WilliamIt was a tiring day for all of us after successfully taking back a few hectares that fell into the hands of a usurper. With a little bit of intimidation and a lot of diplomacy, we were able to secure back the land into the territory.We arrived at the castle way past dawn and on top of that, I missed the king and the queen who had an early appointment abroad for a new project they were brewing.โIs she still awake, Francine?โ I asked my not-so-old nanny who has been by my side since I saw the daylight of this world.She is cursed so her face will not get old but her true age ranges play around a hundred-year-old already.She canโt help but giggle beside me. Francine is just some of the people who know about the identity of Alana. I did not reveal yet to my parents that I found my mate because I want to solve her case first. I donโt want the vultures to come at her throat while she is still adjusting to palace life.โShe is not. She is in your bed waiting for you,โ she uttered
AlanaWhat a wonderful morning waking up and seeing the alpha princeโs face the first thing in the morning, I thought while staring hard at his handsome face.He ended up sleeping here in the room while earnestly promising me that he is an honorable man and that I have nothing to fear in him.โI am never scared of you, William. I feel more secure when you are around,โ I answered him last night which made his face red. I thought heโs running a fever.And now, gazing at his perfectly chiseled face made me wish to wake up every morning with him as my first view. I also want to go to sleep at night with him as the last thing I can see.โYou can give him the most precious possession you have to make him happy,โ Francine advised me yesterday so I painted him.That was my act of giving myself to him because for me, the only thing nice and clean I could give him is my talent of painting things into reality.He moved in his sleep so I pretended like I was still asleep.โGood morning, Alana,โ h
AlanaโAlana is the dearest friend I have whom I cherish the most, inspector. I know you are only after my welfare. All I am after is Alanaโs welfare too. Whoever reported this to you need not to be worried because I can assure everyone that she cannot harm me and will not harm me.โI nodded and forced myself to smile at the inspector. โThe alpha prince is right, mister. I am only his friend that he saved from the abusive household that I came from. Please, if my presence here would harm him, then I would willingly go-โโNo oneโs going away,โ William said and took my hand in his hand again which the inspector did not fail to see. โAs I have said, she is my dear friend and her security will be my topmost priority for now. She will stay in my room and you will never tell anyone about it until I make sure that sheโs safe. Can I expect you to help me in keeping her safe for me, inspector?โThe man swallowed the lump in his throat having been relegated to a task that he never thought would
WilliamโAlana! Alana!โI ran to the balcony, to every corner of my quarters but I havenโt seen Alana. I even went to the garden and outside the vicinity of the castle to search for her but she is nowhere to be found.At that point, the beating of my heart is uncontrollable already. My head is throbbing and I felt so lightweight already.Cold sweat trickled down my neck and I felt so out of control of my whole mind. When I couldn't take it anymore because I felt like exploding thinking that Alana left the castle without me knowing, I ran back outside.โFrancine, mobilize the troops. Alana is missing!โโRight away, alpha prince!โWith the royal guards sneaking at every nook and cranny of the whole castle, I also did not stop from looking for her. I thought of every place she could have gone to or hide inside but everywhere I went, I was not able to see her until I reached the lake inside the castleโs vicinity.โAlana! Alana!โ I shouted at the top of my lungs but my voice only echoed ba
AlanaโAlana!โI turned to the window where the voice was coming from and smiled sweetly and waved at William silently who was knocking at the glass asking me to open it. I am afraid that my instructor in proper behavior will catch me talking to him while the lessons are ongoing but she is the one who nodded at me so I immediately leaped in my feet and opened the window.โYes, my alpha prince?โ I asked in a whisper to the man who reached for my ear and put a stem of rose on it.He is sitting on the ladder while my head is out of his roomโs window.I blushed and giggled when he stole a glance at the teacher and kissed my head when he saw that she was not looking.He enrolled me into different classes under excellent tutors who taught me things that were only my dream when I was in the cell of the mansion. I was more than eager to learn everything because Francine told me that mates of the royal family often go abroad to get educated about the ways of being one but William took more eff
WilliamโFrancine, how is Alana?โ I asked in the middle of the party that I threw for Belinda Crossworth, the princess of the north whom I was betrothed to.It was not a formal agreement between our fathers but it seemed like the princess is so thrilled with the idea that she is still holding it up until now.She requested my father to come here and the alpha king instructed me to receive her as our official guest.โShe is alright, alpha prince.โI sighed and scanned the room. If only I could pull the time. I would really want to run back to Alana. I want to see her now. I wanted to smell her and to look at her puppy eyes filled with excitement once she sensed my presence. โDid she already eat? What is she doing now? Is she getting bored in the room? Please tell her that I will really go to her after a meeting tonight.โFrancine chuckled seeing how excited I am even though we only havenโt seen each other for hours. โI am sure the lady will understand you, alpha prince. Alana is a ver
