ALPHA KING XALEN~~“What did you just do!” Theo exclaimed, groaning right after as raw pain consumed us both even though the slave had stopped talking.My body trembled as shock shook my core, making me wonder. I mean, how on earth did this happen? How is that possible? While I tried to fathom what just happened with the slave, Theo yelled at me again, “What did you just do, Xalen?”“I knocked her the fuck out. That’s what!” I groaned, my entire body aching with no explainable source of pain. “Why would you do that? You were this close to killing her.” My wolf lashed out at me, snarling within my mind.“I wasn’t even trying to kill her and why are you blaming me when I just saved us from feeling any more pain!” I growled right back, looking down at the slave’s unconscious body. A few seconds again, she had fallen into my arms but I was quick to drop her as her skin burned mine like a hot rock.“Knocking her out doesn’t help. We can still feel the pain and as soon as she wakes up
HAYLEE~~“Argh…” I groaned as my eyes fluttered, my head aching like it was about to explode. I blinked rapidly, holding my head as I pushed myself off the soft surface of my bed–Wait a second.Where am I? My blurry eyes looked around and I realized that I was indeed in my room and on my bed. If my head was banging, I would have thought what happened between Alpha King Xalen and me was a dream… a terrible dream. One where he confessed that he couldn’t fight the pull of the bond and one where he nearly took my life because I tried to reject him… a terrible dream. As the memories of what I assumed was last night, as I could see the brightness of a new day sneaking into my room through the windows, flooded my mind, I started wishing that all of it was a dream. It would be better and easier that way–“It’s not a dream. We were this close to death, Hay.” Liya let out a wolfy sob, reliving the injustice we suffered at the hands of our supposed mate, one who was supposed to protect
ALPHA KING XALEN~~I felt everything… I felt how she tried to reject me again and how she couldn’t. More importantly, I felt her pain like it was mine and it took so much of my strength not to groan before my special adviser or if we are being informal, my uncle.Also, I felt the rage that followed the pain and I didn’t have to be told to know that she had realized that I had taken away her right to reject me—the benefits of being the Alpha King. A tiny part of me felt happy as her anger swelled within me. She was a little crazy. Timid but crazy. I have seen her craziness a few times when she gets pushed to the wall. It’s like she says whatever comes to mind at that point and forgets about the consequences that might come after.She was interesting and I most likely would have gotten to know her better under a different circumstance or maybe I wouldn’t have met her at all.“My King?” My uncle’s voice resonated through my office as he called to get my attention.I exhaled audi
HAYLEE~~“Let me reject you or I will make it easier for us both by killing myself…” I meant every word. The pain I would feel when the knife slit my throat can’t compare to all the pain I had endured in my nineteen years of living as the pathetic daughter and the unwanted mate. I was done. Liya was fighting against my will but my mind was made up. Alpha King Xalen either rejects me or watches me kill myself. “You have no right to barge into my office, slave…” He seethed, balling his fists as his face turned red.I could see the way his eyes dated from my face to the knife I was holding to my neck even though he remained unreadable. The only emotions I had seen him wear proudly were anger and pain when he was reminded of his Queen. “You have no right to stop me from rejecting you, Alpha King. It’s my right and you took it from me–”He snarled, “I have every right. I’m your king and I own you. You belong to me!” As tears fell out of my eyes, I pressed the sharp knife I had take
HAYLEE~~Day after day, I served my master. A master who wouldn’t look at me, touch me, or speak to me... Mostly because I had made sure our paths didn't cross in the huge Palace. Day after day, I have worked and cared for children that weren’t mine. I wasn’t complaining because of the natural love I felt toward kids but my natural love had been tested many times these past few days. Aside from the pain their father had caused me, the experience of the past few days had traumatized me and more than usual, I have been quiet. If allowed to diagnose myself, I would say my broken parts have shattered into more pieces. I was depressed. Also, the fact that Princess Sophia hated me wasn’t making my life any easier. I recalled supporting her when her Dad asked her to apologize, but the little Princess had somehow forgotten that or maybe she hated me for doing that.Whatever reason she had, she was hell-bent on making my life even more difficult. Just yesterday, Princess Sophia entered
ALPHA KING XALEN~~I had to go for a run.As soon as I sensed Alpha Richard’s presence in my Pack, I had to go for a run and burn some steam. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going but I assumed they would know.I didn’t waste much time before I returned home where I knew Alpha Richard and my uncle would be waiting for me. I also knew that Alpha Richard would be burning with anger as I didn’t respect him enough to receive him myself but who cares what a greedy man like him thinks? This was my chance to make him understand that even though I had agreed to meet him, I was still in charge. “Can you feel that?” Theo asked me as I pushed the front door of my home open, stepping into the living room and shifting my gaze from Alpha Richard to the other people he came with. “What now, Theo?” I asked my wolf even though I knew what he was calling my attention to. It was the feeling… The feeling that had been constant within me since I tied the salve’s consciousness to mine so I could s
HAYLEE~~“Enough!” I saw that coming from the second the late Queen was mentioned, but surprisingly, Alpha King Xalen didn’t lash out until the visiting Alpha dropped the bomb. The earth shook underneath my feet, or maybe I was the one who shook as the King’s anger spread through the room, hitting us all.“How dare you?” Alpha King Xalen snarled. “How dare you come to my pack... to my home and suggest your daughter replace my Laura?”Even the moon goddess couldn’t replace the late Queen in the Alpha King’s heart. To save myself from the hell I knew the Alpha King was about to invoke on the visiting Alpha, I stepped backward. My eyes lingered on Jodie, who was still in his arms, and I considered saving the baby as well, but before I could act on that thought, the visiting Alpha responded, a little shaky but quite confidently, “She is not replacing the late Queen, Alpha King. She will be the next Queen, joining the two Royal Families together and ending the strive between—” “I sai
