HAYLEE~~One minute I was thinking about going to Gladys for help and more training that could help me reach my supposed mother, but the next minute, Xalen and Roy returned home, and we all began to prepare for the general pack meeting in the throne room.When I asked Xalen what the meeting was about, he answered before kissing me chastely, “You will see, Hay.”He also made me wear the prettiest dress that I owned before he left to get a few documents in his home office. I left his bedroom and joined Flavia and the kids downstairs, waiting for Roy and Xalen to join us.However, Allison showed up before both men, and she grumbled, “Prepare to be shoved right back to where you belong, slave.”While Flavia growled at her and stepped forward to show Allison that she wouldn’t hesitate to smack her, I ignored her completely because she was the least of my problems right now. Although I had been trying to explain the power Allison somehow possessed, I didn’t let her words get to me.“She i
HAYLEE~~Amidst the chaos that erupted in the hall after Xalen’s announcement, Allison’s explosion was the loudest.“That can’t be. She has bewitched the King!” she exclaimed. “I am to be the next queen. I am to be his mate because I carry his child in my womb.”Allison’s exclamation didn’t fail to get reactions from the pack members who had gathered in the hall for this meeting. Once again, she was a snake, and I believed she saw Xalen’s announcement coming and was fully prepared to oppose him publicly.From where I was standing, I could hear people murmuring, “She is pregnant?”“He can’t tarnish her honor like that, even though he is the king.”“He has to marry her and make her queen.”“But the other woman is his true mate. We need a true mate to become the Queen so we can have peace in the realm.” It was only a few murmurs that were in support of me, but I didn’t let that break me.In fact, I heard someone question, “How can we be sure she is his true mate? Wasn’t Queen Laura hi
Princess Allison’s POV ~~Goddess! I was boiling with rage.But mostly drowning in the harsh sea of humiliation. That was supposed to happen differently. I shouldn’t be the one getting lashed by Haylee’s words. They felt like whips on my body, and even though I was currently far from her, I could still feel her words burning into my skin.I could feel the people’s gazes piercing through my bones, dissecting me in ways that should never happen.What has happened to me? Fuck! What is happening to me?Never have I suffered so many losses in a row. For the past few days, Haylee had been winning and kicking my ass, and I hated it! I thought everything would go my way after I tried to seduce Alpha King Xalen.I believed I had won, even though he didn’t fuck me hard like I thought.However, every decision I made after that made things worse. Every turn I took led to failure and humiliation.“That should never have happened. She was supposed to collapse before everyone. That damn bitch assu
Princess Allison’s POV~~My hands shook visibly, yet I dared not let the phone slip. I wouldn’t dare to ignore it because my back was against the wall, and no matter how cruel my dad could be, he was the only one who could help me find my way back to the right path.Or so I thought as I answered the call and put the cell phone to my ear.“What the hell have you been up to, Allison?” My dad couldn’t wait for me to find my voice before he yelled those words at me, slapping me right in the face even though he was still miles away from me.He continued impatiently, “What the hell do you think you are doing? How could you create this kind of mess? How could you humiliate me like this?”I exhaled, breathing through my mouth as I said, “What exactly have I done wrong? As far as I am concerned, you taught me everything I have done so far.”“Seriously?” My dad barked, and it took everything in me not to throw my cell phone against the nearest wall. “Did I teach you to get pregnant? Did I te
ALPHA KING XALEN~~Running a pack with no elders would be harder, but I have come to realize that running an entire realm without the Elders in seat to handle issues from various packs was so much harder. The pressure increased day by day, and I wasn’t the only one bearing the brunt.Evan and Wyatt were in the same boat.Even though he had been burying himself in the population account documents, Roy was affected.Also, even though I tried to keep Haylee from the pressure, she had volunteered to handle some of the responsibilities.We hardly got to see each other these days, and even though it’s only been five days since I stripped the Elders of their power, it felt like forever.Fortunately, Haylee and I had decided that today would be a work-free day. We slept in, staying in bed even though we had been awake before daybreak. We chatted about the past five days and focused more on how well the people were accepting Haylee as their soon-to-be-crowned queen.“They can sense that you
