence, he glanced over his shoulder and saw me, leaving the coconut on the sand, and sauntered towards me. "Hey. Did you sleep well? I asked someone to check if you already woke up, but the helper said you’re sleeping soundly."Surprisingly, I did. Maybe it was because I dreamed about L