ALPHA KING XALEN~~“Damn!” I gritted, growling continuously as I began to pace before the desk in my office. The kind of anger coursing through me was one that consumed me. I was blinded by this rage. Each breath I took was rage. Each one I exhaled was rageful. I was shaking with rage, and knowing that my hands had been tied did nothing to reduce this rage.“My King–” Uncle Calvin tried to speak. But I seethed, barely stopping myself from throwing the desk at him, “Don’t even dare utter a word!” "In this dire situation, you know I can not just keep quiet—" Oh, I knew that, but that didn’t stop me from storming over to him. I shut him up with one glare and hiss in his face. “What is it that you have to say? You should have figured out the details of his proposal. You should have done research before letting me see him. Damn! I should have been prepared.”Alpha Richard and his daughter won this round. They knew that too well when they left my home with the intention of calling fo
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
HAYLEE~~“All your life, Dad made you believe that the reason he hated you was because you looked like our late mom, or did he tell you she abandoned us?” Kaylee began. “I can't keep track of the story because it keeps changing.”Rather than tell my twin sister that I felt the same way but knew our mom was still alive somewhere, I let her continue. She added, “Well, I believed that too because he started hating you until I found out he lied about our mom leaving and then dying.”What did she mean before he started hating me? Was there a time Alfred loved me? That man hated me from the second I was born, but Kaylee wouldn’t know that because she is a self-centered brat. Or so I told myself.Still, I didn’t try to correct her. I simply listened.“When we were younger, about five years old, I found a picture of a woman who looked like an older version of me. I have Dad’s eyes and hair, but my face was all from this woman,” Kaylee breathed, holding my gaze. “I don't know if you remembe
HAYLEE~~“Feels like it’s going to be a good day, after all.” Liya chirped happily within me.In that moment, I believed the same because I assumed nothing could ruin my mood, not even meeting with Kaylee and Alfred.I assumed I was ready for anything they had for me. After all, what could be more shocking than the fact that I could communicate with a woman I had never met before and even bond with her?Nothing. I thought to myself, wearing a big smile and holding onto the memories that Xalen burned into my mind and skin earlier today.Since I needed a private place to discuss with Kaylee and Alfred— a place where Allison wouldn’t be lurking around with her minions—I decided to meet with them in Flavia's former room in the Healers’ building.“I am going with you and staying there with you, Haylee. Do you agree?” Flavia asked as soon as she saw me heading for the door.“Do I have a choice?” I laughed freely, oblivious to the shocking revelations that awaited me.“No, you don’t,” Fla
ALPHA KING XALEN~~I knew I should resist her because I had meetings scheduled but I could hear my wolf saying, “Fuck the meeting and the elders,” in my mind. I knew I should fight the urge to slam into her this minute and at least get her to the bedroom, but I couldn't.She was irritable.And even though she acted innocent, she knew I couldn't resist her. The best part of having a bond with Haylee was that I felt the same. Every feeling was mutual—Gosh, I shouldn't call her Haylee anymore. That name seemed to bring nothing but pain, trauma, and disappointment. Hearing her father and sister refer to her as Haylee and Hay made me realize that each time I called her by that name, I was reminding her of everything she should forget.I didn't want that for her. And since everyone seemed to call her Hay—even though she was the Hay to my Xay—I knew I had to come up with a better pet name for her—one that would be special to us.“Time is ticking, King Xalen,” Haylee moaned, trembling wi
HAYLEE~~For the next two days, I didn't see Kaylee and Alfred. I believed Flavia had something to do with that, as she won't stop grumbling about how I was too kind, even though I explained why I had to let them stay.I have also stopped hiding out in different rooms just to avoid Allison, the servant of the pack members. I have come to realize that I wasn't doing myself any good by hiding.Within these two days, I have been training physically with Xalen, training spiritually with Gladys, and sometimes with Flavia when she takes a break from making Kaylee's life hell. I have also informed Gladys and Flavia about the paragraph that stood out to me, and they both promised to reach out to healers in other packs and find out what they knew about the prophecy.It's been two days of improvement, and even Xalen confirmed it when I delivered another solid punch to his jaw. His groan resonated through the private training room where we had been for hours.“Someone is getting better and fe
HAYLEE~~Have you ever been hurt by the same people who should love you? Betrayed by a family member or abused? If you have, then you will understand all that came with my dad tendering a heartfelt apology to me after almost twenty years of torture and trauma.It was a bittersweet moment.My world flipped, and the harsh foundation shifted, leaving me confused for a moment. After all, this wasn’t normal. The man who had broken my bones more than I could count on both hands was standing right in front of me, staring at me with eyes that pierced through my mask, going straight for my wounded soul.“I really am sorry, Haylee. This won’t change what I have done, but I want you to know that I was wrong and you didn’t deserve a scumbag like me,” he uttered, adding more salt to the open wound his apology had placed right in the center of my soul.Now, how do I respond to this? I couldn’t accept the apology because I wasn’t ready to forgive him, but I also couldn’t reject it because my dama