KAEL. I asked for one bed, with no couch and little space to move around. In my defense, I wanted to make sure she was within reach in case someone barged in on us in the middle of the night. But I also want to feel her warmth. Not that I wanted more than just sleep, but... damn it! I had to admit I wanted her close. “I got you,” I mumbled, focusing on her amused face. Her eyebrows hiked up as if she couldn’t believe whatever she saw in my face before she straightened her posture. “Thank you. I want to rest now.” She said. “Of course.” I motioned with my hand, showing her the bed that was just three steps away from us. But instead of going directly to it, she picked up her backpack and made a run to the bathroom.Or should I say she made two steps to the small bathroom?I remained seated in the chair while she was in the bathroom. I tried to concentrate on our next move for tomorrow. I reached for my phone in my pocket, only to realize that my battery was empty and I had left the
ADESSA.I wiped the drool from the corner of my lips and scooted my body closer to the warmth I was hugging. I was already being pulled back to sleep when I realized I was leaning on a hard torso. I didn’t mind it at first, as I was so used to this position until it dawned on me that I didn’t have the privilege to do this anymore. My eyes snapped open, and I tilted my head up only to meet Kael’s gaze. He was already looking at me. Did he see me wipe my drool? Or worse, did my saliva drip onto his chest?“Hi…” I mumbled, but my hand quickly covered my mouth. I didn’t want him to smell my morning breath, but he was not even bothered at all by the looks of it. He smiled broadly at me before he winked, making my forehead crease. What was the wink for?Kael didn’t move and remained looking at me, the wide smile still plastered on his face. Until it slowly sank into me why he was smiling too much. Half of my body was almost on top of him. My arms were wrapped around him, and one leg w
ADESSA.“I just need to figure out who’s messing up our lives,” Kael said, and I tried to make sense of his words. Our lives? Or did he mean my life? Did I understand him correctly? I was sure someone was trying to sabotage mine, but him? I was still conversing with myself when he grabbed my hand and guided me out of the room. Everything after that became a blur.As much as I wanted to talk about what he said, I remained mummed, as I didn’t want any discussion in public. Hopefully, he could rent a car where we could talk privately.“Ready to go home?” Kael asked after he gave me the takeout bag from the drive-through. I nodded my head, and he began maneuvering the car to drive away.This was it. I needed to tell him about Miranda before we exited this city. But just when I was about to open my mouth, his phone rang. We bought a charger before renting a car, and he charged it right away as soon as we sat inside this vehicle. He turned it on just before we got our food. “Landon…” He
ADESSA.“Why Desiree?” Kael asked him right away.He didn’t even greet him.“Finally, you asked! Now, make sure you don’t fucking drop the phone on me while I’m trying to explain.” Rasmus was talking too fast.I understood him because whenever he called and attempted to speak Kael, Kael would hang up without hearing the rest of his speech.“Talk! I’m listening.” Kael said. “I don’t know any Desiree! That woman I fucked was named Savannah. That was the name she gave me, and it was too fucking far from Desiree!”“Why should I believe you?” Kael asked, and I tried to gauge his reaction if hearing Desiree fuck another man would elicit a foul reaction from him like he used to whenever this topic came between us at the early part of our marriage.But he was acting nonchalantly and “For fuck’s sake, Kael, you should know better that I would never take any woman that had gone to bed with. I would never take any leftovers—for my ego and for my sanity! If I knew she was the Desiree you were he
ADESSA.“I believe Miranda was the one who sold me to Alpha Draco,” I said in a soft voice, but enough for Kael to hear. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and my heart began to thud loudly. I sank deeper into my seat, thinking if this was the part where he would shout at me for trying to smudge his stepmother’s name. “Listen first. I was inside the van, and they forced me to sign something—a paper. I didn’t even get a glimpse of whatever it was. I just signed because they pointed a gun at me.” He didn’t say anything or didn’t even look at me, but I could see his expression darken. “The car drove by to her home, and one of the men inside went out and gave her the paper I signed. I knew it was her. It was her home, and I saw her face. She took the paper from him.” “Your farewell letter...”“What?”“Did you write a farewell letter for me?”“No. The only things I left on your desk were the credit cards and the wedding ring. But then they put the ring into my pocket when we wer
ADESSA.“You were on the phone with me, and you didn’t tell me you were coming here?” Rasmus’ voice rang in the air after he barged into the living room of Aunt Aria’s home. “Maybe because I don’t trust you.” Kael rose from his seat next to me and turned to face him.“And yet you’re in my territory.” Rasmus scoffed.“I’m not here for you, but Aunt Aria.”“Enough, you two. We have a more pressing thing to discuss.” Aunt Aria stood up before walking toward her son, placing her hand on his chest and rubbing it softly. “What’s going on?” He asked his mother. “Have you watched the news lately?”“I don’t watch TV, you know that.” He replied. Aunt Aria moved away from him and picked up the remote control. She scanned the channels until she found one with a breaking news advisory.Kael’s hand grabbed mine and pulled me up from the couch before letting me stand in front of him. He gripped the corners of my shoulders, keeping me close to him.My face flashed on the TV, making me flinch, but
