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
HAYLEE~~The beginning of my second month in the palace as the Alpha King’s slave and nanny to his kids also marked the beginning of change. The change began the very day Princess Allison was moved into the palace, much to the Alpha King’s dismay. I had never seen him so defeated, angry, and full of hate.Do I pity him? Hell no!He had used his powers against me in the past and is still using them to keep me captive in a bond we both clearly didn’t want, and seeing him defeated kind of made me feel happy. I mean, the playing field has been leveled. “Be careful with that. I don’t want a scratch on it.” Princess Allison ordered the warriors that were moving her valuables into the palace. From the look of things and the number of properties that she came with, it seemed as if she was here to stay. Now that didn’t make me happy. That made my chest constrict.“He took her in as a prospective mate? They are practically engaged to marry in three months.” Liya snarled within me. Everyo
HAYLEE~~“What do you think you are doing?” Princess Allison’s icy voice stopped me dead in my tracks as I took Princess Sophia’s hand, hoping to take her away from the toxic scene. I summoned the courage needed to look into the mean Princess’s eyes and answered with a steady voice despite the lies I was about to tell, “Taking the Princess to her room, My Lady. It’s time for her nap–” Though I had grown accustomed to physical abuse, the sharp pain that sliced through me as Princess Allison’s soft palm struck my cheek was still jarring. Her hand may have been delicate, but the slap was anything but gentle.“I’m your Queen, not your Lady. I’m royalty, and you will treat and refer to me as you do the King. Do I make myself clear?” She shouted in my face. Princess Sophia whimpered and hid herself behind me, acting like a terrified child for the first time since I met her.I didn’t hesitate to nod. In cases like this, I have learned to just give Caesar whatever he—or, in this case, s
ALPHA KING XALEN~~“I hate you, and I’ll never forgive you for replacing Mom!”Sophia was everything but stupid, and I knew she could sense the changes in our home even though I had made sure no one informed her about the kind of relationship Allison and I were supposed to have.I made sure everyone in the pack kept their mouths shut to keep my children, especially Sophia, safe. Asher and Jodie were still too young to understand the change, but even though Sophia was very young as well, she was as smart as her mother and brave as her father.I didn’t miss the way Haylee ran after Sophia. “She has a good heart, and she cares about our kids despite how badly you have treated her,” Theo called me out, feeling just as weary as I had been feeling. I knew this day would come—the day Allison moved into my home, and despite how hard I tried to act indifferent, the current situation was affecting me–“Just tell them we already have a mate. This will save us from Alpha Richard's trap! We
HAYLEE~~Princess Sophia and I just sat there in the kids' garden within the palace’s compound, where they have swings, a trampoline, and other fun items. But rather than have fun, we simply sat there on one of the benches, staring at space for the longest time until Princess Sophia let out, her eyes glued to the floor, “She hit you because of me. Why did you try to get me away from here when you are just a slave?” Her curiosity was louder than her voice, and I had to search deep within me for the right words so I wouldn’t hurt her any more than Princess Allison had. I sighed, “I saw you struggling and I knew what that feeling–”“I wasn’t struggling!” She snapped, her eyes flying to my face, as she tried to act strong. I smiled slowly, looking at the young Princess’s eyes, which told more than she was expressing. “You know it’s okay to struggle every now and then, Princess Sophia. Even adults struggle, and we shouldn’t bottle up our feelings.” She responded defensively but with
HAYLEE~~Tears welled up in my eyes as I exclaimed, "Leo.” Without hesitation, I threw myself into his arms, not minding the small fact that this corner was way too small to maneuver freely, but it was perfect for a long hug. I could hold him forever. Leo inhaled deeply as his hands wrapped around me, holding me tightly as he muttered, “Haylee…” His voice did the trick of assuring me that truly, this man was Leo and that he wasn’t mad at me. Also, I could hear how much he missed me just by listening to him say my name, and that broke the dam.I sobbed into his shirt, rubbing my face in his chest like I always do, and just like always, he allowed me and hushed me gently. “Hey, it’s okay, Haylee,” Leo murmured, patting my back as he carefully placed his chin over my head. I spluttered, “No, it’s not okay. I thought you were dead, Leo. I thought I would never see you again.” I pulled back a bit just to look at his face. Leo smiled at me, wiping my tears, but his effort was fruitl
HAYLEE~~I was still shaken up when Princess Sophia and I returned to the palace. The young Princess didn’t leave my hand, dragging me along with her as she looked around the living room nervously.“Phew! I don’t want to run into her.” Princess Sophia whispered, obviously talking about her latest rival. The little girl told me to tiptoe around the passageway so no one would hear us, and I didn’t utter a word even after she walked past her dad’s office, where he usually spends most of the hours of the day.“What are we going to do about this?” Liya asked me. I didn’t have to be told that she was talking about Leo’s case—I mean, Jose’s case. Would I ever get used to not calling him Leo? “Honestly, I don’t know, Liya.” Liya asked, “Would you go with him? If he tells you it’s time to go, would you?”Now that was a question I didn't have an answer to. “Again, I don’t know, Liya. I can’t even think right now, and even if I want to leave, I don’t think I can with what Alpha King Xalen
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