Chapter 20Laurel found herself standing beside Earl, her newly bonded husband, amidst the jubilant crowd. The atmosphere was filled with excitement and celebration, but beneath her forced smile, questions and uncertainties still plagued her mind. As the night progressed, she couldn’t help but feel the weight of her new role as Luna, the mate of the Alpha.‘Good heavens, I can’t believe that this magnificent mountain of threat before me is now mine.’ She thought carefully, wishing more than anything that she could run into the forest and hide from all this, but she kept that thought to herself and tried to keep her countenance under control throughout the walk back to the castle. She couldn’t do that even if she tried, not when she was walking beside this mighty alpha whose eyes were already looking her over possessively.Earl, sensing her inner turmoil, gently squeezed her hand, offering a silent reassurance. She glanced at him, his mesmerizing golden eyes reflecting both pride and te
Chapter 21 “Say something!” Laurel prompted Earl angrily. He had not said or done anything since the arrival of these men and his silence was no longer sitting well with her, especially since the giant man’s grip on her sister was getting tighter by the minute. She could see his hand pressing tightly against Kristen’s mouth, so much that her eyes were already bulging from their sockets. “Lambert,” Earl began tentatively, his eyes not leaving Laurel’s face. “I have imagined this meeting everyday since the first day I received your note.” Lambert was relieved to hear him say something, for he hated Earl’s silence. He loved to know his enemy’s next move, and he hated silence, especially Earl’s silence. He had fought and conquered many territories, and oftentimes, he did so by knowing his opponent’s next move. But In this case, his enemy was a man of few words, which was one reason he hated physical confrontations with Earl Malory. He preferred to strike from a distance, to leave trai
Chapter 22He let her go only when they were safely inside the castle, the elders were there, clearly unscathed and sound. The first thing Earl did the moment he saw them was to check if they were completely, and much to his relief, they were. A good number of the pack had returned already, having sensed trouble. But a few were still wounded, and a few taken, from both packs. Lambert was not stupid, he had taken his hostages before confronting his adversary. And as unsuspecting as they were, they had been easy targets. Only two wolves were recorded dead, but a good number of Lambert’s rogues had met their death at the hands of the wolves. The celebration halted, but now, every single pack member of both New Knight and Sacred Moon had a common interest, to protect the Alpha and his Luna. Laurel found it annoying that she was not allowed to leave Earl’s side even for a second. And yet, his men still wouldn’t let her be, and even her own people looked at her with concern and fear regis
Chapter 23An endless sea of blackness was all that met her eyes. That darkness, broken only by the soft glow of the moon, only that the moon was split in two halves. She watched as the two equal halves, both with jagged edges facing each other, hung in the sky, both maintaining a great distance apart. The two halves drifted slowly towards each other, occasionally even moving together, Laurel imagined their intention was to come together and become whole. She nearly laughed at the irony of that in her own life, come together and become whole? She had come together with a man, yes. But had they become whole? Hell no. Instead she saw clearly now that they were going to be plagued by several things, several people and her new husband’s Earl’s psychic brother was now out to haunt her. And in Earl’s words, he would not rest until he had her. Long after he left, Laurel stood staring into space, she sat nervously on the edge of the bed, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. Her sister stood
Chapter 24Seeing Earl enter the hall, Gregg looked quizzically at him. Earl saw his silly grin and frowned at his friend."And how is our new wife?" Gregg demanded. "Is she burning with impatience for her bonding night?"Earl turned to Gregg with a renewed frown. "She is probably burning with impatience to stick a sword in my heart.""I must admit she might consider it, though she does a good job at hiding it, she sure has the spirit." said Gregg "Spirit and beauty." Earl noted dreamily. "It will take some taming but you will bend her to your will in time, don't fear." Gregg poked him in the ribs, "And stop smiling like a lost sheep! Wait, don't tell me you kissed her!"With a swift move, Earl shrugged his friend's hands off his own shoulders and glanced across the hall to where most of their men stood, there were maids patrolling the hall going about their business too. He glared at Gregg and eyed him cautiously, "I don't appreciate you saying such things! I'm not that… loose, and
Chapter 25By sunrise the following morning, Laurel had been escorted out of Sacred Moon Pack and was already at New Knights Pack, having been escorted by a host of Earl's trusted guards. Last night's hunt had done her a great deal of good, and her last conversation with her sister greatly improved her mood. But somehow, she found herself disappointed that Earl had not come to escort her to her new home himself as was customary. But Laurel told herself not to think much of it, and she looked forward to not expecting too much from her new mate. The maids treated her well, and so did the several guards that followed her about the yard. Even Gregg managed a smile in her direction each time their eyes met. But Laurel found herself looking with longing about the place for any sign of Earl, but he was nowhere to be seen. When it was evening and she had still not seen nor heard anything about Earl, Laurel got tired of being idle and decided to take a stroll around the yard. But the guards
Chapter 26"Where is Earl?" Gregg dropped his cutlery and looked across the table at Laurel, whose eyes were trained on him and he could swear he saw fire in those eyes. What was he to tell her? He had no clue, and Earl had certainly left no explanation as to his whereabouts. How was he to tell her that Earl was simply on a solo trip to get away from his new wife? “Well, he had urgent business he had to attend to. But not to worry, he will be with you soon enough." "And how soon is soon enough?" Gregg shrugged, "I understand your concern and it's certainly not out of place. But trust me…" "Is he avoiding me?" Gregg frowned, he had not expected that she would care so much about his whereabouts considering the events surrounding their union, "I don't suppose he is. But I will surely let him know you worry about him if I… happen to see him?" Laurel's fists landed on the table so violently that the contents of the table went up in the air and came crashing back down with a force th
Chapter 27 Exactly two minutes after he left, Laurel still stood there, too stunned to move. It only took a knock on the door to made her draw her eyes away from the window where she still stood staring into space. When she opened the door, she found Astrid there, watching her with eyes that reflected something, something she could not quite place her hand on. It took her a moment before she stepped away from the door and nodded for Astrid to come in while Laurel continued staring at the window. Astrid said nothing, merely just watching Laurel. "I sent for you well over twenty minutes ago." She said and continued pacing. "Yes. But you had a guest." Laurel stopped and stared at the girl with questioning eyes, but Astrid's eyes held a knowing look, "You knew." She shrugged with a nod, "Yes, I know. What I don't know is what he told you." "Then why didn't you come in to see if I was in danger? Why didn't you alert the guards?" Astrid gave one of those unusually calm smiles, "Lambe