It’s a long ride from the royal palace to Eclipse pack and I would have dreaded the journey if not for the presence of my mate besides me. The last time I had to travel this long was when I left the royal palace to hide from Ryder, a very foolish decision as I have now noticed. I could never do without him, and I don’t even want to try.
We pulled into the pack gates and looking round, a lot has changed from when I was here. The warriors on guard saluted and stood in position as we entered. From behind the tinted side glasses of the vehicle, I can see mothers carrying their young pups and hurriedly running to shelter, for fear of the Alpha Prince.
The pack has been under the governance of the royals for the last few days, and a lot of things have changed since I remember. The atmosphere around the pack was unusually gloomy, and even the warriors wore sad faces. The walls of the packhouse look duller than I can remember and the trees and plants that decorated
We returned back to the royal palace that same day and by the following day, things were being put in place to shut down Eclipse pack. I didn’t stay back to see it though, my job there was done, and I was back to the royal palace. Many members of Eclipse pack will not like me, because they wouldn’t understand this was in their best interest, but I was used to them not liking me, I lived with that all my life, only difference now is that I have upper hand. I hurried to meet Elsie who had been waiting for me downstairs for a while. As usual, I had woken up to find Ryder’s side of the bed empty, and the disappointment that followed was totally beyond my control. I had to remind myself that the fact that he had marked me now didn’t mean that he would have lesser responsibilities, and he only just informed me about his father’s decision to retire in less than two weeks, so there is a lot that needed to be done before the handover ceremony. To my surprise, Louis was beside
Right now, I’m super exhausted and I just want to crawl into bed and sleep, even though the evening is still young. I and Elsie have been on a shopping spree all day, trying to put a few things in place in preparation for the mating ceremony. There is a whole lot to be done before that day and I only just realized we have little time. Elsie had too much energy for one person, and if I hadn’t insisted that we continue tomorrow, we would have still been out by now.The regained my strength the minute I stepped into Ryder’s house and noticed he was home. He’d called earlier, but we hadn’t talked much. I climbed up the stair to the room with speed. Our bodies and minds were connected. I knew he could feel my presence the minute I walked into the building, just like I felt his.He was just stepping out of the shower when I walked in, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, and I drooled over his body. Tearing my eyes from his chest and biceps
The following days passed in a blur. There seemed to be too much to do under very little time, and I would not have been able to hold it off, if not for Elsie’s help. I didn’t know the first thing about organizing anything, and I wanted this to be perfect. I can’t afford any lapses.Ryder was enveloped in a pile of work himself, and we had little time with each other. Many nights, he didn’t return to bed and had to work through the night. He wouldn’t allow me to assist knowing I was pretty exhausted myself, but I fell asleep very frequently in his office and woke up in his room.The royal suite had been cleared out in the main castle for us while his father moved to the building behind that had been created for the purpose of his retirement. Our things had been cleared out and arranged in the royal suite and it would be our last night here. Louis will be moving in here once we moved out, and I knew I would miss this place so much.T
I smiled at the girl in the mirror and she smiled back. Tears glistened my eyes, but I had to hold it in, or else Elsie would go ballistic on me. ‘Don’t you dare ruin your make up’ she’d warned countless times. I laughed childishly as her eyes pried into mine through the mirror, the warning very evident in them. I can’t believe this is happening. I am just a few minutes away from being crowned the werewolf queen. Clad in the royal attire, and adorned with the most expensive jewelries, I looked nothing short of a Queen. Nora, Sadie, Rose and Layla had just exited the room to join the crowd outside. “You look absolutely stunning,” Elsie wiped her own tear before it dropped. “You know how much this means to Ryder,” she sniffed. “It means everything to him,” I nodded my head. I didn’t doubt Ryder wanted this as much as I did, or even more. “My mother’s crown has been laying around for years since her demise. It was her dying wish
We recited our oaths before going into the ritual proper, and then the mating process had to come before the crowning ceremony. It was a rigorous exercise with Ryder taking his oath first, and then I followed suit.The king slits his left palm with a royal dagger, and Ryder does the same. Then they shook hands and the crowd bared their necks while the exchange of power was ongoing, with the kinsmen reading out the vows for Ryder to repeat.Once that was done, he had to go on his knees to receive the crown from his father. I knelt with him as his father proceeded to crown me with his mother’s crown once he was done with Ryder. I repeated my vows too and swore my loyalty to my people and to Ryder, to rule alongside him and put the welfare of my subjects first.Then it was time for the mating proper. My wolf was giddy with excitement, she had waited for this a long time. To be joined with her mate forever as one. It was midnight already and the moon was at hi
We had just given the closing remarks when I finally caught a glimpse of Layla. She waved at me from behind the crowd, a wide smile on her face. I’d have been mad if I wasn’t surprised at how broadly she smiled and waved at me. It was hard pulling away from Ryder to go to her when my hands were trapped between his.When he finally let go, Layla was walking up to me same time as I was walking to her. A closer view revealed her flushed cheeks and bright eyes.“Someone looks overly excited. Where have you been?” I smiled as she pulled me into a tight embrace.“First, I’m sorry I haven’t been beside you,” She says with a little giggle, I doubted if she was really sorry.“And you are supposed to be my best friend,” I pouted childishly which made her laugh more.“I know, but I couldn’t help it,” she giggled “You look absolutely amazing by the way. I’ve never seen a
I can hear everything from where I stand; the insults, the snide comments, the accusations, the backlash, the loathe in their voices, everyone hates me. In their minds, I’m a bad omen, the one they should avoid at all cost. I blink back the tears that were already forming in my eyes. I should be used to this by now. It’s been twelve years of constant torture, twelve years since I’ve been reduced from the gamma’s daughter to the smelly pack maid that I am now, twelve years since the worse night of my life, but the memory is still freshly inscribed in my head, it still feels surreal to me. “She’s so pathetic,” I hear a familiar female voice say. “I wonder how she’s still able to live with herself,” another one added. “That’s why she would never have a wolf. She doesn’t deserve one,” another voice. I could either stand here and listen to all their gossips or just walk past and pretend like I didn’t hear them. I chose the latter, that’s what I do
“Happy Birthday Tee!” Layla’s scream jerked me awake. I groaned as my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the day. When I looked up, Layla is holding a small cake and smiling so broadly. I would have sworn I locked my door last night. How did she even manage to get in?I forced myself to sit upright, then glance at the clock beside my bed “Oh my goodness,” I quickly jump out of bed, knowing I’d be in deep shit today. Its almost nine A.M and Miss Anna would be so mad at me, I’m sure I’m going to be given extra work and punishment today.“Thank you, Layla,” I say dryly and grab the cake from her, setting it aside on the table, then I give her a small hug.She furrows her brow “I know you don’t like birthdays, but can you sound a little bit excited at least?” She groaned.“I am excited,” I lied “and thank you for the cake, but I have tons of work t