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
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 wit
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
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~~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~~“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
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
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 every
HAYLEE~~“Look at me, Haylee. Please,” Alfred pleaded, and I met his gaze. Even though I was certain that my eyes were reflecting my rage, he smiled at me and added, “You have to look at me to see my heart and hear my soul.”How I wanted to give him a snarky response and tell him he never heard my soul nor saw my heart when I needed him to, but since I was dying to know more about Aradia, I held back my comment and held Alfred's gaze.“I met your mom during one of the biannual galas that Alphas used to have to solidify the bond among all the packs, and the connection I had with her was instant. It was almost as if I found my destined mate for the second time—”“Almost?” I snickered, hating that he wasn’t being completely straight with me.“I already had a mate, Haylee. I couldn’t explain how I could feel another mate bond with a different woman, and I still can’t. So yes, almost, but that doesn’t make what I felt less real,” Alfred answered, clarifying why he chose to use that part
HAYLEE~~"Hey, Haylee."My dad greeted me as if we were on good terms, as if we had a great father-daughter relationship.Shakily, I breathed, "Hey.""I’m glad you finally decided to have a talk with me," Alfred muttered as I made my way to the edge of Flavia’s old bed.I stared at the faded fabric on the old bed, unable to meet Alfred’s gaze. His tone was casual—too casual—and the weight of his words pressed down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. I didn’t expect my chest to tighten each time I met his gaze.But still, I had to. I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to shrink back, to show him cracks in my armor. It wouldn’t be in my best interest to falter now, especially with Kaylee’s words echoing in my mind."It has to be done, right?" I blinked, trying to steady my trembling hands."Right," Alfred responded, his eyes lingering on me a moment longer than necessary. A hint of a smile tugged at his lips, but his words cut through the tension in the room. "Ask away. Hit me wi
HAYLEE~~It’s another day without talking to or meeting with Aradia in my sleep. Although the previous day was fun because I finally got the pack’s acceptance and spent the day with my family, I still had a hole in my heart.A hole that only Aradia could fill, but I couldn’t reach her, just like last time.“Do you think she is in danger?” Liya queried as I moved through the corridors with Xalen, whose smile hadn’t fallen since yesterday morning. “She once said she is waiting for us to get stronger and save her. Do you think we are already too late?”“I hope not,” I whispered to my wolf before smiling at Xalen.I was happy, but my happiness couldn’t compare to Xalen’s. He was over the moon, and after all the reassurance he had gladly given me yesterday, I couldn’t let him know that I was worried about something else again.So, yes, I had to smile.“Do you want me to come with you to meet Alfred? We can use my home office to meet him.” My overjoyed mate asked me, gazing at me affectio
Princess Allison’s POV ~~“Oh, you agree, don’t you?” Fake Jose chided after having a good laugh. “Whereas, you were in love with him and still love the idea of having him as your mate, right?”He was speaking about Jose, the man he killed. Clearly. I hadn’t admitted this to myself until now. I fell for Jose, the real him. Gosh, the way he used to look at me after he became my personal guard. He was a passionate man. I should have known he was gone when he came back to me and accepted being my sexual plaything.Because the real him wouldn’t do that. I knew little about him, yes, but even that little was more than enough to make me fall for him…. Or did I fall for Jose after he was killed and his appearance became a mask for someone else? Did I fall for the man behind the mask?Instead of confirming or rejecting Fake Jose’s assumption, I muttered, “I am not ill-luck. You failed because Alpha King Xalen outsmarted you. You have never truly beaten him. Hell, you can’t beat him.”I w
Princess Allison’s POV~~My reality began to set in when I realized that the person who rescued me from the angry pack members was none other than fake Jose. It was convenient for him to do that since he was posing as my guard.I snatched my hand out of his grasp when I finally realized that all of this was happening because of him. We were standing very close to the abandoned building where our baby was most likely conceived.I didn’t care to check if anyone was around, since I knew he wouldn’t bring me here unless he were certain it was safe for us to speak.“What?” Fake Jose queried, staring at me with eyes that infuriated me. I pushed past the pain and humiliation when he added, “Would you rather stand in the middle of the street with an angry crowd? Would you rather get killed?”“Can you see what you have done!” I snapped, swatting tears off my face angrily. “This is all your fault!”“Huh?” he feigned ignorance. “It’s my fault you decided to walk into the pack's heart a few hou
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 quipp