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KAEL.The moment the gun fired, I knew I couldn’t just keep running. I was sure my wolf could fight off the bullet as long as it was not silver, but it could be fatal for Adessa.She stopped screaming, but her legs and arms around me were in a vice grip, and despite my movement, I could feel her body shaking. I knew it wouldn’t be long before her tiredness and fear could take over, and she might eventually slip and fall from my back.I had to do something. I made an abrupt turn to the right, navigating a narrow path that would make it hard for a car to follow but still possible, especially since they were prepared for this and were driving a Jeep Wrangler.The thing with this forest is that the trees grew with wide spaces between them, so a hardcore car could definitely just sweep over those little bushes here and there. I stopped running when there was already a great distance between us, and I couldn’t see them. I immediately lowered my body to the ground, and Adessa slid down from
ADESSA.It was not Kael’s wolf. Someone found me.Instead of running back to Kael as I originally planned, I spun around and started to sprint away. But this time, I went to where I saw many trees that were closer to each other. I had no idea how far I could run before it would reach me. All I knew was I needed to survive so I could find Kael. I kept looking back, and when I was sure the wolf was treading the same path I took, including maneuvering himself on narrow bushes and trees, I ran head-on to the two trees standing close to each other and slipped my thin frame in between them, hoping his momentum would not let him steer away from this path. My body landed on the other side with a big thud, and I immediately turned around, hands gripping the earth as I anticipated his next move. With wide eyes, I watched as the wolf leaped into the air, only for his body to be trapped between the two trees. He growled loudly, saliva dripping and eyes dilating as he struggled to break free.
ADESSA.My mind was flying the whole time I was on Kael’s back. If he were not with me, I would think I was hallucinating, that all of this danger around me has resulted in my head going crazy.But I knew everything was real. I felt it in my hands. I saw it with my eyes. And I heard Kael confirm it. I healed him, but I had no idea how it was possible. Kael opened the car’s passenger door and let me in before throwing his duffel bag at the back seat. We stopped to pick it up when we passed by the area where I left it, and he was able to change into his clothes after he shifted back into his human. “I don’t know what I did there,” I told him the moment he started driving.“Have you done it before? Am I aware that you could heal before I lose my memory?” He asked without looking at me, concentrating on navigating around bushes and trees. “No. I have never done it before. This is the first time.”“So I was the first one you healed.” He said, and a smile cracked on his face, which made
ADESSA.“I will make sure your perfect little wife will bow down to me and eat whatever fucking thing I serve her! And I will make you watch it…” Alpha Draco's words echoed in my head.Goosebumps rose from my skin as cold chills ran down my spine. I tried not to be frightened, but hearing him talk like that was like hearing a devil come to life. I coiled my hands into tight fists to stop my body from trembling. And Kael saw that. He kept looking at me as he spoke back to him. “Over my dead body, fucker. Stay on your line, or hide. Because this time, I’ll be the one hunting you!” He didn’t allow him to respond. After he was done talking, he dropped the call and threw the phone onto the dashboard before stepping on the brakes, halting the car. He turned to look at me and reached for my hand. “Adessa, look at me!”My eyes were watering, and I knew my tears would fall if I turned to him. I didn’t want to cry anymore. “Adessa, look at me.” He repeated, softer this time. But as much as
KAEL.“I love you, Kael.” Adessa’s voice came out soft, but I was sure I heard it. My foot stepped on the brakes, and the car came to a sudden halt, making our bodies jolt forward. “I’m sorry,” she gasped as her hands held onto the dashboard before her as if it could stop her from slamming there, but she had a seatbelt on, so I knew she was safely tucked in her seat.“Did you just say what I heard you say?” I asked, ignoring the apology that came out of her lips because I had no idea what she was apologizing for. “Well…” She stammered, then flashed me an embarrassed smile. “You said it first.” “I said. So you think…” A smile tugged at my mouth, but my eyes were watering. “...it was appropriate and polite to say it back?” I couldn’t contain the happiness in my chest.I had always been a storm, and Adessa was definitely sunshine. It was easy to love her, but I felt good and exhilarated knowing this little ball of sunshine and butterflies had fallen in love with me despite the bad w