KAEL.“You need to be careful,” Adessa said. Her eyes softened, and even if she was trying to smile, I could see the worry in her expression. I raised my hand and let my knuckles run over her soft cheek. “You’ll be safe here. I will come back as soon as I can. Keep the phone I gave you close, and never call me unless they’re here. I will call you when I can.”She nodded. “I have to go.”“The last time you said goodbye to me, you came back unconscious, badly beaten, and on the brink of death.” Her eyes watered before she continued. “Can you make sure to come back alive?” I smiled and nodded before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into a tight embrace. “I will come back alive. I have many things to make up for, and I need to get you out of this mess first.”She didn’t say anything, but I felt her squeeze my body as she hugged me tightly, as if she didn’t want to let go. I turned my head to the side and kissed the side of her cheek, but I let my lips linger there, wanting t
KAEL.I saw Dexter’s hand coiled on his sides. I met his gaze and told him what to do next. “Go to the bank first thing tomorrow morning and freeze all her accounts. I also want records of her transactions in the last two years, three if possible.”“I can do that,” Dexter said, nodding his head in respect. “Where is Luna Adessa?”“I don’t know,” I answered, leaning forward on my desk again. “I’ll be out for a week or two starting tomorrow.”“What?” They asked in unison. “Where are you going?” Dexter asked.“I have some business to attend to. All I need is a guarantee this pack will be handled efficiently.”“I don’t think you’ll have a problem with that. I’ve been managing this pack in your absence while you were in a coma, but I need to know your whereabouts and what else to expect.”“But you have Luna Adessa giving the final decisions for everything.” Landon butted him, debunking his words. Dexter’s forehead creased before he responded to that. “She has the last say, but we both kno
ADESSA.“Desiree quit her job because she came back. I was giving her money for her apartment and for everything her child needed. Without me, she had no way to work and take care of her child at the same time…”Miranda was still talking, but nothing was sinking in except the part where Desiree had a child. I didn’t even question that she was Desiree’s mother because all I heard was about the child. “Is it Kael’s son?” I asked, unaware that I had already reached out to hold Esmaeel’s arm for support. My brother held me, supporting my body so I could remain standing.“No, no, no…” She said as she shook her head. “It’s not his son.”“Don’t lie to me.”“Desiree has a child from another man whose name I don’t even know. The same man that Kael caught her in bed with.” My hand went to my mouth, suppressing myself from gasping. Rasmus. Desiree had a child with Rasmus. “I’m not lying, Adessa… You can ask me anything now, and I will tell you the truth in exchange for my freedom. Please le
ADESSA.I had no idea there was a Beta task that happened last night. I couldn’t believe Draco won this part, and I had to see him for breakfast. But if anything, at least I wouldn’t be dining with him alone. I was told the whole family would, so I didn’t need to coerce myself to talk with him. I hadn’t forgiven him for all this mess, and I never thought I would. I was also only informed last night that the current task would last for three days, and we would never hear from the participants unless they got out and finished the challenge. I kept bugging Esriel about what task lay ahead, but this time, he kept his mouth shut and avoided me, which made me worry more.I woke up early despite not being able to sleep at all, because aside from breakfast, I was finally meeting Miranda. She was captured a few days back, and Father wanted me to face her.As much as I would rather not deal with her, I had to. I also wanted my father to find out that she sold me to Draco as a slave. But if I
KAEL. I was still trying to digest the information I witnessed when another surprise was presented.After the crowd toned down from greeting and celebrating with the Royal couple, the Game Master stood before us in the middle of the arena—with more breaking news. “The fourth task had already begun last night from the moment you stepped back into the manor. The food you ate and the drink you consumed were illusions, so if you thought that food was enough and skipped meals the whole day, then you are already at a disadvantage. You will feel the hunger later on.”I swallowed—grateful that I didn’t consume a lot last night and that I went to the kitchen and asked for food when I woke up today. “And the naked women you found in your rooms last night…” He added, and I immediately saw Adessa shift in her seat.She looked mortified. She had no idea about the women.“...were not who they seemed to be.” The Game Master continued. “ You met our first creatures. The faeries of the Eternal Fore
