Thank you all for the engagement in the previous chapter. Love always, Kiki.
ALPHA KING XALEN~~“How dare you?”Haylee.That was Haylee, right?“Yes, dammit!” Theo’s voice resonated in my mind, the level of his anger matching that of Haylee, whose voice was still echoing within my ears.What the hell happened? Why is Haylee angry?“Seriously? You can’t recall?” Theo hissed into my mind, disbelief and rage etched in every one of his words.My mind felt a little foggy, and I couldn’t react, even though Haylee and Allison got into a fight right before my eyes. It wasn’t until my foggy mind realized that I was naked and so was Allison that a strong wave of realization hit me.“Allison tried to seduce me!” I breathed, quickly forcing my body to move, and I picked up my clothes to cover up.Goddess, this was the living room. My kids could walk in.Gosh, my mate had already walked in.“Please tell me she didn’t succeed. Tell me I didn’t sleep with her, Theo.” I pleaded with my wolf, my eyes fixed on Haylee, who punched Allison in the face, grunting like a wounded a
HAYLEE~~This is the end.This is the end of everything. I was so done with life, destiny, bond, and the damn feelings. I was so done!These thoughts raced through my mind as I raced through the pack, paying attention to no one. I didn’t know where I was going, but I sure as hell knew I was done with all the turmoil and unbalance.I was tired of gambling with my life.And I just realized that my feelings were the only thing keeping me here. Xalen had freed me for weeks now. I could leave, yet I stayed because I thought I had found the perfect place to settle—the perfect place to plant my roots.Goddess, was I wrong!Damn it all. Damn the Goddess herself, because how could she do this to me? She had sat back and watched me suffer since I was born. When exactly would I stop suffering? When I drop dead?I continued running. I didn’t care if I was being followed or not. I just kept running far away from everything.“Is this the best solution? We can’t run forever. He can find us—” Liya
ALPHA KING XALEN~~“She masked her scent. I can’t reach or connect with her wolf.”The minute Theo said these words to me, I realized that Haylee didn’t want to be found, not by me. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t want to see me as well. The best thing I could do for her right now was to let her be.At least I thought that was the best as I gave up on finding her after hours of searching. I didn’t want to involve anyone because I didn’t want to escalate the mess I had created.“Do you think she will forgive us?” Theo whimpered like a broken soul as I began to walk back to the palace, a big part of me hoping that I would find Haylee at home with the kids.I sighed. “I don’t know, Theo. I wish I could answer that, but even I can’t forgive myself.”After that, Theo went mute, and I dragged myself home. Upon getting home, the tiny hope I had within me was crushed because I found Sophia, Asher, and Jodie there. That simply meant that Haylee wasn’t home, and my kids were sitting too c
Princess Allison’s POV~~“She is my second chance.”“You will rot alone.”“You will raise it alone.”“Second chance. Alone. Belong to her.”Alpha King Xalen’s words echoed in my mind over and over again. Each of those phrases felt like a custom-made poison made just for my soul. Made to kill me slowly.Yes, I got what I wanted.Who was I kidding?I didn’t exactly get what I wanted, and I was shamed while trying. Alpha King Xalen turned out to be stronger than I thought. He resisted the spell I cast on him, long enough for the interruption to barge in.Fuck!And the interruption happened to be his second chance mate?How could that be? How could she be his second chance mate? She wasn’t worthy of him. She was no Queen material. I was born to be the Queen of this realm. All my life, I have been preparing to be just that—Queen of the realm.I would be damned if I let a mere slave take that away from me. I mean, if I wouldn’t let my dad take it and give the throne to my stupid, useless,
HAYLEE~~My eyes remained wide open all through the night, and while I cried for most of that time, at some point, my tear glands stopped producing tears as I became dehydrated and completely drained.I didn’t realize I had stayed up all night until a sharp knock on the door yanked me out of my trance. My eyelids fluttered for the first time in many hours, and my gaze shifted from the white ceiling to the equally white door.However, I didn’t make any move to answer the door. I remained on my back, hands folded over my abdomen, but I noticed that the once-dark room had become brighter as light slipped past the light blue curtains.Whoever was at the door knocked again, but I didn’t move, nor did I try to perceive the scent of the person.I didn’t care.More appropriately, I didn’t want to care. I also didn’t want to move because moving would mean that I was ready to face the world. Ready to face Xalen and what he had turned my life into.I didn’t want to do that. In fact, I wanted
HAYLEE~~“Have you been crying, Haylee?” Asher questioned as soon as he made himself comfortable beside me.Before I could get my tongue to speak, Sophia murmured with furrowed brows, “You smell horrible, Hay.”A smile cracked my rigid face, and I forced my exhausted body off my back, sitting on my butt and resting my spine against the headboard.Flavia, who was standing at the foot of the bed, chimed in, “If his small eyes can't bear the sight of you and her tiny nostrils can't stand your smell, imagine what my way bigger eyes and nostrils are enduring right now.”I scoffed as Jodie cooed as if laying her own complaints as well. Flavia caught on to that and laughed, “See? Even Jodie agrees that you need a good bath because you are an eyesore.”Rolling my puffy, strained eyes, I breathed, “Well, you all won't have to see me or perceive me if you just leave me alone.”Although I managed to smile at Asher and Sophia as I uttered those words, my voice still came out harsh.Asher stiff
