Chapter 12Rick and the rest of Laurel's men were assigned a special chamber in Earl's castle, the men were grateful for that after the long stress in the woods. Except for Rick who did not want Laurel and Kristen out of his sight for even a second. Laurel was given a separate room from Kristen too but Kristen insisted on staying with her sister, not even taking her hands off her sword for a second. Earl watched with keen interest as his soon to be bride and her entourage struggled to get comfortable in their soon to be second home. For some reason, the thought was funny to him but he was relieved that he didn't have to go and beg her for help. How it turned out that she appeared in front of his gate at the exact same moment he was about to go out to meet her was still a welcome puzzle to him. Gregg was right after all, in a good way, but he hated to admit that. Even Gregg had not stopped smiling from ear to ear since the Lady Alpha's arrival and each time their eyes met, he could sw

Chapter 14That morning, Laurel thought she woke up first but was surprised to find Kristen and Rick already outside her door. Maybe she had slept longer than she expected, but she couldn't blame herself, it was the first time she was sleeping without being dragged out of bed to the news of another death or another victim. "Good morning." They both greeted each other simultaneously."It's a fine morning." Laurel replied, "I guess I slept longer than expected." "You deserve it," Rick smiled, "The Alpha and his Beta are outside already." Laurel paused to look at Rick, the sound of that was strange in her ears, he was referring to Earl and Gregg and yet it felt weird to her. She was used to being referred to as Alpha, even Earl called her Lady Alpha and now, if she eventually marries Earl, she knew she would have to get used to being called Luna and having to share everything with that man, including her men. She didn't know if she liked that idea at all, but she was sure that Earl wou

Chapter 16By evening, half the sick ones were already getting back on their feet, the smell of death was no longer in the air, neither was that of sickness. There was still a lot to do for everyone, even the Omegas and the locals. The kitchen maids had to prepare a large meal to feed the entire populace since most of the locals were not even intent on returning home until every last one of them was confirmed sound and well.That night, Laurel went to bed feeling fulfilled and satisfied, there was a lot to be grateful for. The New Knight healers did not relent though, they kept working even during the night. It was magical how something as disastrous as the flu could be cured by just a leaf and even more surprising how that cure could only be found in one place. Laurel was genuinely happy for the progress so far, but her thoughts were still plagued by what lay ahead. After this all was over, she knew what would follow next, and it was not something she looked forward to. Her thought

Chapter 18Earl was right, the marriage was really going to take place the next day. How he had done it, Laurel could not tell, but the celebration began the moment he left Sacred Moon. There was no time for even Kristen and Laurel to have a talk about what was happening, all roads led to Sacred Moon Castle. Even the people from New Knight flocked in in their numbers. Laurel was too shocked to speak, the twelve elders of the pack assembled in the castle that evening to discuss the long awaited union. It looked like they had all already accepted Earl even before she made the official presentation of her chosen partner to the council which was customary. They didn't need her to present him, and if she was being sincere, she didn't even want to present him to anybody as her husband. But what could she say? The council had already decided, and even when she joined them that afternoon in the courtroom, they were discussing the marriage rites. Laurel was perplexed and genuinely disoriente

Chapter 20Laurel found herself standing beside Earl, her newly bonded husband, amidst the jubilant crowd. The atmosphere was filled with excitement and celebration, but beneath her forced smile, questions and uncertainties still plagued her mind. As the night progressed, she couldn’t help but feel the weight of her new role as Luna, the mate of the Alpha.‘Good heavens, I can’t believe that this magnificent mountain of threat before me is now mine.’ She thought carefully, wishing more than anything that she could run into the forest and hide from all this, but she kept that thought to herself and tried to keep her countenance under control throughout the walk back to the castle. She couldn’t do that even if she tried, not when she was walking beside this mighty alpha whose eyes were already looking her over possessively.Earl, sensing her inner turmoil, gently squeezed her hand, offering a silent reassurance. She glanced at him, his mesmerizing golden eyes reflecting both pride and te