"Why are you getting so worked up about that stray?" Elsa demanded angrily from Lucian. "Are you just angry that she could be a suspect as well?" Lucian was more determined than ever to keep the secret of her being his fated mate from everyone than he ever was. Besides, he reassured himself that wasn't under any sort of obligation to explain himself to any of them, as he was alpha. "She saved my life for crying out loud. As much as I hate to admit it, she's the reason you're still with an alpha at this point." Lucian spoke in a defensive tone that had everyone at the table quiet and expectant for what was coming next. "So, you might as well go ahead and properly give her your thanks." Lucian could sense a subtle jealousy on Elsa's part. He knew how egotistic she was, and how she liked to be the one that stood out to him among the rest. A combination of both circumstances could be an appropriate explanation for what was happening. He wanted to resolve the argument there and then to a
There was silence— a deafening, stifling kind of silence after Barbara had left the both of them in her tent. "I see you're beginning to grow quite acquainted with Barbara," Carlyle said, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence that lingered. "That's interesting." "What can I say? She's quite a helpful companion to have around. She shows me the way around everything and everywhere." Anna said, trying to know what had really brought him there. There was no way he could have left his place just to ask about her seeming friendship with Barbara. Had Lucian sent him there to find out something on his behalf? That seemed to be the most probable reason she could think of. "That's wonderful," Carlyle said nodding slowly. "It's nice that you're getting pretty familiar with our people and your new environment as well. I'm sure you know all the ins and outs by now." "Well..." She wasn't sure where he was going with that. But then, she thought a bit insinuative and was not going to give it
"What are you doing...?" Lucian tried to ask but was muffled all over again by yet another one of Elsa's hot kisses. "This isn't..." All his sentences followed the same pattern, as she seemed quite determined to stop him from ruining the moment with his words.Her style of seduction was rather imposing than the usual persuasive style used by most women who had failed at what she was trying so hard to do at the moment. Her courage was commendable, but he just couldn't consent to what she was offering at the moment. He was too stuck on what the future consequences would be to actually enjoy the heat of the moment.More than any other thing, that singular act would lead to many other acts like that one in the future. The moment the both of them would get a taste of each other, they would want to have it over and over, and he wasn't ready to put up with that. He had already found his mate, and he felt like entertaining that pleasure was like a huge betrayal to Anna, even though they hadn'
"Milady," her handmaid said as she slowly came through her room's door. "Shall I bring in your morning meal now?"Elsa wished that the memories of the night before would quickly pass away, but then they seemed like they would linger around for a while. Everything seemed to remind her of her thoughtless, impulsive actions the night before.Her handmaid reminded her of how she had senselessly offered herself as anything he wanted her to be, just so she could get a taste of him. It was unimaginable, the things she had said at the height of her ecstasy. She wished she could reclaim her dignity, which she had thrown into the wind during the night."Milady?" Jia gently called her back into the moment."Just let me be, Jia!" She snarled, taking out her anger on her innocent maid. She just wanted to be left alone with her thoughts, as she had been rejected by Lucian just like she had done her maid there and then. "Goodness..." She winced to herself as she was still hurting.The door shut behi
"Focus..." Anna took deep breaths as she tried to still herself in the turbulent world of her thoughts and emotions— just like Barbara had told her the last time.Every single day was beginning to seem like the same to Anna, but then she didn't mind living a boring lonely life if it was going to end with her getting revenge for her family. She didn't mind at that point, as she considered it a minor sacrifice for the greater good.With the way she was being looked at by the people of Lucian's pack, solitude didn't seem like a bad idea. It was more of a luxury. She just hoped that Barbara wouldn't begin to look at her the same way the others were. If it ever happened that way, she would begin planning her exit from the pack by any means possible.For the time being, she was going to learn everything that she possibly could. She would encourage herself anytime she was feeling down, with the absurd and incomprehensible poem her father had given her as a birthday gift. Though she didn't un
Anna was suspicious of how Elsa had suddenly run off. What on earth was going on? She wondered but knew she wasn't going to get any answers, standing there. There possibly wasn't any harm in following her trail to know where it led to.She sheathed her sword as she followed Elsa from a decent distance behind. Barbara still hadn't shown up, and that her a bit worried. There was probably something off in the territory, given the way Elsa had sped off.Before she knew it, she was following the tracks all the way to Lucian's building. Elsa didn't seem like the quick-footed runner she was. She had Anna gasping as she tried to at least keep her within sight.As she drew closer, she realized that the murmurs of the people were getting louder and deafening. They were all looking in the direction of Lucian's building. There seemed to be some sort of unusually white smoke escaping through the windows, and that seemed to be what had everyone on their toes.Anna's heart throbbed sporadically with
Anna was frightened by the men lying on the floor outside the building. She was forced to think twice about what she had contemplated doing. Though she wasn't sure if they were dead, they seemed lifeless as they didn't move a single muscle as she tiptoed through them all the way to the back door which Elsa had followed.On the inside was smoke, and Anna was glad that she hadn't thought Elsa's covering of her nostrils to be a mere facade or an act of disguise. The smoke was almost blinding, and she thought that not even Lucian could survive that if he had been in there. Good thing she had tied a piece of clothing around her mouth and nostrils, though she held her breath almost throughout the whole incident, and that made her unable to perceive what the odor of the smoke was like.She could hear some fighting in the distance. She soon realized that it wasn't happening in some distant place but right above her. The voices of the people struggling and straining to gain the upper hand beca
"Were you trying to get yourself killed on purpose?" Lucian's timing was impeccable, just like it had been the day he had saved her when she was under the heavy downpour. He looked a bit scary with the black piece of clothing tied around his mouth and nostrils.She hated herself for enjoying the feeling of being in his arms. It had felt so safe, so firm but comforting at the same time. That was surely every woman's dream, to be always held in arms as safe as that. But then, she snapped out of it, as she wasn't supposed to be thinking of such things in a situation as that."How did you even get in here?" Lucian asked as he quickly set her on her feet. In an instant, he was looking at the man that had been chasing her, as though he was sizing him up."I followed Elsa all the way here. She's got to be around here somewhere. I'm not really sure about—""I'll be needing this," he interrupted as he took her sword by the hilt. The sword she had been hesitant to unsheathe had finally been set