In an instant, Sir Elijah suddenly grabbed me and protected me from unknown enemies. He looked back and forth, his muscles tensed. "Hide, River," he growled. “Sir Elijah, I can do this.” Even if he did not have to do that. Though I appreciate his efforts. His hold on me tightened. I felt his claws elongating and some of the guests looked in our direction, with a confused expressions.I gave them a reassuring smile and it was enough to return their gazes to what they were doing. “Everyone must not show any hint of panic or the visitors of the Ceremony would sense if something is wrong,” the beta reminded. Sir Elijah glared at Alpha Raphael which the latter did not mind. A bit. “What a failure!” Sir Elijah whispered harshly. “You do not compromise the queen’s safety. Fix this. Tighten your security. Find the culprit. If another death will be added, I will make sure to punish you and all your officials,” Sir Elijah hissed. “And who are you to do that? Huh?”Beta Gavin tapped his

“Your Highness, please calm down,” William requested. Acting as if I was unbothered, I seconded, “Yeah. You should be calm, Your Highness. Your presence alone is enough to scare the servants. Besides, I am only telling you the truth. Nothing else.”The alpha king inhaled deeply, attempting to control his anger, and sat down. "I. Am. Not. Jealous."I smirked. "Yeah. Yeah. No one is forcing you to say otherwise."“No one is taking the woman away from you. Not even my son.”While we were in the middle of our discussion, Alpha Raphael glanced at the servants and in an instant, they stepped out of the dining room and shut the door behind us.My brows furrowed. What was happening?All our eyes went to him. He was the only one capable of mind-linking all his pack members. For what purpose?Alpha Raphael pulled himself together. “Your Highness, Alpha King Maxxwell, Gavin, and Father. May I have your attention, please?”“You all have our attention, Master Raphael.”“Stop calling him your mast

River WilliamsAnother two deaths. Just like what had happened last night. Fear crept into my system. A series of killings. For what purpose?“What did your alpha do?” the alpha king asked.“I’m certain the alpha king was doing everything to solve the killings,” I answered. “All you have to do is give him some time, Your Highness. Believe in him. He is an excellent alpha who only sees what is best for his people.” I tasted the bitter taste of lies in my own words.My fist clenched. My loyalty would be forever to Alpha Raphael. Defending him to this bastard was my responsibility.“Time? Until then, River? Do you want me to wait and watch when every passing day of not solving the case meant putting you at risk? Not under my watch, River.""Your ego is the last thing you should think of at the moment, Your Highness.""Sarcasm will not bring you any good. Tell me about the bodies. Where did the dead bodies recover?”“Outside. Near the temple for the Moon Goddess, Your Highness.”“Let’s

For the rest of the day, I thought the alpha king would leave me alone, but he did not. He was always by my side whenever I stepped out of my room and silently walked with me, maintaining his distance, careful not to anger me anymore.I was going to the kitchen, and in an instant, he was again following me.Fed up and the thought of him tailing me wherever I go was no longer appealing to me.Plainly showing my disinterest, I said, “Ugh. Will you please stop? You look like a lost puppy, Maxxwell. The servants are watching me as if I did the most horrible crime of all. You make me look as if I am a criminal who is always under your surveillance.” I tried to disregard it, but the majority of the servants were glaring at me now, but whenever Maxxwell met their eyes, hatred was replaced with fear for their life. “Just stop, will you?”“My priority is your safety, River,” he answered while looking at the surroundings.“Oh, please. I can handle myself.”Could I? Sunflower was still giving me

My steps faltered.The alpha king bombarded me with questions but set them aside.There were far more important things to know at the moment.“Did someone tell you?”“The Luna.” Dawn. “They were the ones who kept on telling me that you might be pregnant.” Maxxwell smiled sadly. “If they give up, I would never have a sudden change of heart, River.”“Where is Dawn?” Goddess. I missed that woman so much. I hoped she was okay now. “How about Delta Isagani?” He was silent for a moment.“Don’t tell me Dawn is dead.”“No, no. She..she left the palace.”My eyes went wide. “What? Did she say something before she left?”“She did not.”I cursed loudly when the pain attacked again. Breathing heavily, I asked, “How about you, Your Highness? Do you believe this is your child? Let’s say I am pregnant. But you cannot guarantee this is yours,” I questioned even if he was the only man I had all throughout my life. Without a doubt.Without realizing it, his grip on my arms tightened. “You are hurting