ALPHA KING XALEN~~I didn’t have to be told that whatever she saw in her dream was bad and devastating. She was shaken up so badly, and as much as I understood that she had just woken up from a nightmare that somehow involved Laura and me, I wondered what could have riled her up to this extent.Her experience with Alpha Jett or with me? Could it be because of the betrayal she had suffered many times at the hands of her loved ones?Could that also be why she shook her head and voiced without thinking twice, “No.”My brows furrowed, and my hand frozen between us both. “What do you mean by no?”“I can’t go to bed with you, Alpha King Xalen. I’m not ready for that. I’m not even sure I want to accept the bond, so why should I let you take me to bed?” She ranted, getting all those words out in one breath.At first, I didn’t understand what she was saying, but when the meaning of her words and her reason for rejecting me dawned on me, I laughed. It started as a low rumble in my belly. Then
HAYLEE~~Gosh, he was delicious.I know those thoughts sound sexual, but he wasn't lying when he said he was a tasty man. I sucked his finger hungrily, oblivious to what was happening within my soul.Even Liya didn’t realize what was happening within me, or maybe she did, and assumed it was the link Alpha King Xalen was creating between me and the Pack. Usually, the mate of the Alphas gets a ceremony to open a link between them and the pack, but once again, mine was different.“I can’t believe the first time I’m tasting blood, I do it through you,” Liya whined within me, reminding me of her own struggles, which were mine as well.Liya’s sadness brought me back to my senses, and I took my mouth off Alpha King Xalen, who had a wide smirk plastered on his face. If I wasn’t focused on my wolf, I would have heard him say, “I told you so.”And maybe respond by bickering with him again.However, Liya needed me right now. I said to my wolf, “We can always try shifting again when you are re
ALPHA KING XALEN~~This was the first time in a while that I would be joining my men for morning training, and despite that, I seemed to still be in shape.I effortlessly took on not just one but two of my strongest—Wyatt and Evan. I wouldn't say I was friends with my Royal Gamma and Royal Beta. I wouldn't say I have any friends, in fact.My cousin, Roy, would have been the best friend I ever had if he didn't try to steal what was mine. Roy and I would never be friends again after Laura, even though she has left us both in a world where she no longer exists.Before her death, Laura was my best friend, among other things. She used to be the best thing that happened to me until I apologized to Haylee this morning.It was the best feeling ever, and I couldn't stop reeling at that moment even though I had two bulky men throwing punches from both sides.“You have been smiling since you stepped into the training ground hours ago, Alpha King,” Evan pointed out as he dodged my balled fist,
Alpha Prince Roy~~“If it isn't the cousin I was on my way to visit.”I had to hold back the urge to scoff, and somehow he knew I was doing that because we had both sworn to be enemies despite my dad's effort to mend our relationship.“Can we not do this today, Roy?” He said to me, his nose high in the air and his ego almost choking me as I inhaled deeply.Oh, I despised him.One thing to be known about me is that I will never take this clown seriously. He was a clown to me; as far as I know, he was no king. Some might be scared of him, but I honestly wanted to screw with him just like he did with me and eventually did to Laura.He killed her.I don't care if she died at his hands or not, but as far as I was concerned, he killed her.Because of him, Laura, the woman who was meant to be mine, died.“Do what? I came to check on you. It's been so long since I have seen you or been around my family. Being in the human world is fun, but you know, there is nothing like home.” I chimed, fo
HAYLEE~~The day started intense for me, but after Alpha King Xalen left my room this morning, the day went back to normal despite the thoughts flashing through my mind. I took care of the royal babies, and they all had breakfast with me in the kitchen since Alpha King Xalen wasn’t available to have breakfast with them.Also, Princess Sophia and Prince Asher didn’t want to eat with Princess Allison, who had to eat breakfast alone in the dining hall.Despite the fact that she loved tormenting the poor kids, Princess Allison wasn’t okay with eating alone, and as soon as she was done eating, she came in search of the kids. She found us leaving the kitchen, giggling and chatting happily.“What’s funny? Why are you all laughing?” she snapped immediately, starting another unnecessary drama.As soon as Prince Asher heard her voice, he moved closer to me, holding the hem of my gown. Unlike Princess Sophia, he didn’t enjoy being confronted.“You wouldn’t understand the joke even if we shared
ALPHA KING XALEN~~Nobody has the right to touch even a strand of my kids' hair, not to talk of hitting them because of whatever.That was common knowledge, but of course, Allison lacked that too.Yes, Sophia can be very rude, but that is simply her defense mechanism. She would never disrespect someone who doesn't deserve it unless she is hurt.And if I knew anything about Allison, she deserved whatever Sophia said to her.This was why I already had the perfect response for Allison when she said, “You will send me back to my pack if I hit them?”Before she could add Haylee to the list, I confirmed without blinking, "Yes, and that's not the worst I can do to you. Touch my kids again or try to harm them, and you will see just how crazy I can be.”She was bold. I mean, everyone knew better than to hit my kids. What if Haylee wasn't there to intervene? Would she have hit Sophia?“If she had done that, she would be dead by now. The only reason I'm not tearing her apart is because of the
Princess Allison’s POV~~How could he?Those three words kept echoing in my head. I could feel my body shaking from the fear Alpha King Xalen had infused into my soul.For the first time, I was actually scared of him because I knew he wasn't bluffing. I should have known better than to try to hit Sophia. What was I thinking?But despite that mistake, Sophia has no right to speak down on me. That little brat said she would make me understand why she was the Royal Alpha Princess and not me. Fuck! I felt humiliated.Not just because of her words but because her aura changed in that moment, and I felt my body almost falling to the ground as if to worship her. I would have scratched my face out if her aura had made me do that. Thankfully, Alpha King Xalen came in before his kid could humiliate me.“Only to humiliate you before the so-called Royal Help? Damn him!” Nala growled within me.Fuck them all!I couldn't put Sophia in her place, and neither could I take Jodie and mold her into wh
HAYLEE~~“Roy is on his way to you. Don't let him fool you. He is a liar and a betrayer.”Even before Alpha King Xalen sent those words into my mind through the link, I could already sense that he and his cousin weren't on good terms.More appropriately, Liya could sense it, and she had informed me.“I wonder what happened between those two,” Liya etched into my mind, her curiosity bubbling within me.I shook my head before she could put any ideas in my head. “We already have so much to worry about and wonder about. We can't even sleep peacefully as it is. Alpha Prince Roy is the last thing I want to add to the long list that keeps us awake at night.”Plus, I couldn't bear to have another powerful wolf on my case. Princess Allison had been more than enough trouble. I didn't need more.With that in mind, I ushered the kids to Princess Sophia's room, which I believed would be a good place to hide from Alpha Prince Roy. I intended to stay out of his way for as long as possible.“I'm s
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