HAYLEE~~Xalen didn’t understand me fully, and I didn’t expect him to because even I didn’t understand myself. I haven’t wrapped my head around my mother and my powers, so why should he?However, he had good advice for me, and he whispered it into my ears as his arms tightened around me, “One thing I know about power is that you can control it better when you stop trying to control it. I want to believe you are experiencing a block, Nerina. Relax and let this happen naturally, just like it did the day we made love.”That was advice that I should take seriously, but thinking about the first time Xalen and I made love sucked all seriousness out of me. My lips stretched into an uncontrollable smile, steamy memories filling my mind rapidly.And did he just call me Nerina? My smile widened even more, and I couldn’t be happier.“I am your person, Haylee. I will always be your person, so you can always talk to me about anything.” Xalen continued speaking, kissing my forehead and wrapping
Princess Allison’s POV (21)~~Time froze days ago. I lost count of the days as I rolled in my bed repeatedly. Truly, time froze until I heard a sharp knock on my door for the first time in what? A million years? I wouldn’t know.But I knew what I heard. Someone knocked, yet I couldn’t leave my bed or part my lips to respond.I was so out of control and pathetic. It killed me to admit this, but it was the truth.“Your Majesty?” The familiar voice of no one else but Benita pierced through my head, sending pain through me as she banged on the door again.Did she say, "Your Majesty?" I was no majesty. Even the biggest of all fools would know that yet Benita didn’t.“I am coming in, Your Majesty,” she announced, and I heard her open my bedroom door like she owned the place. She continued, oblivious to the fact that her voice was causing me pain, “I brought you food and drink. I can help you freshen up—”“Get out.” I found the strength to blurt those two words to one of the people who ru
Princess Allison’s POV ~~“It’s been five days, huh?” I asked Benita after emptying the glass of fresh juice that she gave to me.She nodded, “Yes, Princess Allison. How are you doing? Do you need me to get a healer to check on you?”“There will be no need for that,” I answered with a straight face.Benita helped me rest my back against the headboard of the bed, and she queried, “How about the baby? You didn’t eat or drink for five days and—”“My baby is fine and I am too, Benita.” I snapped, getting irritated because she was acting too nice. We both knew she wasn’t a great person for goddess’ sake. “I don’t need you to pretend to pity me or pity me at all. What I need to know is what has been happening out there for the past five days.”She nodded and began to narrate the events of the past five days. She told me about how Haylee has taken control of the pack, household, and the kitchen. She was now the new woman of the house, and she made good use of the power she held.“What happ
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
ALPHA KING XALEN~~If I could hear the commotion from my office, then it was a big one.I swiftly dismissed the ten elders who had reached out privately, their loyalty hanging in the air like fragile glass. I motioned for Wyatt to take them out through the secret tunnels—quietly and unseen. Roy and I exchanged a quick glance, then moved to leave my office.At first, I thought Allison was causing trouble again—her name already forming in my mind. Or maybe one of my furious pack members. My fists clenched, and my eyes burned with rage. I was ready—the urge to rip whoever disrespected Haylee apart simmering just beneath my skin.Upon stepping into the living room, I noticed the unfamiliar scents. Those scents stood out to me because they didn’t carry the musk of the royal pack, yet they were still recognizable somehow. By the time I made it to where Haylee was standing with a rageful Flavia, I realized that the strange scents belonged to two members of Alpha Jett’s pack.In fact, the
HAYLEE~~“They claim to be your family.”Those words continued to echo in my mind even though my body had frozen. My chest felt heavier, and time seemed to stop existing, even though I could hear the clocks in my head ticking rapidly.I shouldn’t be surprised, yeah?I mean, Aradia already told me that I would get guests from my past, and what other past do I have apart from the one I shared with Kaylee, our dad, Alpha Jett, and members of my supposed birth pack?“What do you want me to do?” Flavia’s voice pierced through my flooded mind.Blinking rapidly, I looked at her, realizing her eyes were filled with worry for the first time since she stepped into the bedroom. I cleared my throat as I whispered, “How many of them?”“Two,” Flavia answered.It was no secret that I had been given into slavery by my own family. The entire pack witnessed that during the funeral that brought Xalen and me together. Flavia had to know that, too.I sat on the bed for a few minutes, weighing my option