ADESSA.We finally reached the regular road, and in no time, we were driving into the city. I kept looking back, checking if anyone was following us, but everything seemed normal so far.“You can sleep,” Kael told me.“I’m not that sleepy anymore. I will rest once we transfer to another car. I’m not comfortable here.”He simply nodded his head and continued driving. Kael called someone after his call with Rasmus, and we got confirmation for a new car we could use once we reached that place. And from there, it would just be a couple of hours before we reached the North.It was noon, and my stomach was churning from hunger, but I didn’t say anything. I wanted to have a new car first. So when we finally reached the car dealer building, Kael wasted no time and grabbed the keys, and we were already on our way out.He was holding my hand, and we were walking to the big parking lot where they pointed when my head suddenly felt light, and I almost stumbled if Kael was not able to hold me stead
ADESSA. After I told Kael that I might be pregnant, I started to relax.In fact, I began to feel excited.I didn’t expect his reaction, which made everything perfect. Earlier, he told me he loved me, and his reaction to the pregnancy news supported that claim. Despite the fact that he couldn’t remember me, it was enough that he wanted me in his life, and he wanted to have a baby with me. We bought the pregnancy test kit and stopped by a fast-food restaurant. Kael ordered our food while I went to the restroom. He wanted to see the results with me, but he was taking too long to get here, and the results were ready. The line at the counter might be long, so I had to check this on my own. My hand trembled as I raised the test stick in my hand. One line. I was wrong. I wasn’t pregnant. I took a deep breath just in time for a knock to come. I lowered my hand and opened the door. Our gazes met, and I could still see the excitement in his eyes. I didn’t want to prolong the suspense
ALPHA RASMUS. Alpha of the Hallowed Crest Pack. The drive to Ironcrest Pack territory went smoothly but was boring as fuck. I drove my own car, and another car followed me, with two of my men in there for security purposes. I didn’t have any enemies like Kael, but Draco knew I was helping him, so I also had to watch my back. I honestly didn’t know if I should thank Kael or not because my boring life was suddenly flipped over.I felt I was also running against time, making sure Kael and Adessa got safely to the north. In the past few weeks, I had made more phone calls and bribed more people than I had in all my years as an Alpha, all to ensure they had what they needed. But I had no regrets. Why the fuck do I help them or Kael in particular?No, not because of Savannah or Desiree, whoever the fuck she is, especially since I could tell Kael was smitten by his own wife or ex-wife. The desire to help him was primarily motivated by guilt because he saved my stupid ass, and it cost hi
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
KAEL.“I need a quick nap. I haven’t had a good sleep these past few days.” Draco said as he slumped his body under a big oak tree. I wouldn’t believe him if I couldn’t see his face clearly. He did look tired, and bags were under his eyes. This game, or just being here, was certainly tiring him.“We’ll stop for only an hour. We need to move further than the rest.” Prince Vaidas told him.“Who the fuck are you to decide all the time?” Draco sneered at him before closing his eyes. “Don’t forget you’re on this team because of me.”“The hell I care about what team I belong to. I’m not anyone’s puppet.”“I didn’t say you were!” The prince growled. “But resting is not an option until we can secure a long distance from them!”“Unless you fucking know the route of the whole forest, there’s no telling if we are far from them or not. Who knows? We may just be going around in circles only and end up in front of them by the time they are ready to look for us.” Draco told him.That was the same
ADESSA.“The first team: Prince Vaidas. Alpha Kael and Alpha Draco… The second team: Alpha Leon, with…” The Game Master’s voice faded because my mind got stuck with Vaidas, Draco, and Kael on the same team. I was worried the first two would gang up with Kael, and that was not right. But before I could voice my concern to anyone who would dare to listen, Esriel leaned closer and whispered. “Relax. It’s better that he’s on the same team as them.”“Do you know the next challenge?” I asked him. He nodded. “It’s the task Esaias was asked to manage, but since that fraud prince was not really thrilled by this game, he asked me to help him.”I bit my bottom lip, suppressing myself from smiling because he called him a fraud prince. But he was right. The youngest of them certainly had no interest in this game, as our father often scolded him because he never listened during discussions. “Each team needs to protect their treasures within 48 hours, which the challenger needs to steal. The ste