WILLIAMโAlanaโฆโI pushed Belinda away to help Alana who was on the floor hurrying to clean the fragments but before I could come to her, Lucas and the other servants already came to her assistance.โIโm sorry. Iโm so sorry,โ she kept on murmuring to each and every elite guest in the party but not once looking at my way as if I did not exist in front of her.My heart hurts for her seeing how she kept on apologizing. Why does she keep saying sorry when I should be doing that? Sheโs hurt I can tell just by her mannerisms. That little fidgeting tells me everything I have to know and yet I am still here in the middle of the dance floor watching her scurry off back into the kitchen.โI will take care of him, alpha prince,โ Francine said when she saw me going for Alana.โNo, I will do it.โโBut alpha princeโฆโBelinda caught my arm and made me turn back to her.โWilliam, where are you going? Itโs just a servant girl. Are you going to leave me just because of her?โโWatch your mouth! She is n
AlanaI cried myself to sleep that night knowing that I really have to leave the palace and Williamโs side once he married that beautiful woman.Yes, I am his mate but what could a mate like me do for him? My father doesnโt want me. He treated me like a slave. I donโt have a family. I donโt have anything in me for me to be worthy of William.I have nothing against the princess.I am nothing when compared to her.With a small bag in my hand carrying some clothes for me to last a few days, I sneaked out of the room to leave the palace.Droplets of rain pouring down on me but that doesnโt stop me from crying, the brief memories of me and William in the times that we have been together begin to assault me.I donโt know but leaving him like this hurts more than the abandonment of my own father.โAlana!โ I heard Williamโs voice from my back but I did not stop and just continued walking beneath the rain with my head down, tears flowing together with the rain.I must have been imagining becaus
ALANAI am tightly clutching the hem of my white wedding dress in front of the mirror staring at my own reflection.A woman of substance full of happiness and fulfillment stared right back.Lifting a finger, I caressed the reflection and smiled at myself. โYou have come a really long way, Alana. Tonight, your dream will happen. William is really going to make true of his promise.Before his proposal, we had traveled the world together seeing things and places that he wanted to let me witness. Every word that he told me he would, he did for me.โMother, father, I just wish you were here with me to see how happy I am,โ I wished and hugged myself. โI wish you were here with me to walk me down the aisle to be married into the most wonderful man in the state.โAs if on cue, a gust of wind blew and hugged me right then and there.I closed my eyes and savored the sensation. The wind whispered love and sadness but the love overrode the other.โWe are so proud of you, our daughter,โ said the co
WILLIAMThe moon is high above the clouds in the night sky bursting into the clearest lights as if itโs also getting married to the sun illuminating the palace down where a great wedding is happening.I kept on wiping off the sweat on my brow and clearing my mouth because itโs as dry as the desert.I was full of nerves and I canโt think straight anymore. I kept on asking the staff if Alana is still in her room just to make sure that she will be really marrying me. Iโve been here in the venue which is the beautiful garden in front of the great statue of the moon goddess three hours earlier just to make sure.โWilliam, what the hell are you doing here this early?โ My mother asked in confusion, still in her robe.She just got down here to oversee the whole preparation, to make sure everything is perfect.โThe ceremony will start three hours from now. Please go back to your room now, William.โBut I firmly shook my head at her. Being in my room only made me more nervous that is why I came
WILLIAMMy nerves are killing me but I am more determined than ever to pop her the question. Wiping the glistening off my brows, I looked at the mirror practicing what I am going to say.This is the most nerve-wracking moment of my lifetime. Not even those battles and wars I have been to could be compared.โAlpha prince, Ms. Alana is already awake. And the cake is ready too.โSwallowing the lump in my throat, I glanced at myself in the mirror before heading out to the kitchen to take the cake that I baked last night and asked the soldiers to guard all night so no one would be able to compromise its safety.โOkay, William. You can do it. You can do it! No!โI tripped on the cable and stone on the ground and before I knew it, the cake flew to the air and ended up on the ground.Smashed. The dirt eating up the white filling and the words on top of them being buried into non-existence.โNo!โ I growled, my eyes wide in bitterness and sadness.The cake suffered the same fate as the balloons
