LORD SAINTS POV Now if this wasn't the worst time for 'an emergency', then I wonder what is. I looked at Hillary, who was now settling on her feet and adjusting her cloth. "I'm..." I began, apologetically. She rose her palm up to stop me. "...don't mention it, Jay." She said as the cutest smile broke out of her face. "I understand." Elated to see her unbothered, I took her hands and bowed to kiss them. "Stop it." She giggled as I kissed her all over her soft and fragile hands. "My lord." Roared Scarlett outside. "I'm sorry but your attention is direly needed in the courtroom." "I'll be there in a minute." I replied, then let out a low disappointed sigh. "It's alright." Hillary said, encouragingly. "Your people need their Emperor." More disappointed than my appearance was giving out, I regretfully let go of her hands Then, I marched up the spiral stairs into my royal dressing closet. There, I took my red royal garment with the

HILLARY'S POV. "Oh my!" I cried as I ran to him. I pushed my way through the guards and fell to my knees beside him. "Checkmate." I sobbed. I rose his head up but his beaten eyes were closed and his mouth was swollen and bloody. "No, no, no." I cried, shaking his lifeless body "Who is the boy?" Jordan asked. I was too terrified to respond so Madam Turi replied him. "This is Hillary's friend... and my friend too." Jordan heaved a bogged down sigh before giving out an order. "Guards!" They all stood at attention. "Take the boy to the clinic." He concluded. Two guards stepped forward and walked over to us to take Checkmate but Madam Turi shooed them away. "My lord." She bowed to him, then resumed. "I'd like to take care of the boy myself." "And why would you trouble yourself when you have about fifty junior doctors who will be willing to treat him." Adamantly, Madam Turi insisted. "Please, my lord. It will be of no distr

HILLARY'S POV Fate? Is that even real? I asked myself as I stared at the lifeless figure of Checkmate. Fate? I could still remember when Dylan had talked to me about fate. Then, I had been planning to run away and have a normal good ol' life with no Gladys and Steve to torture me. If only I'd known how terrific and unpredictable life was, I might have not made half of the mistakes I'd made already. Dylan and I were fated to each other and by all customs are meant to be together as Alpha and Luna, but somehow I feel different. Of course, I definitely feel this strong connection to him, something more celestial than natural. An aura which attracts us to each other. But it's different from what Jordan and I have. If I'm sure of one thing, it's that I'm in love with Jordan. I'm sickly in love with him. A natural feeling which has grown on me, unlike what I had with Dylan. It wasn't spontaneous, although the first day I had seen Jordan, I had been mesmerized by his good looks

HILLARY'S POVHe was probably thinking that I was crazy. And he wasn't wrong. I could feel this sudden anger welling up in me, an anger which I had never experienced before. An anger towards myself. I knew that the whole 'penance' talk was crazy but it was somehow satisfying to me. Crazy! Of course, I blamed myself for Checkmate's death or soon-to-be death, whatever. It was my fault, if I hadn't left the pack that night, Checkmate wouldn't have come after me and he'd definitely not be on the verge of dying. But If I hadn't escaped, I'd have probably been imprisoned or worse, Scarlett and Madam Turi would have been tortured and killed. But if I had done the right thing, why did I still feel so much guilt? As if I had been the one that had stabbed him? My thighs were killing me. I had to get treated before it gets infected. But before that, I had to hear Jordan's solution—that's if he had any. "What solution?" I asked, not really buying it. "Can you rem

LORD SAINTS POV"How are you feeling?" I looked at her worried face and smiled. "I feel better now." She sighed in relief and looked away from me. A tear ran down her face and she quickly wiped it away. "For a moment, I thought you were dead." I smiled. "Good thing that I'm not, right?" She gave me a dangerous look and said, "Don't you ever do something like this, I beg you." I gripped her hand firmly. "Never, I promise." We both looked into each other's eyes like staring at each other would lessen the tension between us. I knew she had a lot to say to me but I wasn't ready for scolding yet. "Scarlett came back," She said. "Why?" I asked. "I gave her an order to go home and not return until further notice." "Well, she claims that on her way out she found a wanted person… " "A wanted person?" "Yes," She replied. "Hillary's stepsister, Maribel Hunter." I sat upright, groaning. "Take it easy." She said, helping me up.