ALPHA KING XALEN~~“What a mess you have become in what? Five days?” Roy’s voice pierced through my thickly layered thoughts.My eyelids flickered as I took my eyes off the plain wall I had been staring at for how long? Five days? There’s no way it’s been five days. Right?“Relax, Xalen.” Roy laughed when he noticed my face. “It’s just been two days, but that’s more than enough for you to pull your shit together.”I glared at Roy, hating that he found my current situation funny. “How can I pull my shit together? You don’t even know what happened to my damn shit.”“Of course, I do. Have you forgotten that my mate and I have been sleeping in the same room and she just happens to be good friends with your mate, cousin?” Roy uttered, switching on the light bulb in my bedroom.Despite the irritating effect that the light had on me, I whispered, “Flavia told you? Did she tell you how Haylee is doing? She hates me, right? Do you think she will reject me? Gosh, I can’t even refuse to accep
HAYLEE~~“Are you certain it wasn’t just a dream?”Gladys, one of the oldest healers in the pack, asked me after I told her about the vivid dream I had before my heart was stomped on for the millionth time in this lifetime.“I wish to say I am certain, Gladys, but I am not. It felt so real, and a part of me wanted to believe it was real because it would mean my mother was powerful and I could finally get answers from her,” I said to the woman sitting on a stool before me, her old, wise eyes twinkling as she listened to me.“Well, it could also mean that you are powerful enough to call on the spirits of your ancestors,” Gladys stated with a proud smile.I have been training with her for the past two days. Although I was initially training with her and Flavia, once again, my heart was stomped on; Flavia had handed me over to Gladys because I needed more than just training.According to Flavia, I needed teachings that would strengthen who I was… who I truly was. And even though I was b
Princess Allison’s POV ~~If I saw the nightmare having breakfast with the family, I desired to be a part of it, even though every member of that family hated me; I ignored her.Haylee had proven to be my nightmare. The wall I stumbled upon each time I found a way to get myself out of the mess my life had become. Sadly, Haylee had remained a constant, and I didn’t see how I would get rid of her.Not anymore.I have tried killing her. I tried framing her. I tried making everyone hate her. Heck! What more was I supposed to do?“Why is she so indestructible? Who the hell is she?” Nala growled within me as I stormed out of the palace, eyes searching the compound and nose inhaling the air to find the bastard that renewed my hope.He should have left me to rot in defeat or at least let me figure this out on my own instead of using his silly tricks. Silly, futile tricks!“This is getting out of hand, Nala.” I whimpered to my wolf, walking aimlessly around the pack after I exited the palac
Princess Allison’s POV ~~I wasn’t there, but I heard the celebration. It was earthshaking, so who in the pack wouldn’t hear or feel it? Even though I didn’t join the celebration, the rumors of what led to such happiness reached me within the next hour. Since Benita was dead, I have been assigned another servant, even though I wasn’t welcomed in the palace. No one made me feel welcome, but I didn’t care because I trusted fake Jose’s plan to work just fine. I mean, it has been working for the past week. I thought nothing could change the outcome until my new servant came to my bedroom with breakfast. “What’s the noise about, Orla?” I asked the sweet girl who had replaced Benita. Although she was no Benita, she had been serving me with respect since she became my servant.“There’s no noise, Princess Allison,” Orla answered, staring straight into my eyes for the first time since she started serving me. My brows furrowed as I took the tray of food from her. I clarified my question,
HAYLEE~~Saying I was relieved would be an understatement of the century; I was overwhelmed with elation, a surge of joy that went beyond mere relief. The sound of joy and the promise of a better future were enough reasons for me to be happy.And I was.But at the same time, I was worried. Or maybe it was fear because I wasn’t sure I could live up to the pack’s expectations. The same expectations that I had infused into their minds when I said these words to them:“I promise to be a queen who leaves marks—marks that will remain unerasable throughout history.”Even after the small celebration that happened after my coronation was scheduled, I still couldn’t figure out how those words made their way out of my mouth. It was as if a part of me I never knew existed voiced those words… a part of me that was awakened when the pack openly accepted me.“You’ve always wanted to be accepted,” Liya chimed into my mind as I walked back to the bedroom with Xalen, who was grinning from ear to ear