ALANAWarm arms enveloped me from the back as his scent embraced me.โWhat are you thinking? Hmm?โ William asked, nuzzling his nose against my bare shoulder.I was on the balcony, enjoying the fresh breeze on a full moon night, my mind wandering towards Francine.After William came back to life, the alpha king and the queen luna threw a feast which was still ongoing in the entire palace while William chose to pull me into his room to have his own sweet wicked ways on me.Not that I am complaining though. This is what I want. To be with him and to savor each second of our lives together.I intertwined our fingers on my stomach and tilted my head to my side, leaning into his chest on my back to give his mouth a better access to my neck.Love making is not painful anymore and the remnant of the monster inside me is almost gone, especially when I am in Williamโs arms. Controlling anger seems to be easier now. The feeling of seeing red in my eyes is also gone now.Everything seemed to be f
ALANAโAlanaโฆโ he called my name with his raspy low voice as if trying to figure out if I am real or not.I just stood there, in so much awe at the truth that he is finally back to me. William is alive! William has come back to life. He is back to me! William has come back from the dead for me.With trembling hands, I placed a hand on his cheek relishing the warmth in it. I am trying to convince myself to believe that this heat is going to be there for years while trying to forget that for once, I held his cold body in my arms.โYou are back to me, William,โ I said in a trance, my mouth breaking up into a smile of relief. โWilliam, you have really come back for me!โIn a split of a second, I pulled him ever gently in my arms, careful with his limbs, scared that once I blink, I would just wake up from this dream. โAlana?โ he called for my name but I did not respond.Burying my face on his neck, I inhaled his scent. Itโs warm and intoxicating just like all the moments that we have been
ALANAI gazed at Francine and felt shiver run down my spine. Why does she look so happy as if sheโs been anticipating death all her life? Sure, there is pain but the happiness in her face is remarkable.โCome on, Alana,โ she urged me again and put my hand on top of Williamโs. โChild, you are going to do me so much favor if you are just going to listen to me and do what I will be telling you. Call for Williamโs name over and over again. He already heard you. You already took his attention and now itโs time for him to go back to you. Do it, Alana. Please, this old maid is begging you.โMy mouth downturned because of emotions pouring in as I clenched Williamโs hand.โBut if I am going to do that, then I am going to lose you, Francine,โ I said as my voice crackled.She just laughed it off and wiped the tears on my face. โBut you are going to gain back, William. He is going to be alive again, Alana. He is going to fulfill his promise to you. You are going to get married and have lost of ki
ALANAI clenched my hands around Williamโs when I realized what was happening.My tears fell but I did not open my eyes and continued calling for Williamโs name.โMy loveโฆ William, itโs me, Alana. Please, come back to me, my love. Please, fulfill your promise to me.โThe stench of more fresh blood coming from Francine assaulted my senses but I continued shutting my eyes even when all I wanted to do is to stop it all.โAlana, do not stop calling for his name. William needs you now. Please, I can almost sense him. I can see him now. Please, call for his name again.โI let out a sigh and called his name over and over again. The hand for which I am holding ever so tightly started to have life again.My heart leaped, rejoicing because maybe, he is finally going to be alive again but all of that happiness went away when I heard the grunt of pain in Francineโs voice.It took all of strength in me and mental fortitude to let go of Williamโs hand and opened my eyes at her.Truly enough, I coul
ALANAโBut your William is different. Way way different from all of them, Alana. He is the single person I met who can easily surrender his precious life for someone he loves. Back when he was a child, I doubted if he could ever do something for you because he tended to be selfish but I was wrong. He magically changed for the better when he began yearning for his mate.โShe slowly rose up from the floor and offered me her hand with a bright smile on her face. โAlana, thatโs the precise reason why I was here in this world. That is my purpose for living. I could live on and on for hundreds of years looking for someone like you and William and now is the perfect time. Child, you both did not disappoint me.โI accepted her hand while staring at her face, disenchanted by the happiness in her voice.She slowly led me to William and held the white cloth to remove it.โFrancine!โ I stopped her from doing what she intended to do. โWhat are you doing?โBut she just smiled at me and assured me w
ALANAโAhh!โ I let out a growl as my tears and pain drowned me again.โTell me, Francine,โ my voice croaked as I tightly held her hand. โAm I really worth it? Does someone like me, an abandoned person who was hated by everyone I know, deserve someone like the alpha prince whoโs loved by everyone? I should have been the one who died! It should be my body lying cold there because my existence in this world is abominable! It should have been me! Why does he have to save me when I am the monster that should have not been born in the first place!โGentle hands wrapped around my face, wiping my tears slowly. โAlana, you are not a monster. You are asking me if you are worthy enough to be saved by the alpha prince, then itโs a yes, Alana. William did not hesitate to save you because he loved you. Sacrifice is the most noble thing a man can do to his woman.โShe smiled at me and cupped my face again. โItโs a life worth living for him because he has met and loved you and you loved him back. He