KAEL. Before I could think more, the speaker already announced our entrance. Draco walked ahead of us while the rest were in a straight line behind him. “Where is Randolf?” I heard Constantin ask as we walked, and when I tilted my head to the right, as I was the first on the left, I counted only three: Vaidas, Constantin, and Nicholas.I didn’t notice he was not there as we all left the manor in our own cars with just our Betas. And I didn’t notice him. In fact, I hadn’t seen him the whole day. “I’m sure they will tell us soon,” Nicholas said, and no one discussed it until we stopped in front of the stage. Everything went fast after that. Draco was congratulated for winning the last task and was asked to join them on the stage. I was right, he was to sit next to Adessa. I made every effort to remain unaffected. This was what they wanted, not what she wanted. I would not let it destroy my confidence and focus for the next game. I would use this as my motivation to win this round
KAEL.As soon as the Game Master dismissed us, Landon and I headed back to our room. The rest did as well, except for Draco and Roman, who headed toward the open bar of this manor. Of course, they had no task to think about and wanted to celebrate.I couldn’t be happy for them, not only because I loathed the man but also because Landon told me he was cheated, maybe not by Roman but by the game itself. “Tell me what happened,” I said after I heard the door lock while I leaned on the windowsill, looking at the garden below. I heard him let out a deep sigh before he began talking while I remained in my position. “The game wasn’t hard. It was all about how well you know your Alpha. From the first car to the age you shifted and the many names connected to you to the farthest place you’d been. Roman and I were both doing well. We were acing all the questions, and Beta Samuel was just right behind us. Then the fucking final question came, and I was so confident about my answer.” I could h
KAEL. I left the French balcony door slightly open, letting the crisp air in while I lay awake in bed. Sleep would surely not come tonight. Not when I had no idea what was going on with my Beta. The balcony of our room faced southward, toward the forest, but I could see part of the driveway from here. When it was too quiet, like tonight, I was sure I would hear if there were any commotion going on.After a long while, I could feel my eyes drooping, and just when I was about to lose consciousness, the sound of an approaching vehicle reached my ears. I immediately jolted up from my bed and checked the balcony. I saw a light getting closer. It must be them. I went back inside to grab a shirt and put it on. I already had my sweatpants on, so I went ahead and rushed out of my bedroom. Like the scene earlier, I was not the only one in the corridor. The other Alphas were also heading downstairs. No words were spoken between us as we hurriedly trod the way down. I could only assume they we
KAEL. We were the first to arrive and were asked to surrender our treasures. It didn’t take long before a vehicle came, and the challenger team, led by Alpha Randolf, stepped out. And with the smirk plastered on his face, I could tell they were able to snag a treasure. I thought we were waiting for the rest or at least one more team, but the Game Master told us everyone who was supposed to be here was already here and requested Randolf to surrender the treasure they got. They didn’t get just one treasure; they got six. All six treasures of the two teams. I was certain they found the obsidian necklace and Liam’s team still tied up. It was the only explanation for their treasures, but it seemed they also wiped out Alpha Leon’s.I couldn’t believe it, as I thought Leon’s team was stronger than them, but maybe I just didn’t know their full strength. In the end, the twelve became six in an instant. But it didn’t matter to me. In fact, I was grateful. The fewer the contenders, the faste
KAEL.When I turned to Draco, the necklace was not around his neck anymore. Gunner was gripping it tightly, but before I could do anything to help him, Draco shifted, ripping his clothes apart and landing exactly on top of Gunner. I shifted back into my human form and grabbed the necklace from Gunner’s hand while Draco still had his teeth on the side of his shoulder, near his throat. One wrong move, and Draco could snap the vein on his neck, so the fucker stayed paralyzed under his hold. Vaidas, on the other hand, was already dragging forest vines. I helped him, and it didn’t take long before we were able to tie the three of them together under the tree with their hands bound as well. We were about to leave them when Draco returned and took Gunner’s treasure from his pocket. They lied—no one stole his treasure. “You started this game. It’s only fair we play along…” He tossed the ring in the air before catching it, clutching it tightly in his hand and smirking at them. “I don’t thi
KAEL. Deciding what to do with the cloak was making me uneasy. If I were Superman, this would be easy to handle, but how the fuck do I move and kick ass with this thing around me? I could take it off, but I didn’t have the luxury of time to work on the fucking zipper to take out the citrine. And I had nowhere to hide it. They were coming closer. “No matter what happens, we can’t trust anyone. Except for the three of us.” I told them. It was hard to let those words pass my throat because Draco was part of the team, but at this point, with all our fates in this game entwined, it was all or nothing. The sounds of leaves rustling and twigs snapping at the other side of the trees became louder, and the three of us moved into position, ready to leap and attack. But when the faint light beaming from the canopy of the trees as the moon and sun shared the dawn fell on the forms that emerged from the bushes, I heard the sighs of relief from the two men with me.It was Alpha Liam with his tea