Layla’s POVMy first date.I’d have my first date with a man that cherished the ground I walked on like I was an actual goddess like he’d said countless times. It made me giddy and so excited that Alpha Arnold wanted to take me on a date. I mean, he hadn’t spelled it out completely, but I’d known that the special place he had in mind, was most likely a place where we’d both enjoy our time together.And what did time together like that translate as? A date!The minute he’d shut the door behind him after he’d walked me back to my room, all I could think of was how amazing the evening of the next day would be with him. He was already so unbelievably sweet, kind, and patient with me, so I knew that he’d surpass my expectations with whatever he’d planned for us.Even while I freshened up for the night’s rest, my mind wandered to thoughts of how much I’d loved his rapport with the commoners and traders alike. It was nothing short of amazing to witness how kind and brilliant he was as a ruler
Arnold’s POVNature was Layla’s second home, and I’d known that because of the times when I’d watched her from afar play with plants and animals before we met officially. With that knowledge, I was certain that she’d have an amazing time if I brought her to one of the most beautiful lakes in all of Crescent Valley, and I was content that she loved it even more than I’d predicted she would.How could she be so excited by a butterfly’s perch? She was unbelievably adorable and precious in every single way one could imagine. I didn't think that a woman could ever have me in a choke hold as strong as the one she had me in, but it wasn't one I ever wanted to escape from because of how blissful it felt.Layla radiated a certain kind of peace that a person could only experience once in a lifetime, but in planned to keep it for the rest of our lives that we’d spend together. I was unsure how she could be so enchantingly beautiful and still have the humility of a child with the heart of an angel
Arnold POVWe'd gone on to talk about sweet nothing for the next hour and a half and her laughter kept filling the entire area, and because of how contagious and lovely it sounded, I ended up laughing as well and filling the air with my deep throat chuckles as well.My wolf felt so safe with her and I didn't care that our conversation barely had a main topic, all I wanted was to keep talking to her. I didn't know how often I'd have enough free time to simply enjoy being in her presence, so I decided to bask in every moment we shared.Slowly, our conversation began to stir toward my childhood experiences that I still cherished to this very day. I didn't have many because it was full of training and private lectures to teach me about tradition, but I was able to share a few funny training sessions that I could still remember.She was unable to relate to most of my experiences because she'd grown up in the woods and she barely had any spectacular moments. And in a way, I was grateful that
ETHANThey must all think I was dead by now. They must all be certain that I was dead by now.I couldn't blame them, no one would have witnessed a 10-year-old rip out the heart of a guard in just one stroke... No one would have witnessed a 10-year-old under the full impact of the curse by the moon Goddess, seen the savageness and darkness in my eyes, the blood lust and thirst in my eyes, the need to ravage and kill as much as possible pulsing through me with so much force that it incinerated every other thing. No one could have expected a 10-year-old to carry that kind of weight on his shoulders and survive till now. After my father allegedly attempted to kill his brother because of the throne, because he wanted to be crowned the King of Wandercoast, which he failed gallantly, and his brother, Aragon killed him in self-defense after suffering a fatal blow to the face, a blow that was so lethal that his whole skin peeled off and even his wolf couldn't heal the wound and the most powe
HERAA thousand meditations couldn't possibly calm the unbridled rage that’d built up within me because of the puny bitch that had dug her claws deep into Alpha Arnold’s feeble skin. Layla acted all innocent and put together, but I knew that she was nothing other than a conniving little bitch that just needed to work her way to the top of the ladder.I wished that her aunt and uncle had done a much better job at concealing her identity because right now, their failure to do so had fucked up everything I’d struggled to build for the past few years that I’d been running on a perfect strategy that would've made me a promising Luna if she hadn't wormed her way into Alpha Arnold’s heart.Before I could process the horse shit that she’d currently turned my life into any further, I grabbed a vase from my bed stand and crushed it in between my hands angrily because I badly needed an outlet for the unexplainable rage that I felt.As I watched the pieces of the vase fall to the ground, I realize
LAYLAA laughter that could’ve caused my belly to erupt filled my chambers as Nadia just completed one of her famous expressions or imitations of different people in the palace. I didn't know how she managed to pull it off, but Nadia had a talent for improvisation and she always lifted my spirits with her witty behavior when she executed any of her funny habits.After my laughter had finally subsided, I rolled over to the edge of the bed and leaned forward so that I’d be able to clearly see Nadia who was on a mat beside my bed. I was never comfortable with the fact she’d always chosen to sleep on the mat despite how much room there was on the huge bed I’d been given.“Nads, you know you can just sleep on the bed beside me, right?” I rose my brows at her as I awaited her usual decline whenever it came to this particular offer.“Look here,” She sat up on the mat so that she was now facing me, “You already know that's a No. Why do you always offer despite that?”I watched her brows wrinkl
ARNOLD ‘How the mighty hath fallen!’ That quote was now permanently bored into my mind’s eye after I’d seen it play out before my very eyes as I grew up. In the instance I’d been opportune to witness, “the mighty” was my ailing father who had grown weaker by the day from my teenage years and it’d shocked me each time I saw him. My father was one of the most feared and revered Alphas of his time, he was what you'd refer to as a man of valor because of how he conducted himself and always put his pack first. I still considered myself as incredibly lucky to have grown up under the wing of a man who led his pack as brilliantly as he did, because not everyone got such an outstanding mentor from birth like I did. Growing up, I admired my father’s resilience and strength as he sorted matters of the royal court and the pack in general. Every single time that he’d set out to conquer a territory and merge it with ours, the palace prepared a celebratory feast because we knew that he’d never lo
ARNOLD My father’s words had reignited an unusual anger within me as he compared me to Ethan as though I’d accomplished absolutely nothing as an Alpha since I’d taken his stead. The anger I’d felt toward his utterance was borne from a place I couldn’t quite place a finger on, it was an inexplicable surge of rage that seemed to have emerged from the pits of my belly on hearing Ethan’s name. For some unknown reason, Ethan’s name seemed to be on everyone’s lips these days and it’d begun to irritate me more than I was willing to let on. First, it’d been Layla who’d questioned me about his so-called curse, and now, it was my father who dared to compare me to him like we were nothing but common roadside commodities. What enraged me, even more, was the fact that my father showed no remorse for the insulting statement he’d just made about my inability to serve effectively as an Alpha. The unbelievable part was that I’d been successfully holding down the forte and ensuring that peace and pro