ALPHA KING XALEN~~Mornings and nights have become my favorites. I wake up to Haylee in the morning and share breakfast with the family before facing the rest of the world. And at night, I get to leave the chaos behind, return to my loved ones, and fall asleep with Haylee in my arms.But today, this cherished morning had to end earlier than usual. In that moment, I worried it would be yet another tough day for my mate and me.“It’s Roy. You might want to see this,” my cousin’s voice boomed through the room before I could even open the door.Sophia and Asher had been hanging on me as I stood there, but as soon as they saw Roy, they jumped on him instead, giving me a moment to compose myself after the strenuous dancing and singing.“You call that singing? Haylee calls it a sound. A bad sound,” Theo mocked me through the link.Roy’s cry for help snapped me out of it. “Can you get one of them off me? I’m not a father yet, and this is pure torture.”“More like practice, brother,” I quip
HAYLEE~~I cried my heart out to sleep last night. I was sad after the meeting with Kaylee, and even though Flavai tried to console me, I couldn’t shake off the mood. I thought sleeping early would help me relax, and I yearned to reach out to Aradia so we could talk.Before I went to bed, Jodie was cranky, and she wouldn’t stop crying until I carried her. I didn’t know when I fell asleep with her in my arms, but it was a good sleep. It was as if she was crying to reach me so she could comfort me, even though other people had failed to do so.Jodie just happened to be my little comforter.That was the first thought that came to mind as I slipped out of the sleep realm that morning. Although I didn’t get to connect with Aradia, I woke up feeling less sad, and I didn’t understand why until my eyes fluttered open and instantly connected with Xalen’s happy eyes.“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” Xalen’s voice and love rushed into my mind as he spoke through our mate bond.His eyes twinkl
ALPHA KING XALEN~~In that moment, my pack members got their priorities right. I could feel it in my bones, yet I added, “Protesting to have Haylee punished for being a good person caught in the middle of bad ones or evil would mean you are ready to have Alpha Richard as your Alpha and King.”To clarify, I added, “Yes, I will stop being your Alpha and give the pack to him. He and his family will lead you, and just like now, when they commit a crime or treat you unjustly, you won’t be able to prove it. Even if you can, the court will be against you, and your fellow pack members will wage war against you until you die in silence or get killed despite your innocence.”For a few minutes, I didn’t utter another word. I needed everything I had said to sink into the hundreds of minds listening to me.After a while, I continued, “I would be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about leaving after I found out that Laura was used against me. I wanted to give up because I was tired of losing ever
ALPHA KING XALEN~~After many hours of secret meetings with the ten elders who had come forward to take an oath of loyalty, I thought to check on my mate before moving on to speak to every member of the pack.She has been on my mind all day, and I worry about her.However, I knew I had to get this done before going to Haylee so I could give her my full attention. With that thought in mind, I shoved my desire to see her to the depth of my stomach, looking around my empty office as I opened my mind to every member of the Royal Pack, creating a general link so everyone could hear me.Everyone but the little kids under the age of thirteen.My pack members' curiosity could be felt through the link I created, but since I was their Alpha, that feeling wasn’t overwhelming. I could control it.I breathed into their minds, “Good evening, members of the Royal Pack. As you can tell, it’s your Alpha and King, and this is a general message for all of you.”I managed to calm my nerves, sealing my
HAYLEE~~“He would never have loved me if I didn't force him to. Hell, he is tolerating me because of what I know. Even now, he doesn't love me.” Kaylee smiled sadly.Her eyes were on me, and her sadness burned through the protective layer of my skin.I wished I could tell her that wasn't the truth, but at this moment, I knew nothing.“He would have loved you more than he loved me because he loved your mom more than he loved mine,” Kaylee stated, her voice blunt with no emotion. “Maybe if I didn't make him hit you, he would have felt love for you instead of the guilt I know he carries in his heart.”It was hard to believe Kaylee was the reason I got beaten. I mean, yes, I have always known she lied to our dad just to watch me suffer, but it was hard to believe she asked him to, and he did.Leverage or not, it doesn't feel right.Kaylee continued on that path, though, saying, “I couldn't let that happen, so I ruined his chances with you, threatening him every day so he couldn't hurt
HAYLEE~~Would I have turned evil and mean if I’d found out that my dad cheated on my mom when I was five years old?I asked myself that before I heard the rest of Kaylee’s story, and my answer was no.But if I had waited until she finished, I believe my answer would have been different.“Like all lying assholes, Dad didn't tell my mom that he cheated on her. And even though she felt the pain when he did the deed with your mom, he denied it and blamed her pregnancy for everything, saying it was just an early sign,” Kaylee breathed, adjusting her position on the floor where she’d sat since she entered the room.I let her continue without interrupting. I noticed tears trickling down her face, her inner child weeping as her heart was broken all over again. I could only imagine the pain Kaylee felt when our drunken father confessed all this to her.And for her to remember it so vividly—that must have hurt so much that she buried it deep in her mind.“My mom believed his lies, but the t